Chapter 1

Reunited with my birth parents for three months, our family went broke. Caroline and Robert took Isabella, my adopted sister, to work in another city. Before they left, they only gave me three hundred dollars and told me to wait at home. Three years later, I was diagnosed with stomach cancer. I couldn't help but call Caroline and Robert. Caroline cried, saying:

“Robert fell from a construction site earning your tuition, and he’s still in the ICU. We really don't have any money for you, Amelia! ”

I rushed out of the hospital, taking a thirty-hour train ride to their city. I was dying. All the money I'd saved these past years, I'd leave it for Robert's life-saving treatment. But when I found them, they were living in a huge mansion, celebrating Isabella's eighteenth birthday. I overheard Caroline saying:

“She asked me for money. I can’t believe we’ve been pretending to be poor for three years, and she’s still so greedy. She’ll definitely try to snatch Isabella’s inheritance later. ”

Robert immediately called the landlord and told them to kick me out, saying I needed to suffer a bit more. Caroline hesitated:

“But won't she be homeless then? ”

But Caroline, this hypocritical family, I don't want it anymore. 1. So, the supposed bankruptcy, the "struggle" to support me, it was all a cruel charade, a "tough love" lesson orchestrated to keep me from competing with Isabella for their fortune. I crouched down, a gush of black blood spilling from my mouth. The pain in my lower abdomen had spread to my heart. I turned clumsily, wanting to leave. But then I heard Caroline’s surprised voice from behind. “Mr. Davies said she wasn't home. They saw her buy a train ticket here yesterday. She wouldn't be coming to find us, would she? ”

They frantically changed into janitor and security guard uniforms. Isabella sat on the side, looking annoyed, refusing to take off her ball gown no matter what. My phone showed Caroline calling. Her voice was incredibly gentle:

“Honey, Mr. Davies just told us you came to the city where your father and I work. Is that true? ”

“Where are you? Robert and I will come pick you up, okay? ”

I spoke softly:

“I’m at the train station. ”

Caroline said sweetly:

“Good girl, sweetheart, we're coming to pick you up right away. ”

After hanging up, Caroline’s gentle demeanor vanished. She said irritably:

“See? I told you! She won’t give up until she gets money, and now she’s here, isn't she? ”

“Why is our biological daughter so cunning and selfish? ”

Robert sighed:

“She's definitely picked up some bad habits out there. Looks like we’ll need to think of another way to 'teach her a lesson. '”

“But it’s okay, we still have Isabella, don't we? We’ll just focus on raising Isabella well. ”

Their words pierced my heart like daggers. Slowly, I wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth and turned to walk away. I walked several blocks before a cake shop caught my eye. A towering eighteen-tier cake, displayed in the window with a hefty price tag, was identical to the one Caroline and Robert gave Isabella. A store clerk greeted me warmly. “This cake was custom-ordered by a famous local entrepreneur, Mr. Miller, for his beloved daughter’s eighteenth birthday. ”

“Mr. Miller even had jewels and diamonds encrusted on that cake. It costs hundreds of times more than this one! ”

“His daughter is so lucky, pampered like a little princess. ”

But she didn't know that the girl standing before her, in faded, old clothes,

was also Mr. Miller’s daughter. Yet, I had nothing. “Would you like to buy a small slice to try? ”

But even a small slice was beyond my means. On the street, a crying child threw his cake box on the ground, wailing:

“I don’t like this flavor; I want strawberry! ”

His parents gently coaxed him:

“Okay, we’ll go buy you some now. ”

I walked over and quietly asked:

“Can I have this cake? ”

They looked at me with surprise and pity, then nodded. I bent down and picked up the cake box, holding it like a precious treasure as I sat by the roadside. Carefully, I put the broken pieces of cake into my mouth. So, this is what cake tastes like. So sweet, but why does it also taste salty? I wiped away a tear, wanting another bite, when the cake was snatched from my hand. “Isabella! What are you doing picking up garbage to eat? It’s so dirty! Throw it away! ”

Caroline threw the cake directly into the trash can. “Sister, you’ve been back for three years, why are you still acting so destitute? Picking up trash? It’s disgusting. ”

Behind her, Isabella stood in a gorgeous dress, her face full of disdain. Caroline glared at Isabella. Seeing me staring at Isabella’s dress, Caroline guiltily explained to me:

“Your sister just started working at an event venue, doing hostess work to earn money. This dress was lent to her. ”

“Now, hurry up and take it off! If you ruin it, we can’t afford to pay for it! ”

Isabella pouted, saying nothing. Caroline seemed to remember something, grabbed my hand, her eyes full of feigned sympathy. “Robert and I have been so busy, we completely forgot it was your birthday today. My dear, what would you like for your birthday? ”

My voice was hoarse. I pointed at the utterly ruined cake on the ground and said:

“I want a cake. ”

Caroline lowered her head, looking troubled:

“It’s our fault, we’re not capable enough. That cake is too expensive; we can’t afford it. How about I make you noodles when we get home? ”

I remained silent.