Chapter 1

My mother, Lilah, was pushed down the stairs and killed. Yet, all of Mom's family members signed the letter of forgiveness, forgiving the killer.

It was all because the killer was my aunt, Bethany. She was acquitted and was even set to marry my father, Maurice.

I ran back home, determined to appeal, but everyone just told me to drop it and not stir up trouble.

My father held Aunt Bethany, her face streaked with tears, and said, "Are you really going to destroy Bethany's future?"

My younger brother, Archie, said, "I've already lost Mom. Do you want me to lose Aunt Bethany, too?"

My grandfather, Gilbert, and grandmother, Maeve, said, "We've already lost one daughter. Do you want us to lose another?"

Throughout my childhood, it seemed as if Aunt Bethany was the only daughter of my grandparents, the real mother of Archie, and the wife of my father.

And my mother? She was always the outsider, always living in Aunt Bethany's shadow, never the one who mattered.

Even when Aunt Bethany pushed her down the stairs and killed her, they twisted the story just to protect Aunt Bethany's future, making it sound like my mother slipped and fell on her own.

But my mother was the only one who had ever been truly good to me my whole life. I wouldn't let her die in vain.

I was determined to make Aunt Bethany pay for what she had done.

*****

I grabbed my phone and dialed the police, but before the call could even connect, someone snatched it out of my hand.

My father's eyes were red as he snapped, "You were never my real child. How can you be so cruel?"

He went on, "Bethany practically raised you. Your mom was always sick. If it wasn't for Bethany, you wouldn't have made it this far. How can you just send her to prison?"

I looked at my father, at Archie, then my grandparents, who were all watching me with defensive, wary eyes.

They were terrified I'd call the cops and ruin Bethany's life.

"But she killed my mom! Doesn't she deserve to pay for that?" I shouted, jabbing a finger at Aunt Bethany.

"We already told you, it was an accident. Bethany's already feeling miserable about it—what else do you want from her?" my father snapped.

Right on cue, Aunt Bethany let a tear slip down her cheek and hid herself in my father's arms.

He said softly, "It's okay; it's not your fault. That's just how things were meant to be."

I watched my father holding Aunt Bethany so gently, and my pupils contracted in shock. Suddenly, I realized something I had never noticed before.

Back when I was a kid, my parents were totally in love. Whenever Aunt Bethany came over, my father would hide out in his room, like he couldn't stand the sight of her.

So when did things change between them? Did my mother ever notice?

I heard my own voice trembling as I demanded, "When did you two start seeing each other?"

Aunt Bethany ducked her head, acting all coy, totally dodging my question.

Instead, she said, "We've been into each other for ages. Now that Lilah's gone, we're planning to get married next month."

My mind exploded. My mother had just died, and they were already planning a wedding like it was nothing?

"I don't agree!" I shouted.

My father shot me a cold look. "It's not your call. If you can't deal with it, then move out. You were never really part of this family anyway."

It was the first time my father had ever spoken to me like that, and for a moment, I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

I was adopted by the Schmidt family. My mother had struggled for years to have a child, but nothing worked.

She loved kids so much that she went to the orphanage and adopted me, hoping that maybe having a daughter around would bring them luck and help them finally have a son.

Funny enough, about a year after I joined the family, my mother actually got pregnant and gave birth to Archie.

Archie was the miracle my father had been waiting for, and once he arrived, everyone spoiled him rotten.

But to make sure I, the adopted daughter, wouldn't take any of Archie's inheritance, my father disowned me as soon as I turned eighteen.

But my mother truly loved me—she treated me like her own daughter and wouldn't hear of me leaving.

So I ended up as the only outsider in this house, just the adopted daughter on paper, not really part of the family at all.

But we still lived together. My father always kept an eye on me, worried I'd try to take something from Archie, but he never really snapped at me or said anything mean, at least not out loud.