Chapter 2

My eyes widened in disbelief. It had never crossed my mind that the two of them would have sex in the dorm.

Noticing me frozen in place, Florence leaned back in her chair, rested her hand on her belly, and blushed. "See? I'm pregnant with the child of the long-lost heir of the Clark family. Even I can't believe how lucky I am."

Florence stroked her belly. Dressed head-to-toe in new outfits, she had completely shed the tacky, frumpy look she had on the first day of college. "A certain someone was so eager to move out back then, turning down the chance to befriend the wealthy. I bet they must be dying of jealousy now!"

The female students at the neighboring table looked over and started whispering among themselves.

"Is that Florence? I heard her boyfriend's from the wealthy Clark family…"

"I heard the Clarks' long-lost son was identified through nothing more than half of an emerald pendant, but who knows if he's legitimate or an impersonator?"

"Who cares if he's an impersonator or not? Florence's set for life now that she's carrying his child."

After hearing chitter-chatter around her, Florence turned and waved at them, her eyes full of arrogance.

Before I could say a word, a couple of them walked over with their trays and sat down right next to Florence.

One of them placed a piece of braised pork onto Florence's plate and said, "Florence, you should eat more! You're eating for two now."

"That's right, Florence. You're going to be the lady of a wealthy family soon. Don't forget to look out for us then!"

They burst into laughter, while I simply lowered my head and ate my food.

Noticing my indifference, Florence picked up her food and dumped it over my head. Broth and grease dripped down my body, leaving me a humiliating mess.

Florence, however, covered her mouth and giggled. "Look at how pathetic you'll be in the future, Cleo. For old times' sake, I'll have the kitchen staff at the Clark family arrange a menial job for you. However, you'd better get on your knees and apologize to me right now!"

Clenching my fists, I rose from my seat with a cold look in my eyes. I snatched the lunch tray from the next table and hurled it straight at her. Florence let out an ear-splitting screech when it hit her, frantically grabbing napkins to wipe herself down.

I lifted my gaze to meet hers, but my attention was instantly drawn to the broken emerald pendant resting against her collarbone.

Noticing my gaze, her expression shifted slightly, and she hastily stuffed the pendant back into her collar. "What are you looking at? Luc put this on me himself. It's not only proof of his true identity, but also proof of our love!"

Suppressing my doubts, I spat back, "Next time, I won't be so generous!"

With that, I spun on my heel and stormed off.

Once outside, I stepped beneath the shadow of a tree, pulled open my collar, and fished out the half-piece of emerald pendant I'd worn for over a decade. It had originally been a complete piece before Ezra had split it in two and given me half. However, he had accidentally lost his half.

Recalling the jagged edges of the pendant I had just seen on Florence, the notch aligned perfectly with mine. Didn't that mean the emerald pendant Florence was wearing was the same one that had been stolen from my childhood friend, Ezra Clark, years ago?

I was about to leave when Florence caught up to me, completely out of breath. "Stop right there! Do you really think you can just walk away after crossing me?"

Her gaze landed on my neck. "How can you be so shameless? Did you deliberately make a fake emerald pendant that fits perfectly with mine just so you could take my place?"

Florence shrieked and lunged forward to snatch it from me. "Give it to me! Listen here, even if Luc and I didn't get a clear look at each other that night, he would never mistake you for me. So, you can give up on that dream right this instant!"

I sidestepped to dodge her. Yet, she spun around and yanked me by the collar. As air cut off from my lungs, sheer terror from my previous life—where she had choked the life out of me—surged back, driving me to shove her away with all my strength.

Florence tumbled onto the ground, clutching her stomach and crying out in pain. I was frozen in place when a voice boomed from beside us.

"What's going on here? Which faculty are you two from?"

I turned to look. It was the dean of our faculty, Olivia Whitmore, and she was notoriously difficult to deal with.

"Were you two fighting earlier?" Ms. Whitmore adjusted her glasses. "Very well. Both of you, follow me to my office!"

Florence waved her hands frantically and rose to her feet. "That won't be necessary! We were just messing around." Right after saying that, she turned and sprinted off.

Ms. Whitmore had no choice but to give me a quick lecture before she left.

Once I was all alone, I pulled out my phone and texted Ezra. "Ez, if I remember correctly, your dad said you were adopted, right? Also, wasn't your half of the emerald pendant stolen when you were little?"

He replied almost instantly. "That's right, babe. But you can't break up with me because of that!"

Staring at his confirmation, I was silent for a moment before replying. "I think I may have found your biological parents, Ez."