Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Gemma kept her head down, remaining silent.

Mom lifted Gemma's chin with an exasperated sigh.

"You're destined for an Ivy League school and running your father's empire. How could you compare yourself to a parasite who barely scrapes by?"

"Have you forgotten how she sneaked into the teacher's office sophomore year to delete your name from the National Math Olympiad roster?"

"If you hadn't begged for mercy back then, we would have expelled her immediately!"

"Gemma, you treat her like a sister, but she wishes you were dead. I should have smothered her the day she was born!"

Every word sliced into my spectral chest like a poisoned blade.

I curled up in the air, trembling from the phantom agony.

Was that really who I was in Mom's eyes?

The truth had been entirely the opposite, yet Mom never doubted Gemma for a second.

Back then, Gemma was jealous that my math scores were higher than hers, so she bribed the homeroom teacher to frame me.

Mom didn't even look at the evidence before slapping me across the face.

She refused to listen to my explanations, convinced that I was consumed by jealousy.

If she had bothered to look at our report cards, she would have seen that I was ranked first in the entire grade for calculus, while Gemma was barely twentieth.

I desperately needed that competition scholarship to afford college tuition.

Gemma destroyed my only ticket out, and Mom cheered her on.

Memories flooded my mind, leaving me numb with grief.

I wanted nothing more than to leave this world forever.

Yet a strange pull tied my soul to Mom.

After the exam concluded, I was dragged behind Mom as she returned to the luxury family estate.

I hadn't set foot in this house for two years.

Every corner was filled with the warm, vibrant traces of a happy family of three.

Mom unpacked Gemma's designer luggage while muttering curses under her breath.

"Rory is so useless. The exam is over, and she hasn't even come home to help her sister unpack. Just like her deadbeat biological father!"

Gemma coughed weakly from the couch. "Maybe Rory will be home soon..."

Mom's scowl deepened.

"You're too soft-hearted, sweetie. That girl is rotten to the core. If she doesn't come back today, she can rot on the streets forever. I don't have a daughter named Rory anymore!"

Mom, I can never come back.

Are you happy now?

I smiled bitterly as my memories drifted backward.

Ever since I was little, Mom dragged me from one dingy rental apartment to another.

She constantly told me that I was the sole reason her youth and beauty had been wasted.

I grew up believing that my very existence was a sin.

Everything changed when I turned ten.

Using her stunning looks and sharp cunning, Mom married Richard Vance, the CEO of a multi-million-dollar corporation.

Mom put on the persona of a gentle, elegant wife, leading me by the hand into the Vance family mansion.

That was the first time I met Gemma.

Gemma wore a custom designer dress with sparkling eyes, looking like a real princess.

In contrast, my T-shirt and shorts were faded from countless washes.

Gemma ran forward and threw herself into Mom's arms with a sweet cry.

"Mommy!"

In an instant, Mom dropped my hand without hesitation.

She wrapped her arms around Gemma, her eyes glowing with genuine maternal warmth.

I stood frozen in the grand foyer, haunted by the echoes of my childhood.

"Can't you find your own food if you're starving?"

"Get away from me, don't ruin my outfit!"

"Stop crying, your face disgusts me!"

Mom had always shoved my hand away, never once looking back when I fell.

It turned out that Mom was capable of love.

She just didn't love me.

My stepfather despised me and forbade me from ever calling him Dad.

Mom also warned me to keep my distance and never call her Mom around guests.

I had never experienced affection, so I obeyed their every command like a frightened puppy.

I desperately hoped that being obedient would earn me a single glance of approval.

When Mom told me to play with Gemma, I ran over instantly.

When Mom told me to keep Gemma entertained, I did whatever it took.