Chapter 1

My twin brother and I look exactly alike, but our parents have only ever loved him.

Even after I got early admission to Harvard with a full ride, my mother got down on her knees and begged me to take the SATs for my brother, Dylan, who was failing all his classes.

I told them it was a federal crime, but my father kicked me so hard he broke my ribs, watching me gasp for air on the floor.

"If you won't take the test for him, you might as well die."

In sheer despair, I agreed. But once I got into the exam room, I wrote "DUMBASS" in giant letters on every single page of the test.

I completely destroyed Dylan's dream of getting into an Ivy League school. In fact, he wouldn't even be allowed to retake the test...

"You selfish brat! You got your golden ticket to Harvard, but you’re going to let Dylan's future rot? You know his grades are terrible! What kind of brother are you?"

My mother’s face was twisted in rage as she screamed at me, as if I had committed some unspeakable crime.

But all I did was refuse to commit exam fraud by taking the SATs under Dylan's name.

It was illegal. If we got caught, my Harvard admission would be revoked, and I could even face prison time.

But my mother wouldn’t listen to a word. After she finished screaming, she dropped to her knees with a heavy thud.

She sobbed, begging, "Ethan, please. I'm begging you. Just take the test for him! Have you forgotten what you did to him? You pushed him down the stairs when you were kids! If you hadn't pushed him, he’d be a hundred times smarter than you. He wouldn't be struggling to get into college! You ruined his life, and now you won't even help him with this? How can you be so heartless?"

I hadn't forgotten.

How could I ever forget? When we were kids, Dylan wanted the last piece of cake in my hand. He tripped and fell down the stairs trying to snatch it.

But when he woke up, he told our parents that I pushed him. From that day on, I was branded as the evil twin.

No matter how much I explained, they never believed me. Dylan got double the cake, double the toys, and all the love because of his "injury."

In the years that followed, he framed me over and over again. My life became a living hell, and my parents treated me like I was invisible.

Even now, my mother’s heart only beat for Dylan. She wanted me to take all the risks, face prison, and throw my life away just for him!

But I was her son, too!

Richard, my father, who had been silent the whole time, finally spoke. "I’m not asking for a perfect score. Just get a decent score so Dylan can get into Columbia or NYU. You are twins. I raised you to support each other. Are you really going to be this selfish when your brother needs you?"

Because of my refusal, my father’s face was dark. He looked like a wild animal ready to tear me apart if I said no again.

His cold glare made me shiver, and my heart bled.

Before I could speak, Dylan, who had been staring at his phone like a ghost, finally looked up.

He smirked at me with pure disdain. "Look at this coward, scared of his own shadow. Just shut up and go, Ethan. We have the exact same face. No one at the testing center will ever know."

My mother quickly chimed in, "Exactly! You two look identical. Even we can barely tell you apart sometimes, let alone a bunch of exam proctors."

I felt a wave of absolute despair. How could they say they couldn't tell us apart?

We looked the same, yes, but since we were kids, they always managed to identify Dylan perfectly whenever there was a toy to buy or delicious food to give. All their love went to him.

And now, they wanted me to ruin my life for him.

What about me?

What would happen to me if we got caught?

In their eyes, was Dylan’s life meant to be bright and glorious, while mine was meant to rot in the mud?

I wanted to fight back. I wanted to run away.

But looking at the deep wrinkles on my parents' faces, I swallowed the bitterness in my throat and forced myself to speak. "Exam fraud is a federal crime. If they find out, I will go to prison. How about this? Starting today, I will tutor Dylan every single day. We still have time before the test—"

Before I could finish, Dylan’s fist slammed into my face.

The rest of my words were cut short, drowned in the metallic taste of blood pooling in my mouth.

Dylan glared at me, his eyes filled with fury. "You think you’re so smart, don't you? Trying to rub your high grades in my face? If I could study, would I need you to take the damn test for me? I’m letting you do this because I’m throwing you a bone. Don't be ungrateful!"

With that, Dylan threw me to the floor and turned to scream at our parents.

"Look at the perfect son you raised! So selfish! He gets to go to Harvard while I don't even get into college! I already made a bet with the guys. If I don't get into a top school, they’re going to break my hands! You’re trying to ruin me! I’ll just go die! Is that what you want? Are you happy now?!"