Chapter 3

Olivia would never have guessed why I got together with Jack. It wasn't for his money or looks.

I agreed to be his girlfriend because I found out he had a habit of beating up his girlfriends. His last one ended up in the hospital, and she's still stuck in a hospital bed.

To bait him, I deliberately took a part-time job at the café Jack always hung out at. I knew a girl like me, who seemed clueless about the world, was exactly the type to catch the eye of scum like him.

On the surface, it looked like he was chasing me, but really, I was the one setting the trap.

I knew Olivia loved to snatch anything that belonged to me, so of course, she'd want to steal my boyfriend, too.

I came here today just to see if Olivia had started something with Jack. As long as those two got together, I could finally set my plan in motion.

I took a quick shower at a bathhouse, then hit up a fast-food place for something to eat.

When I got home, sure enough, my parents and Noah were sitting there with serious faces.

"Natalie, where did you run off to by yourself?" Mom demanded.

Obviously, I couldn't bring up Jack yet. He and Olivia had just started talking. I needed to give them a chance to get together.

"I just wandered around," I replied.

"Natalie, let me give you some advice. Don't even think about calling the police. If you blow this up, you'll only end up hurting yourself," Dad warned.

"I understand," I said.

"Good," Mom said.

My parents sat across from me with a stern expression.

Mom continued, "Natalie, to avoid any future trouble, your father and I have decided to swap your name with Olivia's. From now on, you'll be Olivia Parker, and Olivia will be Natalie Parker. Do you understand?"

I never imagined they'd go so far as to take my name, too. But maybe that was for the best. Once my name was gone, Olivia would never be able to turn things around again.

"What? You don't want to?" Noah gave me that threatening look again.

Before I could say anything, Mom interrupted, "Natalie, we're doing this for your own good. It's not like you want us worrying every day that you'll call the cops, right?"

I shrugged. "Whatever."

They didn't expect me to agree so quickly, and all three of them looked a bit shocked.

"You really don't care?" Dad asked.

"Yeah," I replied.

"Natalie, you're agreeing way too fast. Are you plotting something behind our backs again?" Noah shot me a suspicious look.

I shook my head. "I've been locked up before, so I've learned my lesson. I just don't want to go through that again. Is that so wrong?"

Noah gave me a satisfied grin. "Now that's what I want to hear. If you ever step out of line again, we'll just keep you locked up until you finally behave."

Olivia and I already looked pretty similar, and now with the name swap, most people would just assume she was me. Switching identities for school is basically impossible to explain.

I never thought my parents would go so far as to strip away my identity just because they loved Olivia so much. But maybe this was my chance to finally cut ties with the past.

"I can change my name, as long as you let Olivia stay here," I told them, then turned and walked into my bedroom.

The next day, a few of us went to the police station to change our names.

"Are you sure you want to change the names of these two children?" the officer at the counter asked, looking a bit puzzled.

"Yeah, sorry for the trouble," Dad replied.

While Dad was handling the paperwork at the window, Olivia walked over to me. "Natalie, I'm really sorry. Now I'm even taking your name for myself."

"It's fine. Go ahead. Honestly, I never liked it much anyway," I replied.

"So, what are you going to do now? You can't even go to college anymore. That sucks," Olivia said.

"What else can she do? She'll just have to get a job," Mom cut in. "What other choice is there?"

I nodded. I was about to leave these jerks behind anyway. "I'll find a job, make some money, and send everything I earn back home to you and Dad."

Mom smiled at me, clearly pleased. "That's my good girl. That's what I like to hear."

Just then, the officer at the counter called out, "So Olivia is becoming Natalie, and Natalie is becoming Olivia?"

I stood up and walked over. My parents and Noah all looked nervous. "Natalie, what are you doing?" Noah asked, his voice tense.

I didn't make a scene. I just walked up and said calmly, "I'm not changing my name to Olivia. I want my new name to be Victoria Parker."

From now on, I would follow my heart, see the world through my own eyes, and live true to myself.

"Natalie, what kind of game are you playing now?" Noah grumbled, clearly annoyed.

"Isn't this all just about leaving the name Natalie open? What I call myself doesn't matter anyway. It doesn't make a difference," I shot back.

"Fine, whatever you want," Noah said.

Once the name changes were official, we left the police station. My parents and Noah immediately crowded around Olivia, like she was their whole world now.

"Olivia, now you can finally focus on your studies without any worries," Dad said.

"That's right. You have to work hard, sweetie. I know you'll do great," Mom added.

"Olivia is the best," Noah chimed in.

I thought I was already numb to it all, but hearing them praise Olivia like she was the center of their world, my heart still twinged a little.

All those years, I was grinding away at my studies, just so Olivia would swap lives with me. Now, I could finally break free from this family for good.