Chapter 1 On the very night I was identified as the true heiress, my brother dumped me at an orphanage. My smooth, luxurious life turned upside down overnight. The head bully at the orphanage made my life a living hell. One day, she held my head in a latrine until I almost suffocated; the next, she whipped me until I was bedridden and bleeding. I cried for help, begging the director to save me. He just sneered. "If you weren't so vicious, would your family have kicked you out? You deserve it." His silence emboldened the bully. The torture became unbearable. On the eve of New Year's, she stripped me naked and threw me out into the snow. I was frozen stiff before they finally rushed me to the hospital. In my delirium, I heard the director laughing with someone. "Rich people really know how to play. Kicking out the biological sister just to keep the adopted one happy? And paying us to 'toughen her up'?" "Have you seen the news? Her parents and brother spoil that adopted girl rotten. They gave her their hearts." "I wonder if Mr. Sterling will even come this time. We aren't paying her medical bills." So, my suffering was just a game my brother played for her—Lily. I clutched the bone cancer diagnosis the doctor had given me and laughed until I cried. Great. Soon, Lily really would be his only sister. ... The doctor stood over me, sighing repeatedly. "It's rare for someone your age to have this condition. But the repeated trauma to your legs without proper treatment..." He sat down and explained the treatment plan earnestly. But my eardrums had been damaged from the beatings. I could barely hear him. I only caught the last sentence. "If we treat it now, we can buy you a few more years. Discuss it with your family." Family? After six years as an orphan, hearing that word still made me pause. I shook my head, tears in my eyes. "I don't have a family." The doctor stopped writing. He looked at the scars covering my body and tried to reason with me. "Little girl, fights happen. But running away isn't the answer. The world is dangerous. You'll suffer." "Your brother will be here soon. Talk it out." I lowered my head. Home used to be my sanctuary. But the day my brother, Lucas, threw me out for Lily, claiming I was the fake, I lost my home. He wouldn't care. I stared blankly at the ceiling. Just as I tried to turn over, the door burst open. "Sarah? Are you done? hurting yourself just because I wouldn't pick up the phone?" Lucas's familiar voice stunned me. So, every time I called him, begging him to save me from the hell of the orphanage, he knew it was me. He just didn't want to answer. I laughed in despair. I looked up, my eyes red, and met his gaze. "You hate me that much? Your own sister?" Lucas's pupils trembled. He clenched his fists, his eyes reddening. We both knew the truth. Finally, he relaxed his hands and sighed. "I did it so Lily could have a happy childhood. You already had a good life. Her mother died because of our family." "Taking care of her is my promise to her mom. You were too domineering. You bullied her. I had no choice." I nodded, smiling. But inside, my heart shattered into a million pieces. A happy childhood for her? So I deserved to be dumped in an orphanage? Deserved to be tortured? Deserved bone cancer? I choked back tears. "What about Mom and Dad?" He frowned, his expression unreadable. "We made the decision together. But we agreed to bring you back once Lily is stable." I thought I could handle it. But hearing him say it out loud... The bloody truth hit me like a hammer. The whole family knew. For the sake of the nanny's daughter, they happily let me suffer. Tears streamed down my face. I wished I really was the fake heiress. I wished I had frozen to death that night. At least then, it wouldn't hurt this much. Chapter 2 Seeing my tears, Lucas softened. He finally compromised. "If you promise to behave, stop being bossy, and stop bullying Lily, I can bring you home tomorrow." He paused. "Not tonight. Tonight is New Year's Eve, and it's her birthday. We promised to spend it with her alone." I opened my dry mouth, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. Finally, I smirked. "I have bone cancer. I need to stay in the hospital. Just pay the bill. I won't go home. I won't bully your precious Lily." The moment I finished, Lucas exploded. "Sarah! Stop the sarcasm!" "You think being the 'real' daughter gives you the right to lie about cancer just to get your way?" I looked at him in shock and pointed at the doctor. "I'm not lying! Ask him!" The doctor stepped forward to explain. But Lucas kicked the bed frame, his patience gone. "Enough! You haven't changed at all. Conspiring with doctors to trick me?" "I shouldn't have come here out of pity!" The door slammed shut. The room fell silent. My heart sank. I stared at the door. The doctor was dumbfounded. "That... is Mr. Sterling? The famous doting brother? Is he really your brother?" I nodded, then shook my head foolishly. He was a doting brother. But that sister wasn't me anymore. It was Lily. She was our nanny's daughter. We grew up together. I shared everything with her. I treated her like a sister. But Lily wanted more. She started framing me. She told my parents I bullied her at school, calling her a hillbilly. She said I stripped her naked in public, screaming that poor people didn't deserve clothes. My parents couldn't believe their sweet daughter could be so cruel. Their eyes filled with disappointment. Lucas was furious. He started slapping me. The whole family began to hate me. After the nanny died saving my parents in a car crash, Lucas "found" a recording. He sent nine-year-old me to the orphanage that very night. "You and Lily were switched at birth. She is the real daughter! You stole her life!" My world collapsed. But I had to accept it. Even when I was tortured at the orphanage, I didn't hate them. I thought they were just avenging their real daughter. But now I knew the truth. It was all a lie. A sick game. I cried as I told the doctor everything. Seeing his pained expression, I forced a smile. Just as I was about to say "It's okay," a group of security guards burst in. They grabbed me and dragged me out. "Mr. Sterling says you're faking illness to waste resources. Any doctor who helps you loses their license!" Chapter 3 The doctor tried to stop them, pleading for me. But Lucas Sterling had power. The guards were paid. No one dared to defy him. I was thrown onto the street. The impact sent shooting pains through my bones. I lay on the ground, twitching. The kind doctor ran out and draped his only coat over my thin frame. "Girl, I have a family to feed. I can't lose this job. I can't help you, but here..." He shoved a bottle of painkillers into my hand before the guards chased him away. I swallowed a handful of pills. It took a long time for the pain to dull. I stood up shakily, staring blankly at the busy street. It was almost evening. Everyone was rushing home for New Year's Eve. Their faces glowed with happiness. Only I wandered aimlessly, having nowhere to go. I sniffled, wrapping the coat tighter, but the wind cut through me. I found a sheltered corner and curled up to stay warm. But as I crouched down, I looked across the street. In a high-end restaurant, I saw the familiar family of four. A three-tier cake sat on the table. Lily, wearing a tiara, closed her eyes to make a wish. Dad put a pink diamond necklace around her neck. Mom snapped photos. Lucas held a party popper, ready to fire. When she blew out the candles, they cheered. Lily was surrounded by love, a true princess. Maybe it was my imagination, but she seemed to glance out the window, smirking in my direction. I didn't think much of it. I hadn't eaten in two days. My stomach hurt. I closed my eyes, trying to sleep the pain away. Just as I drifted off, icy water splashed over my head. I woke up shivering violently. Lily stood over me, sneering. "It really is you. I had those people torture you so much, how are you not dead yet?" "Tough life, huh?" My heart stopped. The bullying at the orphanage... Lily ordered it? She crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "Doesn't matter. I'm the Sterling heiress now. You're just a useless dog!" She was right. So what if I knew? No one would care. No one would believe me. The pain in my bones was excruciating. I didn't have the energy to fight. It didn't matter. I was dying anyway. If I ignored her, maybe this New Year's Eve would be bearable. But Lily wasn't satisfied with my silence. She squatted down, frowning. "Trying to play the victim so Mom and Dad see you and take you back?" She laughed, her dimples deepening as her words grew more venomous. "Let's see who they care about more!" Before I could react, she pulled out a knife and stabbed me in the thigh! Chapter 4 I screamed, twisting in agony. The pain nearly knocked me out. Instinctively, I reached out to push her away. But before I even touched her, she threw herself down the stairs. "Ah! Mom! Dad! Lucas! It hurts!" Her delicate cry drowned out my screams. Through the blur, I saw the three people in the restaurant look up instantly. They rushed out, crossing the street like madmen. Lucas arrived first, scooping Lily up, asking frantically what happened. Mom and Dad followed, hovering over her, calling her "baby." They checked her for injuries and called an ambulance. Lily cried in Lucas's arms, pointing a trembling finger at me. "I... I thought the person outside looked like Sarah, so I came to check. I wanted her to celebrate my birthday, but..." The three of them followed her gaze and finally looked at me, lying in the dark like a dead fish. They froze. Their eyes were filled with unreadable emotions. But when Lucas looked from Lily to me, his gaze turned to hatred. I stared blankly at the family who once cherished me. Now, they looked at me like an enemy. The pain and years of injustice surged. I waved my hand, desperate to explain. "I didn't touch her! She hurt me first! Please believe..." Before I could finish, Lucas slapped me so hard my head snapped to the side. "Sarah! You stalked me here to ruin Lily's birthday? And you try to frame her?" Dad's face was black with disappointment. "Sarah! Must you drive Lily to death? All these years and you only learned how to lie!" I touched my burning cheek with a shaking hand. It hurt. But I laughed. A manic, broken laugh. Always like this! They were my real family! But they couldn't see my emaciated body. They couldn't see the blood soaking my pants. They only saw Lily! I should have known better than to hope. I looked down and spoke to Lucas, my voice hollow. "If I don't make it through the night, will you come collect my body?" Lucas scoffed, his eyes full of disdain. "Ideally. Then we wouldn't have to worry about you bullying Lily ever again." His indifference hollowed me out. Death didn't seem scary anymore. "Promise me," I whispered. So I wouldn't scare anyone else. Lucas didn't look at me again. The ambulance arrived, and he rushed to help Lily onto the stretcher. Before getting in, Mom looked at me with worry. "Lucas, Sarah doesn't look right. Were we too harsh?" Lucas snorted. "She's faking. Too harsh? This is letting her off easy." The ambulance drove away, leaving me alone in the street like a rat. My head grew heavy. I watched the New Year's fireworks bloom in the sky and slowly fell asleep... The New Year began, but Lucas felt increasingly uneasy. Thinking of me left a gaping hole in his chest. He suggested bringing me home early. Just as the family agreed, a news report flashed on the TV. [Breaking News: Body of young woman found frozen on Changsheng Street. Identified as Sarah Sterling, ward of the state.]
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