Chapter 2

Henry Baker proposed to me eight years after we first met.

Mom never agreed to our marriage in the very beginning. She felt that he was a loser who could not possibly bring her any financial benefits.

Later on, when I brought him home, Diana immediately took a liking to him.

Since childhood, Mom gave Diana everything she wanted, while I was left with hand-me-downs and chores.

When we were ten, Mom spent all her savings to buy a gold necklace for Diana. Mom was all smiles when she said, "You scored an 80 on your test, Diana! That's a huge improvement! This is your reward! If you ever need money in the future, you can pawn off this gold necklace."

Meanwhile, I was scrubbing dishes in the kitchen, even though I had obtained perfect scores for all my exam papers.

When we were 18, Diana barely passed her finals and graduated, but Mom was so overjoyed that she shouted all day long about how the family would finally have someone going to college.

She even brought Diana to buy the newest laptop at the time.

I was accepted into a prestigious university, yet all I had was a decade-old phone. As such, all of my notes during university had to be written by hand.

When I was 22, I wanted to pursue a master's degree, only to be met with harsh remarks from Mom. "What's the point of studying so much? Your top priority now is to make money and look for a good man to marry!"

But when Diana delayed her graduation by two years, Mom willingly paid her additional tuition and even comforted her. "It's okay, Diana. It's already a huge achievement to make it into university. Don't stress yourself out, okay? Even if you never graduate, I'll look after you forever!"

I had been making compromises since I was young. So long as Diana had set her eyes on it, anything that was mine could be given away to her.

But now, she wanted Henry.

I could never agree to that.

Diana looked at me with a mix of disbelief and anger. "What are you being so petty for, Laura? I'm just asking for your boyfriend! Why are you acting like I'm trying to take your life?"

Mom rushed over and scolded me as well. "You're being too selfish, Laura! Diana's always been sickly ever since she was a child. As her older sister, what's wrong with letting Diana have her way sometimes?

"I'm sure you know just how picky Diana is when it comes to choosing her partner. Now that she finally found a man she likes, can't you just let her have him? Will it kill you to just step aside for once?"

I was crying when I asked, "What about me?"

What Mom said next would scar me for life. "You're just a burden anyway. Just marry whomever. It doesn't matter."

I never agreed to give Henry up to Diana. It was also the first time I had ever fought back against them.

Mom was so furious that she locked me in my room and starved me for several days. Nevertheless, I did not give in to their demands.

Mom started beating me up three times a day, but I still did not give in. Eventually, though, fate itself forced me to make a compromise.

I suddenly collapsed the day before the wedding.

All of Henry's relatives and friends had already come into town. To avoid embarrassing him, Diana, my twin sister who looked exactly like me, took my place at the ceremony.

When Diana saw that Henry couldn't tell she wasn't me, she chose to assume my identity completely.

I wanted to tell Henry the truth, but Mom threatened me, saying that if I were to expose Diana, she would sever all ties with me.

The person that Henry had loved for eight years was supposed to be me.

The name written on the marriage certificate was my name.

But in the end, my entire life had been stolen by Diana.