23 Claude's POV

I learned that losing Mio in my life was the biggest mistake I made in my life. I realized it too late and regretting your actions was of no use anymore. Indeed, regret comes late, and there is no time to remorse your wrongdoing. No matter how hard I cry, Mio will never come back to me. When death separates our world, regret is useless.

No regrets come early, and sometimes love comes too late, and we don't have time to be aware of our own feelings. These feelings tortured me so much. I knew that I am arrogant and selfish, but the selfishness that made me unaware of my feelings towards Mio. It was the last time I heard Mio laughter. After that, I never saw Mio's laughter anymore because I painted her face with tears.

Some day I came back home a little earlier, and I never thought that I would hear Mio's conversation with my parents. I overheard their conversation very clearly, and it happened before Mio committed suicide. It happened even before I rejected Mio to become my wife.

"Mio, you are twenty-two years old this year, so it is the right year for you to marry Claude." Mom said.

Mio looked at Mom with a confused look on her face and tilted her head.

"What your mom said is true that this is the right time for you to marry Claude," Dad agreed to his wife's statement.

"What do you mean by marrying big brother, Mom?" Mio looked confused, but I knew that she was only using her good acting to act like she knew nothing. I peeked her behind the crack in the door.

"Don't lie to me because I know that you like Claude, right?" Mom said it confidently without hesitation.

"Mom, please stop it," Mio avoided my mom's eyes shyly. I was nauseous at hearing Mio's shy words. Don't act innocent like an angel who descended from the sky. At that time, I thought that Mio deliberately behaved cutely and shyly in front of my parents to get their attention, but later I found out that she was pure, and she didn't have any malicious intent behind it.

"I am not blind, Mio, both of us have detection, and we are never wrong that you have feelings for Claude," Dad added.

I didn't know what happened to Mio because she lowered her head and didn't accept or deny the fact that she loved me. I was nauseous to see how bashful Mio was. I didn't want to see or hear anything more than this before I could walk away from my hiding space, then Mio suddenly opened her mouth and answered my parent's question.

"Mom, Dad, it is true that I fall in love with Claude big brother, but he only thinks of me as his younger sister," I heard a hint of sadness in Mio's tone, but I didn't know if it was sad because I didn't love her or I didn't even think of her as my younger sister.

Mom and Dad laughed when they heard a naive answer from Mio. Mom and Dad really love that adopted girl more than me, and they always defend her so much like she is their real daughter. They never thought I existed, and they eternally stood up for Mio and blamed me for whatever happened to Mio. I clenched my fist dissatisfied. She stole everything from me, and if she never entered my life, maybe I would be happy.

"Mio, It doesn't matter at all. Your dad and I also didn't get married because we loved each other. We got married for a political marriage, and after that, we started to love each other, and now we are a couple of husband and wife. Love can grow each time you spend time with each other, so you don't have to worry about that. For now, Claude doesn't love you yet, but I believe that if you shower him with your love, he can also learn to love you too," Mom said with a confident tone, and Claude felt goosebumps when he heard his mom's words.

"Your mom is right, Mio. No stone will not erode after a long period of being hit by the ripples of the waves, so a person's heart will melt if you always give him your sincere love. I believe that sooner or later, Claude will learn to love you," Dad said with a smile on his face.

I was furious to hear their conversation with Mio. They adopted Mio without my concern, and now they matched us even without considering my feelings at all like my thought was insignificant for them. I always know that they never cared about my opinion at all, and they decided everything in the name of my benefit. They are not me, and how come they know what is best for myself? I am their biological son, but I feel like I am an adopted son instead.

My parents already have me as their son, but they never cared about me as much as they cared for Mio. They never thought of my feelings at all, and why do I have to share parents with an adopted daughter who doesn't know where she comes from, and Mio is not my younger sister. I hate an adopted girl who doesn't know her status at all.

I returned to reality when my dad opened his mouth and said to Mio, "Mio, my dear daughter, Claude is my pride, and he is my son, so I believe that one day he will learn to know you more. We love you as much as we love Claude, so you don't have to worry about it," Dad said.

I don't believe what I heard from my dad's sentence. If they really love me, then they wouldn't do this to me, and my parents wouldn't spoil Mio rotten as they did in the past. All of them are liars.

"Mio, what your dad said is right, and mom also believes that one day Claude will realize that you are the only perfect woman to be with him in bad and good conditions. You are gentle, kind, and have a calm aura around you, and you also love us, your biological parents, and I can't imagine Claude marrying another daughter in law except you. Please be more confident in yourself," Mom said with a confident smile on her face.

I saw Mio lowered her head, and her face was bashful and red ear to ear. This girl was deliberate to act kind and gentle in front of my parents like she is the purest girl in the world, and her acting was excellent.

"Mom, Dad, it is not like I refuse to be with Claude big brother, but you have to think about big brother's feelings the most. Forcing him to marry me only brings him misery rather than happiness because you can't force someone to love you," Mio said on Claude's behalf, but Claude thought that she was sincere towards him.

I never accept her as my younger sister, but now my parents want me to marry an adopted daughter like her? She can only dream about it in her life.

"We won't force him to love you because we believe that if you spend more time with him, he will understand you better," Dad tried convincing Mio because he didn't want Mio married to another man in her life except for his son.

"Mom, Dad, for me my big brother's happiness is number one, so please don't force him to marry me, because I know that he doesn't look at me in that way," Mio said with all of her power to convince her adoptive parents stopped matching her with their biological son.

"I am only an adoptive daughter, so I don't have the same status as him. He is a noble son while I am a daughter of no one, and I feel like we are not suited for each other. Mom, Dad, please think more about this, so that you won't regret your decision right now," Mio was desperate, convincing them to stop, but they didn't hear Mio's advice at all.

"Why did you say something like that? As for us, you are our biological daughter. I don't want to hear you say something like this in the future," Mom said with anger in her tone.

"But Mom, I am-," Before Mio could answer Mom's words, Mom already said," Mio, please don't talk like that anymore. You have to promise me this once." Mom looked like she didn't want refutation from Mio.

"Your mom is right, and I also don't want to hear you say something hurtful like that, because you are the same with Claude without a difference," Dad also agreed to his wife's statement. He was sad when he heard his daughter say something insignificant like that.

I was furious and couldn't hold my anger for a long time, and I walked in the room without warning and said, "Good, an adoptive daughter dare to think to marry the biological son of the Lockheart family. Who do you think you are? Stop your acting because it makes me nauseous."