My Quadruplet Babies want their Daddy

"I'm so disappointed in you, Sadie. Apologize."

Kieran's voice was cold and firm, each word carrying an unmistakable weight of disappointment. His icy eyes remained fixed on me, making it painfully clear that he had already made up his mind about what had happened. There was no warmth in his expression, not even the slightest hint of doubt. He looked at me as though I had committed some unforgivable offense.

"I didn't do-"

I couldn't even finish my sentence when he suddenly grabbed my arm and pulled me forward. His grip was firm enough to make me wince, but before I could protest, he was already leading me toward Penelope, who was currently lying comfortably on the hospital bed.

My gaze shifted to my older sister. She looked pale, with a blanket covering her lower body and an IV line attached to her hand. Her slightly disheveled hair and the faint redness around her eyes made her look like someone who had just gone through a terrible ordeal.

But I knew better.

I knew exactly what had happened at the pool, and I also knew that the woman lying in front of me was deliberately twisting the truth to make me look like the villain.

"It's okay, Kieran. You don't have to do this," Penelope said softly, her voice trembling just enough to sound convincing. She even lifted a hand as though she wanted to stop him from being too harsh with me. "I'm sure Sadie didn't mean to do it. I'm just a little weak, and I couldn't balance myself properly. That's why I ended up falling into the pool."

She let out a small cough before sniffing, her eyes glistening as though she were trying to hold back her tears.

Anyone listening to her would probably think she was defending me. They would believe she was a kind, understanding older sister willing to forgive me despite what I had supposedly done to her.

But nothing could be further from the truth.

Penelope wasn't defending me. She was simply making herself look even more innocent in front of everyone while ensuring that I would be the one blamed for everything.

I didn't push her into the pool.

She jumped into it on her own.

She deliberately threw herself into the water just to prove that everyone would take her side, no matter what she did. And judging by the way my family and my fiancé were looking at me, she had succeeded once again.

"Stop defending her, Penelope. It's exactly the reason why she behaves like that," my mother immediately snapped, her voice sharp with irritation.

My mother's words tightened my chest.

Yes, Penelope and I were sisters. We shared the same parents, the same blood, and the same family name.

But in the eyes of the Garcia family, she was the only daughter who truly mattered.

I was merely the unwanted addition, the girl who had suddenly appeared in their lives after being missing for fifteen years.

I was the youngest of five siblings. I had three older brothers, followed by Penelope, who was the fourth child. She was the only daughter they had raised and loved for most of their lives, while I was the little girl who had disappeared when I was only three years old.

I still remembered the story they had told me about how I went missing.

We had apparently been out for a family stroll when my nanny briefly looked away. It had only taken a moment of distraction, but when she turned around again, I was no longer standing beside her.

Just like that, I disappeared.

For fifteen years, my family searched for me, but I remained lost to them. They finally found me when I was eighteen, and that was only two years ago.

But they searched so desperately for me for more than one reason.

A promise my grandfather and Kieran's grandfather made.

An agreement that I would eventually marry Kieran.

That was why, after all those years of being separated from my family, I suddenly found myself brought into the luxurious world of the Garcia family, where everything felt unfamiliar.

Now, at twenty years old, I had finally completed my internship. I was preparing to take the examination that would allow me to become a fully licensed doctor.

It was supposed to be an exciting time in my life, a moment when I could finally look forward to the future I had worked so hard for.

But instead of feeling happy and fulfilled, I often found myself questioning whether I truly belonged anywhere.

From the moment I arrived at the Garcia household, I could feel the difference in the way they treated me. They looked at me as though I were some unrefined girl who had been dragged out of a remote province and placed in a world far beyond my understanding.

Perhaps they thought I was too provincial, too simple, or too different from the kind of daughter they had expected.

I could see it in their expressions whenever I spoke, whenever I made a mistake, and even whenever I tried to join their conversations.

Still, I did everything I could to earn their acceptance.

I wanted to know what it felt like to be loved by a real family. I wanted to experience the warmth of having parents who cared about me, siblings who would stand up for me, and a home where I wouldn't have to constantly prove that I deserved to be there.

I had spent fifteen years without them.

When I finally found them, I thought I could make up for all those lost years by being a good daughter and sister.

So I endured their hurtful remarks. I swallowed my pride whenever Penelope framed me for something I hadn't done. I forced myself to smile even when their words left invisible wounds that took days to heal.

I kept telling myself that things would eventually get better.

Maybe they just needed more time to get to know me.

Maybe, if I continued trying, they would finally see me as one of their own.

But no matter how hard I tried, nothing ever changed.

And I couldn't understand why Penelope hated me so much when I had never done anything to deserve it.

My thoughts were interrupted when Kieran suddenly spoke again.

"Sadie, Penelope has been treating you kindly. Why did you have to do that?"

His question felt like a slap across my face.

I slowly lifted my eyes toward him, hoping that perhaps he would finally give me a chance to explain. Maybe he would notice how hurt I was, or at least recognize that something about the situation didn't make sense.

But his expression remained stern.

"I didn't push her, Kieran. Please believe me..."

My voice cracked slightly as I spoke, and I immediately pressed my lips together, trying to keep myself from crying.

I hated how weak I sounded.

I hated that I had to beg the man who was supposed to be my partner to believe me.

And most of all, I hated the fact that a part of me was still desperately hoping he would choose to trust me.

Kieran was my fiancé.

For two years, I had been engaged to him, and despite his cold treatment, I had gradually fallen in love with him.

He was handsome, intelligent, and incredibly wealthy. His physique was just as impressive as his sharp features, and he carried himself with the kind of confidence that naturally commanded attention.

He was the sort of man many women would dream of having as a partner.

And when his grandfather announced that I would become his fiancée, Kieran never objected.

He didn't protest or react violently to the arrangement. He simply accepted it, as though marrying me wasn't something he particularly cared about.

Back then, I had taken his silence as a sign that he might have some feelings for me, even if he wasn't ready to express them.

I thought he might just be the kind of man who didn't know how to show affection.

I believed that, given enough time, he would eventually open his heart to me.

But whenever something happened involving Penelope, Kieran always took her side.

He would believe her without hesitation, while I was left struggling to defend myself against accusations that I had never deserved.

"Why do you keep on lying!" my mother suddenly shouted.

I flinched at the sound of her voice, my shoulders instinctively tensing as I turned toward her.

Before I could even respond, Penelope reached for her hand.

"Mom, please stop it. Getting angry is not good for your health," she said gently, giving our mother a concerned look. "You know you shouldn't get too upset."

Then she turned her attention toward me, her expression softening into something that looked almost sympathetic.

"It's okay, Sadie. There's no need to apologize. I know you didn't mean it."

I clenched my hands tightly at my sides.

My nails dug into my palms as I stared at her.

She even managed to make me look unreasonable simply by pretending to be understanding.

I wanted to scream at her.

I wanted to tell everyone that she was lying and that I hadn't touched her.

But I knew that no matter how loudly I defended myself, it wouldn't make a difference.

They had already decided who the guilty person was.

And that person was me.

"Sadie, is that what the people who raised you taught you?"

My father's voice made me turn toward him.

He was standing near the foot of Penelope's bed, his brows furrowed as he looked at me with evident disappointment. He even rubbed his temple, as though the entire situation had given him a terrible headache.

His gesture made me feel like nothing but a burden.

"But, Dad, I really didn't-"

"Enough!"

I jumped at the sudden force of his voice. My father's expression darkened, and his eyes narrowed as he looked directly at me.

"It's not your fault that you grew up among those kinds of people," he continued, his tone dripping with disapproval. "But you've been living with us for two years now. Why are you still behaving like this?"

His words struck deeper than I wanted to admit.

Those kinds of people.

He was referring to the people who had raised me after I went missing. The people who had taken care of me when my own family couldn't.

I knew my father had never been particularly pleased with the fact that I had grown up in a remote province, but hearing him speak about the people who had raised me that way still hurt.

I wanted to defend them.

I wanted to remind him that they had given me a home when I had no one else.

But before I could say anything, Kieran interrupted.

"Mr. Garcia," he said, stepping forward slightly. "I'll apologize on Sadie's behalf for what she did."

My heart sank.

"Kieran..." I whispered.

I wanted him to stop.

I wanted him to look at me and realize that I wasn't asking him to apologize for me. I was asking him to believe that I hadn't done anything wrong in the first place.

But he didn't even glance in my direction.

Instead, he turned toward Penelope.

"Penelope, please forgive Sadie. She's still young, and just like you said, she didn't mean for what happened to happen."

Penelope smiled faintly, lowering her gaze as though she were embarrassed by the attention.

"Don't worry, Kieran. I understand," she replied in a gentle voice. "I know my little sister, even though she just returned two years ago. She didn't grow up with us, so maybe she still feels distant from the family. That's probably why she sometimes acts this way."

She paused briefly before adding, "I am also at fault. I have my own shortcomings as her older sister."

My nails dug even deeper into my palms. I could feel the sting of the pressure, but I barely noticed it.

All I could think about was how easily Penelope managed to turn every situation in her favor.

She had pushed herself into the pool, yet she was the one receiving sympathy.

She had accused me of something I hadn't done, yet she was the one apologizing for being an inadequate sister.

And I was standing there, silently accepting the blame because no one would even listen to me.

I wanted to speak.

I wanted to defend myself and finally tell them everything I had been holding back for the past two years.

But what would be the point?

They would never believe me.

Not my parents.

Not my siblings.

And certainly not Kieran.

"Thank you," Kieran said to Penelope, seemingly satisfied with her response.

Then he finally turned toward me.

"Let's go."