Chapter 210: Anna Is an Impostor

In the dark of night, I could hear the rapid thudding of my own heartbeat. Carter must have sensed my tension, as he gently patted my back. “I didn’t mean to add any burden to your mind. I just wanted you to know how I feel. It’s late now; go to sleep.”

He must have been truly exhausted, for soon after, the sound of his soft, steady breathing filled the air. It took me a long time to fall asleep, but when I finally did, I had a dream. In the dream, I returned to the Sander Residence, the one place in my life where my childhood had been spared from hardship by fate. After Anna disappeared, my family treated me with kindness, and I grew up surrounded by love and care.

This dream took me back to when I was ten years old. I was sitting on a swing, wearing a pretty white dress. Hearing footsteps behind me, I turned to see who it was. Ethan approached, his eyes full of warmth as he gazed at me.

“I can’t believe how tall my sister’s gotten,” he said, his voice gentle. He sat down beside me, and for a moment, we swung together like we used to. “Ethan, what’s wrong with you today?” I asked, sensing that something was off, though my ten-year-old self couldn’t quite grasp what it was.

He chuckled lightly and said, “Nothing. I just realized it’s been a long time since we had a good conversation.”

“Elan, are you confused? You just asked me about that violin at lunch,” I pointed out, puzzled.

“Yes, I’m confused,” he said, a deep sadness in his voice. “Chloe, if one day I do something bad to you, would you forgive me?”

“Do something bad? Well, it depends on what it is. If it makes me really sad or hurt, then I wouldn’t forgive you,” I said firmly.

He asked bitterly, “Is that so?”

I smiled reassuringly. “You have always been so good to me. How could you hurt me? So that day will never come.”

The sunset was strikingly beautiful, yet tinged with sadness. “Ethan, the sunset is so pretty today,” I remarked.

“Yeah, too bad I’ll never see sunsets like this again,” he said quietly.

“Why?” I asked, confused.

“Because I have to go somewhere far away. Chloe, I’m sorry,” he replied, his hand gently stroking my head, his eyes filled with sorrow as he was leaving. I grabbed his hand, my heart racing. “Ethan, where are you going?”

“Nowhere far, to atone for my sins. Chloe, our family has wronged you. You have to be strong and never make the same mistakes again.”

Tears began to fall from my eyes as I listened to his words. “Ethan, what’s happening to you?”

He wiped the tears from my cheeks and said, “Don’t cry for someone like me. It’s not worth it. One day, you’ll meet someone who truly loves you, and you’ll be happy forever. But it’s time for me to leave.”

I watched in horror as his body began to fade, becoming translucent. Panicking, I threw myself toward him, embraced him tightly, but his form dissolved into a cloud of white butterflies. The butterflies circled me three times before flying toward the magnificent sunset.

“Ethan! Don’t go!” I cried, stumbling after the butterflies. But they soared higher and higher, soon disappearing from sight. The last remnants of the sunset faded, leaving only the empty swing swaying gently in the breeze.

“Ethan!” I shouted, my voice trembling.

I woke up from the dream, only to find tears streaming down my face. Through the glow of the streetlights outside, I saw a single white butterfly disappear into the falling snow. Carter immediately pulled me into his arms. “Chloe, did you have a nightmare?”

I babbled incoherently. “A butterfly… a white butterfly…”

“In this cold winter, how could there be a butterfly?” he asked gently, confused. Remembering Ethan’s words in the dream, I started to cry uncontrollably. “He came… Ethan came to see…”

Carter was silent for a moment but didn’t doubt me. Instead, he held me tightly. “He must want you to live well, Chloe. To find the truth for the Sanders and avenge him.”

I shook my head. “No, he just apologized to me.” Tears streamed down endlessly as I covered my face with my hands. That beautiful dream had been Ethan’s gift to me, woven carefully around my happiest age—ten years old. In that dream, there was no misunderstanding, no harm, just the reunion of a family.

“Stop crying,” Carter said softly.

I gripped his pajamas tightly. “Carter, we have to find out the truth, as soon as possible.”

The next day, concerned about me, Carter had the test results expedited. “This is the DNA sample we sent for testing years ago. Luckily, the preservation solution kept the tissue intact, so I had the team work overtime to retest it.”

I looked anxiously at Carter. “What’s the result?”

“See for yourself,” he said. I opened the sealed envelope with trembling hands. When I saw the same result as before, my body went numb.

“H-how is this possible? Anna is ruthless, capable of murder, she’s merciless. How could she be a Sander?”

“Carter, I saw with my own eyes how that wicked b*tch cruelly treated Grandma. The things she said were full of hatred for Grandma and the Sanders.”

“Anna was only five when she was swept away by the water. What grudge could she possibly have against the Sanders? Even if someone brainwashed her, she couldn’t have turned out this cruel. No, there’s something wrong here.”

I frantically grabbed at my hair. “What am I missing?”

Carter gently took my hand, stroking my cheek. “Chloe, don’t panic. The test results only prove she’s a Sander’s daughter.”

I stared at him, my mind racing. “Carter, I’m a little confused right now. I don’t quite understand what you mean.”

He looked me in the eye and said slowly, “What I mean is, the sample is real, but Anna may not be.”

A chill ran down my spine as the truth dawned on me. “So this Anna is an impostor. The real Anna is still alive!”