Chapter 2

Stella's POV

Seeing him leave, the others scrambled to follow him out the door.

Just as Chase was about to cross the threshold, my knees buckled, and I collapsed heavily onto the floor.

Resting in Chase's arms, Chloe glanced back and let out a shriek. "Chase! Stella... she collapsed! Her allergy looks terrible—is she dying?"

Chase's steps faltered. He looked back to see me curled up on the hard floor, my body trembling violently, the hives merging into angry red welts across my skin.

"Stella!"

Chase's expression cracked. Instinctively, he lowered Chloe to the ground and moved toward me. But Chloe suddenly twisted her ankle, falling hard into his chest.

Chase caught her instantly, his brow furrowing deep. "What happened?"

Chloe winced in pain. "It... it hurts so bad down there. The doctor said I'm not supposed to be out of bed yet."

Chase's frown deepened.

Leaning against his chest, Chloe looked entirely helpless. "I'm okay... I can handle it. You should go check on Stella. She really looks bad..."

"Forget her," Chase snapped, his voice turning cold. "She chose to eat it herself. Even if she drops dead, she brought it on herself. At least then no one will be around to annoy me. Let's get you to a doctor and switch rooms first."

With that, Chase scooped Chloe back into his arms and strode away.

I lay stranded on the cold tiles. The itching felt like thousands of fire ants tearing through my flesh, and every breath felt like swallowing shards of glass.

Using the last dregs of my strength, I turned my head just enough to watch his broad shoulders disappear through the doorway.

He walked away without a single hesitation, never once looking back.

"Don't worry, Chase..." I murmured silently to myself. "Very soon... I won't annoy you ever again."

Because they found out I don't share a drop of blood with the Mitchell family.

My mind drifted back to yesterday in the Mitchell study, when my parents, Robert and Evelyn Mitchell, pushed a DNA report across the mahogany desk with grim expressions, shattering the only life I had ever known.

"Stella, you aren't our biological daughter. We found our real daughter, and she's coming home next week."

"You two were accidentally switched at the hospital when you were born."

I sat frozen for a long time before I could force out a whisper: "Then... who am I?"

Robert and Evelyn merely shook their heads. They didn't know.

Nobody knew who I really was.

I had spent twenty-four years being the Mitchell heiress, only to find out I was just a nameless mistake.

To show how much they valued their real daughter, Robert and Evelyn demanded that I leave before she arrived, surrendering the engagement with the Miller family back to her.

Robert had said, "We know this is a massive blow to you and hard to accept. But Hailey has suffered so much out there all these years. We want to give her the best of everything to make up for what she lost."

Evelyn had added, "The arrangement with Chase was made while I was still pregnant. Now that we know you aren't my daughter, that engagement... naturally belongs to our real child."

So they wanted me gone, cleanly cutting every tie with Chase.

Which made today my very last birthday with the Mitchell family.

First thing this morning, I sent Chase countless messages, hoping he would show up.

Instead, I got the headline of him and Chloe plastering the tabloids.

Was this supposed to be his birthday present to me?

I tightened my fingers around the cross, my lips curling into a faint, bitter smile. "At least... I got the cross back."

I told him once: the day I stopped loving him was the day he could take it off.

The girl arranged to marry Chase wasn't me anymore.

And I would never love him again.