Chapter 2

2

I called my father.

It rang six times. Seven times. I was about to hang up when he finally answered.

“Dad, Yara stole my certificates. Everything in my safe is gone―”

“It’s called borrowing. She is your sister.”

My father’s voice was dry, like he was reading a script he had prepared long ago.

“That was ten years of my life―”

“Your sister was always destined for a better life than you. Just accept it.”

“Her marrying into the Sterling family is a blessing for the Lynn family for generations.”

“Don’t go and ruin it. You’re just a girl; you won't die just because you're missing a degree.”

I opened my mouth, but something was stuck in my throat.

It wasn't tears. It was that cold realization.

The realization that even though the man on the other end was my biological father, he would never stand by my side.

I leaned against the closet, staring at the empty safe on the carpet.

“Do you know that her marrying someone under my name is identity theft?” I asked.

“In legal terms, it’s a felony. She could go to jail.”

The other end of the line went silent.

One second. Two seconds. Three seconds.

“Then you just have to endure it,” he said slowly, emphasizing every word.

“She is your sister.”

The call disconnected.

I sat on the carpet for a long time, staring at the ceiling.

I had changed that light bulb myself. I had carried the ladder alone.

Everything in this room―from the curtains to the bedsheets to the dying lily in the corner―I had handled it all alone.

Ten years ago, when I moved out, I only had my school uniform and two hundred dollars in my backpack.

No one saw me off. No one called to check on me.

Now, someone finally called. Only to tell me to shut up and endure it.

I sat there for a long time.

My phone vibrated with a text from Joanna, an old colleague from Starling Capital.

“Winona, did you get married?? I just saw the wedding photos, and the bride’s name is yours!!”