Chapter 3

3

From that day forward, the label of thief was permanently stamped onto my forehead.

When I first arrived, I foolishly thought I had finally found a warm family.

The harsh reality quickly crushed that dream.

Ever since the necklace incident, my family treated me like a stranger.

My mother stopped coming to my bedroom to tuck me in.

She claimed I was a grown girl who needed to learn independence.

That fleeting taste of maternal warmth vanished into thin air.

Landon never spoke to me unless he had to, his eyes always filled with undisguised contempt.

Whenever we crossed paths in the hallway, he would only shoot me a cold glare before brushing past.

I used to think he was just naturally distant.

Yet he would smile brightly at Yvette, praise her cleverness, and shower her with expensive gifts.

One evening, I accidentally overheard a conversation between Landon and our mother.

His deep voice was laced with utter irritation.

"She's back, so what do you want me to do? Pretend to like her?"

My mother's voice was gentle and filled with hesitation. "She is your flesh-and-blood sister after all. Can't you just treat her a little better?"

"Sister? I only have one sister, and her name is Yvette," Landon scoffed with pure disgust. "Besides, I don't need a thief for a sister."

His cruel words felt like daggers plunging into my chest.

My own brother despised me to his core.

He never once considered me part of this family.

Perhaps driven by lingering guilt, my mother decided to throw a lavish sixteenth birthday party for me.

That night, the entire mansion was illuminated with glittering lights as elite guests poured in.

Laughter and warm congratulations filled the air like sweet music.

I wore the stunning designer gown my mother had chosen for me, feeling like a real princess standing in the center of the ballroom.

A rare warmth blossomed inside my chest.

In that brief moment, I felt genuinely happy.

Right as the party reached its peak, Landon burst through the double doors, his face pale and frantic.

He yelled out in utter panic, "Yvette is gone!"

The entire ballroom descended into chaos, and every eye locked onto the handwritten note clutched in his hand.

"Mom, Landon, my sister hates me. I can't bear to stay here and make things hard for you anymore."

"I am returning the place I stole from her. Mom, Landon, I love you forever."

The handwriting was neat and delicate, with dried watermarks staining the paper as if someone had wept while writing it.

My mother turned paper white, swaying on her feet before nearly collapsing.

"I can't believe the real heiress turned out to be so vicious."

"I heard she has sticky fingers, too."

"What good could ever come from a girl raised in the gutter?"

The guests' toxic whispers crept into my ears from every direction.

The sudden turn of events left me standing frozen in the middle of the room, completely paralyzed.

None of it was true.

I never stole anything, and I never forced Yvette to leave.

My mother marched up to me and slapped me across the face so hard that I crashed onto the floor.

"Why?" She covered her face, breaking down into hysterical sobs of fury and despair. "We did everything we could for you! Why did you have to drive her away?"

I held my burning cheek, tears blurring my vision.

"I didn't do it..."

Landon's voice dropped to a bone-chilling tone.

"If we can't find Yvette, you are no longer a Vance!"

Without another word, my mother and Landon rushed out into the pouring rain to search for her.

I was left sitting on the cold marble floor of the ballroom, surrounded by stares of disgust and mockery.

That night, they tore the entire city apart, but there was no sign of Yvette.

She seemed to have vanished into thin air.

From that night on, everything turned into a living hell.