Chapter 3

With everyone watching, I slowly rolled up the sheer sleeve of my blouse, exposing my arm covered in scars—marks left by years of beatings.

I sneered, "Take a good look. This is the kind of 'education' your real daughter received.

"And hey, Samuel, do you really think Charlotte would still be the role model everyone admires if she'd grown up like this?"

Samuel averted his gaze, his lips trembling, unable to say a single word.

Edward was staring at me from the front seat, his eyes full of mixed emotions.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Charlotte clap a hand over her mouth, eyes welling up. Oh, please.

If she wanted to play the victim, fine, but I'd learned early that the kid who cried loudest got fed first.

The shock on her face was almost satisfying. Who said survivors should be ashamed of their scars?

The ones who caused them should be.

Joseph's tone softened. "Jessie, we're so sorry. We'll make it up to you."

I turned my head away, not saying a word, and stared out the window.

The rundown cityscape sped by, replaced by the towering skyscrapers of the bustling city.

Our messed-up lives were finally untangling.

*****

I couldn't sleep that night, so I went downstairs for a smoke.

As I passed the third floor, I noticed a light on in Edward's room.

Curious, I crept closer.

Soon, I heard Charlotte's sobbing. "Edward, you promised me that even if Jessie came back, you wouldn't let me suffer, not even a little.

"But now you're being so gentle with her, even comforting her."

Gentle? The only thing Edward had done was play chess with me while dropping backhanded compliments.

But hey, if she wanted to spin it that way, that was what I wanted.

I took the necklace from around my neck and pressed it against the door.

Edward's voice dropped, rough and intimate. "Just hold on, Charlotte. Once she's hooked on stealing and latches onto Liam, we won't have to hide anymore."

Liam? Who was the poor bastard this time?

"Got it, Edward." Charlotte's voice suddenly went all syrupy sweet.

The rest was PG.

I slipped away from the third floor, my mind reeling. This was shocking, really.

So that was why they'd been so quick to bring me home. Edward's little forbidden romance with his "sister." No wonder he'd pushed for it.

Mandy would lose her shit if she found out. I couldn't help but smile.

Honestly, I couldn't wait to see it go down.

*****

The next morning at the table, Edward brought up Liam Shaw.

He asked his father, "Dad, now that Jessie's back, what are we supposed to do about the engagement with the Shaw family?"

That was when I realized Liam was actually my fiancé—I'd been promised to him since birth.

No wonder Edward was so set on getting me to marry Liam.

That way, he could finally make it official with Charlotte.

Two birds with one stone—what a well-thought-out plan.

Joseph, his father, hesitated for a moment, glancing at Charlotte before finally making up his mind.

"Well... of course, we'll stick to the original engagement. After all, the Shaw family made the arrangement with the Lovett family's actual daughter," Joseph said.

Clearly, none of them cared about what I thought.

To these people, being auctioned off to some rich heir was basically winning the lottery for me.

Mandy cut in, her face full of disapproval, "No way, Joseph.

"Charlotte and Liam grew up together. They really care about each other. It just wouldn't feel right to swap them out all of a sudden."

I set my fork down quietly just in time to catch Edward and Charlotte's loaded glance across the table.

Charlotte looked like she might pass out, her lips trembling and her eyes glassy. "Mom," she whispered, "it's not about what I want. Liam was always meant to be Jessie's."

Quite the performance. If I didn't know about her little secrets, I'd almost believe she was the picture of selfless sisterly love.

"I don't want a fiancé, and besides, I'm still in high school. I don't think it's time for a wedding," I said.

Mandy's head snapped up, her face full of shock.

She gasped, "Jessie, you're the same age as Charlotte, but she's already in her third year of college."

I sneered, "Are you really surprised? After Charlotte's real mom sold me off, did you honestly think she'd let me keep going to school?

"Once I finished ninth grade, she made me drop out."

The silence was deafening. Guess no one told them poor girls drop out all the time.

"If it weren't for Roxie, my adoptive mom, I'd probably have a bunch of kids by now," I said.

The room went quiet, and Mandy had tears welling up in her eyes.

She cried, "Jessie, I'm so sorry.

"Thank goodness for Roxie. Why don't we invite her to our place? We should show her how much we appreciate her."

Pushing my plate aside, I met her gaze head-on and shut that down immediately. "No need. She's swamped with work and just wants some space.

"If you really want to thank her, just give me the money. Consider it compensation for all those years she spent raising me."

Honestly, the Lovett family owed us that much. Hell, they owed me more than money. They owed me my damn life.

"Of course," Edward said, though his expression tightened. "But Jessie, you're still in high school. It's not wise to hand you that much cash at once.

"Let's wait until we meet your adoptive mother. Then I'll transfer the funds."

His mistake was obvious. He'd never bothered to look into my past. He'd just assumed I was like Charlotte, and now he was scrambling.

"No, you can get the money, plus your future allowance. I'll have it all deposited into your account," Joseph cut in smoothly.

He didn't even blink. To him, that kind of money was just pocket change.

"Hey Jessie, which high school are you going to now? Samuel was a senior at Rivers High," Charlotte said.

"Maybe he can even tutor you," she added.

She flashed me a sweet smile, but her eyes were dripping with contempt.

She must think I was just some country bumpkin with lousy grades.

"I'm not helping her," Samuel shot back, looking totally put off.

"Don't bother. I go to Rivers High too—senior year," I replied.

I smirked at Samuel, and I could see the realization finally hit him. He finally remembered why I seemed so familiar.

"Wow, that's... something," Samuel said, clearly caught off guard.

Everyone else looked surprised too. Charlotte forced a smile. "What a coincidence. Samuel's there too. Samuel, you don't know Jessie?"

"N-No," Samuel mumbled, shoveling food into his mouth to dodge the question.

Charlotte must not be happy. I heard she barely scraped into some no-name college for an arts degree.

Guessed genes really mattered.

My so-called parents suddenly got chatty, asking about my grades.

I shot a casual look at Samuel, who looked like he was about to jump out of his skin, desperate for me to keep quiet.

"Eh, nothing special. Definitely not as good as Samuel," I said.

My parents finally let out a sigh of relief.

No way they wanted their golden boy to get shown up by me.

"That's not bad at all. Looks like Jessie and Samuel both inherited the family's brains," Joseph said with a relieved smile.