Chapter 2

2.

My uncle Silas walked in and stopped dead when he saw me.

"Macy? What are you doing here so early? Didn't I tell you to go treat yourself to something nice?"

I looked at his hypocritical face and felt like vomiting.

In my last life, they were always like this.

My mother had a hard life, but she managed to marry a decent man.

They worked hard and were happy together for a short time.

But my father died in a construction accident before I was even born.

A heavy concrete slab fell and crushed him instantly.

My mother raised me all by herself after that.

That's why I took her maiden name, Quinn.

My cousin was born the same year as me, but her name was originally Yvonne Mills.

When we were in the eighth grade, Silas suddenly decided to change her name.

He didn't just change it to anything; he changed it to Macy Quinn.

Since we were cousins, we already shared some family resemblances.

With identical names, it was impossible for anyone to stop them from swapping our exam identities.

My aunt had explained it to my mom with a straight face.

"Yvonne and Macy are like sisters. Since you don't have any other family left, having the same name will make the bond between our families even stronger."

My cousin had grabbed my hand with a big grin.

"That's right! From now on, you are me and I am you. We are one inseparable family!"

My mom and I believed them, thinking they were doing it out of love.

Two years later, my mom was diagnosed with a serious heart condition brought on by exhaustion.

That was the year I started my senior year of high school.

My uncle's family acted horrified when they heard the news.

They insisted she stay in the hospital, but she refused because she wanted to take care of me.

To put her mind at ease, Silas suggested I move in with them.

"Don't worry about the money, sister. We'll take care of Macy. She'll have her cousin to study with. We are a family, after all!"

My mom eventually gave in to his apparent generosity and sent me to live with them.

At the time, I thought they were saints.

I thought they were helping my mom and looking out for my future.

I was such a fool.

Changing the name was just the first step to stealing my future.

Helping my mom was just a way to keep me focused on scoring as high as possible on the exams.

The people you think are your closest allies are often the ones who will ruin you.

I met my uncle's concerned gaze and shoved my hatred deep down.

I let out a heavy sigh and looked as miserable as possible.

"Uncle Silas, I've decided I want to change my name."