Chapter 4
Isabella's POV
Sebastian rushed toward the door and immediately ran downstairs.
At the same time, my body struck the ground with a sickening thud.
The sound of breaking bones was swallowed by the impact.
My arms twisted at unnatural angles. My head tilted to one side, and blood quickly spread beneath me.
Then my consciousness suddenly lifted.
I was floating beside Sebastian.
"Sebastian, don't go downstairs!"
Vivian grabbed his arm.
"Didn't you see the inflatable safety equipment they set up downstairs for the event a few days ago? Isabella is just trying to scare us."
She sounded absolutely certain.
Leo chimed in with a look of contempt.
"I was playing down there earlier. Nobody could die from falling onto that thing."
"That woman is just doing it on purpose. She wants to make everyone worry about her."
He hadn't played there today.
He was simply lying to protect the woman he loved most.
Vivian.
I looked at Leo, feeling an emptiness spread through my chest.
When I was pregnant, I had imagined countless times what my child would be like.
Would he be kind?
Would he be brave?
Back then, Damian had told me he hoped our son would grow up to be a little gentleman who could protect his mother.
He had fulfilled that wish.
Unfortunately, the mother he wanted to protect wasn't me.
Still, Damian and my parents stood nearby, looking increasingly uneasy.
They remembered the expression on my face before I jumped.
"Maybe we should go downstairs and check. What if something really happened to Isabella?"
My mother's voice trembled.
Damian frowned.
"I'll go take a look."
Vivian's expression changed.
A second later, her eyes reddened, and her voice filled with wounded innocence.
"This is all my fault. If I hadn't been here, Sister wouldn't have gotten so angry with everyone."
She lowered her head, her voice trembling.
"Did I do something wrong? Is that why none of you believe me anymore?"
Her tone made her sound like the most wronged person in the world.
Leo immediately stepped beside her, his little face tense with anger.
"Dad! Grandpa! Grandma! Why does everyone start bullying Mommy whenever that woman appears? Have you replaced us with her? Do you not want Mommy and me anymore?"
His words cornered everyone.
Sebastian's expression darkened.
He looked at Vivian with undisguised sympathy.
"Enough. There's no need to check downstairs. Isabella has become increasingly unreasonable. Doesn't she realize how worried her family gets when she pulls stunts like this?"
"If she wants to make a scene, let her. This time, I'm going to teach her a lesson."
I stood beside them, listening.
But I felt nothing.
No grievance.
No anger.
Not even sadness.
It was as though all those emotions had died with my body.
I simply watched them, almost curious about what their faces would look like when they finally discovered I was dead.
Because I had refused to record the clarification video, they decided to record one themselves.
"Vivian has suffered enough over the years. We can't keep indulging Isabella's tantrums."
"Being switched at birth wasn't Vivian's fault. Why should she have to endure Isabella taking out all her anger on her?"
Vivian stood to one side, her head lowered.
But she couldn't quite suppress the smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.
For years, high society had refused to truly accept her because of her background.
But after today, she would finally become the legitimate second daughter of the Sterling family.
And with the Blackwood heir as her son, her future would be brighter than ever.
At that moment, she felt more grateful than ever that her biological mother had switched us at birth.
Just as they were about to publish the video—
Bang!
The door flew open.
The butler stumbled inside, his face deathly pale and his entire body trembling.
Sebastian frowned.
"What is it? Can't you see we're handling something important? Get out!"
Butler remained frozen in place.
His lips trembled before he finally managed to speak.
"Sir... Miss Isabella..."
He swallowed hard.
"She has fallen to her death downstairs!"
