Chapter 2

The road leading to the rural countryside was very bumpy. I got nauseous very soon.

The people who called themselves my biological parents were discussing how to make use of me while I stared blankly out of the window.

After whispering to each other for a while, Caroline Wavers, my so-called biological mother, turned to me and cleared her throat. "Sophie, you know we're not as rich as your previous parents," she said, feigning concern. "Life in the countryside isn't great. You may find it hard to adapt. Did the Nilsons make any arrangements for you?"

I looked at her expressionlessly.

She became a little anxious when she saw that I didn't understand her hints. She pointed at our surroundings. "This is all we have here. Aren't they worried that you wouldn't be able to cope?"

Still, I didn't answer.

Suddenly, the man who called himself my biological father, Andrew Nielson, slapped me so unexpectedly that I didn't have time to react. My head jerked to the side.

He looked at me angrily with unconcealed calculation and scheming. "You little brat. Your mother is talking to you. How dare you ignore her?"

I covered my face with my hand, still keeping quiet. I bit my tongue to stop myself from crying.

"Alright, alright," Caroline comforted him half-heartedly and pulled him behind her. She turned back to me and took my hand. "Don't get upset with your father. He's just a straightforward guy. Are you hurt?"

I bit my lip, still not saying anything. My eyes were dull and lifeless.

Caroline did not care either. She kept talking about her hardships, how hard it was to live in the countryside, and how poor they were.

When I continued keeping my silence, her patience began to wear thin. Her true intentions surfaced. "Gordon Nilson and his wife didn't give you any money? Didn't he buy you a house or something in the city, or take care of your tuition fees for the next few years? I heard that you were going to graduate school."

My eyes brightened at that.

Andrew said coldly, "It's already enough of a waste to send a woman to school. What's this about graduate school? We don't have the money."

My first words to him were in defiance. "I don't need your money. I have my own money."

I immediately regretted it as soon as the words were out of my mouth.

Andrew and the woman looked at me ravenously, eager to drain me of everything I had.

Andrew opened his mouth eagerly, but Caroline put a hand on his and smiled at me. "I'm glad that they've been treating you well all these years. How much money did they give you? Let me see."

I shook my head. "They didn't give me any money."

"That's impossible!" Andrew shouted angrily. "They gave us 200 thousand dollars just for sending Suzanne back!"

He reached out to snatch my bag from me. When I refused to let him have it, he pushed me to the ground.

Stones scraped across my skin, cutting up my arm.

No one cared.

Andrew rummaged through my bag eagerly, only to find it empty.

"You are useless!" he cursed. "You didn't even bring any expensive jewelry?"

I didn't even have any jewelry.

Mom said that I had been using her real daughter's things for many years, so I had no right to take anything. She even wanted to take the clothes I had on my back.

However, before I left, I saw her order the housekeepers to throw out everything in my room. Then, she filled Suzanne's room with more expensive things.

She said that her daughter deserved everything good, not leftovers from someone else.

"I found it!"

Andrew's eyes brightened as he pulled a bank card out of my bag along with a small, dirty doll.

I lunged at him. "Give that back!"

Thinking that I was trying to take the bank card, Caroline pushed me away.

I kept lunging at them until I finally managed to snatch the dirty doll from under her feet.

The doll bore some resemblance to me. Xavier Gubbens had sewn it himself for me as my 18th birthday present.