Chapter 61

Lies, lies, and more lies. Amelia’s last name should have been "Lie," and her profession before marrying my father must have been that of a natural-born con artist. There was no other explanation.

The story my stepmother always stuck to was that she was a foreign heiress, childless, and with plenty of money to invest. She claimed to have fallen in love with my father to the point where she didn’t care that he was already married.

Then she gave him a daughter, Amanda. Her supposed only daughter. I remembered it clearly, all the drama from Amelia about how she had sacrificed her body for her "only child." How difficult it had been being a "first-time mother." She said it with such conviction that no one dared contradict her.

“That doesn't make any sense,” I blurted out reflexively.

“It doesn’t make sense that you’re falling for... our sister’s game,” he said, uncomfortable, shaking his head with his eyes closed.

That reality hit me. If Amanda and I shared the same father, and Amanda