Chapter 1

The stepsister of Brooklyn Smith's husband, Samantha Zeller, left a little boy locked inside a car for over an hour under the scorching sun. Furthermore, she refused to let the police break the windows to save him. Brooklyn rushed to the scene in a panic, grabbed a hammer, and tried to break into the car. However, her husband, Christopher Zeller, stood in her way. "The red stains are probably ketchup that Robert accidentally smeared on the window. This car belonged to Samantha's late parents. She cares about it more than anything else in this world. We definitely can't break the window. "Samantha lost the keys to the car by mistake, and the spare key will be here in two minutes. Nothing bad will happen to our son. It's just another two minutes." Christopher spoke in a calm tone as he met Brooklyn's bloodshot eyes. "Is a car more important to you than your son's life?" Brooklyn demanded. She swung the hammer around wildly, breaking free from Christopher's grasp. She rushed up to the car and brought the hammer down on the window. Samantha's shrill scream pierced the air as the glass window shattered into pieces, revealing Robert's pale and unconscious face. Tears streamed down Brooklyn's face. She shoved Christopher's hand aside when he stepped up to carry their son. At the emergency room, the doctor remarked that it would have been too late to save Robert if they had arrived two minutes later. Brooklyn glared at Christopher, tears welling up in her eyes. Her body was still trembling with fear and fury at what might have happened. Brooklyn raised her hand and slapped Christopher hard across the face. She even turned around to slap Samantha too. Samantha clutched her cheek, her wide eyes glistening with tears. "I only wanted to take Robert out to play. If you can't stand having me here, I'll just leave." She ran out of the room, sobbing. Christopher hesitated for a moment before chasing after her. It wasn't until evening, when Robert had come out of the emergency room for a second time, that Christopher returned to the hospital with his brows furrowed. He said, "Samantha's missing. She's a sensitive woman, and she may resort to doing something foolish. Brooklyn, please record an apology video while slapping yourself ten times. After that, can you post the video online?" An apology. Ever since Samantha moved in after finishing graduate school abroad, Brooklyn had been apologizing to her like a broken record. "Sorry, I didn't know you hated plain pasta." "Sorry for disturbing your sleep by closing the door too loudly when I came home late from work." "Sorry, I didn't mean to exclude you on purpose when I went out shopping with Christopher." Brooklyn dug her nails deep into her bloodied palm and slowly looked up at Christopher. "Get lost!" Christopher's expression darkened. He stepped forward and grabbed the oxygen mask on their son's face. "You're her sister-in-law. Can't you be a little more magnanimous?" Brooklyn felt as if she was struck by lightning. She stared at the man she thought she once knew and said, "This is the second time Samantha locked our son inside a car. Do you really not know whether it was on purpose or an accident?" "Don't change the subject. It's dangerous for a young lady like Samantha to be alone outside in the middle of the night." Christopher's voice turned icy, and he spoke with finality, "I'll give you one minute." Robert's face was pale as he lay still on the hospital bed. His father, who was supposed to be protecting him, actually held him hostage for the sake of the person who nearly killed him! "Brooklyn, don't make me do this." Christopher lifted the mask from Robert's face, and the vitals monitor sounded a piercing alarm. Brooklyn's heart pounded like a hammer within her chest as she screamed, "Fine, I'll slap myself!" The first slap echoed in the ward, shattering every sweet memory they shared in the past. The second slap sent the future of their family crumbling to dust. Brooklyn used up every ounce of strength she had by the tenth slap. She leaned against the wall and slid to the floor. Meanwhile, Christopher walked away briskly. He called his assistant to upload the apology video across every social media platform. The next afternoon, Brooklyn was on her way to speak with the attending doctor when she overheard Samantha's coquettish voice in the stairwell. "Chris, I didn't cause a scene today for your sake. Don't you think I deserve a reward for being so well-behaved?" Brooklyn peeked inside and saw Samantha wrapping her arms around Christopher's neck. Samantha stood on tiptoe before kissing him on the lips. However, Christopher didn't push her away. Instead, he placed his hand on her waist and tightened his grip instinctively. After a moment, he seemed to have suddenly come to his senses. Pushing Samantha away, Christopher spoke in an affectionate yet helpless tone. "Samantha, you should be more careful in public. After all, I'm your stepbrother." Samantha pouted. "But we're not related by blood. Besides, I liked you long before Brooklyn did." "You can't do this next time." Christopher ruffled Samantha's hair with a tenderness in his eyes that Brooklyn had never seen before. The sight pierced into her heart like a sharp blade. Brooklyn had heard rumors regarding Christopher and his stepsister when she was in college. However, she hadn't believed in them because Christopher had pursued her with such furor back then. Brooklyn had once casually mentioned that she didn't like boring and aloof men. Thus, Christopher entered the campus singing competition just to declare his love for Brooklyn. He poured out his feelings on the school forum and sent her a joke through text every morning and evening. He even gifted her luxury items in addition to handwritten love letters. Christopher hated cameras, but he took part in her favorite web show for her sake. He despised social media, but he registered an account just for Brooklyn. He followed her social media accounts and stayed up late to leave comments on every single one of her posts. The entire college knew about Christopher's romantic pursuit of her. Even the professors would tease Brooklyn when they met her, "Haven't you agreed to get together yet?" How could someone like Christopher be involved with Samantha? When did this relationship even start? Suddenly, Brooklyn remembered a diary she once found while cleaning the walk-in closet. She had quietly put it back out of respect for Christopher's privacy. But now, she slammed on the gas pedal decisively and sped home. She found the diary and opened it. "March 2. Samantha kissed me, and I couldn't stop myself from responding. But we're siblings. What would the world think of us?" "March 5. I don't have the courage. This has to stop. Brooklyn is beautiful and capable enough. If I pursue her seriously, maybe Samantha will believe I've fallen in love with someone else." "March 6. A grand public confession of love… Samantha might finally give up now that the news had spread far and wide, right?" The entire diary was about Samantha… Even after Samantha had gone abroad, and even when Christopher was already dating Brooklyn! The entries continued up to the day of his proposal. "Since I can't be with Samantha, it's all the same whoever I marry. I'll just settle for Brooklyn. I'm too tired to search for another woman." Brooklyn read the words in his diary obsessively, torturing herself with every line. Her body trembled uncontrollably. May 6th was the day her mother had passed away. That day, Christopher had taken a bullet train and a bus to find her. His eyes were red when they finally met. She thought he came because he cared about her. That was why she finally agreed to date him! Brooklyn had always been outstanding in all aspects since she was young, and she had many admirers. Yet to Christopher, she was merely someone to settle down with! Brooklyn covered her face and allowed her tears to flow freely, wetting her palms. "Christopher, this is the last time I'll cry over you," she thought. After calming herself down, Brooklyn made a call to her lawyer friend, Natasha Hudson. She said, "Help me draft a divorce agreement. Christopher's the one at fault, and I want the highest level of financial compensation possible." That night, Brooklyn picked up her son and returned home. Coincidentally, Christopher was moving Samantha's luggage back into the house at the same time. Brooklyn didn't spare them a second glance. She simply told Robert to have dinner at the table. "Chris, Robbie is safely discharged from the hospital, and I'm back home now. All's well that ends well. Why don't we have a drink to celebrate?" Samantha brought out a bottle of whiskey and poured drinks for everyone. The strong smell of liquor made Robert press his throbbing forehead. "Dad, this alcohol smells terrible. I feel dizzy and nauseous." Christopher noticed Samantha's dejected expression. "If you can't handle the smell, go and sit somewhere else." He turned to Brooklyn and said, "How did you raise our son to have no manners at all?" Brooklyn led Robert back to his room in silence. Behind their backs, Christopher spoke to Samantha in a gentle tone, "Don't mind them. I'll celebrate with you. Just the two of us." Robert looked up at Brooklyn with tears in his eyes while eating dinner in the room. "Mom, is it okay to not have a dad? Since he doesn't like me, I won't like him either." Brooklyn's heart ached with sorrow. She hugged her son tightly, her eyes reddened as well. Later, Christopher came back to the room after having a few drinks. There was a lipstick stain on his white shirt. The sight of it made Brooklyn feel sick. "Brooklyn, I have a gift for you and Robert." Christopher took two documents out of his briefcase, showing that he had transferred the ownership of two properties to her and Robert. He said, "Samantha didn't do it on purpose. Consider this my apology on her behalf. As her sister-in-law, shouldn't you be more generous? Don't be so calculative with her." Christopher gave Brooklyn an expectant look, as if she should feel grateful for his generosity despite abandoning Robert repeatedly. Brooklyn placed the divorce agreement in front of him and pointed at the signature line. She said expressionlessly, "Sign here." Christopher picked up a pen and signed his name on the line. His handwriting was exactly the same in the love letters he had given her back then. "What project is this about?" he asked indifferently. Brooklyn curled her lips into a mocking smile. "One that will make both of us very happy."