Chapter 12: The Truth Behind the Ranch

I woke before sunrise, but I didn't get out of bed immediately.

Jack's words from the previous night kept circling through my mind.

The Sinclair family hadn't chosen me by accident.

And Jack knew more about my past life than he should have.

I finally got dressed and went downstairs.

Jack was already waiting in the kitchen, leaning against the counter with two cups of coffee.

He handed one to me without saying a word.

I wrapped both hands around the warm cup.

“You knew about Corbin before I ever told you.”

Jack didn't deny it.

“Your grandmother contacted my father years ago. She was worried about what would happen to you if something happened to her.”

My fingers tightened around the cup.

“Then why didn't she tell me?”

“Because she didn't know whom she could trust.”

Jack pulled a folder from the counter and placed it in front of me.

Inside were copies of bank transfers, legal documents, and correspondence between my parents and the Sinclair family.

My breath caught when I saw the dates.

They had been planning the marriage alliance long before the ring ceremony.

But there was something else.

A handwritten letter from my grandmother was clipped to the final page.

Esme, if you're reading this, then you've finally chosen yourself.

My eyes blurred.

She had known.

She had known that my parents favored Emma, and she had quietly protected the part of my inheritance they couldn't touch.

Jack watched me silently.

“There's one more thing,” he said.

He placed another document on the table.

It was a copy of the Sinclair family's internal succession agreement.

Corbin wasn't simply the future heir.

His marriage was tied to control of a major portion of the family trust.

But the agreement contained one condition that changed everything.

If Corbin's engagement ended before the wedding, control would temporarily pass to another branch of the family.

And that branch had been waiting for years for an opportunity to challenge him.

I looked up.

“So Corbin never loved Emma.”

Jack's expression remained calm.

“Maybe he did. But love wasn't the only reason he wanted that marriage.”

A bitter laugh escaped me.

In my last life, I had spent years believing Corbin loved me.

Now I realized how much of our lives had been controlled by people standing behind the scenes.

A car suddenly stopped outside the ranch house.

Jack turned toward the window.

A black sedan sat beyond the gate.

My stomach tightened.

I knew that car.

Corbin had come to find me.

Jack stepped between me and the window.

“You don't have to see him.”

I slowly shook my head.

“No. This time, I want him to see exactly what he lost.”

The front door opened.

Corbin walked inside, his face exhausted and his usually perfect suit covered in dust from the drive.

His eyes found me immediately.

For several seconds, neither of us spoke.

Then Corbin looked at the aquamarine ring on my finger.

His expression changed completely.

“Esme, you're really marrying Jack.”

I looked down at the ring, then back at him.

“No, Corbin.”

I smiled faintly.

“I'm choosing a life where nobody gets to decide my worth for me.”