Chapter 1

After our daughter Cynthia Foster was taken, my husband David Foster suggested we adopt a girl. That was how Sarah Foster came to us.

The day we brought Cynthia home, I saw something impossible. Comments appeared before my eyes, floating in the air like text on a screen.

[Classic switched daughter trope. I know exactly how this plays out. The parents and the boy will fawn all over the adopted one.

[The real daughter gets pushed aside, tormented until she breaks. And only after she's gone will they realize what they've done.]

[I hate this kind of story. Cruel to the bone.]

[Poor Cynthia. She thinks coming back to her birth family means she's safe. She has no idea she's walking into another nightmare.]

I told myself it was absurd. But then my son Robert pointed at Cynthia and said, "Sarah is my sister. Not her. I hate you."

David held Sarah close and offered a half-hearted scolding. "Robert, Cynthia is your sister, too. You can't speak to her that way."

Robert only yelled louder. "I hate her."

Cynthia looked from Robert to me, her eyes slowly filling with tears.

I couldn't take it anymore and shouted, "Robert. Enough with that nonsense."

Robert still wouldn't back down, glaring at me stubbornly. "I'm never going to admit she's my sister. Sarah is my only sister."

I was so furious I could barely hold myself back from hitting him.

David tried to smooth things over, looking awkward. "Honey, Robert's acting out. He doesn't really mean it. We'll teach him better, okay?"

I was annoyed by how he brushed it off, but when I saw Cynthia's red, tear-filled eyes, I bent down and scooped her up into my arms.

"It's okay, sweetheart. If you want to cry, go ahead. Mommy will always love you," I said softly.

Cynthia bit her lip, wanting to cry but too scared to let the tears fall as she looked up at me. It broke my heart to see her like that.

Sarah ran over and hugged my leg. "Mommy, I want a hug too."

I looked down and saw her staring up at me with those big, pleading eyes. My heart twisted with guilt and pity, and the barrage of comments popped up again.

[See? The moment Sarah acts pitiful, the mom goes soft. So infuriating!]

[Ugh, the fake heiress is so disgusting. She was already in her twenties before she transmigrated, but she's still competing with a five-year-old for attention.]

[Trust me, it's not about attention. She'll keep framing the real daughter until everyone hates her, and in the end, the real daughter will either take her own life in despair or die from some terminal illness.]

I stared into Sarah's eyes and, sure enough, caught a glimpse of the scheming hidden behind her sweet little act.

My heart turned cold. "Sarah, Mommy's holding your sister right now, so why don't you go ask Daddy for a hug?"

Her eyes flashed with coldness for a second, but Sarah covered it up fast. She sounded so sad and defeated as she said, "Okay, Mommy."

David was clearly pissed at what I did. He walked over with a scowl and scooped Sarah up into his arms.

Sarah was so upset, she clung to his neck and started quietly crying.

David felt more sorry for her, glaring at me with more annoyance.

Robert marched over and demanded angrily, "Mommy, why aren't you hugging Sarah?"

Seeing him act so entitled, my heart grew colder. "Can't you see my hands are full?"

"Mommy, you can't hug Cynthia!" Robert shouted, trying to yank Cynthia off me. "You're so annoying. Get down. You can't let Mommy hug you."

Cynthia was terrified and lost, instinctively wrapping her arms around my neck.

I was absolutely livid. I shoved Robert's hands away and yelled, "Robert!"

Robert was stunned by my outburst, then suddenly burst into loud, messy tears.

Sarah climbed down from David's arms and stepped in front of Robert, arms out protectively. "Mommy, it's okay if you don't like me, don't hurt Robert."

Robert got more upset, screaming through his tears, "I don't want you, bad mom."

Sarah spun around and hugged Robert, dramatically bursting into tears. "Don't cry, Robert. I love you more than anyone."

David shot me a stormy look, then walked over and pulled Robert and Sarah into his arms, his eyes filled with worry and love.

Both kids rushed into his embrace, sobbing as if their world had ended.

I watched Cynthia struggling to keep her tears at bay, and every beat of my heart felt like a stab of pain.

[Honestly, the transmigrator girl's performance is a bit much.]

[It's one thing for Robert to be fooled at eight, but how can the dad be so clueless, too?]

[What really surprises me is that the mom hasn't lost her mind yet. I'm shocked.]

[It's only temporary. According to the formula, the mom will eventually side with the adopted daughter.]

[To get something only to lose it later, that's crueler.]