Chapter 1

After eight years of living in someone else's house, I found out that my parents had secretly had another daughter.

From the moment she was born, she got to live with our parents.

However, because of her, the day they were supposed to bring me home kept getting pushed back.

In the end, I never got the chance to live with my parents.

*****

During lunch, my aunt, Rosalie, got a call that the fridge had arrived.

She turned to me and said, "Forget lunch. The mini fridge I bought for your cousin is here. It's too hot outside, so I sent the delivery guys home. Go carry it upstairs."

I had no choice but to put down my fork and haul the mini fridge up to the sixth floor in the scorching 104 °F heat.

By the time I came back, drenched in sweat and ready to finish my lunch, my plate and fork were gone. The food that was left had already been dumped in the trash.

Rosalie, who was washing dishes, turned around and caught me eyeing the table.

She slammed the dishes down with a loud clatter. "What are you staring at? You eat so slowly. No one's waiting for you. Do you think you're at your own home?"

My stomach growled from hunger, and I quietly went back to my room.

I was the one who made all that food, but I barely had a chance to eat anything.

From the kitchen, Rosalie started complaining loudly. "I'm stuck here washing all these dishes, and not a single person comes to help. Don't tell me she thinks she's some spoiled princess.

"She's living under someone else's roof and can't even be bothered to lift a finger"

The truth was that I did most of the housework. My cousin, Lucas, spent all his time playing video games.

I wiped away my tears, forced a smile, and hurried back out to take over the dishes.

I had been living like this for eight years.

*****

Today was Lucas's birthday.

Rosalie said they weren't going to celebrate his birthday this year. She told me to go work on her family's farm.

Before dawn, her younger brother came to pick me up in a truck.

I had low blood sugar, and after working for several minutes, I became dizzy and could barely see straight.

Rosalie's brother let out a sigh, told me to stop, and gave me a ride back to her place.

I was about to knock on the door when I heard everyone inside singing "Happy Birthday" and caught the sweet smell of cake.

For a moment, I felt a dull ache in my chest, but I didn't have the right to feel hurt.

The old house had no soundproofing, so I could hear Rosalie's voice clearly. "Come on, Lucas, make a wish."

Lucas's voice came through. "I wish we never had Scarlett around here again."

That was me. My name was Scarlett Rivers.

My uncle, Jordan, burst out laughing. "You idiot. If she leaves, what happens to the money her parents send us every month?"

Rosalie clicked her tongue. "Don't get me started. I've told Mandy so many times that Lucas wants a pair of Nike shoes for his birthday, but they never sent anything.

"They're so stingy. They're making money in the city and don't want to give us a little of it. This time, Scarlett can forget about getting any cake."

I crouched outside the door. Suddenly, the whole thing felt pointless, so I turned and ran.

Out on the street, I noticed someone selling shoes.

The vendor claimed they were Nike, 6 dollars a pair.

I pressed my lips.

If I gave Lucas the shoes, would they like me?

I took out the pocket money I had been saving for years and bought a pair.

When I got home that night, I nervously handed the shoes to Lucas. "Happy birthday."

He barely glanced at them, then wrinkled his nose in disgust. "It's a knockoff."

I wanted to explain. I didn't understand what a knockoff was. I only wanted to make him happy.

However, Lucas didn't care. He slammed the door in my face and went back to his room.

The next morning, the empty cake box from the night before and the pair of shoes were sitting on top of the trash can downstairs.

*****

The owner of the shop downstairs felt sorry for me and kept hiring me to help out, so I slowly managed to save up 150 dollars.

My birthday was the very next day.

I called my mom. "Mom, it's my birthday tomorrow. I've saved up 150 dollars. Can I treat you and Dad to dinner?"

"No. I'm busy," she replied.

She sounded unusually impatient, and I could hear a child crying in the background.

For a moment, I felt as if I were struggling to breathe underwater. "Is someone else there with you?"

My mom muttered, "The neighbor's kid."

Then all I got was the busy tone.

I tried to reassure myself that it was probably nothing.

According to their promise, they were supposed to bring me home five years ago, but there was always something. They kept putting it off.

The day I was supposed to go home seemed farther away with every passing year.

When I returned to Rosalie's house, I decided to use the money I had saved to buy myself a birthday cake.

I had imagined my birthday countless times.

But my money was gone.

I searched everywhere in a panic, tears streaming down my face.

Finally, I ran out and asked Rosalie.

She raised an eyebrow. "I took it. Who knows if you stole money from our house and tried to hide it?"

At the same time, she called my mom.

My mom sighed on the phone. "I told Aunt Rosalie to take the money. Kids your age don't need that much money. Let her take care of your birthday this year."

Rosalie was in a much better mood as she chatted with my mom. "Didn't you book a fancy hotel for your little one's birthday? Lucas kept saying the food was amazing. Are you doing the same this year?"

My mom told her to keep her voice down.

Hearing them talk, I had a sinking feeling that grew stronger by the second.

I had a feeling there was a new baby in the family. A little brother or sister.

*****

The next day was my birthday, but everything was exactly the same as usual. There was no sign that it was my birthday at all.

That night, after I finished all the chores, I couldn't help but remind Rosalie, "Aunt Rosalie, it's my birthday."

She shot to her feet, angrily went into the kitchen, and came back with a bowl of oatmeal. She slammed it down in front of me. "Stop asking me for things. You're acting like a beggar now."

She walked away after saying that.

I didn't remember how I managed to finish the oatmeal. I only remembered the bitter ache in my chest.