Chapter 1

My stepsister and I both got into college at the same time.

But my own mother secretly burned my acceptance letter. She claimed we were too poor to afford tuition for two children.

I refused to give up and fought back. In the end, they drugged me and sold me to a remote, lawless mountain village.

I was tortured until I lost my mind. I eventually froze to death in the winter of my twenty-second year.

I sat up in bed with a jolt, gasping for air. I thought it was all just a nightmare. But when I walked into the kitchen, I saw my mother standing over the stove, burning my acceptance letter.

1

"Why? Why are you burning my letter?"

I rushed forward, but I was too late to save the paper. I grabbed my mother's arm and screamed in terror. Her name was Beatrice Linden.

The words felt like a script I had heard before. Was that horrific life really just a dream?

Beatrice was startled by my scream. She turned and slapped me hard across the face. "You brat! You almost gave me a heart attack. You aren't going to college anyway, so what's the point of keeping that paper?"

I clutched my stinging cheek and backed away. "I got in! I earned that spot! Why won't you let me go?"

"College costs money, Rainey! Where do you think that money comes from?" Beatrice rolled her eyes. "You know our situation. We rely on Arthur's salary. We can't afford two students. I love you both, but you're the older sister. You should step aside for your sister."

Step aside, my foot!

Usually, I didn't mind. I gave up the best food and the best clothes for her. But college was my only chance to change my life. How could I just give that away?

What hurt more was that I was her flesh and blood.

The girl she called my "sister" was Sierra Sterling. She was my stepfather Arthur's daughter. She was only two months younger than me.

She wasn't my sister. Not really.

In the past, I felt wronged and would complain to my mother.

She would always say she was a stepmother now. She had to be fair to Sierra, or people would gossip about her being a wicked stepmother.

Back then, I actually felt sorry for her. I was stupid enough to think she had it hard. I thought I was the one being difficult.

But after experiencing that living hell in my dream, I realized the truth. My mother wasn't struggling at all. She sacrificed me just to please her second husband, Arthur Sterling.

I also knew their plan went deeper. They weren't just stopping me from going to school. They planned to use me to pay for Sierra's tuition.

Beatrice felt uneasy under my stare. She shifted her weight and sighed. "Don't blame me, honey. You're my own daughter. Of course I care about you. But people say degrees are useless these days. Look at the Gable girl down the road. She dropped out of middle school to work. Now her whole family wears gold and designer clothes. You're prettier than her. If you start working now, you'll do even better."

Working a factory job makes a family rich enough for designer clothes?

I wanted to ask her if I looked like an idiot. I was a top-tier student. Did she really think I was that gullible?

She tried to keep talking, but I cut her off. "Since we're so broke and Arthur doesn't make much, Sierra shouldn't go either. She can come work with me."

Beatrice jumped as if her seat were on fire. "Sierra worked so hard for that spot! How could you suggest she work in a factory?"

I laughed, feeling the bitterness rise. "She worked hard? What about me? Why am I the one who has to sacrifice? Besides, she only got into a local community college. I got into the best university in the country."

"Community college, Ivy League, whatever! They're all just schools!"

My mother realized she couldn't win with logic, so she started acting like a victim. It was her favorite trick. But I wasn't going to fall for it this time. I explained the difference between our schools in detail. Her face turned pale, then red, then a sickly gray.

I thought I finally got through to her. Then she said something that nearly broke my brain.

"Since your school is so great, why don't you let Sierra go in your place?"

I felt like I had been struck by lightning.

I was a fool to even try talking to her. If she was willing to sell her own daughter for her stepdaughter, there was no point in reasoning.

I slapped myself twice to clear my head.

I looked at my mother and forced a grin. "You're so smart, Mom. But you just burned the letter. She can't go without it."

Beatrice froze. She looked like her hair was about to catch fire. Without a word, she scrambled out of the house.

She was incredibly dedicated to the idea of Sierra stealing my life. She spent the whole afternoon pulling strings. When she came back that evening, she was glowing.

Arthur and Sierra came home with her.

I was in the kitchen washing rice. Sierra, for once, actually smiled at me.

"Rainey, thank you so much for letting me take your spot. I'll never forget what you've done for me!"

"See how sweet Sierra is? Rainey, you really need to learn from your sister," my mother added from the side.