Chapter 1

“What are you saying? You’re our real daughter! Of course, your father and I can’t bear to part with Maisie…

“Besides, you know how it is—both Charles and Joey like Maisie. Letting her marry into that wouldn’t have been appropriate.”

“Now that the Stewarts are already preparing for the wedding, You should pack your things. In half a month, someone from their household will take you to Northwatch.”

Fred and Martha Johanson brushed her off with a few casual words before hanging up the phone.

As the screen dimmed to black, Margot Johanson couldn’t help but glance at the framed photograph on her desk.

In the photo, her parents, her older brother, Charles Johanson, and her childhood friend, Joey Griffin surrounded her as she stood in the center. She was dressed in a princess gown and crowned with a tiara.

Their faces radiated affection for each other.

At that time, a saying had circulated widely in their social circle: “Who wouldn’t want to be Margot Johanson?”

Everyone envied her for having parents who treated her like a precious jewel, a brother who doted on her endlessly, and a childhood friend whose world revolved entirely around her.

Margot, too, had believed she would spend her life wrapped in such happiness.

But at eighteen, she discovered the weight of a promise she never made.

It was an engagement arranged by her grandfather, Benedict Johanson before his passing.

Margot was deeply in love with her childhood friend Joey and thought her family would dissolve the engagement once she came of age.

But fate dealt a cruel twist—her fiancé, Dominic Stewart, became comatose after a car accident and to avoid being branded as unfaithful or opportunistic, the Johansons felt compelled to honor the arrangement.

Yet, the thought of sending their beloved daughter to care for a comatose man was unbearable for them, and they agonized over the situation.

In the end, the Johansons devised a solution—they adopted a foster daughter to take her place.

And so, Maisie Johanson, an orphan who had grown up in a shelter and wandered the streets, entered the Johanson household.

Feeling guilty for making Maisie stand in for Margot, the Johansons lavished her with affection.

Every month, her parents gave her seven hundred thousand dollars as an allowance while Charles showered her with an endless stream of luxury goods.

Even Joey bent over backward to fulfill Maisie’s every request.

Margot herself gave up everything she had without complaint.

When Maisie wanted her room, Margot gave it to her.

When Maisie wanted her trophies, Margot handed them over.

When Maisie developed kidney failure and needed a transplant, Margot offered her own.

Margot never imagined that Maisie’s character would be so vile.

After becoming part of the Johansons, Maisie repeatedly framed Margot for her misdeeds.

Over just five years, she schemed to steal all the love and attention that had once been Margot’s.

Charles fell for Maisie as did Joey.

Even Fred and Martha began hinting that they couldn’t bear to see Maisie marry into another family.

Instead, they subtly encouraged Margot to fulfill the marriage contract herself.

Margot was not someone who would break a promise. At first, she resisted only because of her mutual love for Joey and her unwillingness to leave her parents and Charles behind.

But now, since they all seemed to prefer Maisie’s company, she decided she might as well go through with the marriage.

After all, the marriage contract had always been hers.

Thinking of the date her parents had mentioned, Margot picked up a pen and circled the day on the calendar.

It was two weeks away.

Inside the red circle, she wrote the word “departure” before heading upstairs.

Just as she reached the second floor, the sound of the front door opening echoed through the house.

Standing at the doorway were two familiar figures. It was Charles and Joey.

The two men hurried upstairs, and before Margot could react, they shoved her forcefully down the staircase.

“Ahhh!”

Margot tumbled down, her body crashing against the hard steps.

Her forehead struck the floor with a sickening thud, splitting open and leaving her head drenched in blood.

Agonizing pain radiated through her limbs and torso, cold sweat breaking out over her trembling body.

The two men at the top of the stairs showed no intention of helping her. Instead, they pulled out a phone and began a video call with Maisie.

“May!” Charles said with a smile. “Did you see us push Gigi down the stairs just now? Now you should believe how much more important you are to us. Stop throwing tantrums and come home, okay?”

Margot’s eyes flew open at his words and despite the agony, her gaze filled with disbelief and shock.

Had they hurt her so cruelly just to prove to the runaway Maisie that she mattered more?

On the other end of the video, Maisie was already sobbing with emotion, tears streaming down her face.

“I know you do, Charles. I won’t act out anymore. I’ll come home right away.”

At her response, both men exhaled deeply, their relief palpable.

After ending the call, the two men hurried downstairs.

“Does it hurt, Gigi?” Charles asked, his tone almost perfunctory.

“May said she felt insecure and needed us to prove it to her this way. We had no choice. She’s just a young girl who ran off in a fit of anger. We couldn’t let her wander outside alone.

“You’ll have to bear this for now—we’ll make it up to you later.”

Margot was in so much pain that she couldn’t speak.

Seeing her pale and trembling, the two men began to panic.

Just as they were about to take her to the hospital, Maisie’s delicate, tearful voice came through another phone call.

“I’m such a fool, Joey. I can’t even find my way home,” she whimpered.

At her words, both men tensed.

Without hesitation, they ended the call and prepared to leave to fetch her.

But as they reached the door, they glanced back at Margot, who was still sprawled on the floor, blood seeping from her wounds.

“Gigi,” Joey began, his tone almost dismissive.

“Maisie’s lost, and we’re worried she might run into trouble. You’ll have to get yourself to the hospital.”

And just like that, they abandoned her without a second thought.

Margot could only watch as their figures disappeared into the distance, leaving her behind in agonizing pain.

Using the last ounce of her strength, she struggled to call for an ambulance.

Blood continued to seep from the gash at the back of her head, soaking the fabric of her clothes until it turned crimson.

Before she lost consciousness, only one thought remained in her mind:

Later? There won’t be a later.

In two weeks, she would leave this city.

She would sever ties with all of them—completely and utterly.