The Bryant residence.
Downstairs buzzed with celebration, but upstairs, Luna Collins quietly packed her things.
Sylvester Bryant handed her two hundred bucks, pushing the cash into her hand. “Take this for the journey. I know you're eager to leave, and I won’t stop you… but that place you’re going back to is dirt-poor. Don’t count on anyone coming for you.”
He let out a heavy sigh. Just three days ago, their biological daughter Emma Bryant had shown up with a DNA report, claiming she was the real Bryant.
Chaos erupted. They tested both Luna and Emma, and sure enough, Luna, the girl they’d barely paid attention to all these years, turned out not to be theirs.
With the truth out, Emma was showered with affection. The Bryants, heartbroken over how she'd suffered through a rough upbringing, treated her like a treasure the moment she came in.
As for Luna, her surname was changed overnight. Someone was sent to inform her biological parents in the countryside.
No one’s replied yet.
Tonight’s event was a formal announcement of Emma’s return.
“You’ve got delicate skin, picky with clothes…” Sylvester mumbled while folding Luna’s clothes from the closet. “Take all of these with you. They’re pricey, and out there in the country…”
Word from the hospital was her birth parents were a couple who happened to pass through A City. She was born the next day and taken back to the countryside.
Worse still—B City slums. High crime, extreme poverty, trouble everywhere.
Truth is, Luna might not even get to keep a nice dress. Give it two days, people said, and she’d probably be forced into marriage with some backwards bumpkin.
Luna looked at the cash stuffed into her hand. Her face stayed unreadable. Quietly, she placed the money on the nightstand. “I’m leaving.”
She picked up her suitcase and pushed past the crowd at the door without even a glance back.
Sophia Pembroke’s face twisted like she’d swallowed something bitter. “What, the money’s not enough for her? We’re not even related, and we’ve spent so much on her over the years—clothes, food, everything! And now she’s acting all ungrateful like a queen! Just wait, the real world’s gonna hit her hard out there!”
“Mom, don’t get too worked up,” Emma said gently, like always. “Sis just had everything flipped upside down. Of course she’s upset. Don’t stress yourself for no reason.”
Emma had dug into Luna’s background before. The birth parents were the town’s poorest couple back in the day. Grave robbed, five sons, a sick grandma, and a disabled old man—no way they were feeding another mouth.
With that setup, calling it a slum would be downplaying it. More like a nightmare.
Emma smiled, a softness in her tone. “I’ll go walk her out.”
Watching Luna disappear down the path, Sylvester turned to his wife. “We did raise her. You didn’t need to be so harsh.”
“Harsh? Please,” Sophia hissed. “You think I’m just being mean? Those dirt-poor parents of hers probably swapped the kids on purpose! Sent our daughter off to suffer! Just thinking about it makes my blood boil! How could I ever care for someone like that?”
Luna snuck out through the side door, trying to avoid the party.
Emma caught up quickly, still wearing that sweet smile. “Sis, about me and Oliver… I really should apologize. You were the one engaged to him first, but he fell hard for me.”
She made it sound like an apology, but every word reeked of pride.
Oliver Marshall’s family was on par with the Bryants. The two families had drawn up a marriage agreement ages ago. Now, obviously, it was Emma's name on the papers.
“Oliver's amazing, but he’s clingy,” she giggled. “Always spoiling me. I didn’t mean to make you feel bad, it’s just… he insists. I hope these days haven’t been too rough on you?”
Luna raised a brow. “Watching a couple of mutts fall in love—entertaining, honestly. Nothing painful about that.”
