Was that truly the Kyla the maids remembered—sweet, innocent, and dreamy? But in an instant, her expression disappeared. It happened so fast that the maid wondered if she'd imagined it. Maybe Kyla just turned too quickly, and she misread it. "I just came downstairs thinking about something. I was going to find Dad and Mom. "Janet, thanks so much for today." "It's nothing, Ms. Kyla. You go on. Mr. Jenson and Mrs. Jenson are in the living room." Janet shook her head, sure she must have seen things. That was the real Kyla. Now that she'd been seen, Kyla had no choice but to walk into the living room. As soon as she stepped in, the whole air felt different."Dad, Mom, Darell, Justin, Kayden, Wade." Kyla greeted them one by one. "Kyla, you're here! Come try these grapes—we just got some flown in from Lumenland. They're super sweet. Have one!" Blair smiled and waved Kyla over. "Hmm. Thanks, Mom." Kyla obediently walked over. Blair held her hand, peeled a grape, and lifted it to Kyla's lips. "Open up." Kyla opened her mouth and swallowed the grape. Blair studied her with concern. "Is it sweet?" "Yes, it is. Thank you, Mom." Kyla gave Blair a shy smile. Russell shifted uncomfortably, rubbing his shoulder. "Alright, I have some contracts to handle. Wade, come with me to the study." "Sure, Dad." Russell and Wade slipped away fast.They wanted to get out of the heavy, suffocating mood. Darell and the others weren't as lucky. They had to stay and watch Blair and Kyla talk and laugh together. Whenever they spoke, it was always to Blair. When they talked to Kyla, their tone was cold and distant. It felt like they weren't family—just people who happened to know each other. The more Kyla felt that, the tighter her chest became, like something was squeezing her heart. She could hardly breathe. So, she found an excuse to leave. Blair didn't stop her. She watched Kyla go with a look of regret, then turned to Darell and the others. "Darell, Justin, Kayden, you guys are being way too unfair to Kyla." "Sorry, Mom. This is the best we can do. We told you before. Because of Tilda, we just can't get past it like you can." Dominic and the others had their excuses ready. They always brought up Tilda to shut Blair down. It was something Blair couldn't argue with. "How could I ever get over it? Tilda was my daughter. I carried her for nine months, almost died giving birth, and lost her the day she was born. I did everything to find her. "And when I finally did, I didn't protect her. I hurt her again, broke her heart, and made her lose hope in this family. She even saved our lives. I owe her more than I can repay! "I'm just holding myself together because I don't want to hurt Kyla after hurting Tilda. They're both my precious girls. I'd give my life for them. That's all I can do ... " As she spoke, Blair's nose stung, and her eyes filled with tears. Every time she thought about Tilda cutting ties and leaving that hospital, her heart felt ripped apart. Blair wished she could be like Russell and the others—just let it go, ignore Kyla, and stop thinking about Tilda. Maybe then it wouldn't hurt so much.But she couldn't. She couldn't be that selfish to Kyla. She just couldn't. Darell quickly tried to soothe her. "Alright, Mom, we're sorry. We shouldn't have said that. Don't take it to heart." But they didn't know Kyla had overheard everything while lingering outside. At that moment, she finally understood what it felt like to be empty inside. "So ... in Mom's eyes, I'm just a burden now ... Just something she has to carry. "I'm nothing but a stand-in for Tilda. Someone Mom uses to fill the gap and ease her guilt over Tilda! "Why ... Why do this to me? This is so unfair! I'm the one who's scarred for life, while Tilda gets that beautiful face and everything else. They still look down on me and don't care. I'll never forgive them!" Kyla clenched her fists until her whole body shook, her eyes burning with pure hatred. She used to look down on Tilda—the one the family had rejected. But now she was the replacement, and Tilda had become the one the family couldn't let go of.