Chapter 2

After that, I blacked out.

When I came to, I realized I was at the Vance family's place.

Cordelia's face was full of concern and affection.

She said gently, "Ariadne, why don't you sit up and have a bite? The doctor said your blood sugar's low."

Benedict looked really remorseful.

He said, his voice heavy with regret, "Ariadne, it's my fault for not bringing you home sooner. I can't believe I let you go through all that."

They'd known I was the Vance family's daughter for half a year now, but Seraphina Vance just couldn't deal with it. She kept throwing fits, constantly pestering them, and even took off overseas and stopped talking to them.

They were so busy trying to track her down, they didn't have the bandwidth to care about me at all.

Now that I'm finally back, it's only because Seraphina reluctantly agreed to let me back in.

Cordelia wiped her tears away.

She said softly, "Ariadne, this is all our fault. We kept worrying about your senior year and didn't want to mess up your life, so… It's all on us, honey."

I fixed my gaze on them, a cold smile tugging at my lips. Ariadne's thoughts were anything but warm.

If I'd known I could finally break free from the Quinn family's abyss, I'd have been thrilled. There was no way I'd be upset about it. Nothing could possibly be worse than what I'd already been through.

After digging into my situation, they must've known exactly what kind of life I was living. Yet, just because of Seraphina's drama, they forced me to endure another six months of misery.

How hypocritical.

I pulled back the covers and placed the cash I'd been gripping tightly in my hand onto the table.

Without meeting their eyes, I said coldly, "Thanks, but I don't have parents anymore."

"Here's for the medical bills. I'm out of here," I added, my voice icy.

While the Vance family was still frozen in shock, I slipped on my shoes and strode out of the room I'd called home for two years in my last life.

But right at the front door, I bumped into Percival Vance, my actual brother, though calling him family feels like a joke. He's the definition of selfish.

He glared at me, his eyes brimming with hostility, sizing me up like I was invading his territory.

Back then, I used to think he hated me just because I stole Seraphina's spot. But one day, I stumbled across the truth. He was the one who quietly molded her into the person she was now, feeding her that attitude and temper bit by bit.

All was because he wanted to take over the whole Vance family business for himself.

So naturally, I became the thorn in his side. After all, I'm the real Vance daughter. He kept covering for Seraphina, faking evidence and plotting with her to set me up, all just to kick me out of the Vance family for good.

I would never forget that when Seraphina bullied me, Percival was right there in the back, just watching with that icy stare as those girls humiliated me, making me eat food off the ground like I was nothing.

When I got home and tried to tell Benedict and Cordelia what happened, Seraphina flipped the story, claiming I bullied her and told her to leave the Vance family.

While everyone was frozen in shock, Percival got up, slow and deliberate.

Percival sneered, "Ariadne, you're just like that foster mom of yours."

That one line ruined me. From then on, I was labeled as trash, and they never believed a word I said.

I didn't even bother acknowledging Percival's glare, just brushed past him without a second thought.

Seraphina made her grand entrance at the door, clutching her phone like she was showing off.

She was flexing hard, rocking head-to-toe couture; even her phone was a limited edition, so new it hadn't even hit the shelves yet. The difference between us couldn't be clearer: she looked like she'd stepped out of a fashion magazine, while my whole outfit probably cost less than fifteen bucks.

Not that it bothered me. I was not the same scared, self-conscious Ariadne I used to be. Her little display meant nothing to me.

Seraphina snorted dismissively, giving me a look of pure disdain.

Cordelia caught up to us, forcing an awkward smile.

"Ariadne, this is Seraphina. She'll be your sister from now on..." Cordelia said.

I cut Cordelia off, pointing straight at Seraphina and exposing their hypocrisy without a shred of mercy.

"You claim I'm the real Vance daughter, that you want to love me and make things right, so why are you still letting this fake stick around?" I shot back, my voice cold and sharp.

"Seriously, who are you trying to mess with here?" I sneered.

No one saw it coming. I called them out, and the whole Vance family just stood there, stunned.

I let out a couple of dry, sarcastic laughs, not even bothering to look at them as I spoke.

"Growing up, it was always feast or famine for me. If I got lucky and Calliope was actually home, I might get a proper meal.

"My foster dad was a total drunk. Whenever he got hammered, he'd start swinging at anyone nearby. And every time, Calliope would just leave me alone with him, like I didn't even matter.

"After he ended up in jail, Calliope couldn't be bothered with me at all.

"It's the twenty-first century, and the best thing I ever got to eat was half an egg my brother tossed in the trash because he was sick of it. I was so desperate, I actually picked it out of the garbage and ate it.

"It's the modern age. Nobody's supposed to go hungry. But me? I was living like it was the 1970s, starving and scraping by while everyone else had it easy.

"Eventually, the neighbors in our building just couldn't watch anymore. Whenever Calliope was out, they'd sneak me over for a meal, and I'd help out however I could, washing dishes, mopping floors, whatever it took to pay them back."