Chapter 1

Lily and I grew up as sisters, closer than anyone else in the orphanage.

The day the two adults came to adopt us, I remembered it clearly.

One was a man in a shabby coat, sitting in a wheelchair.

The other was a kind-faced, capable-looking woman in neat clothes.

Lily immediately chose the woman. She shot me a sly grin and whispered, "You're so good at taking care of people, Stella. You should go with the cripple. You can spend your life changing his diapers."

So, I was adopted by the man in the wheelchair.

It turned out his poverty was a front. So was his disability. He was Richard Carter, one of the richest men in Riverdale. Overnight, I became the pampered princess of the Carter family.

Lily, living a modest life with her adoptive parents, David and Mary Lee, worked as a waitress to make ends meet. One slow shift, she saw the Carter family throwing a massive twentieth birthday party for me.

My fiancé, Riverdale's most eligible bachelor, was standing by my side.

Consumed by jealousy, Lily found me and stabbed me. As I fell, she screamed through her tears, "We started in the same place! Why is your life so perfect while mine is hell?"

When I opened my eyes, I was back in the orphanage. It was that day again, the day we chose our parents.

This time, Lily rushed forward first, but her target had changed. She threw her arms around Richard, who was in a wheelchair. "Dad," she said sweetly, "I want to be your daughter. I'll take such good care of you, I promise."

I didn't hesitate. I walked straight to Mary and took her work-worn hand. "Mom," I said. "I'm ready to go home."

As we packed our few belongings, Lily couldn't resist leaning in. "My turn to be the princess," she hissed, her voice full of triumph. "You get to be poor and miserable with that nobody. Have a nice life."

I just smiled and wished her well.

She had no idea the Carter family didn't adopt a daughter out of kindness. Their reasons were far more complicated.

*****

I was lying in a pool of blood, a knife jammed right in my chest.

Lily's twisted face swam in and out of my fading vision as she screamed through her tears, "We started in the same place! Why is your life so perfect while mine is hell?"

The pain was so bad that I couldn't even get a word out.

All around me, the guests were screaming. My so-called fiancé just stood there, cold as ice, watching. Richard just frowned and told the butler to handle it, like it was nothing.

Right before I blacked out, I saw Lily getting hauled off by the bodyguards, her tear-streaked face a chaotic blend of victory and ruin.

"Stella, Lily, come here. There are families who want to adopt you." A familiar voice snapped me back to reality.

I shuddered, opening my eyes to find myself standing in the sunlit activity room of the orphanage.

I glanced down at my hands, which were small, clean, and free of the calluses I'd gotten from hours of practicing instruments.

I realized I had been given my past back.

"Stella, why are you zoning out?" Lily bumped my shoulder, flashing that familiar fake smile. "They say there are adopters visiting. We better put on our best act."

My heart was racing as I followed her toward the visitors' room, each step heavy, as if my shoes were filled with lead.

Inside, the two people who would change our fate were already seated.

On one side sat Richard Carter in his wheelchair, dressed plainly and looking pretty rough.

On the other side was Mary Lee, neatly dressed, nervously rubbing her hands together.

"I'm looking to adopt a good, sensible girl," Mary said gently.

Richard just nodded coolly. "I need someone who's good at taking care of people."

Lily glanced back and forth between the two of them.

In my previous life, she went straight for Mary, the one who looked hardworking and kind, dumping the so-called poor, crippled Richard on me.

This time, Lily rushed forward first, but her target had changed.

"Dad," she said sweetly, "I want to be your daughter. I'll take such good care of you, I promise."

She threw her arms around Richard, flashing a fawning smile I'd never seen before.

I almost laughed out loud. It looked like she was also living her life again.

Richard was taken aback by her sudden burst of affection, but then I caught that scheming look I knew all too well in his eyes.

"Good, good girl," he said, patting Lily on the back, his voice dripping with insincere affection.

I took a deep breath, and, without a second thought, walked straight to Mary and took her work-worn hand.

"Mom," I said, my voice breaking. "I'm ready to go home." The tears that came now were real.

Mary was stunned for a moment. Then, tears flooded her eyes as she hugged me fiercely.

"Good girl," she kept saying, her voice shaking with emotion.

As we packed our few belongings, Lily couldn't resist leaning in. "My turn to be the princess," she hissed, her voice full of triumph. "You get to be poor and miserable with that nobody. Have a nice life."

I just smiled at her. "Wish you all the best."

She had no idea the Carter family didn't adopt a daughter out of kindness.

She had no clue about the kind of living hell she was about to walk into.

And she definitely didn't know just how thankful I was that she took this "chance" off my hands.

As Mary led me out of the orphanage, the sun was warm and bright.

I looked up at the woman who would truly be my mom, feeling a rush of gratitude in my heart.

This time, I was finally getting the real family I'd always dreamed of.