Chapter 4

ISLA

I was halfway to the hospital when a call from the villa came in. The housekeeper's voice carried an urgency I couldn't ignore.

"Miss Isla, please come back to the house at once... your sister is here."

The words sent a sharp ache through me.

It had been five years since she left. She rarely contacted me in those years, and when she did, it was only to flaunt her growing success.

We were twins, yes—but only at birth. In reality, I had never become her sister or a member of the Bennett family.

And now she was back. I knew why. It must be because of him.

My heart sank, heavy with dread, but I forced myself to go.

The moment I stepped through the door, the sharp echo of her voice rang out from the living room.

"What?!"

The tone was laced with disbelief and fury.

I froze in the hallway, my fingers tightening around the strap of my bag.

She was indeed here.

"Dad? How could you simply marry Isla to Alistair? I told you to wait for my return!" she snapped again.

"Didn't I make it clear that the company is going down? If I had waited until you came back, do you think you would still have a home to stand in now?" our father shot back angrily. "I made it clear to you that marrying a comatose person isn't worth it!"

"But Alistair is awake! And now, he's Isla's husband! Tell me, how should I accept any of this?!"

I stood rooted to the ground.

My instincts were right all along. She came back because she wanted to be the one to marry into the Montgomerys.

Isn't it hypocrisy? She discarded Alistair five years ago because she thought he wasn't good enough, that he would be left as just an illegitimate son forever.

Now that Alistair had risen to the peak, she was scrambling to get back to him.

"Liana, calm down—" Mom began softly.

"Calm down?!" Liana's voice rose again, shrill. "You should've thought first before you made such decisions. Am I not your daughter?"

"Alright..." my father's voice was strained as he gave in. "I will find a way."

The moment I heard it, a tight knot twisted inside my chest. When I pleaded with him yesterday to spare me from the contract marriage, he hadn't budged—he even threatened me with my own grandmother.

Now, as Liana snapped at him angrily, he backed down just like that.

Sometimes I wonder... am I really their daughter? Why can't I feel even the slightest softness from them? The only daughter they ever had eyes for was Liana.

Swallowing my bitterness, I slowly walked into the living room.

I was only at the doorway when Liana's burning eyes met mine.

She stood in the center of the room, as radiant as the last time I'd seen her—five years ago. Her long, curled hair framed her striking face, and her designer heels gleamed against the shiny floor.

But the look she gave me wasn't warm or welcoming. It was as though I had committed the greatest betrayal in history.

The atmosphere turned heavy, suffocating between us. I hadn't expected to face her like this, not so soon, when I still hadn't figured out how to breathe in this new reality they had forced me into.

Liana snatched her bag and acted as if to walk out. But she purposefully stopped beside me.

"You don't deserve him," she spat. "You don't even deserve to stand beside him."

Her heels clicked sharply against the floor as she stormed out, her expensive perfume lingering in the air like smoke after fire.

I stood there, frozen, every word she hurled at me echoing in my head.

The scene made me realize the war I had been pushed into wasn't just with Alistair... it was with the people I had once called family.

"What took you so long to come back?!" Dad looked at me with displeasure.

I was used to this kind of treatment from him. And it didn't cut me anymore—not when I was already broken by them.

They would see today how the broken Isla pieced herself together, bit by bit.

I didn't need to be polite with them anymore. I had no debt to pay to them—never had.

"I'm not your servant. I belong to the Montgomerys now, did you forget already? You can't just order me around whenever you like," I said blandly.

That only fanned the anger he had barely been holding back.

"You wretched girl! One night in the Montgomery estate and suddenly you think you've grown a backbone?" My father's finger jabbed the air between us.

I didn't flinch. My voice was cold, steady. "You made me like this. Shouldn't you be proud?"

His face flushed crimson, his mouth opening and closing, but no words came.

I turned to leave, but his voice barked after me. "Wait!"

My steps halted, though I didn't face him.

"You will speak to Lady Margot. You will end this farce of a marriage. Liana will take your place beside Alistair."

A bitter laugh escaped me as I glanced over my shoulder. "You started this. You fix it."

And without waiting for another word, I walked out, their curses chasing me down the hall.

From this moment on, they were no longer my family.

It was already eight forty in the morning when I arrived at the hospital. I was five hours late.

My steps quickened toward the office—I still had to sort out some things before preparing for my surgery in the afternoon.

But before I could even put my things on the table, a bright voice called out.

"Isla!"

I turned to see Riley Hayes—my best friend since medical school. She was also a doctor, bubbly, quick-witted, and impossibly teasing.

She strode over and handed me a sealed cup of coffee. "I brought your favorite latté."

"Thanks." I smiled faintly.

Her scrutinizing eyes scanned me from head to toe, concern flickering across her face.

"You look... exhausted," she said softly, stepping closer. "You didn't sleep at all last night, did you?"

Who would have slept well sharing a room with the one and only Alistair Montgomery?

I was almost suffocated by his overpowering presence the entire night.

I forced a small smile, trying to mask my jittery nerves. "I... got a little rest."

Riley raised a brow, unconvinced. "A little rest? Well, you look like you spent the night running through a storm."

I ignored her nagging and continued sorting through some files on my table.

The next time she opened her mouth, her tone shifted—lighter, almost excited.

"By the way, did you hear the news already? Alistair Montgomery is awake. After a whole month in a coma, my prince is finally rising back to his throne."

My hands paused.

"Really?" I didn't dwell on it.

"Uh-huh."

She pulled out her phone, swiping quickly before shoving the screen under my nose.

It was a news article — the headline blaring about the city's most eligible bachelor regaining consciousness.

And there he was, Alistair Montgomery, in one of those perfectly lit photographs that probably sold a thousand magazines—his dark hair, chiseled jaw, and those piercing gray eyes that seemed to cut right through the camera.

Riley clasped her hands dramatically to her chest.

"My God, Isla... if I were the one he woke up to, I'd probably faint right there beside his hospital bed."

I rolled my eyes and pushed her phone away. "You watch too many dramas."

If only she knew how scary it was to be on Alistair's side when he had woken up.

I almost had a heart attack!

Riley smirked. "Maybe. But knowing it's Alistair Montgomery... I'm ready to die just to have a glimpse of him..."

Her voice trailed into a dreamy sigh.

I nearly spat out my coffee.

Why was everyone treating him like a God when he really wasn't that kind?

If I had a choice, I'd never want to meet him in this life—let alone marry him.

The light chatter we had died instantly when the door swung open again.

A tall figure stepped in, dressed in a blue shirt and black dress pants, topped with a long white coat.