Chapter 75

"Corrine, is that you?" Phil's voice wavered as the words slipped out, his trembling hand reaching forward, afraid that the face before him might dissolve like a mirage.

Corrine?

Marissa's brow furrowed slightly. Her eyes fixed on Phil, puzzled by the name that lingered between them.

It struck her as uncanny. Her mother shared that very name.

She and Evelina were switched at birth two decades ago.

Could it really have been just a simple error? Or had someone orchestrated it? Her features remained unreadable as Marissa met Phil's gaze, his expression overflowing with yearning.

At first sight, Marissa's refined makeup lent her an uncanny resemblance to Corrine-the same serene poise, the same quiet grace.

However, anyone who looked closer would see the distinction.

Where Corrine's allure carried the softness of spring air and the dignity of a noblewoman, Marissa's beauty gleamed with cool restraint, edged by quiet strength.

Unlike Corrine's gentle charm, Marissa's beauty struck sharply-breathtaking yet distant, a kind of loveliness that warned people not to draw too close.

Behind that glacial poise lay an honesty that didn't quite fit with her cold composure, the two sides of her at quiet war.

Phil, still clutching the hands of his wife and daughter, instinctively loosened his hold when Marissa's cold eyes met his. Lost in a haze of memories, he stumbled over his own defense."Corrine, please, I can explain-I never meant to..."

"Mr. Fletcher." Marissa's tone carried no warmth as her gaze met his. "You've confused me with someone else."

Wrong person?

A sharp tremor went through Phil's chest, the words snapping him out of the haze clouding his mind.

"What are you staring at, Phil?" Susanna's voice sliced through the tense air.

Rage burned hot beneath her skin.

She had predicted Phil would react this way the moment he saw Marissa in makeup, bearing a resemblance to his first love.

Men-they were all alike. Always chasing what wasn't theirs.

Susanna's sharp glare made Phil's shoulders stiffen. Avoiding her eyes, he bent slightly, pretending to dust off her sleeve as he muttered, "I only mistook her for someone else."

A bitter laugh escaped Susanna as she shoved Phil's hand aside.

Her voice rose, trembling with fury. "You called her Corrine! You still think about that woman, don't you?Look again, Phil! Just because Marissa looks a little like her, you lose all sense!"

Seizing Phil's collar, Susanna yanked him closer, her fury daring him to deny it.

Meanwhile, Phil's assistant stood frozen at the corner of the stairwell, not daring to move an inch or draw a single breath.

How did he always manage to find himself trapped in moments like this?

"I already said I mistook her for someone else!" Phil's tone was firm, though his eyes refused to meet Marissa's. "Still lying to me, even now! You've never forgotten her, have you?" Susanna's voice cracked with accusation, her fury unrelenting.

Phil caught her wrist, lowering it with quiet restraint.Straightening his collar, he met her glare without emotion and muttered, "If that's what you believe,then I have nothing more to say."

Susanna's cry rose to a shrill pitch, every word trembling with grief and rage. "You shut down the moment Corrine Curtis's name is mentioned!"

Corrine Curtis?

At that, Marissa's cold detachment faltered. That name-it was the same as her mother's.

Her eyes sharpened as she studied Susanna carefully.

"Enough," Phil muttered, drawing the trembling woman into his arms. "You're making a scene.Evelina's right here." Turning toward his daughter, he forced a calm smile. "Evelina, where did Marissa go?" Evelina stood frozen, her gaze fixed on the smear of blood pooling in her palm. For five long minutes, the message she sent Bryson-complete with a photo of

her injury-remained unread.

Phil spoke to her, but her mind was elsewhere.Without thinking, she hissed, "How should I know?I'm not her fucking keeper! Must I follow her every move?"

Marissa's attention drifted toward the pair, her curiosity faint but unmistakable.

Phil's face darkened with disbelief, startled that such rude words had come from his supposedly gentle daughter.

"Evelina?" Phil asked sharply, confusion lacing his tone.

"Huh? Dad?" Evelina blinked several times as if waking from a dream. Her lips curved into a practiced, sugary smile, her eyes wide with feigned innocence. Marissa almost let out a laugh.

What a convincing act.

Losing all interest, she turned her gaze elsewhere.

"Dad, is Mom alright? Did something happen to her?"Evelina's voice softened as if someone had flipped a switch, her demeanor transforming in an instant.

Phil lowered his gaze to Susanna, who had quieted in his arms, and gave a brief nod. "She's fine."

Phil then turned to Marissa. "Marissa, did I upset you somehow? You sound...distant."

His tone faltered as understanding dawned-he had mistaken Marissa for Corrine.

He hadn't expected her to address him so formally,as if they were strangers.

Nothing remained the same now; the girI who once sought his approval had changed beyond recognition.

A faint, knowing smile curved Marissa's lips as her sharp eyes met his. The look made him uneasy, as though she could see straight through the excuses he didn't voice.

"Do you have somewhere to stay if you're not going back to your parents?" Phil ventured after a moment."Come back for the night. I'll make sure someone drives you to your parents' residence tomorrow."

His words carried care, yet his eyes couldn't quite meet hers.

"Dad!" Evelina cut in. She didn't want Marissa setting foot in the Fletchers' house again. "Her real parents and fiancé are probably expecting her. Maybe the bodyguards could give her a ride to her parents'place later?"

That suggestion would make sure Marissa didn't find an excuse to turn back midway.

"What is it?" Phil's mind still fixed on Marissa. He didn't catch the meaning behind Evelina's words,assuming she only wanted to resume her preparations. His eyes drifted toward the staircase."Marcel."