Chapter 1

My name was Autumn.

On my eighteenth birthday, my father, in front of the whole family, solemnly fastened an emerald pendant carved with the name "Sophie" around Sophie's neck.

"Sophie," he said, "you're my proudest daughter."

His eyes were full of affection, and his voice was so gentle that it could make anyone melt.

Meanwhile, I sat off to the side, holding nothing but a cold college acceptance letter.

It looked like he had forgotten he had a real daughter.

I stared at the glaring "Sophie" on that pendant, then at the smug smile on Sophie's face.

It felt like an ice pick had stabbed straight into my heart.

A bone-deep chill shot from my feet all the way to my head.

My father had never seen me as his pride.

Instead, it had always been that outsider, the one he'd supported for ten years, who'd stolen a decade of his love from me.

I gripped the acceptance letter in my hand.

It was the only leverage I'd managed to wrestle from the cracks of my parents' favoritism.

And it was where I began to fight back.

*****

My eighteenth birthday, the day I legally became an adult, ended up feeling more like Sophie Lewis's coronation than my own celebration.

Richard Lane, my father, in front of all our relatives, took out an emerald pendant, the family heirloom that should've been mine. It was originally engraved with "Lane," but he had it recarved with "Sophie" instead.

He put it around Sophie's neck himself.

"Sophie, you're my proudest daughter," he said, his voice so gentle that it felt almost unfamiliar to me.

His proudest daughter? And me? What was I, nothing at all?

I sat at the dining table, my college acceptance letter crumpled in my grip.

The name of one of the country's top universities was printed right there on it.

My mother, Grace, kept her head down and couldn't meet my eyes.

She quietly set a plate in front of me. A cold slice of leftover pizza, nothing special.

Sophie, wearing the new dress Grace had bought her, flashed a sweet, innocent smile.

"Richard, this is too precious. I..." She played along, keeping her voice soft, but she kept sneaking glances at me, her eyes carrying a taunting edge.

Richard gently patted her hand. "Silly kid, you deserve it."

She deserved it? Then what did I deserve? To be forgotten?

Charles Lane, my uncle, cleared his throat. "Richard, Autumn got into a top university. Shouldn't you do something for her as well?"

That was when Richard finally seemed to remember I existed.

He pulled two hundred dollars from his pocket and handed them to me. "Autumn, here. Think of this as your reward."

Two hundred dollars? The emerald pendant hanging from Sophie's neck was worth at least ten thousand.

Was he tossing me pocket change as if I were some beggar?

I didn't take it.

"Dad, I earned my reward myself," I said, my voice soft but steady.

Richard's face darkened. "Is that any way to talk? Sophie's so well-behaved. But you? The older you got, the more disrespectful you became."

Sophie immediately leaned in and grabbed Richard's arm, her voice turning sweet and soft. "Richard, maybe Autumn was just too happy. Don't be mad at her."

She shot me a smug glance, her eyes flashing with triumph.

Her manipulative little act was absolutely flawless.

I took a deep breath.

"Disrespectful?" I said, looking straight at Richard. "Dad, who is the respect really for?"

He was caught off guard by my question.

"Autumn, what's gotten into you today?" Grace whispered after tugging at my sleeve.

What had gotten into me? I was just tired of pretending everything was fine.

The atmosphere at the table froze instantly.

Richard shot to his feet and jabbed a finger at me. "Autumn, look at Sophie, then at yourself! Sophie grew up with no parents. And you? We raised you all these years, and this is how you repay us?"

He was practically yelling, as if I'd committed some unforgivable crime.

Sophie's eyes welled up at the right moment, and she lowered her head.

What a performance.

I watched his outburst, but inside, I was strangely calm.

"Repaying?" I shot back. "I got into a top university, Dad. Isn't that something I do to repay you?"

Richard was shaking with anger. "Everything you did was for yourself. But Sophie studied so hard to show her gratitude to me."

So in his eyes, my efforts meant nothing. Only people who "paid him back" got his recognition.

Whatever warmth I'd still felt for him was completely destroyed by what he said.

I picked up my acceptance letter and set it gently on the table. "If that was how you saw it, then I'd go to college for myself."

I turned and walked to my room.

Behind me, Richard's furious shouting and Sophie's fake soothing rang out.

I closed the door, shutting out the noise.

Inside my room, my suitcase was already half packed.

I knew it was time.

I pulled out my phone and searched for "college student part-time jobs," "student loans," and "financial aid."

The glow from the screen lit up my cold face.

Meanwhile, I heard Sophie's syrupy voice. "Richard, maybe Autumn was tired. I'll bring her a piece of cake."

Bringing me cake? She was definitely up to no good.

I scoffed.

She wouldn't get another chance from me.