Chapter 2

Mom brought up that incident again, her eyes burning with hatred so intense that it felt like she wanted to skin me alive.

"Mom, it wasn't her fault back then. I accidentally blew out the birthday candles, so it's only natural that she was upset. I don't blame her," Olivia said, brushing it off like it was nothing.

Her act only made Mom and Dad hate me more.

That incident had always been a deep wound in my heart, and now they were tearing it open all over again, leaving me bleeding inside.

When I was thirteen, Mom decided to celebrate my birthday for the very first time.

I spent the whole month looking forward to it, and used the money I'd carefully saved up to buy myself a new outfit.

After all, it was a party Mom held for me. I couldn't risk embarrassing her.

Olivia saw me putting so much effort into this birthday party, gave me a mocking look and smirked. "You really think this party's going to go as planned?"

I didn't want to get into it with her, so I just let her sarcasm slide.

On the day of the party, Mom came over with the cake, acting like she'd totally forgotten whose birthday it was.

All she could see was Olivia looking all sad and moody, so she put the cake right in front of her, as if she were the star of the show.

"Olivia, blow out the candles and make a wish," Mom cooed.

Mom gazed at Olivia with such gentle affection that everyone assumed she was the birthday girl. They all started clapping, congratulating her for turning another year older.

All dressed up, I felt like I'd been slapped right in front of everyone. Olivia's smug look made it sting even more, and I realized all that anticipation I'd built up over the month was just a cruel joke.

I quietly got up and slipped out to the yard, wanting to get away from all the noise and excitement inside.

But Olivia just wouldn't let me off the hook. She pretended to bring me some cake, turned her back to Mom and Dad, and flashed me a wicked smile. She whispered, "You'll never have Mom and Dad's love."

Then, she suddenly fell backward into the pool.

Dad saw it and immediately jumped in to save her.

Mom wouldn't even let me explain. Fueled by rage and convinced I was out to hurt her precious daughter, she shoved me to the ground and drove her foot into my stomach.

"If anything happens to Olivia, you can bet I won't let you off the hook!" Mom yelled.

The furious glare Mom shot at me now was exactly the same as the one she'd given me back then.

Mom said, "Good thing I gave you the oxygen tank. Cheryl is really petty. She must've been holding a grudge against you for years."

She didn't bother to hide her disgust for me, as if my very existence was a mark of shame in her life.

If Olivia hadn't needed my umbilical cord blood to survive, I doubted Mom would have ever considered having another child.

"Olivia, you really need to focus on getting your strength back, so your dad can finally pass the company to you," Mom said.

"That's right, sweetheart. Just get better soon, okay? I promise—the company's yours for sure," Dad chimed in.

After I graduated from college, Dad said he was getting on in years, and the shareholders were circling, waiting for their chance to take his spot.

Olivia's health was too poor for her to handle the job, so he wanted me to step up and run the company.

Dad pleaded with me, almost groveling. There was no way I could turn him down, so I had to let go of my passion for research and step into the company.

To make the company bigger and better, I spent my days stuck in endless meetings and my nights at social events. I often drank so much that I ended up in the hospital.

My hard work paid off. The company soared to new heights, and we even got our feet in the market overseas.

But to them, nothing I did ever measured up to Olivia. They'd decided from day one that the company was Olivia's, and everything I did was just setting the stage for her to take over.

Olivia had been faking her illness from the start. She was way too restless to stay locked up in a hospital.

She acted like she'd made a miraculous recovery and started nagging Mom and Dad to hurry up and get her out of there.

Mom and Dad never doubted her for a second. Whatever she wanted, no matter how crazy, they'd bend over backwards to make it happen.

I watched Mom, Dad, and Olivia go through the discharge process together, looking like the perfect happy family. In that moment, I couldn't help but feel utterly pathetic.

I'd never really been loved, and seeing how easily Olivia won their affection made my long-numb heart ache again.

From the day I was born, I never had much. The only thing I ever truly owned was my life, and now, even that was gone.