I needed to stop daydreaming and thinking stupid thoughts that had anything to do with Adam Keller. Me? Him liking me? Please. That was the biggest nonsense I had ever thought. He only liked women like that hyena, or like Amme. My beautiful Amme. Maybe if I lost weight, he could like me… But that wouldn't be me anymore. That would be… that would be Amme. I didn't want to be Amme. I didn't want to be like her. I'm Emma, and I liked being who I am. I snapped out of my thoughts when I realized I'd been standing naked in front of the mirror for a while. Just as I was about to put my robe back on, someone knocked on the door. I assumed it was Amme, so I hurriedly wrapped the robe around myself and ran to open it. My sister was leaving today, and I figured she didn't want me to go to our parents' house and get overwhelmed with engagement and marriage plans. So she must've come here instead, like always, thinking of me. I was so sure it was her that I didn't even check the peephole.

"Alright, Emma. Now explain to me what's going on between you and Adam Keller." "Mmm… nothing." "What? Ha. Don't lie, Emma." Amme clearly didn't believe me. "There's nothing going on between us. We don't have anything, Amme. Adam is a single man, and yes, this apartment is his, but it's not what you think. This is going to take a while to explain. You'd better sit down." "Don't worry. My flight leaves in four hours. I've got plenty of time. So go on, tell me." Amme was looking at me with a strange expression, almost amused, like she was waiting for me to tell her some wild, unbelievable story. "As you know, I spent a long time looking for a place to open my pastry shop, and I met with several people. Most of them were perverts or abusive. When I finally found the place I wanted, I decided to pay a few months in advance. But that same week, when everything was finalized and I started spending money to set it up, the dinner with the Kellers happened. Like I told you before,

Adam's POV Last night was one of the most painful days of my life. After leaving Emma's apartment, I went home, took the shower I desperately needed, and went to bed. But my rest didn't last long. My mother and father barged into my house, furious. Apparently, my storming out of the dinner with the Smiths had pushed them over the edge. Knock, knock. "Sir…" "I heard you, Joseph. Don't worry. Go get some rest." I went downstairs to find my mother screaming like a madwoman, and beside her, still and unreadable, my father. "Mother. What the hell is going on? Why are you here?" "Excuse me? You walked out on the dinner with the Smiths, rejected their daughter, behaved like a spoiled child throwing a tantrum, and you still ask why we came here?" "Ha. Sorry, Mother, but you can't force me to marry Amme. Not her, not anyone. That's why I left." "You're a fool, Adam." "Excuse me? Me, a fool? Why? Just because you failed to marry me off to Amme? Or because your perfect candi

Adam's POVMy mother fell silent. I think she realized her mistake, believing I had always known. Telling me the truth this way was a serious error, and now all the staff would know. Maybe in a week, everyone outside would know too. Ordinary people, people in our social circle, our business partners, the owners of other companies… After a few minutes, my mother tried to fix her mistake, but it was already too late. The pain she had caused wasn't going to fade that easily. "Son…" Alana said it softly, trying to place a hand on my shoulder. I didn't allow it. I didn't want her to touch me. Not her, not my father, who wasn't even my father anymore. "Whose son am I? Are my parents still alive?" … Silence. Again, that unbearable silence. "Answer me, Alana, damn it. Who the hell are my parents?" "I… I am your mother, Adam." "And my father? Who is my father?" "Your father was my brother, Alex Keller." … Alex? Alex Keller? My uncle? The one my grandparents adored, the

Adam's POV"Adam!" Alana tried to make it right. I didn't let her touch me. I took a few steps back and turned to Joseph. That was what was echoing in my head now. Joseph had always cared about me. He had always been there, looking after me. "Did you know?" I asked quietly. "Joseph? "Did you know I was Alex's son?" Joseph didn't answer. He didn't need to. His eyes said everything. He knew. He had always known. That was why he had taken such good care of me. Out of pity. He was the only person I had ever considered family, aside from my paternal grandparents. And even he had lied to me. Even he had only ever felt sorry for me. "Mr. Adam…" His face showed pain and regret. He tried to speak, but I stopped him with a raised hand. I didn't care what he was going to say. I was too hurt to hear it. I turned around and walked out. I left in a rush without looking back. I didn't even realize I was still wearing my pajamas, or that I didn't have my phone with me. I remembere