Chapter 1

1

It was like my whole family had been born again.

They acted like they knew the truth, like they understood that the fake daughter, the one they'd coddled, would eventually run the family fortune into the ground with her loser boyfriend.

They'd end up trapped in their own mansion by that lowlife, tortured until they died.

And it would be me, the real daughter they'd thrown out years ago, who'd have to bury them.

Right now, Chrissy Cunningham was acting all innocent after bullying me, tears welling up as she clutched Mom's hand.

"I know Ashley hates me," she choked out, "and I can take whatever she throws at me, just please don't make me leave you, Mom."

She was so busy putting on her act that she didn't notice Mom's face turning colder.

She had no idea her gravy train was about to derail.

...

Chrissy Cunningham had been making my life hell for almost a month.

On the surface, she played the scared little victim, always saying stuff like, "Please don't kick me out" and "I'd never try to take your parents away from you, Ashley."

But behind my back, she was the one cornering me, slapping me around, and forcing me to kneel.

She'd grab my hair and make me drink dirty water from the street.

She and her deadbeat boyfriend even tore my clothes and dumped a can of moldy fruit cocktail on my head.

I tried going to the cops, but my brother, Jake, showed up instantly, telling me I was blowing things out of proportion.

"Chrissy's just messing around," he said. "You're acting like it's the end of the world. I regret even bringing you home."

I told my teacher, Mrs. Davison, who called a class meeting to get to the bottom of it.

But the kids in class were all terrified of Chrissy's boyfriend, so they twisted the truth, saying:

"Mrs. Davison, I never saw Chrissy bully Ashley. It's Ashley who's been bullying Chrissy."

"Yeah, she's super mean. I've seen Ashley make Chrissy cry a bunch of times."

"Ashley's always been a real jerk, looking down on everyone."

"She even hit Chrissy, but Chrissy didn't want us to say anything, because Ashley's her sister."

Facing all those lying faces, I repeated the truth over and over.

But my explanations sounded weak and pathetic.

Finally, Mrs. Davison called my parents, telling them to take me home and straighten me out.

Soon, Mom showed up with a couple of people.

Chrissy immediately burst into tears and threw herself into Mom's arms, trembling.

"I know Ashley hates me," she said. "I can take whatever she throws at me, just please don't make me leave you."

I watched her in silence, feeling a mix of resentment and, yeah, envy.

When someone gets that kind of blind love, the truth just doesn't matter.