I'm the True Heiress Everyone Fell for

"I heard that Aurora King is the true daughter of the King family, and you've been kicked out?" Nathan walked out wrapped in a towel, his muscular upper body still covered in water droplets, skin glowing alluringly under the light. Vanessa King's fingers tightened around her phone, turning pale as she struggled to control the emotions surging within her. Half a month ago, Aurora had come to the King family with a paternity test report, claiming she was the true daughter of the King family. At first, the King family didn't believe her, but after verification, they finally confirmed Aurora's identity and grandly welcomed her into the family. And she, the false daughter, was naturally cast aside. The King family demanded she divorce Nathan, so that Nathan could get married to Aurora. But she and Nathan had been married for three years—could their marriage simply be undone just like that? She refused! In the end, though, she was still kicked out by the King family. Vanessa lifted her head, her gaze calm as she looked at Nathan, her words clear. "You want to divorce me and marry her?" Nathan, while getting dressed, answered, "This marriage was arranged between the Carter and King families. Now that the real daughter is back, both families want the marriage to happen between the right people." His tone was calm, as if discussing something trivial. Vanessa wasn't concerned with the attitudes of the two families. She tightly gripped her phone, her eyes showing a hint of anticipation, "And you? What do you think?" For three years, she had taken care of Nathan with all her heart, attending to him in every possible way. She knew all his habits and preferences. Even if Nathan didn't love her, surely he should have some feelings for her, right? Even if it was just a little bit of fondness. However, Nathan's next words completely destroyed her last shred of hope. "What we have is just a marriage contract. Anyone can replace you. I just need a wife... I'm going to Aldria for a project, I might be gone for half a year. You can contact my lawyer to discuss the divorce compensation. I'm leaving now." With that, Nathan turned and left without looking back. Vanessa felt like she had fallen into an ice cave, the coldness instantly seeping through her from head to toe. In Nathan's eyes, she was just a wife who could fulfill his needs. And this wife could be anyone. It could be her, Vanessa; it could be Aurora; or even another woman! All her sincere devotion over the past three years now seemed laughably insignificant. Nathan had never truly cared about her; she was just a foolish woman who had deluded herself. Vanessa shut her eyes tightly, forcing the tears back. When she opened them again, her eyes were clear, without a trace of attachment. 'Nathan, since you've never loved me, why should I continue wasting time on you?' Vanessa stood up, walked into the bedroom, and packed a few clothes, without touching any of the things Nathan had given her. Then, she took out paper and a pen from her bag and quickly wrote the divorce agreement. After signing her name, she took off the valuable wedding ring and placed it on the agreement, leaving the villa without looking back. Standing on the familiar street, Vanessa felt an overwhelming sense of unfamiliarity. For the first time in three years, she clearly realized that she didn't have a true home in this city. The King family wasn't welcoming to her, and Nathan no longer needed her. Vanessa smiled bitterly. 'Vanessa, you've wasted all these years!' she lamented. ***** The countryside. A fresh bouquet of flowers was placed in front of a tombstone, which read, "In Memory of Rosalie Young." The woman in the portrait was dressed in simple country linen, with fine lines around her eyes, but her bone structure still made her look beautiful. If she had been properly dressed up, she would have surely been a graceful, distinguished lady. Upon closer inspection, one could see that Vanessa's beauty had been inherited from her. Vanessa respectfully bowed three times in front of the tombstone. "Mom, I'm here to visit you again. Although you never raised me, and we've never even met, every time I come here, I feel a sense of peace. Perhaps this is the power of blood ties." Since the real daughter had returned to the King family, she had been driven out. Her first instinct was to search for Aurora's adoptive mother, who was also her biological mother. But all she found was this tombstone. Aurora had once said that her mother was a madwoman who caused trouble everywhere, and that Vanessa was an illegitimate child. Vanessa asked the elderly villagers and learned that Rosalie had already been pregnant when she had first arrived in the village. No one knew who the father of her child was, and even Rosalie herself couldn't say. In fact, Rosalie wasn't even her real name. A learned man in the village had given her the name, noticing that, despite her madness, she was always neat and tidy, had a love for beauty, and liked to pick flowers and decorate herself. No one knew her real name, nor where she came from or what she had gone through. It was said that although she was severely mentally ill, she doted on her daughter excessively. To raise Aurora, she worked odd jobs and endured endless scorn. In the end, she died on the way to deliver dance shoes to Aurora. On a rainy, slippery road, she was hit by a car and rolled down a hill. Despite her body being covered in wounds, the dance shoes she had been carrying remained intact. Though Vanessa had never met her biological mother, she could feel Rosalie's love, even though Aurora was the one she had actually raised. "Mom, I've divorced Nathan, and I'm planning to leave Sylvoria." "I mentioned last time that I published a medical research paper online on how to wake up a comatose patient and the neurobiology behind it. It's caused a big stir in the medical community, and the world's top medical teams have invited me to join them. But I would rather stay in the country. I'm planning to visit Regalith first, to see my first mentor, Joshua Duncan. From now on, I might be traveling around to treat patients, and I may not return to Sylvoria for a long time. Please take care of yourself over there, okay?" The King family had originally sent her abroad to study economics and management, but she had changed her major herself. Almost no one knew that she was a medical genius. Even Nathan's awakening from a comatose state was all thanks to her daily treatments. Ironically, everyone thought it was a natural miracle. Even Nathan believed he woke up because of his strong willpower. She had no desire to explain. However, she had never expected Nathan to fall in love with her because of it. Now, the divorce was more of a timely decision to cut her losses. Men would only waste her time! ***** Six months later. Nathan had finally successfully negotiated an international project. On the way back, Aurora affectionately leaned in, showing him her phone screen. "Nathan, look, the Knight family has also found their true daughter! This girl is so pitiful—she has been lost since childhood, endured so much suffering, and only now has she been brought back home." Her tone carried a hint of sympathy, but her eyes and the corners of her brows betrayed a sense of triumph as she criticized, "Tell me, how can there be such immoral people in this world? To have stolen someone else's identity for so many years and shamelessly enjoyed everything that should have belonged to someone else—it's disgusting!" The day after Nathan left for his trip, she had followed him here, claiming to be on a vacation but in reality trying to get closer to him. Nathan glanced at the phone screen indifferently. The girl in the news photo only showed her back, dressed in an eye-catching red gown, exuding an outstanding presence. For some reason, a familiar face flashed in his mind—Vanessa. His heart tightened slightly. This woman... she looked like his wife... Vanessa! But Vanessa never liked wearing such bright colors.