From the first day I was brought home, The girl who’d been living my life wanted me gone, maybe even dead. Even my own mother treated me with a chilling indifference. Then, one day, when my life hung by a thread, that girl’s boyfriend dove in front of me, taking a bullet meant for me. And that was when my mother finally broke down. 1 When my biological parents came to get me, Dad was beaming, but Mom looked miserable, depressed even. The way she looked at me… it felt like disgust. I couldn’t figure it out. Okay, so I wasn’t exactly living some main character fantasy. My grades sucked, I was painfully shy, but I knew I wasn’t hard on the eyes. Especially because— I looked exactly like Mom did when she was young. So why would she hate me? The moment I stepped into the Ashton house, a giant wedding portrait hung in the foyer. It was Mom and Dad, twenty years ago. Faded, sure, but you could still see how bright her eyes were, how dazzling her smile. Beautiful, vibrant. … “Splash—!” The instant I crossed the threshold into my new bedroom. A bucket of rank, stinking water drenched me. Behind the door, a shrill laugh erupted. “Welcome home, Ava! Like your little sister’s housewarming gift?” Brooke stood there, wearing a face mask and holding a big, now empty, bucket, smirking at me. I picked off the slimy bits clinging to me. Looked like old shrimp shells, fish bones… stuff left to rot. You know the saying, garbage in, garbage out. Brooke, yeah, the ‘imposter daughter,’ must have been brewing this welcoming committee stink bomb for days just to make a point. Real classy. Brooke looked nothing like Mom or Dad. She did, however, bear a striking resemblance to the family’s former driver, the one who’d just gotten locked up. Simple reason: she was his daughter. I’d been born two weeks premature, whisked straight into an incubator. The driver’s wife gave birth a few days later. He saw his chance and swapped me with his own baby girl. He wasn’t about to raise me with kindness. When I was just a month old, he dumped me by the side of the road. Lucky for me, a kind old woman, my Gran, who scraped by collecting cans and bottles, found me and took me in. Until… well, until I grew up looking so much like my mother. Someone, I still don’t know who, snapped a picture of me working at the coffee shop and sent it to Dad. Dad looked at me, then looked at Brooke, who looked more and more like the driver every day. Next thing I knew, the driver was in prison, and I was ‘home.’ 2 I stared at Brooke’s smug face, didn’t say a word. Just bent down and silently picked up a couple of chunks of putrid fish that hadn’t fully dissolved into slime yet. Even through her mask, she pinched her nose, looking down at me with utter contempt. “Tsk, figures. Grew up digging through trash, didn’t you? This stuff suits you perfectly, Miss Stinky Fish.” “Yeah, well, I never keep the good stuff all to myself.” With that, I walked towards her, grabbed her chin, and yanked off her mask. Brooke started to say something, her mouth forming a perfect ‘O’. I seized the moment and stuffed the handful of rotten fish from my other hand right into it. Then, like force-feeding a duck, I clamped her jaw shut. Her throat worked, an involuntary swallow. … Brooke froze for a few seconds, then let out a bloodcurdling scream and burst into tears. Forgetting the stinking puddle on the floor, she dropped to her knees, retching violently. Her shrieking was ear-splitting. Seconds later, Mom and Dad rushed in, looking panicked. “What’s going on… What are you two doing?!” Both Mom and Dad instinctively covered their noses. Brooke saw them like they were cavalry charging to her rescue. She howled even louder, practically leaping into Mom’s arms. “She attacked me! She forced my mouth open and made me eat rotten fish! Dad, Mom, do something! Ugh…” I glanced at her. “She was hiding in my room. She dumped this on me the second I walked in.” Dad saw me, soaked and reeking. His face darkened. He turned and snapped at Brooke. “What is the meaning of this? I told you yesterday, don’t bully your sister.” Brooke, pale-faced and looking utterly wronged, sniffled. “Dad… I wasn’t bullying her. My teacher told us… there’s this old custom, when long-lost relatives return, you splash them with dirty water… it represents washing away past misfortunes. I… I just wanted Ava to have a happy future… sob…” “Is that so? Well, thanks ever so much.” I nodded at her, my face blank. 3 Dad’s brow furrowed even deeper, just as I expected. “What kind of nonsense is that? What garbage have you been listening to? You have no manners at all! You get to your—” “Richard.” Dad was mid-sentence when Mom cut him off. Her voice was soft, but held an undeniable edge, a tone that didn’t invite argument. “Brooke’s been very emotional lately, Richard. As her father, you should be more mindful of her feelings. She was just a baby back then, and Miller never acknowledged her all these years. Why take it out on her?” With that, Mom gently pulled Brooke closer, wiping away the vomit residue from the corner of her mouth. Then she looked at me, her eyes still empty of any real warmth. “Go take a shower. I’ll have the housekeeper clean up the room. Your sister meant well, perhaps she just went about it the wrong way. Let’s not dwell on such minor things.” I looked at Mom’s face, so uncannily like my own. I opened my mouth, then closed it, saying nothing. Instead, I turned to look at Dad. Anger still simmered in his eyes, but when he glanced at Mom beside him, his expression softened considerably. He was silent for a moment, then nodded at me, forcing a gentle smile. “You just got home, let’s not fight. Be good, go get cleaned up. Dinner will be ready soon.” I didn’t argue further. I just nodded obediently. “Okay… I understand.” Dad. He was completely wrapped around her finger. I’d noticed it the moment I met them, and now I was certain. No matter how upset he was with Brooke, if Mom stepped in, he’d always play peacemaker. With Mom backing her up, Brooke seemed to instantly forget the humiliation of eating rotten fish. She peeked out from behind Mom, shooting me a look dripping with scorn. “Get. Out. Of. My. House.” I saw her mouth the words silently. I discreetly flipped her the bird and turned towards the bathroom. 4 “Tsk, struck out, didn’t you, princess?” I’d just reached the bathroom door when an unfamiliar voice popped up behind me. I turned around. It was a boy, looked about my age. He was good-looking, dressed well, leaning casually against the wall, watching me. “Who are you?” I looked up at him. The boy walked right up to me, leaning in close. “What, you seriously don’t recognize me?” I shook my head. I honestly couldn’t recall ever seeing him before. He let out a few disdainful snorts, then pinched his nose and backed away a few steps. “I’m Brooke’s boyfriend. You better be nice to me, or your life here won’t be easy.” “Oh…” I nodded. “You stink. Go get cleaned up, now.” The boy seemed seriously annoyed and walked off quickly. This house… there was something really strange, almost suffocating, about it. “Oh— I’m so sorry, Miss Ava! I should have shown you the way. You just got here, you don’t know where anything is yet.” A voice, getting closer, broke my thoughts. A young woman hurried over, clearly one of the household staff. “That guy—” I pointed in the direction the boy had gone. “Oh, oh, you must mean Miss Brooke’s boyfriend? His name is Liam. Mrs. Ashton and Miss Brooke both adore him.” The maid hesitated, then added in a lower voice, “You should probably keep your distance from him. Last time, two girls who tend the garden just chatted with him for a minute, and Miss Brooke threw a fit and had them fired. Besides, his personality is… weird. Kind of unpredictable, moody.” I nodded. “Got it. Thanks for the heads-up.” 5 Dad was often away on business. Mom treated me with cool indifference. And Brooke? Don’t even ask. So, bored out of my mind, I started chatting with the housekeeper and the other staff. After a few months, we actually got pretty friendly. I was holding onto the two dogs, keeping them from bothering the young woman cleaning out their kennel. Her name was Lily. She looked after the family pets – two dogs, three cats. She wiped sweat from her brow, then glanced at me, looking hesitant. My interest piqued, I leaned closer. “What’s up? You can tell me.” Lily wrestled with it for a moment, then finally whispered: “Miss Ava, please don’t tell anyone I told you this… I just thought it was really strange…” “A couple of days ago, Duchess refused to take her bath and ran off into Mrs. Ashton’s bedroom. I was afraid she’d make a mess, so I chased after her.” Right, Duchess was one of the family’s Ragdoll cats. “Turns out, Mrs. Ashton was in there… and I accidentally saw her looking really intently at a photo album. The pictures in it… they were all of Miss Brooke’s boyfriend, Liam.” “What?” My eyes widened involuntarily. “Shh…” Lily looked conflicted, unsure if she should say more, probably already imagining some kind of high-society soap opera drama. “What are you two whispering about over there?” A voice suddenly called out from nearby, making both of us jump. Liam waved dramatically, raising an eyebrow, drawing out his words, like he’d caught us red-handed. I silently clutched the dogs and backed up a step. Liam strolled closer, giving Lily a long, meaningful look. “Jobs aren’t easy to come by these days, you know. If you don’t mind losing yours, feel free to keep gossiping.” Lily flushed bright red, suddenly flustered. “No… I wasn’t! I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have been chatting on the job. Please don’t tell Mrs. Ashton or Miss Brooke.” Liam shot me a sly look. “But you’ve got the new princess here, haven’t you? She’ll protect you. What are you afraid of?” I frowned, but before I could say anything, the dog in my arms suddenly started barking frantically at something in the distance. 6 Both Lily and Liam’s faces changed. We saw Brooke charging towards us, furious. She yanked off one of her high heels as she ran and hurled it straight at my face. I didn’t have time to dodge. The heel hit my forehead with a sickening thud. I stumbled back several steps, clamping a hand to my head. It came away warm and wet. The world started to spin. “Miss Ava!” Lily rushed to help me, but Brooke shoved her hard, sending her staggering. Brooke pointed a finger right at my face, sneering. “Everyone in this house knows Liam is mine! Who gave you permission to talk to him? You trashy little slut, trying to seduce him? If you’re that desperate for a man, just tell me! I can pick up a few bums off the street for you!” Liam’s face turned ugly. He looked like he wanted to say something but stopped himself. I’d pretty much figured out his situation lately. Liam’s family had no money. In fact, they were dirt poor. His parents died when he was in elementary school. He’d scraped together money for college through part-time jobs and financial aid. Getting together with Brooke was clearly his fast track out of poverty. My head was swimming, my forehead throbbing like crazy. I just collapsed onto the grass, weakly reaching out to Lily. “Ah… I’m so dizzy… my head hurts so bad… I think I’m dying…” “Miss Ava, hang on! I’ll call 911 right now!” Lily was terrified, fumbling for her phone with trembling hands, only for Brooke to slap it out of her grasp. Brooke was clearly shaken by the sight of my bloody face too. Her voice trembled as she yelled, “Are you trying to scam me? You think I, Brooke Ashton, scare that easily? Get up! Get off the ground right now!” My hand trembled even more violently. My voice grew weaker. “So dizzy… feel sick…” Liam, probably fearing he’d be accessory to actual bodily harm, turned white as a sheet and finally stepped in, grabbing Brooke’s arm. “That’s enough! Even if you wanted to kill her, there are security cameras all over this backyard. Today’s not the day.” Liam bent down, picked up the phone, brushed off the dirt, and handed it back to Lily. Brooke was still furious, but Liam’s words seemed to douse her impulsive rage. She stomped her foot angrily, hastily put her shoe back on, grabbed Liam’s arm, and they both turned and ran. 7 Dad, terrified by Lily’s description over the phone, immediately had the driver rush me to the hospital. He dropped everything at work and hurried over himself. Okay, maybe I hammed it up a little, but my head genuinely hurt, I was dizzy, and the amount of blood streaming down my face meant I ended up needing a few stitches on my forehead. Thankfully, apart from the cut, there was no serious damage. Dad held my hand, his face etched with relief and fear. “Thank God you’re okay… What if this leaves a scar on your face?” He gritted his teeth, his brow furrowed in anger. “That animal, Brooke… Like father, like daughter, I swear. Cut from the same cloth as Miller. If your mother wasn’t so attached after all these years, I’d have thrown her out long ago.” “Mom…” I whispered the word, my expression darkening slightly. When the driver and the housekeeper had rushed in to carry me out, the commotion had brought Mom out to see what was happening. But she just glanced at me, told the housekeeper to take care of me, and went back into her room. Even the housekeeper and the driver looked stunned. Was this really my mother? Dad looked awkward at the mention of Mom. He patted the back of my hand comfortingly. “Don’t be angry with your mother… You don’t know, Ava. When you were little, after… after everything happened, she got sick. She suffered from severe depression for a long time, even spent quite a while at a private clinic upstate before she recovered.” “The doctors said the illness changed her personality. It’s not that she doesn’t love you. Don’t blame her.” I was surprised. I hadn’t known any of that. Pushing down my questions, I nodded obediently. “Okay, I won’t blame Mom. Dad, you’ve worried enough. You should go back to work.” Dad sighed, gently stroking my hair. “My daughter gets hurt like this, how can I possibly focus on work? You just rest. Don’t worry about me.” I felt a flicker of warmth, a bit touched. I didn’t say more, just nodded and closed my eyes. I knew perfectly well that right now, in this house, Dad was my only real ally, the only one who genuinely cared about me. I had to hold onto that. 8 I was in a private room at the hospital. In the dead of night, aside from the chirping crickets outside, it was almost silent. Suddenly, the door handle turned softly. Footsteps, deliberately slow and quiet, still sounded loud in the stillness. The footsteps stopped beside my bed for a long moment, likely checking if I was asleep. I lay still, eyes closed, hooked up to a breathing mask, not moving a muscle. Suddenly, the person beside the bed acted fast, ripping off my breathing mask. She let out a suppressed giggle, then smothered my face with the blanket. “You idiot… My dad didn’t have the guts to finish you off back then, so let me do it for him! You want to steal my parents, steal my Liam, steal my inheritance? Go to hell!” She leaned close to my ear, her voice dripping with venomous hatred. Her perfume filled my nostrils, and I almost sneezed. Then, I reached up and pulled the blanket off my face. My wide-open eyes stared right into hers. “Ah!” Brooke shrieked in terror. Simultaneously, the room lights flipped on. She froze, completely stunned. “You… you were supposed to be dying! How are you okay?” Behind her, Dad, unable to contain his fury, stormed over and slapped Brooke so hard she crumpled to the floor. “Ava told me! You wouldn’t let Lily call 911, you wanted her dead! I didn’t want to believe it! How could I, Richard Ashton, have raised such a vicious monster! Mrs. Davis, call the police!” Dad was shaking with rage. He waved his hand, signaling the housekeeper, who had been hiding in the adjoining bathroom with him, to call the authorities. I’d only meant to bluff Brooke. I’d asked Dad to tell everyone I was seriously injured, unconscious even. Knowing Brooke’s cruel, impulsive, and impatient nature, I figured she might try to sneak in at night and finish the job, eliminate me for good. Turns out, my gamble paid off.
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