Chapter 1

I frowned as I watched the three of them crying uncontrollably before me. The young woman in Mom's arms trembled as she wiped away her tears. Their cries filled the room, loud and raw.

"I'm finally home, Mom! I'm never leaving you and Dad again!"

Mom broke down even more when she heard her biological daughter's words.

Next to her, Dad's eyes were red. He occasionally patted their shoulders, his voice thick with emotion as he said, "Alright, now. That's enough. Look at you two, crying like that. Today's supposed to be a happy day. Faye's finally home!"

Mom reached out her shaky hand to touch Faye Stone's face. "My sweet Faye, you've been through so much all these years!"

I quietly watched as it all happened. Faye was Mom and Dad's biological daughter.

I had known since young that I wasn't their real daughter. I didn't have parents. I was born in a small-town hospital, and my birth mother passed away shortly after giving birth to me.

Faye lifted her head in Mom's arms, her voice weak as she asked, "Who is she, Mom? Did you have another kid? Is that why you never came looking for me all these years?"

Only then did Mom realize I was still standing there. She gave me a sheepish smile and patted Faye's shoulder. "Faye, this is your sister, Audrey."

"Hi," I said, offering a smile.

To my surprise, Faye's face went pale. She pulled back into Mom's arms, holding her even tighter. "No… That can't be right. They told me I didn't have a sister. She—"

I knew what she was getting at and interrupted her, "I was born in the same hospital as you. I'm an orphan, so Mom and Dad adopted me."

Unexpectedly, she started crying loudly. "Mom, Dad, didn't you care about me at all? I was taken away, and instead of looking for me, you adopted another kid?"

I frowned, seeing how pale her face looked as I explained, "No, that's not how it was. Mom and Dad never stopped looking for you."

Dad sighed and said, "Faye, no one was more heartbroken than your mom and me when you disappeared!"

Faye's expression softened slightly when she heard his words, but soon, her eyes reddened again. "What about Audrey?"

The living room went completely silent.

I wasn't clueless. I knew exactly what she meant.

"What are you trying to say?" My voice lost its friendly tone, and Mom immediately shifted her gaze to me. We had lived together for over 20 years, so she could easily tell I was rather upset.

"You have been living the life meant for me all these years. Shouldn't you give it back now?" Faye asked.

Mom and Dad suddenly stopped sobbing, but Faye didn't seem to notice.

"Shouldn't you return to where you belong?" she questioned, sizing me up with a cold, sharp look.

Mom lowered her gaze, trying to shift the conversation. "You've just come home, Faye, and don't really know the place yet. Why not let Audrey show you around—"

Faye cut her off before she could finish, "So, Audrey isn't leaving?"

The living room was filled with an awkward silence. I saw the resentment and frustration in Faye's eyes.

Dad's face stiffened.

I smiled and glanced at Mom, who was avoiding my gaze. I knew she didn't want to upset me or hurt Faye. So, I wasn't going to make things harder for them.

I grabbed my bag and nodded at Mom and Dad. "Thanks for everything you've done for me. I'll always be your daughter, but for now, I'm heading to Uncle Declan's."

As I turned to head for the door, Dad's frantic voice rang out behind me, "Don't go, Dree!"

Faye flinched when she heard him call me that. Her grip tightened on his arm, and the hatred in her eyes grew stronger.

I got in my car and drove off.

By the time I reached the outskirts of town, it was already 7:00 pm. My phone kept buzzing with calls and texts, but I ignored them on purpose. I opened the door, feeling exhausted.

My uncle, Declan Lewis, was following a workout video in the living room. Dad's business wouldn't be where it was without Uncle Declan's support.

My birth mother had been traveling back then when she got into an accident. She had to give birth to me at a hospital in the nearest town. Shortly after, she passed away from blood loss.

I was born early. By the time Uncle Declan found me, I was already a year old.

"What brings you back today?" Uncle Declan asked. He paused his workout, walked over, and grabbed my bag. "Have you eaten yet? If not, I'll have Leah make something for you."

The warmth in his voice hit me, and all the frustration I had been holding in came rushing out. I told him everything—how it all started and how it ended.

His face, usually serious, tightened even more as he listened. "Has Jared completely lost it? The Stones wouldn't be where they are today without you, and now that their real daughter is back, they think it's fine to treat you this way?"

Back then, Uncle Declan couldn't bring himself to take me away. He thought I was too young and too attached to Mom and Dad.

After talking it through with them, he took us out of that small town. 20 years later, the Stone family had built a fortune with their business.

To outsiders, I was always the one spending big—the one Mom and Dad spoiled with love and attention. Even Faye believed I had taken the life she was meant to have.

Honestly, if it hadn't been for me and Uncle Declan, my adoptive parents would probably still be stuck working as truck drivers in that small town. Faye wouldn't be seeing the good life the Stones were enjoying.

That said, I couldn't deny that they had treated me well.

I grabbed Uncle Declan's arm and calmed him down for a while, finally convincing him not to confront Mom and Dad.

"So, what's your plan now?" he asked.

I looked at his slightly reddened eyes, feeling my chest tighten. He must've been heartbroken for me.

The thought of Faye's hateful glare made me click my tongue in irritation. "Sleep in my room. What else can I do?"

…

My life stayed pretty much the same after that. Mom came by a couple of times, but I was never home when she did.

One day, as I was finishing up at the office and was about to head home, the door to my office suddenly swung open.

It was Faye. She had swapped her faded, yellowed clothes for a fancy princess-style dress. She looked totally out of place in that outfit, like she was trying too hard.

"Audrey? What are you doing here?" Faye gasped and dramatically slapped a hand over her mouth.