Reborn as the Fake Heiress

By the time Katherine's car turned through the wrought-iron gates of the Hart estate, dusk had already settled over the city. The familiar driveway stretched ahead, lined with maple trees that had long since grown taller than the mansion itself. Four years ago, this sight had always filled her with comfort. It was home. It was the one place in the world where she had never questioned whether she belonged.

Now, as the mansion slowly came into view beyond the gardens, Katherine found herself gripping her handbag so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

Inside, safely tucked away, was a small sealed envelope containing a single strand of Joanna's hair.

She had spent the entire flight convincing herself that she was doing the right thing. The DNA test would only confirm what she already believed. Once the truth came to light, Joanna would finally return to the family that had unknowingly spent years searching for her. Katherine repeated those thoughts over and over again, yet instead of bringing her peace, they only made the mansion before her seem more distant with every passing second.

The car had barely come to a stop when the front doors flew open.

"Katherine!"

Amelia didn't wait for the chauffeur to open the door. She hurried down the front steps herself, gathering the hem of her dress as she almost ran across the driveway. Before Katherine had even stepped out of the car, Amelia had already wrapped both arms around her, pulling her into an embrace so tight that it stole the air from her lungs.

"You've lost weight," Amelia complained the moment she finally let go, cupping Katherine's face between her hands as though she hadn't seen her in years instead of a few weeks. "I knew it. I told you university life wasn't treating you properly. Were you skipping meals again?"

Katherine could only stare at her.

The warmth of Amelia's hands.

The familiar fragrance of her perfume.

The gentle scolding that had once embarrassed her but now felt unbearably precious.

Everything was exactly as she remembered.

Only this time, Katherine knew it wouldn't last forever.

"I'm fine," she answered quietly, forcing a smile onto her face.

"You call this fine?" Amelia frowned, brushing a loose strand of hair behind Katherine's ear. "Look at those dark circles under your eyes. I'm having the kitchen prepare your favorite dishes tonight, and don't even think about arguing with me. By the time your birthday arrives, I want every bit of that weight back."

Katherine laughed softly despite the ache growing in her chest.

"...Alright."

The servants had already begun carrying her luggage inside, but Katherine deliberately kept her handbag over her shoulder. She wasn't about to let it leave her sight. Hidden in one of its inner compartments was the small evidence bag containing Joanna's hair, and until the samples reached the laboratory, she refused to risk losing it.

The familiar warmth of the mansion wrapped around her the moment she stepped inside. Nothing had changed. The marble floors gleamed beneath the crystal chandeliers, fresh flowers decorated the entrance hall, and the grandfather clock beside the staircase chimed exactly as it had every evening throughout her childhood.

For the first time since waking up in the hospital, Katherine allowed herself to simply stand there.

She slowly turned in a circle, taking in every detail she had once overlooked.

The portrait hanging above the fireplace.

The vase Amelia insisted on replacing every Monday.

The faint scent of cedar that always lingered in the hall.

She had walked past these things thousands of times without ever imagining she would one day have to say goodbye to them.

"Go upstairs and unpack," Amelia urged gently. "Your father is still hiding in his study. I told him to stop working early today, but you know how impossible that man is."

Katherine smiled faintly.

"I'll go see him."

Amelia rolled her eyes with exaggerated annoyance.

"Good. Maybe he'll listen to you."

The study door stood half open.

Katherine knocked softly before stepping inside.

Richard Hart sat behind his enormous walnut desk, reading through a stack of financial reports while several monitors displayed market data across the walls. Without looking up, he turned another page and signed a document with practiced efficiency.

For several seconds, Katherine simply watched him.

She had forgotten how reassuring the sight was.

Her father had never been particularly expressive. Unlike Amelia, he rarely hugged her or showered her with affection. He showed love in quieter ways that were easy to overlook unless someone paid attention.

Only after finishing the page did Richard finally lift his head.

"You're back."

"I am."

His gaze briefly swept over her before settling on the handbag still hanging from her shoulder. A small orange prescription bottle, hastily tucked inside after leaving the hospital, peeked out from one of the side pockets.

Richard's brows drew together almost imperceptibly.

"You haven't finished your medication."

Katherine instinctively glanced toward the bottle.

"I was going to."

"You were prescribed five days."

His voice remained as calm and measured as always.

"Finish the entire course before you return to classes. Recover properly first. Work can wait."

There was no lecture.

No dramatic concern.

No fuss.

Just a simple reminder delivered in the same even tone he used during business meetings.

Yet somehow, it carried more weight than a hundred worried speeches.

Katherine lowered her eyes.

"...I will."

Richard gave a small nod before returning to the documents on his desk.

The conversation lasted less than a minute.

It was exactly the sort of exchange they had shared countless times throughout her life.

Only now did Katherine realize that this was simply how Richard loved people.

Quietly.

Without expecting recognition.

She left the study with tears threatening to gather in her eyes.

The rest of the evening passed with a comforting normalcy that felt almost cruel. She unpacked her suitcase, wandered through her bedroom, and ran her fingertips across shelves filled with trophies, framed photographs, and little keepsakes Amelia had refused to throw away over the years. Each object held a memory. Each memory reminded her that this room had witnessed her entire childhood.

She paused before a framed photograph sitting on her bedside table.

Richard stood stiffly in an expensive suit while Amelia laughed brightly beside him. Between them, a twelve-year-old Katherine grinned at the camera with both arms wrapped around their waists.

It looked like an ordinary family photograph.

But Katherine could no longer look at it without wondering whether Joanna should have been standing in her place instead.

Dinner was filled with the familiar conversations she had missed without realizing it. Amelia spoke enthusiastically about redesigning the east garden, complained that Richard worked far too much, and insisted the chef prepare three different desserts because she couldn't decide which Katherine liked most. Richard listened more than he spoke, occasionally offering a dry remark that earned an exasperated look from his wife before returning to his meal.

It was peaceful.

Warm.

Everything Katherine had lost.

Everything she believed she would soon have to return.

As the servants cleared the table, Amelia suddenly clapped her hands together as though she had remembered something exciting.

"Oh, I almost forgot! Your birthday next week isn't just your birthday anymore."

Katherine looked up.

"What do you mean?"

Amelia smiled knowingly.

"Your father finally agreed to it."

Richard sighed into his tea but didn't deny it.

"We've arranged for the Stan family to attend."

Amelia's excitement only grew.

"It'll be your formal introduction to their son, Soron."

Katherine smiled politely, allowing just enough curiosity to appear in her expression.

"Their son?"

"I've heard wonderful things about him," Amelia said with obvious satisfaction. "I'm sure the two of you will get along."

Katherine nodded as though she were hearing the name for the very first time.

Inside, however, she already knew exactly where that introduction would lead.

While Amelia leaned closer to excitedly discuss the birthday preparations, Katherine quietly reached out and plucked a loose strand of hair that had fallen onto Amelia's shoulder.

The movement was so natural that Amelia never noticed.

Katherine folded the strand into a tissue beneath the table before slipping it into her pocket.

Late that night, after the mansion had fallen silent and every light except those in Richard's study had been extinguished, Katherine quietly slipped out through the side entrance. She drove across the city to a private courier service that operated through the night, where she carefully sealed two labeled evidence bags inside a plain envelope addressed to one of the country's most reputable genetic laboratories.

She watched until the clerk placed the package into the outgoing collection box.

The results would arrive before her birthday.

By then...

There would be no turning back.