Chapter 1

My adopted daughter didn't do well on her SATs, so I booked a luxury tour for two to help her clear her head.

I also spent three million dollars in sponsorship fees to get her a study-abroad spot.

But the day before the trip, she grabbed my hand while I was packing and glared at me, impatient.

"Are you out of your mind? I finally get to reunite with my real mom on this trip, and here you are horning in. You control me at home, and now you want to watch over me out there too?"

"I'll tell you the truth. I turned in two blank exams on purpose to get back at you. You obviously had the connections to send me abroad, yet you forced me into tutoring classes every single day. Are you some kind of sicko?"

"My real mom is the best. All she cares about is whether I'm happy, not like you, who only knows how to push me! You're not coming on this trip. Stay home and think about what you've done! My real mom has never been abroad, so this is the perfect chance to show her the world."

I didn't argue. I turned around and canceled the luxury travel package.

Then I called the school and pulled back the three-million-dollar sponsorship fee.

Since her real mother was so wonderful, she probably wouldn't want my money either.

...

Fifteen years ago, Hazel Harding was abducted by traffickers, and I was the one who rescued her from an abandoned warehouse.

A moment later and they would have broken her legs and thrown her out onto the street to beg.

After I brought her home, I cared for her like my own daughter while searching everywhere for her family.

But there was never any news.

A friend advised me to send her to an orphanage.

My son was only eight at the time. He took my hand and said, "Mom, the little sister is so pitiful. Let's keep her."

From that day on, Hazel was cherished by the whole family and had everything she wanted.

When she was little, she said she wanted to go to Harvard or Yale.

Seeing her struggle with her studies in high school, I spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on six-to-one sessions with top tutors, and finally her grades came up.

But on the day of the SATs, she underperformed and didn't even clear the lowest admission line.

I thought she was just too nervous.

Afraid she'd be upset, I booked a luxury cruise for two, over a hundred thousand dollars, to help her clear her head.

And through sponsorship, I secured her a spot to study abroad.

But now, less than a month after finding her biological mother, she was already in a rush to air all her grievances against me.

My head buzzed, and I almost couldn't stay on my feet.

Hearing the commotion, my son, Reuben, hurried out to smooth things over.

"Hazel, what are you saying? Mom loves you and was worried you'd feel bad about the SATs, so she wanted to take you out to relax."

He shot Hazel look after look, trying to signal her.

"Are you only saying this because you're afraid Mom's too busy with work to spend time with you?"

Hazel glanced at him and gave a cold snort.

"Reuben, you don't have to take Mom's side. Everything I'm saying is exactly how I feel."

As she spoke, she turned and dragged two suitcases out of her room, snapping them open.

Inside were brand-new clothes, skincare products, and travel supplies.

My expression eased a little.

So she was all bark and no bite—she'd already packed.

But the next second, Hazel's words hit me like a bucket of ice water over my head.

"These are all for my real mom."

I stared at the two suitcases, my fingers going cold.

Hazel had never put this much care into anything for me, not even once.

Seeing my face fall, she grew even more impatient.

"Mom, I didn't do well on the SATs, and I'm already feeling terrible. I wanted this trip to relax."

"If you come with me, there's no way I'll be able to relax."

"For as long as I can remember, you've been like my homeroom teacher, controlling everything."

"What clothes to wear, when to get up and go to bed, what to eat, how long I can be on my phone—I'm about to crack!"

"I just want to be a normal kid. Is that so much to ask? Just give in to me this once."

Bitterness welled up in my heart.

I controlled her diet because she was overweight, and the doctor had warned that if it wasn't managed she'd develop a fatty liver.

I limited her phone time because her nearsightedness was severe, and if it kept going she'd need surgery.

I never told her any of this, because I felt she was too young to carry such worries.

But now all she felt was that I was controlling her.

Hazel got more and more worked up as she spoke, her eyes reddening.

"I've lived eighteen years, and it wasn't until a month ago, when my real mom found me, that I understood what a mother's love is!"

"She doesn't care how high I fly, she only cares whether I'm tired, whether I'm happy!"

"Not like you, so obsessed with control, only wanting to use me as something to show off!"

I clenched my fists.

Her real mother? The woman who lost her?

Then Hazel added one more thing, her voice full of resentment.

"If you hadn't taken me away back then, my real mom would definitely have found me and rescued me!"

"You're the one who tore us apart! Making it up to us now is the least you can do, isn't it?"

My heart went utterly cold. I walked to the study, dug an old folder out of the bottom drawer, and slammed it down in front of her.

"Your real mom, looking for you?"

"Hazel, open your eyes and look carefully! You didn't get lost by accident back then!"