Chapter 1

I was the real daughter, switched at birth.

In my past life, I died in a carefully orchestrated car accident.

In the final moments before everything went dark, I saw her through the shattered window.

Violet Lane stood there in the distance, the girl who'd lived my life for eighteen years.

That was when it all clicked.

I'd swallowed every insult and endured every slight, desperate for the family love I thought I deserved.

I convinced myself their favoritism toward her was normal, that I just needed to try harder.

Every time she set me up, I told myself it was a misunderstanding.

I believed my patience would eventually win them over.

What a joke. I was the only one who believed in that fairy tale.

Now I'm back, and here they are again.

My biological parents stand at my door wearing the same guilty expressions, saying the exact same words they did before.

"Nina," my father said, his voice heavy with remorse. "We're your parents. We've come to take you home."

I smiled and slid the ledger across the table toward them.

"Sure, we can talk about that," I said. "But first, let's settle the bill. My adoptive parents raised me for eighteen years. Childcare expenses, education costs, emotional damages. The total comes to 790 thousand dollars."

I looked up at them and asked, "Cash or transfer?"

*****

The air froze.

The neighbors and diners around us gasped.

My adoptive parents, Liam Johnson and Sally Johnson, looked terrified, and Sally snatched the ledger from my hands, waving it frantically.

Sally said, "No, Mr. Lane, Mrs. Lane, she's just a kid, she doesn't know what she's saying! We don't want money, not a single cent!"

Liam forced a smile and added, "Yeah, Nina just likes to joke around."

He jabbed me in the back while he spoke, but I ignored him and kept my eyes on the two people standing in front of me.

Richard's face turned dark. He hadn't expected this turn of events.

Grace's expression had changed, too. The guilt in her eyes was gone, and now they held only disappointment and contempt.

Grace said coolly, "Nina, we know you've had it rough all these years and you're angry."

She pulled a bank card from her Hermes bag and set it on the table with an air of superiority.

Grace said, "There's two hundred thousand dollars on this card. Consider it compensation. The PIN is your birthday."

She continued, "Stop playing these childish games and come home with us. Don't make things difficult for your foster parents."

Her words dripped with condescension.

She made it sound like I was some poor girl putting on a show for attention and money.

In my past life, she had used this same card to buy off Liam and Sally's eighteen years of love.

And I had taken it like a fool, tearful and grateful.

I looked at the card and smiled. Then I pushed it back across the table.

I said, "Mrs. Lane, you've got it wrong.

"First, I'm not suffering. My parents love me and we're happy, even if we're not rich.

"Second, this isn't compensation. It's a transaction. You want your daughter back? There's a price. Nothing in life is free."

"Third, if you think 790 thousand dollars is too much, that's fine."

I paused and said each word carefully, "You don't have to claim me. I've made it eighteen years without you. I don't need parents now."

My words hit Richard and Grace like a slap across the face.

They had probably never imagined that their wealth and status meant nothing to me.

Richard's lips trembled with rage as he pointed at me. "You're being completely unreasonable!"

The standoff dragged on, and then a girl in a white dress stepped out of the Bentley.

It was Violet. Her face looked pale, and her eyes were red as she walked timidly toward Grace.

She spoke up, and her voice came out sweet and gentle. "Mom, Dad, please stop pressuring Nina."

Every word dripped with kindness and hurt.

"This is all my fault," Violet continued. "If it wasn't for me, Nina wouldn't have suffered so much. She has every right to be angry and we should be more understanding."

She walked over to my food cart and looked at me with careful, measured steps.

"Nina, I'm Violet," she said softly.

"I know you must hate me right now, but I'm so happy you're back. From now on, I'll share Mom and Dad's love with you. No, you can have all of it! I'll treat you like my real sister. We can be a real family, okay?"

She put on a convincing performance. The neighbors watched her with sympathy and approval written all over their faces.

This was what a wealthy family's daughter should look like: kind, generous, graceful.

And then there was me: mercenary, cold-blooded, like some kind of debt collector coming to shake them down.

In my past life, I fell for this innocent act. I believed she was genuinely a sweet, kind sister.

But now, she made me sick.

I grabbed my spatula and slammed it against the griddle.

Oil splattered everywhere, and Violet flinched, taking a step back.

I looked at her and sneered. "You're afraid I'll come back and take your fiancé, your inheritance, everything you have now. That's why you're here playing the loving sister, right? Testing me to see what I'll do?"

Violet's face went pale.

I grabbed the menu from the table and slapped it down in front of her.

"Drop the act, it's exhausting to watch," I said. "Order something if you want to eat, or get out. You're wasting my time."