Chapter 1

My sister had been lying and framing me since childhood.

She’d stole money and said I did it.

When she fell down the stairs, she claimed I pushed her.

When she was rescued after running off with traffickers just for a phone, she accused me of selling her.

Since that day, my brothers cursed me out and my parents beat me.

Then one day, I heard her thoughts. 'What a bunch of idiots. Once my sister’s dead, I’ll start dealing with my brothers. Watching them tear each other apart is hilarious. They totally deserve it.'

Everyone turned to her in shock.

*****

During her last year of high school, my sister, Tessa Conway pretended to be sick for a week.

She'd stay up all night gaming on her phone under her blanket, trash-talking her teammates loudly. Eventually, Mom burst in and snatched her phone right out of her hands.

Tessa threw a total fit, taking on the whole family by herself. When it didn't go her way, she ran away from home.

It was snowing that day, and our whole family scattered in all directions, desperately looking for her.

Mom and Dad were dialing up everyone they knew, but no one had seen her.

Finally, after hours of searching, I spotted Tessa outside an internet café.

She was about to climb into some stranger's car when I dashed over and grabbed her, telling her to come home.

Suddenly, two big guys jumped out of the car, calling themselves Tessa's friends. Without warning, they shoved me to the ground and snapped at me, "Stay out of this."

Tessa stood behind them, waving her phone at me with a smug smirk on her face.

"See? Even a random stranger is nicer to me than Mom and Dad ever were. I can't stand that lousy family for another second. I'm done with you all—I'm cutting ties and heading off for my own good life," she sneered.

Without glancing back, she hopped into the car and sped away.

Later, I realized Tessa had been kidnapped and taken to the middle of nowhere in the mountains.

When we finally tracked her down, she was in a shabby shack, washing the feet of a crippled old man.

The moment she saw us, she broke down in tears and threw herself into Mom's arms.

Mom saw the surroundings and took it hard. She hugged Tessa and passed out from crying too hard.

Dad leaned against the wall, smacking himself over and over, full of regret.

My brothers, Edwin and Remy, watched in silence.

All these years, our family had searched high and low, crisscrossing the country just to find Tessa.

On countless nights, Mom and Dad tortured themselves with guilt, sometimes picturing the absolute worst outcomes.

No matter how hard this was to take in, seeing Tessa safe and sound, was the only comfort any of us could cling to.

However, on the night Tessa returned, she leaned toward me, her words laced with venom as she whispered, "Nina, your good life ends now. I'm going to take everything you treasure away from you."

My smile stiffened, and I just stared at her, shell-shocked. I wondered if I had heard right. After all, Tessa had just told Mom and Dad that during all those years she was gone, she missed me the most.

"What, cat got your tongue? I can do a lot worse—want me to show you just how scary I can really get?" Tessa asked.

Before I had time to process what was happening, Tessa snatched up my hand and smacked herself across the face with it.

My palm stung and went numb.

Her lip cracked, her cheek swelling up almost instantly, blood smearing over her lips.

I jerked my hand back, staring at Tessa in shock. "Tessa, what are you trying to pull?"

Tessa's smile disappeared. She looked at me like she'd just seen a ghost, her eyes wide and terrified as she stumbled backward.

"Nina, why did you hit me? I just wanted to come back home to Mom and Dad. What did I do wrong? Why can't you stand having me around?" she wailed.

Her shouting managed to startle the whole family.

Dad came rushing out of his study, saw Tessa pale and terrified, and quickly shielded her behind him. He looked at me and asked, "What's going on?"

Edwin and Remy burst out of their rooms, each grabbing one of my arms, pulling me off to a corner, putting distance between me and Tessa.

Mom came running out of the kitchen, clutching her spatula, looking alarmed.

Everyone watched as Tessa cowered in Dad's arms, trembling.

She looked at me like she'd just seen a fierce beast, eyes full of terror, begging, "Nina, I'm sorry. Don't hit me, please."

I was beyond speechless.

I knew since young that Tessa never played it straight; lying was her favorite hobby.

But before, she'd only ever tried to shift the blame when she messed up and was afraid of getting punished.

But now? This was way beyond just lying.

She was clearly making trouble for me, going out of her way to frame me.

And just like that, everyone bought her act.