Two lifetimes had passed, and yet Wendel still didn’t remember—Esther was actually three months older than her. She was the youngest in the family, not Esther.
But at this moment, she had no interest in arguing over such trivial facts.
She refused to back down. Glaring at him, she enunciated each word clearly.
"I. Will. Not. Apologize."
Tension filled the air. The three of them stood in silence, locked in a standoff.
"What’s going on here? Why aren’t you all in bed at this hour?"
Their adoptive mother and father emerged from their room, looking concerned.
Wendel brushed them off. "Dad, Mom, go back to sleep. This doesn’t concern you."
The moment their adoptive parents appeared, Esther reacted instinctively—her tears started falling again.
"Mom, Dad... please don’t worry, really, everything’s fine..."
Hearing her beloved adopted daughter cry, the adoptive mother’s heart twisted in pain. She rushed forward to comfort her.
"Who bullied you? Tell me! I’ll stand up for you!"
Esther sniffled. "It’s nothing... Iris didn’t mean it..."
The moment Iris’ name was mentioned, a cold glint flashed in their adoptive mother’s eyes.
"You shameless thing!" Stella shrieked.