Divorce.

Widowhood.

Just a moment ago, Silas Norwood had felt a sliver of sympathy for his brother-in-law. But his beloved wife’s words stunned him, leaving his mind blank for several seconds as his mood plummeted to rock bottom.

"Just like that, it’s over." His eyes darkened, and his tone grew cold. "You certainly have no trouble letting go, do you, my dear wife?"

Even Kian Sterling, despite his own heavy heart, couldn’t help but glance back at Silas Norwood with a derisive smirk.

Celia Sterling waited for what felt like an eternity, only to receive an ambiguous comment from Silas Norwood that made him sound like a jilted lover. Kian Sterling’s reaction was just as hard to read. She couldn’t help but press them. "Well? What do you two think?"

"Say what?" Kian Sterling retorted. "You’ve already made the decision for us. What answer did you expect?"

Celia Sterling abruptly stood up. "So, I’ll just leave now?"

"Celia Sterling," Silas Norwood said, using her full name. "If you won’t be Celia Sterling, then who will you be? Summer Sutton? Are you sure you can handle the Sutton Family’s situation?"

"That’s my business. It has nothing to do with you."

"I can stay out of that part, but what about this? The chairman of the Norwood Family gets divorced or becomes a widower just days after his wedding. The damage to my reputation, not to mention the potential drop in our stock price... Don’t you think you owe me an explanation for that, my dear wife?"

Celia Sterling fell silent.

She couldn’t afford it.

"Marriage alliances between powerful families are never child’s play. You know what they represent," Silas Norwood said, his tone cool and distant.

Celia Sterling opened her mouth to speak. "But I distinctly remember you saying that your wife could only be the eldest daughter of the Sterling Family. Since I’ve chosen to give up that identity, what happens now?"

Silas Norwood was at a loss for words.

’What he’d meant was that he would defend the sanctity of their marriage to give her an extra layer of security. But clearly, his dear wife had taken it the wrong way...’

"Let me rephrase, then." Silas Norwood sounded a little exasperated. "I will only have one wife in this lifetime. No divorce, and no becoming a widower."

For a moment, Celia Sterling was unsure how to respond.

"Cece," Kian Sterling spoke up. "Do you remember what I told you last time in Blackwater Creek? That whenever you wanted to live a different life, you could just tell me."

Of course Celia Sterling remembered. At the time, she had dismissed it as a joke. But now, recalling him and that place—especially the faint sense of familiarity she’d felt in the villa—an indescribable ache filled her heart.

"So now, I want to live that different life." Her voice was hoarse, and the corners of her eyes grew moist. "Are you going to take back your offer, Brother?"

"I’ve already paved the way for you to become Summer Sutton again. You can go back to that identity whenever you want." The expression in Kian Sterling’s eyes was complex. "But I don’t want you to do it just because of some DNA report."

"Then what reason would you prefer, Brother?"

"I want you to experience both lives and then make a choice from the bottom of your heart. I don’t want you to rashly pick one or the other based on bloodline alone."

Kian Sterling’s voice was crisp and cool, laced with his usual domineering authority:

"Whatever identity you choose, my Cece must love it and enjoy her life. I didn’t work so hard raising you all these years just to watch you throw a tantrum and run off to suffer the hardships of being some ’long-lost heiress.’"

"Three months," Silas Norwood added slowly. "I’ll give you three months to experience life as Summer Sutton. We can decide which identity you’ll ultimately choose—Celia Sterling or Summer Sutton—after that."

’We’ll talk about it then,’ he thought. ’And then I’ll talk her out of it.’

Kian Sterling grunted in agreement. "But I want you to be clear about one thing. Both Silas Norwood and I care about *you*. If you’re Celia Sterling, we’ll dote on Celia Sterling. If you’re Summer Sutton, we’ll dote on Summer Sutton. Your identity and bloodline mean nothing to us."

Celia Sterling’s gaze shifted back and forth between the two men.

She had brought this up so suddenly. Yet neither of them looked surprised or shocked. They went back and forth, their rapport so perfect it seemed they had planned their response in advance.

"Did you two... already guess that I knew?" she asked, her voice uncertain as she carefully watched their expressions.

"No," said Silas Norwood.

"We didn’t," said Kian Sterling.

Kian Sterling casually tossed the DNA report and the large stack of documents into his desk drawer. After a moment, he pulled out an ID card.

"I had this ID card made for you when the Sutton Family’s shares were returned. It belongs exclusively to Summer Sutton of Port Sovereign."

"What about... the one in Oakhaven..."

"The one in Oakhaven... if you decide to permanently adopt this identity in three months, she will withdraw from the public eye in a perfectly legal and reasonable way and resume her own life."

"So, your supporting her all these years..." Celia seemed to have a realization, but it only made her heart more turbulent. "Was it all to pave the way for me?"

’If the real Celia Sterling had died back then, and I had taken her place, then the most logical way to handle the Summer Sutton identity would have been to let it die with the original Celia—to bury it forever. The Summer Sutton identity would have been wiped from existence, her records expunged, never to see the light of day again.

But Kian Sterling had chosen a stand-in.

Regardless of how that stand-in lived or what kind of person she was, her very existence had kept the identity of Summer Sutton alive. Whatever his original reason for the swap, this one detail showed just how much Kian Sterling had looked out for her...’

"It was just a precaution. Didn’t take much effort, just something I did on the side." Kian Sterling rose to his feet, offering no further explanation for his past actions. "Go to bed. Even if you’re going to become Summer Sutton, there’s no need to rush into it in the middle of the night."

Celia Sterling and Silas Norwood returned to the bedroom.

Celia Sterling watched Silas Norwood as he started to undress. "Silas Norwood..."

"I’m about to be celibate for three months." Silas Norwood looked at her with a completely straight face. "Tonight, I don’t want to hear the word ’no.’"

Celia Sterling stared at him. "I wanted to talk to you again about our marriage."

"We’re not talking about it," Silas Norwood refused decisively, pulling her into the bathroom with him.

「The next morning.」

Far away in Port Sovereign, Adeline Lowell received a phone call:

"Auntie, I remember you mentioning a medicinal fragrance project. Are you still looking for people?"

Adeline Lowell froze for a second, wondering why Celia Sterling, who had always called her "Auntie Lowell," had suddenly switched to the more familiar "Auntie." But when such a powerful ally delivered herself to your doorstep, how could you possibly refuse?

Adeline Lowell laughed. "Of course we are! Why, is Miss Sterling interested in joining?"

"I’ve been a Perfumer for a few years, but I’ve always stayed within my comfort zone. I think it’s time for a change," Celia Sterling said. "So, Auntie... will you take me on?"

Adeline Lowell immediately recited an address. "I’m at our mega-facility on the Sapphire Shores in Morellia right now. I’ll be waiting for you, Miss Sterling."

Celia Sterling remembered that facility. It was the one the fragrance-world titan, Rivermoon, had snatched away from two other legendary perfumery families at the Lowell Fragrance Gala in Port Sovereign. For some unknown reason, Rivermoon had then generously granted the Lowell Family exclusive use of it for ten years...

For a Perfumer, access to rare ingredients and a state-of-the-art facility was an unparalleled temptation.

After hanging up, Celia Sterling looked at Kian Sterling and Silas Norwood, who were standing by the main door. "For these three months, I don’t want you two using your roles as my ’brother’ and ’husband’ to interfere with this experience for me."

With that, she got into the car and instructed the bodyguard in the driver’s seat, "Take me to the international airport."