Chapter 1 No Longer Part Of The Quixall family

For twenty years, Caleb Jenkins had been the beloved heir of the Quixall family. But on his birthday, everything changed—he was told he was an impostor. The real heir had returned. The parents who once doted on him turned their affections to the rightful son without hesitation. His sister, whom he had always protected, pushed him into the sea to defend the new heir. Even his fiancée abandoned him—again and again—for the real heir. When a tragic car accident left a life lost, Caleb became the real heir's scapegoat. Without a second thought, they let him take the fall, serving a five-year sentence for a crime he didn't commit. Not once did they reach out. Not once did they care. Five years later, on the day of his release, his once-ruthless sister—now a formidable force in the business world—stood before him, voice trembling. “Caleb, I'm sorry. I couldn't protect you in time. Let's go home.” His parents came in person, pleading for his forgiveness. His fiancée, now a dazzling CEO, threw herself into his arms, eyes brimming with tears. “Caleb, I finally understand—you're the one I love most. Will you still cherish me?” But Caleb's heart had withered across nearly two thousand nights in a cold prison cell. The warmth they had stolen from him would never return. Now, they could only linger outside his door, waiting, hoping—praying for him to spare them a glance. “No. 0278, hurry up. Ms. Quixall has personally come to pick you up from jail.” Caleb's hand trembled, and the thermos he was holding slipped from his grasp, clattering to the ground. For twenty years, he had been the cherished heir of the Quixall family. Whether it was the stars or the moon, all he had to do was ask—someone would always find a way to deliver them to him. But everything changed five years ago, on his birthday. A frail young man arrived at the doorstep, clutching a DNA test report. That day, Caleb's birthday turned into a tearful reunion—George Quixall, Deborah Irwin, and the true heir, Jesse Quixall. Relatives wept with joy, gathering around Jesse, orbiting him like stars around the moon. And Caleb—the birthday boy—stood on the sidelines, staring blankly at the celebration unfolding in the distance, lost and forgotten. That was only the beginning. Jesse was their son by blood. Frail and in poor health, he needed their care. Their parents insisted they loved them both, but guilt tipped the scales—and Caleb was left with nothing. Even his sister, Yelena Quixall, and his fiancée believed he had stolen Jesse's rightful twenty years of wealth and privilege. In their eyes, he owed Jesse—and the only way to repay that debt was to step aside. But no matter how many concessions Caleb made, Jesse was never as frail or harmless as he appeared. Before Caleb was imprisoned, he had already fallen victim to Jesse's schemes. Jesse played the part of the innocent victim perfectly, while Caleb was painted as the jealous impostor. When Jesse was caught in the rain and fell ill with a high fever, Yelena concluded that Caleb had done it out of spite—and in her rage, she shoved him into the sea. His fiancée, the woman who once swore to love him most, abandoned him time and time again. Whether it was to watch fireworks with Jesse or to support him in his career, she always chose Jesse over the man she was supposed to marry. But the final betrayal came when Jesse was involved in a fatal drunk-driving accident. His parents, their faces streaked with tears, pleaded with him. “Jesse just came back—we can't bear to lose him again. Caleb, as his brother, please help him through this crisis.” Caleb stared at them, their tear-filled eyes brimming with expectation, and felt only a chilling sense of injustice. Jesse was the one who caused the accident. So why am I the one going to jail? So this was the truth. Because he was the fake heir, because he had no blood ties to them—he was disposable. A sacrifice for the real son. Only when his doting elder sister and his fiancée conspired to fabricate evidence and force him into prison did Caleb finally understand—he was no longer part of the Quixall family. From the moment Jesse returned, he had been nothing more than an outsider. “What are you standing around for?” the prison guard barked. Snapping back to reality, Caleb sauntered forward, unhurried. Creak! The iron gate groaned open behind him. After five long years, he had finally crossed this insurmountable threshold. The sunlight was piercingly bright. He squinted, raising a hand to shield his eyes. From the corner of his vision, a sleek red Porsche came into focus. Leaning casually against the car was a woman, her form-fitting dress and high heels exuding elegance and confidence. Caleb was still in a daze when she strode toward him. “Cale.” Her vibrant red lips and confident, expressive eyes were even more striking than before. Five years had passed—Yelena had matured into a woman of undeniable presence. Caleb had thought he had buried the past, that time had numbed him. But the moment their eyes met, a familiar gaze from long ago, something tightened in his chest. The grievances of five silent years stirred, rising from where he had long suppressed them. Yelena took in the sight of her younger brother, whom she hadn't seen in five years. Emotions churned within her, a tangled mess of guilt, regret, and sorrow. In the end, all of it condensed into a single, weighted whisper. “You've had it tough.” Her voice wavered as if she truly felt his pain.