Chapter 1

Even while sitting on the plane, my mind was still completely blank.

I never imagined that after being driven out of Manhattan for five years, I would ever have the chance to return.

After all, my adoptive father, Eric Miller, had once told me clearly—

For the rest of my life, it would be best if I never showed my face in front of him again.

And yet it was the same man who personally bought the ticket bringing me back to Manhattan, asking me to attend the five-year wedding anniversary celebration for him and my stepmother, Julia.

After two connecting flights, I finally landed in Manhattan.

Lily had been quiet throughout the flight, but the moment we stepped off the plane, she started crying.

She sat right down on the floor, refusing to move.

“Mommy, I can’t walk anymore…”

Tears rolled down her soft little face.

My heart tightened. I bent down and picked her up in my arms.

When we reached the exit, I took out my phone to call an Uber.

Just then, my phone rang.

The caller ID made my fingers freeze.

Eric.

My expression darkened.

In the moment I hesitated, the call ended.

But almost immediately, it rang again.

My thumb slid across the screen, and I answered.

“Have you left the airport yet?” Eric’s voice was calm and businesslike.

“I’ve asked David to pick you up.”

For a moment, it almost sounded like he had forgotten— I was the “son” he had raised with his own hands. A bitter smile tugged at my lips.

“I can get there myself,” I said softly. “No need to trouble David.”

There was a brief pause on the other end. Perhaps Eric didn’t expect me to be so obedient now. Back when I still lived by his side, I would insist that he come pick me up personally. And he had always indulged me.

Everyone said the same thing— Noah, the adopted son, was practically guaranteed to become the next Don of the Miller Family. But no one knew the truth. All I ever wanted… was to become his wife. Even if it meant filling my body with silicone and turning myself into a fake woman.

After a moment of silence, Eric spoke again.

“David will still come. I’ve prepared a gift for Julia for you. It’s in the trunk. When you arrive, just bring it in.”

Eric had always been meticulous. After all, back when he proposed to Julia, he spent ten million dollars on a custom-made limited-edition wedding ring. It was obvious how deeply he loved her.

“I understand.” I gently rubbed Lily’s head while wiping away the tears on her cheeks.

Eric didn’t say anything else.

But strangely, he didn’t hang up either.

After a long silence, he finally spoke again, his tone colder this time. “Noah. I hope these five years have made you reflect.” “If you try anything against Julia again…” His voice hardened. “You’ll end up the same way as anyone who betrays the Family.”

At his words, the implants inside my body began to ache again. A strange mixture of cold and burning pain spread beneath my skin.

Before I could answer, the line went dead.

I let out a quiet sigh. Then I changed Eric’s contact name in my phone. From Eric to Dad.

In truth, he didn’t need to worry anymore.

All I wanted now was a stable job… and to raise Lily well.

That would be enough.

I looked up at the bright blue sky above Manhattan.

My heart felt strangely hollow.

Ten-year-old Noah never could have imagined that at eleven he would be adopted and finally become a child blessed with a family.

And the eleven-year-old Noah who finally had a home could never have imagined— that at twenty, he would lose it all.

On my twentieth birthday, Eric found my diary. I had always been quiet, with delicate features people often mocked. Whenever adults came to the orphanage looking to adopt children, they would look at me and sigh.

“How can a boy look so much like a girl?”

They carefully picked through the children, choosing the “good” ones. I was always the one left behind.

Until I turned eleven. That was when Eric arrived. He needed an adopted son to silence the old Don’s constant pressure about heirs.

For years, our relationship was… peaceful.

Until the day I turned eighteen.

That was when I realized something terrifying. I no longer saw Eric as my father.

I was in love with him.

But I knew very well there was no future for us.

Not only because we were bound by adoption—

but because I was a boy.

So I buried every ounce of that forbidden feeling…inside my diary.