The Stolen Life

The day I get engaged, my brother brings home a woman who's my age. He says she's his actual sister and accuses me of stealing her life for the past 20 years. Even my fiancé says she's his rightful wife.

I'm kicked out of home. Meanwhile, my brother and fiancé take the true heiress traveling. They even give her the villa they had prepared for me.

Half a month later, they suddenly remember it's my birthday. To their dismay, they find that they can't see me anymore—I've joined a secret ten-year project organized by the nation.

They're supposed to be happy, but they now regret everything.

"Eleanor, have you thought this through? This project requires total isolation. Once you head off, you won't be able to see your family."

Jonathan Hensley's words pulled me back from my thoughts. My eyes were still damp.

A lot had happened at home these past few days—nothing everyone at the institute didn't know about. I, Eleanor Shaw, was a fraud.

"I know this incident has hit you hard, but you shouldn't act rashly. This concerns your life."

Noticing the sorrow in my eyes, the director of the institute clasped his hands behind his back. His expression was heavy with concern.

"Please rest assured, Dr. Hensley. I'm not acting on impulse. The only reason I didn't accept this immediately was my family—I couldn't bear leaving them. But now, given how things have turned out, leaving would be the right decision."

I steadied myself, wiping away a tear I hid from Jonathan.

I was truly heartbroken, but at the same time, I felt a sense of relief.

It was as though I had always known this would be my final decision.

Rather than causing everyone unhappiness, it was better to step aside early and make room for the replacement.

"Alright, I trust you. Take care of yourself. Departure is in half a month."

Jonathan didn't press further. Instead, he gently patted my shoulder. He knew I needed comfort but couldn't find the right words. Hence, he could only let his actions show that he was always on my side.

"Thank you."

I nodded at him and walked out. People in the research institute all turned to look at me.

Since my identity was exposed, my colleagues had been especially sympathetic.

In their eyes, everything I had achieved was the result of my own hard work. However, my brother, Jeffrey Shaw, had publicly declared on the company's website that all my achievements were thanks to the Shaw family's name. As such, I had no right to blame them, nor did I deserve any sympathy.

"El, perhaps you shouldn't go back."

"Yeah, I have an extra room at my place. There's no need to go back and suffer, especially if you're leaving soon anyway."

Everyone was trying their best to console me, offering help in various ways. However, I only shook my head gently.

"It's precisely because I'm leaving that I should go home."

I needed to repay what I owed. Jeffrey's words, though harsh, weren't wrong. I had taken over his biological sister's life for over 20 years. This was my fault, my debt to bear.

"El."

Seeing my determination, they tried to persuade me further. I forced a smile and hugged each of them. "It's okay. Remember, I'm as tough as they come. Just like our experiments—no matter how difficult, don't we always pull through in the end? Trust me."

I raised my hand in a gesture of encouragement, then stood up and headed home.

The Shaw residence wasn't far from here, as it was investments from Jeffrey and my fiancé, Ivor Rhett, that funded the research institute.

To be closer to me, they even built two villas nearby, adjacent to each other. These were my two homes.

But now, there was no place for me in either villa. When I arrived, the household staff were openly hostile, too.

"Mr. Shaw has said that you are no longer part of the Shaw family. How do you still have the gall to show up here?"

"Someone steals 20 years of someone else's life and still has the audacity to stick around."