Chapter 1

On my eighteenth birthday, my family promised me a birthday I'd never forget.

I asked my closest friends to help me record this special moment.

But even as the night grew late, they still hadn't shown up.

When I called my brother, he just snorted and laughed at me.

He said, "Did you seriously think we'd get you a present? Are you crazy or something?"

Feeling completely crushed, I dragged myself home, only to find my family throwing a lavish birthday party for the fake heiress.

Well, this birthday really was unforgettable.

Fed up with chasing after their affection, I applied to study abroad.

Suddenly, they were in a panic.

They said, "Did you forget you're part of the Hayes family?"

*****

I stood hidden in the shadows outside the mansion, craning my neck to get a look inside through the window.

Everyone was gathered around Charlotte, showering her with birthday wishes.

They cheered, "Happy birthday to the little princess of our Hayes family!"

The lights inside glowed bright and warm.

Balancing on my tiptoes, I gripped the windowsill, my fingers pressing into the cold snow. I peered through the blurry frost, and envy twisted in my chest as I watched everyone inside.

As I kept watching, I just couldn't hold back anymore. Before I knew it, tears were streaming down my face.

I used to be the daughter of the nanny working for the Hayes family.

Right before my mom died, she finally came clean.

Wanting her daughter to have a better life, she secretly swapped me and Charlotte when we were babies.

When I learned the truth, I really thought my parents would be thrilled, like they'd finally gotten their real daughter back.

But the Hayes family, who always treated me like family, suddenly had a whole new look on their faces.

Ethan just glared at me.

He said, "Why now? Why did you have to bring this up right when Mom and Dad are dividing the inheritance between me and Charlotte?"

I had no idea what to say or do.

When the paternity test results finally came out, I thought maybe this time they'd actually feel happy.

But instead, my dad just tore up the reports right in front of me.

He said softly, "Charlotte has been with us for twelve years. She may not be our daughter by blood, but she's become even more than a real daughter to us. Let's just pretend nothing has changed."

For six years straight, nobody ever bothered to celebrate my birthday, not even once. But every single year, Charlotte got showered with gifts from Mom and Dad.

Sometimes I wondered if they honestly didn't notice, or if they just didn't care.

If we were swapped as babies, that meant we were born on the exact same day.

I kept telling myself it was just because I was a boarding student, while Charlotte was a day student. Maybe my parents were too busy to celebrate my birthday, or maybe they just didn't want to interrupt my studies.

So when Ethan told me on my eighteenth birthday that Mom and Dad had a surprise for me at a restaurant, I was thrilled.

I borrowed a camera, grabbed a couple of my closest friends, and headed over, hoping they could help me capture this special moment.

But by the time the restaurant had closed for the night, my family still hadn't shown up.

The waiter looked at me with a mix of pity and confusion, while my friends kept glancing away, too embarrassed to meet my eyes. I felt like I was standing on pins and needles, wishing I could just disappear.

Clinging to the hope that something must've happened to my parents, I hurried home, desperate to find out what was going on.

But when I walked in, there was Charlotte, standing right next to Mom and Dad in a brand-new party dress, with everyone fawning over her and wishing her a happy birthday.

I called Ethan.

I just wanted to know why the "surprise" he talked about turned out to be something so hurtful.

He just scoffed at me.

He said, "Did you seriously think we'd get you a present? Are you crazy or something?

"Whatever, today is Charlotte's big day. Just stay where you are and don't come back. We didn't want you here messing things up anyway."

Then the line went dead, the dial tone echoing in my ear.

So this was how much they really didn't trust me.

After they found out who I really was, I started arguing with my parents all the time about how unfairly they treated me, always putting Charlotte first.

Back when I was just the nanny's kid, they spoiled me like I was their own daughter.

Anything Charlotte got, they'd always get me one, too.

So when I was finally recognized as their daughter, their coldness really broke my heart.

It hit me then that all that kindness before was just charity from people who thought they were above me.

The second I truly stood among them, all that love just disappeared.

I started skipping class, getting into fights, and acting out, anything to get their attention.

But all I ever got in return were cold, disgusted stares.

They'd sneer, "Of course she turned out this way. She was raised by a nanny. She's nowhere near as good as Charlotte."

After that, they were too ashamed to let anyone know we were actually related by blood. Just so they wouldn't have to see my face, they shipped me off to boarding school for the entire year.

I wiped away the tears from the corners of my eyes. They felt icy against my skin, just like my heart.

I gave up. Guess this was just how things were.