Chapter 2
Norah gave a sweet smile, but a mischievous glint flickered in her eyes.
That evening, when Luke came back from the office, I was excited to meet my brother for the first time.
But as soon as he saw me, his face changed instantly, and he suddenly seized my sleeve.
Luke demanded, "Where did you steal this necklace?"
Our first meeting, and his very first words were to accuse me of being a thief.
Just like that, he'd already decided I was guilty.
I opened my mouth, panic rising inside me. "I didn't..."
"Still trying to deny it, huh?" Luke snapped.
Luke dragged me over to Mom, who looked at me with disappointment and reproach.
"Serena, if you want something, just tell me. I can buy it for you. But stealing? That's not okay," Mom said, her tone full of blame.
"Norah gave it to me," I muttered, feeling the injustice sting as my voice shook.
I tried to explain, but no one listened. The sense of being wronged grew inside me.
No matter how much I tried to explain, they wouldn't believe me.
"This was a birthday present I gave Norah. Her initials are right there on it. She treats it like her most precious thing. And you still have the nerve to say you didn't take it?" Luke snapped.
Just as I was at a complete loss, Norah came back from her piano lesson.
I looked at her desperately, hoping she would clear my name.
But when she saw the necklace around my neck, her eyes welled up with tears, and her face looked so wronged.
Norah asked, her voice shaky, tears threatening to spill. "Serena, why did you take my stuff?
"If you want something, I'll give it to you. But this necklace was a birthday present from Luke.
"I know I don't really belong in this family, but this necklace is everything to me. Please, don't take it from me. I'm begging you."
I stared at her in shock, my eyes wide.
She was lying!
She put the necklace on me in the first place.
But everyone in the family totally fell for her lies.
Norah's words filled both Mom and Luke's faces with heartache.
Mom quickly pulled her into a hug. "How could you ever think you don't belong here? You're my precious girl!"
Luke snapped, "Give the necklace back to Norah, now!"
Helplessly, I took off the necklace, not knowing what else to do.
It felt like an invisible hand was squeezing my heart.
The pain was worse than the sting of my foster mom's cane.
We were family, but they didn't believe me.
"Mom, don't blame Serena. She must have liked it so much that she couldn't resist taking it," Norah said sweetly.
She nestled in Mom's embrace, her gaze locked on me.
A sly, triumphant smile played at the corner of her lips.
From that day on, I was branded a thief.
When I first came home, I was naive enough to believe I'd finally feel the warmth of family.
But reality hit me hard that it was nothing as I'd hoped.
Ever since I was branded a thief, the whole family started acting cold towards me.
Mom stopped coming to my room to tuck me in at night.
She said I was a big girl and needed to learn to be independent.
That brief taste of motherly love vanished just like that.
Luke never spoke to me first, always keeping me at arm's length.
Whenever we crossed paths, he'd give me a frosty glance and walk away without a word.
I figured he was just the quiet type.
But when it came to Norah, he'd light up, call her clever, and shower her with gifts.
One time, I happened to overhear Luke talking to Mom.
His voice was low, laced with impatience. "She's back now. What do you want me to do? Pretend I like her?"
Mom's voice was gentle, tinged with a hint of guilt. "She's your sister, after all. Can't you just be a little nicer to her?"
"Sister? I only have one sister, and that's Norah," Luke scoffed. "Besides, I don't want a thief for a sister."
His words cut right through me, sharp as a knife.
It turned out that Luke never cared about me, not even a little.
He never treated me like family.
Maybe it was out of guilt, but Mom threw me a grand birthday party.
That night, the house was brilliantly lit, and guests came one after another.
Laughter and blessings mingled together, sounding like the most beautiful music.
I wore the dress Mom had chosen for me, standing in the center of the banquet hall like a true princess, basking in everyone's admiration.
Waves of warmth washed over me, and my heart was overflowing.
For once, I was really happy.
But just as the party was at its peak, Luke burst in, his face pale and his expression frantic.
He shouted anxiously, "Norah's missing!"
The whole place erupted into chaos, and everyone's eyes locked onto the letter in his hand.
The letter read, [Mom, Luke, Serena doesn't like me. I'm too ashamed to stay here any longer. I don't want to make things difficult for you.
[I'm returning the place I took from Serena. Mom, Luke, I love you both.]
The handwriting was neat and graceful, and there were tear stains on the paper, as if someone had cried and tried to wipe the tears.
Mom's face went ghostly pale, and she swayed on her feet, almost collapsing.
"Who would've thought the real heiress they found would be so cruel?" someone whispered.
"I heard she even stole something," another guest murmured.
"What good could come from a poor family?" someone else sneered.
The guests' gossip reached my ears, harsh and full of judgment.
The sudden chaos left me standing there, stunned and not knowing what to do.