Chapter 2

Grace was formerly a doctor.

During a joint event between the hospital and the school, she was sent over to do health checks for the kids at the elementary school.

Back then, Henry was just a PE teacher. He happened to overhear Grace's coworkers joking about how, with a dad who was a company chairman, she could've lived a high life—but instead, she chose to work as a doctor.

That very day, he got her number, broke off his engagement, and went all in to pursue her.

People often said that doctors saving lives and teachers educating students were a match made in heaven. With Henry being tall, handsome, and looking like a male celebrity, they tied the knot within just a few months.

After marriage, Grace's father first got Henry a job at Carter Group. Henry quickly climbed the corporate ladder. He became a manager, then a director at the headquarters within a couple of years.

Eventually, when Grace's father retired due to illness, Henry stepped into his shoes.

On the day Grace's father passed away, Henry dropped the pretense.

"Grace, I'll be real with you. I married you because of your dad. Now that he's gone and your family can't help me anymore, there's no point in me sticking around."

Grace pleaded with him through her tears not to leave the family.

But he just snapped back, "Did you ever think about how much pain you caused Rebecca when you took me away from her?

"She had to let me go for the sake of my future, but for the past fifteen years, she's tried to take her own life more than once. If I hadn't shown up in time, she'd be dead and gone.

"Grace, you can't be so selfish. I already gave you a child. What more do you want? Are you really going to keep us apart?"

That was when it finally hit her—her husband, the man she'd cherished and loved, had never loved her at all.

Grace finally dropped her hand from the doorway, giving up and letting Henry be with his ex-fiancée, Rebecca Hughes.

The very next day, Henry used the Carter family's money to buy Rebecca a house, calling it payback for dumping her all those years ago.

He couldn't wait to make Rebecca's daughter, Sophia, his goddaughter, and used his influence to move her from the city's worst high school straight into the best class at the top school.

And me? Just because Sophia said she didn't want to see me at school, Henry shipped me off to the absolute worst high school in the city.

Grace didn't want my life to be messed up like this. She took me to see Henry multiple times to talk some sense into him.

He called me average and said he's the one who paved the way for me to get into that key school. He even put in a word against me at a few other top city schools so they wouldn't accept me.

Every time my old teacher snuck me some practice papers, he'd shake his head in disbelief. "The top student in the whole grade, stuck in a place like this? How could a father do this to his own daughter?"

Then he'd sigh and say, "And your dad's goddaughter, Sophia? She's just not cut out for school. Your dad keeps asking every teacher to go easy on her and give her special treatment, but you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, you know?"

My heart clenched. I thanked my teacher and rushed to the classroom to hit the books. He might be hell-bent on destroying me, but I refused to just sink into the mess he made for me.

*****

"Emily, your mother's cremation is complete. Please come this way to collect her ashes," the staff member said softly.

The urn was a cold, square box. I just couldn't wrap my head around how Grace—the woman who used to hold me tight, always gentle and strong—could now fit into something so small.

I wiped the tears from my face and took her home one last time.

"Even if the road to heaven is long, don't forget your way home, Mom," I whispered.

Early the next morning, I packed up, ready to head out and find a place for Grace's grave.

But as soon as I opened the door, two guys in police uniforms were standing right there.

"Emily, someone's accused your mom, Grace Carter, of helping you cheat on the SAT. Come with us for an investigation," one of them barked.

They looked so menacing that they didn't seem like real cops at all.

With Grace not even buried yet, there was no way I'd go with them quietly.

"Officer, just let me tie my shoe and I'll go with you," I said, trying to sound casual.

I crouched down, faking a shoelace fix, and the moment they looked away, I made a run for it.

I barely got past the doorway before they caught up, both of them pinning me to the ground.

"You little punk, trying to play tricks on us? I'll break your leg for sure!" one of them spat.

With that, he let out a furious kick at my foot. The sickening crunch of bone echoed clearly.

"Ah!" I screamed, the pain was so sharp it felt like my whole leg was on fire.

My veins popped out as I rolled around on the floor, hurting so bad I couldn't even think straight.

One of them ran into my house and came back out. "Grace's not here. Just grab the girl and let's go."

They locked me up in a windowless room with stark white walls.

Sitting across from me, the two of them started the interrogation. "Emily, you know why we grabbed you, don't you?"

Their whole act was so clumsy, and there was no way I was going to play their game. I just kept my mouth shut.

"You know the drill—come clean and things go easy, keep resisting and it gets ugly. So, tell us: how did you cheat on the SAT?" one of them pressed.

"I didn't cheat!" I snapped back.

One of them picked up his baton and started threatening me. "We've got your whole story figured out. No way a kid from that dump of a school could score that high. You'd better fess up, or don't blame me if things get rough!"

He slammed the baton down on the table in front of me, but the force was so much that he lost his grip—and the thing bounced off and cracked me right in the forehead.

Grace's sudden death had left me reeling, and all the pent-up emotions came flooding out.

I shouted at them, "What's wrong with that school, huh? Or are kids from there just written off from the start? We don't deserve top scores, don't deserve to amount to anything, don't deserve a bright future?

"You want proof I cheated? Fine, I'll give it to you. But tell Henry he'd better not regret this!"

I unzipped my backpack and pulled out my acceptance letter from Northbridge University.

"This is your proof!" I shouted, waving it in their faces.

While they were still stunned, I ripped the acceptance letter to shreds and scattered the scraps like confetti.

"Damn, did that brat just tear up a Northbridge University acceptance letter?" one of them blurted out.

"Go tell Henry. No letter, no college—count me out for good!" I shot back.

After a silent stare-down, one of them finally stepped out to make the call.