I disclosed this to wash away your guilt.

Ella's demand caught Jasper off guard. 

Jasper sighed, his shoulders sagging under the weight of his secrets. He knew he couldn't keep hiding the truth forever, but he wasn't sure how much he was willing to share. He glanced around the room, contemplating something.

"A tragic incident separated Mr. Hubbard from his daughters," he started, his tone measured. "Christopher's parents adopted Britney, and Rachel, my neighbor, brought Abigail home. Both sisters grew up apart, unaware of their connection. They didn't know they were sisters when Abigail married Christopher."

The revelation struck Ella with a sense of dread, shattering her preconceptions. She had believed Sebastian had kept his daughters away to shield them from potential dangers. That was what everyone had said. But the reality was completely different from what people had said.

"You mean Britney didn't know when she tried to kill her sister?" Ella murmured in a daze, stunned by the revelation.