Chapter 1

When my adoptive mother, Linda Foster, made her getaway, she shoved me out of the car on purpose.

My brain got messed up from the fall, and I was stuck with the mind of a five-year-old.

After that, I was even more docile, always doing whatever I was told.

When my real parents finally found me and brought me home, the fake heiress, Erica Summers, made a huge scene, saying she'd rather die than let me in.

She stood at the edge of the shallow pool, acting like she was about to jump in. "If this family can't accept me, then I might as well just end it," she cried.

But she just kept standing there, not making a move.

I walked over, nervous and obedient, and gave her a push into the water with my trembling hands.

"Let me help you, Erica," I said.

With a splash, my parents whipped their heads around in unison, staring at me, utterly stunned.

*****

My real parents finally tracked me down and brought me home.

Before I got in, Erica was already standing by the pool, bawling her eyes out, totally hysterical.

"Mom, Dad, I'm the daughter you've raised for fifteen years. Are you really going to just throw me away?" she wailed.

When Mom saw her cry, Mom's heart broke, and she started crying as well.

She said, "Erica, it's not like that.

"You'll always be our good girl, and we'll always love you."

Erica shook her head wildly, clawing at her hair like she was about to fall apart.

"Then why did you even bring her back? Send her away!" she yelled, her voice cracking.

She pointed straight at me, her eyes full of pure hatred.

I hugged my teddy bear tight and hid behind Dad, trembling with fear.

Dad looked conflicted. "Erica, it wasn't our choice. The orphanage and the police found Edith and reached out to us. Please, don't blame us for this, okay?

"Now that Edith's been found, we couldn't just turn our backs on her, right?"

Hearing this, Erica finally began to settle down a bit.

I was always scared whenever the grown-ups started fighting.

Back when I was little, every time my adoptive parents, Linda and Frank, fought, they'd take it out on me.

Linda would grab me, grit her teeth, and smack my butt hard.

She'd yell, "It's all your fault, you useless waste!

"Why are you still alive?"

Frank, not wanting to be outdone, would snatch up the whip and start lashing at my back like he'd lost his mind.

"Shut up! You're so damn noisy!" he'd yell.

As they hit me, they'd even make a game out of seeing who could leave the biggest welts.

So, from a really young age, I learned to bend over backwards just to keep the grown-ups happy.

I had to walk on eggshells every single day, always afraid they'd be in a bad mood or start fighting out of nowhere.

Seeing Erica and my parents shouting at each other made me super nervous.

Trying to change the subject, I spoke up, my voice barely above a whisper.

"Mom, Dad, is Erica my adoptive mother's real daughter? Linda always said she missed Erica a lot," I mumbled.

Mom immediately shot me a look, her eyes practically begging me to stop.

I didn't get it. "Mom, are your eyes hurting?" I asked, confused.

Erica looked at Mom and Dad, her tears falling like rain.

Mom's face was all tense as she grabbed me from behind Dad.

"Don't talk nonsense. Go apologize to your sister," Mom snapped.

I blinked in confusion. "But you said..."

Before I could finish, Mom pushed me right over to Erica.

Erica looked at Mom and Dad, sounding all hurt. "Mom, Dad, it's all my fault for not being your real daughter. I never should've taken Edith's place.

"If this family can't accept me, then I might as well just end it," she cried.

She inched her way toward the edge of the pool.

But she just kept standing there, not making a move.

I hugged my teddy bear tight, walked over, nervous and obedient, and gave her a push into the water with my trembling hands.

"Let me help you, Erica," I said.

With a splash, my parents whipped their heads around in unison, staring at me, utterly stunned.

"Help! Somebody help!" Erica screamed.

Erica fell into the water, bobbing up and down, totally freaking out.

She was flailing around, trying to stay afloat.

I smiled and patted my teddy bear on the head. I murmured, "Don't worry, Teddy. We helped Erica.

"Erica will be happy now."

Mom and Dad just stood there, staring at me blankly, totally dazed.

"Dad, Mom, help me!" Erica's panicked cry rang out again.

Only then did Dad finally come to his senses and jump into the pool to drag Erica out.

As soon as Erica was out of the water, she gave me a hard shove and dove straight into Mom's arms.

She knocked me flat on the ground.

My teddy bear tumbled right into the pool.

Erica, her eyes brimming with tears, sobbed, "Mom, Dad, Edith was trying to drown me!"

"Why does she hate me so much? I don't even know what I did wrong."

Mom and Dad rushed over with towels, wrapping her up tight.

They fussed over her, trying to comfort her, their faces full of worry.

But they didn't even notice that my favorite teddy bear had been pushed into the pool by Erica.

I stood at the edge of the pool, sniffling and crying, feeling super anxious.

"Don't be scared, Teddy. I'll save you," I whimpered.

With a splash, I jumped straight into the pool.

I paddled desperately toward my teddy bear sinking to the bottom, totally forgetting that I didn't even know how to swim.

I finally got hold of my teddy bear.

But I couldn't breathe at all.

I kept sinking deeper and deeper.

Just like when Linda threw me in the river before, the surface kept getting farther and farther away.

Mom and Dad were still on the shore, and nobody even noticed I was in the pool.

Once again, I closed my eyes, letting the world fade away.

When I was little, I used to wash clothes by the river in the dead of winter. The water was so cold that my hands would go completely numb.

One time, I accidentally let a piece of clothing get swept away by the current.

When Linda found out, she just grabbed me and tossed me straight into the freezing river.

I thrashed around in the water, fighting for my life, while Linda stood on the shore, yelling at me in a rage.

She shouted, "You useless waste! I'm going to teach you a lesson you'll never forget.

"Let's see if you ever dare to slack off again!"

But I was always good. I never slacked off, not even once.

That day, as I sank into the icy river, memories flashed before my eyes like a movie on fast forward.

I saw myself, just a tiny kid, standing on a stool to reach the stove, trying to cook.

I saw Linda and Frank beating me like crazy, never letting up.

And all those vicious insults they hurled at me, words so cruel that I could never get them out of my head.