Chapter 3

3

Caleb picked up a scrap of paper and gasped in shock.

"This was a first-place trophy from the National Math League! This could have gotten her into any top prep school!"

"And Jade just destroyed it!" he screamed, pointing a finger at me.

Amara wiped her tears, acting like she was trying to be the bigger person.

"I must have done something to upset her. It's my fault she did this."

My mother hurriedly wiped Amara's face with a wet wipe, her eyes full of pity.

"How could it be your fault? We've just spoiled Jade for too long."

My father's face was beet red with rage.

He couldn't understand why his daughter was such a bully while this stranger was so sweet.

I walked out of the room and spoke clearly, one word at a time.

"Amara tore those papers herself. I didn't touch them."

Caleb jumped in front of Amara like a bodyguard, his eyes burning with fury.

"Who would tear up their own awards? Jade, you're a terrible liar."

"I never realized you were such a disgusting person until today."

My father roared at me, "Jade Miller! You are a disgrace! How did I raise such a daughter?"

"Why can't you be more like Amara? Why can't you just be a normal, decent human being?"

I looked at my family coldly. Amara was truly impressive.

In just one night, she had completely brainwashed everyone in this house.

She dropped a few tears, and they acted like the world was ending.

But what about me? Nobody cared that my heart was breaking.

In my past life, I was jealous of her because she was so much smarter than me.

I eventually tried to be a good sister, but she used my trust to destroy my relationship with my parents.

By the time I realized what was happening, the gap between me and my family was too wide to fix.

But this time, I have the memories of an adult and the mind of a survivor.

Amara was just a middle schooler playing games. She was no match for me.

To protect Amara from my "bullying," my parents decided she would sleep in their room that night.

They walked away, coddling her, and not one of them looked back at me.

I was treated like a criminal who had ruined their happy little home.

I quietly shut my door, locking out the sound of their laughter.

I had already promised myself that I wouldn't cry over their favoritism anymore.

Ever since Amara moved in, my relationship with my parents and Caleb became ice-cold.

But I didn't care. I spent my time after school at the library, studying high school and college material.

With my current knowledge, I could easily skip several grades, but I had a different plan.

In the past, Amara became the star of the school and was loved by everyone.

I was always just a shadow, a ghost lurking in her bright light.

This time, I was going to take every award and every top spot for myself.

I was going to grind her pride into the dirt.

A few months later, my birthday arrived.

My parents decided to throw a party to try and fix our relationship.

More importantly, they wanted to use the party to force me to accept Amara.

When I got home, the table was covered in expensive food.

But as I looked closer, I saw that everything was seafood―shrimp, crab, and lobster.

My entire family knew that I was deathly allergic to shellfish.

Amara was helping my mother in the kitchen, and she gave me a mocking smile.