Chapter 1
My ultra-rich parents always said they came from humble beginnings.
As their children, my foster sister and I weren't allowed to indulge in luxuries.
To test me, they insisted that any expense over two cents had to be approved in advance.
On the day of the SATs, it poured rain like crazy.
Knowing the test center was 15 miles from home, I asked for a 30-dollar cab fare.
My dad slapped me twice in quick succession. "We used to trek rugged paths to school. Don't think just because we're rich now, you can waste money on comfort."
After saying that, he emptied every last cent from my pockets, then kicked me out the door.
I staggered through the storm, covered head to toe in mud.
When I finally made it to the test center on foot, I saw the news playing on a giant screen across the street.
My parents and brother had spent 30 million dollars to hire a top idol group, just to celebrate my foster sister finally passing math.
They said it was a test for her.
*****
As soon as the bell rang for the exam, I turned my back and left the exam hall.
I ripped up my exam pass.
I ducked out of the wind and called my teacher, Amelia Collins.
"Ms. Collins, I'll take the offer to study overseas that the school set up for me," I said.
Amelia sounded absolutely thrilled on the other end.
"That's great, Stella. You finally came around. Your future comes first," Amelia said.
"I know your story, and I know it's hard for you to leave your family behind," she added. "Don't worry. I'll do my best to help you get a chance to visit home."
I shook my head and let out a bitter laugh.
"No, it's fine. They'll do just great, whether I'm there or not," I said.
Up until today, I kept telling myself my family cared about me.
When I was five, my dad's rival kidnapped me and dumped me in a remote slum.
I spent ten years there, enduring abuse and hunger.
After all those years, with only scraps of memory to guide me, I finally made it back home.
But there was none of the tearful reunion I'd always dreamed of and none of that tearful joy one would expect from a long-awaited reunion.
My dad just sat there, smoking and staring at the paternity test results.
My mom gave me a once-over, her eyes full of pity and even more disgust.
My brother, Samuel Summers, didn't even spare me a glance.
He was too busy joking around and laughing with a pretty girl about my age.
My dad said my mom struggled with severe depression after I went missing.
So they adopted another girl.
They named her Luna Summers.
In that instant, a crushing guilt washed over me.
It always felt like everything started going wrong the day I vanished.
I couldn't shake the feeling that my disappearance had thrown my whole family into endless misery.
For the three years after I got home, I kept trying, doing everything I could.
All I wanted was to make up for the love we'd missed out on as a family.
But my parents and Samuel always acted like I was just someone they barely knew.
Sometimes, it even felt like they couldn't stand me.
They never wanted to publicly admit I was their long-lost daughter.
They'd always claim I was just some relative's kid.
They watched every penny I spent like a hawk.
I had to get permission for anything over 2 cents.
About this, my parents always had an explanation.
They said, "Only those who come from nothing can truly succeed."
So all the stuff they put me through was supposed to be a test.
I really believed what they said.
So I studied my heart out.
Eventually, I landed the one and only spot in the country for a free study abroad program.
That was the first time my parents ever hugged me, tears streaming down their faces.
They said I was their precious child, the one they thought they'd lost forever.
They couldn't bear the thought of me leaving.
They also said that if I agreed to stay, they'd throw me a lavish coming-of-age party.
They'd formally present me to everyone as the Summers family's real daughter.
All I wanted was to feel like I belonged to a real family.
I gave up my chance to study abroad, just like that.
I threw myself into prepping for the SAT instead, just to make my parents proud.
I was lucky if I got three or four hours of sleep a night.
I kept breaking my own score records, over and over.
Then came the day of the SAT.
I looked up at the sky, heavy with clouds.
I remembered the 10 miles between our villa and the test center.
So I asked my parents for 30 dollars to take a cab.
I was so naive.
I really thought my parents, who always pushed me to succeed, would just hand over the money for the cab without even blinking.
But I couldn't have been more wrong.
My mom wiped her tears and called me a reckless spender.
My dad pulled out his belt and left me black and blue.
My dad cursed at me, calling me a filthy leech, nothing but a bloodsucking animal living off them.
Samuel grabbed my collar and dragged me straight to the door, tossing me out without a second thought.
I went tumbling down the villa steps, rolling all the way into the filthy puddles and mud below.
Luna strolled over, shielded by a ring of maids, taking her sweet time as she approached me.
She looked like she was about to help me up.
But instead, Luna leaned in with a sly grin and whispered a brutal truth right in my ear.
"You wanna know why they never let you go study abroad?" Luna said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
"It's because I told them you were so good at everything, it stressed me out so much I started getting pimples," she added.
"They felt bad for me, so they did everything to keep you stuck here at home, just for my sake," she sneered.
In that instant, it all hit me.
I finally understood the truth I should've stopped hoping for ages ago.
My parents never loved me.
Samuel wasn't my brother anymore; he belonged to Luna now.
All those so-called tests my parents talked about? Luna never had to deal with any of that.