Chapter 3

By early June, the heat had already begun to settle.

As the last stroke of my exam came to an end, my college entrance exams were finally over.

Lately, my life had been quiet, mainly because my mother's entire focus was on Clarissa. She was more anxious about Clarissa's results than anyone else.

Even though Clarissa didn't drink soup, my mother would still make her a pot every morning and send it over.

When the exam results came out, Clarissa did well—there was no doubt she'd get into the best school in the city. Her scores could land her in an Ivy League school if she applied.

This had been Clarissa's plan all along. She wanted to stay close to her family.

When my mother got her hands on the results, her joy was overwhelming. Her cheekbones practically soared.

"Thank God. This is amazing! I knew it! I'm finally going to win!" she cheered as she paced around the house.

But just as she was celebrating, there was a knock at our door.

"Excuse me, is this Coco Strauss's residence? I'm with Kingston University."

"Hello, Mrs. Strauss, congratulations! I'm from Ottuman University…"

After seeing off the representatives from the universities, my mother squinted her eyes and turned to me.

"You? Ivy League schools are actually scouting you? Did you cheat?!"

I let out a cold laugh. "How could there be cheating in the entrance exams? I did well, Mom—aren't you happy for me?" I raised an eyebrow. "Mom, tell me, which one do you think I should choose? Ottuman University or Kingston University?"

My mother was stunned, clutching her head as though in disbelief.

"No way! This is impossible! How could you score better than Clarissa? All this time... you've been lying to me? Have you found out about something?" she asked, her voice filled with suspicion.

She rushed over to me, grabbing my neck, her eyes burning with hatred.

I struggled to free myself, my voice hoarse as I spoke, "This is my surprise for you, Mom. Didn't you always say I was worthless? Well, turns out I'm better than Clarissa."

The pressure on my neck finally loosened, but that was only followed by a sharp slap to my face.

"That's impossible. Go to hell! Just die!" she shouted, her anger unchecked.

The blow was so forceful that I lost consciousness.

When I woke again, I found myself locked in my room. I tugged at the door handle desperately.

Outside, I could hear my mother's voice.

"Stay in there until the university applications are over. You're nothing but trash—you don't deserve to go to university. Don't you dare ruin my plans!"

I collapsed onto the floor.

I had seen that coming. Thank you, as always, for your cruelty.

When I finally saw daylight again, my mother dragged me to Clarissa's graduation party.

It seemed to be Clarissa's wish, wanting to celebrate with just family.

So the entire room was filled with just me, my mother, and Clarissa's family.

After dinner, my mother cleared her throat.

"Sadie, Jimmy, I have something to tell you. I only just found out, but when Sadie and I gave birth, the nurse accidentally swapped our babies. No wonder I've always felt a special bond with Clarissa. I just love this child, no matter how I look at her. I know it's hard to accept, but here's the nurse's recording."

In the recording, a woman's voice came through, apologizing.

"I'm sorry. I've kept this secret for so long, but now I'm paying the price for my mistake… After I swapped the babies by accident, I kept wanting to speak out, but I was afraid. I thought I'd lose my job. The Gardners have power and influence—they could ruin me."

After listening to the recording, there was an uncomfortable silence in the room.

Sadie's face showed disbelief as she tightly grasped Clarissa's hand.

Sadie's husband, Jimmy Gardner, rubbed his temples with a frown while muttering, "How could this happen? How could the hospital be so careless?"

My mother feigned concern.

"Yes, I didn't expect them to be so reckless. But luckily, both kids grew up under our watch. I understand you can't bear to part with Clarissa. She's such an outstanding child. But you must also understand how I, as her mother, feel. Who wouldn't want to raise their own child? Especially since, not long after I got pregnant with her, Tom passed away. Clarissa is our only child… Coco may be troublesome, but I believe you can give her a better life than I can!"

Jimmy and Sadie finally remembered me. They both looked at me with pity in their eyes.

My face was pale, and my arms were so thin they seemed like mere skin stretched over bones.

Sadie continued to rub Clarissa's hands repeatedly, her mind probably racing with different thoughts.

Just as I was about to speak, Clarissa cut me off. She seemed unfazed by the "truth" that had just been revealed.

"This is a huge matter. How can we rely on just one nurse's side of the story? We need a paternity test. If Coco and I were really swapped at birth, then of course I should return to my real mother."

My mother immediately agreed. "Yes, yes, we'll do whatever you say. You're so smart, sweetie," she added, giving Sadie a fawning smile before masking it with a sorrowful expression again.