Chapter 2

My adoptive mother, Sophie Miller—who was actually Natasha’s biological mother—had told me the truth ever since I was old enough to understand. I wasn't her real daughter.

She had given away her sick child with a congenital heart defect. “If she stayed with me, she wouldn’t have made it to ten. With a rich family, she had a fighting chance…”

Sophie said she owed both of us a lifetime of apologies.

But I felt incredibly lucky to have spent those years with her.

She was illiterate, but she begged every school kid in our small town to teach me.

It wasn't until I was three that she pointed at a word in a borrowed book and gave me my name.

"You're going to grow up beautiful, learn every word in the world, and make everyone jealous of you."

But did a child like me, discarded by her own flesh and blood, really deserve such a future?

I never complained.

I was terrified of failing her expectations... terrified that she, too, would abandon me.

I clawed my way up from the dirt, desperately trying to grab onto any stable branch on the edge of the cliff.

Finally, at eighteen, I succeeded.

A fleet of expensive luxury SUVs rolled into our dusty small town. My biological mother, Eleanor Clement, stood among them, though her expensive designer suit couldn't outshine the sheer awe of the scene.

People shook my hand with fake smiles, offering empty congratulations, their eyes already scanning for what they could gain from me.

I didn't care about any of them. I only looked at the woman at the back.

Eleanor wore a sharp corporate blazer. She stepped close, slid off her sunglasses, and offered a faint, polite smile.

"Audrey, right? I'm here to take you home."

That day, I thought I had finally made it to the top of the cliff. I thought I had finally reached solid ground.

I thought I would finally receive love that didn't require me to perform, to earn, or to beg.

A mother’s love. Unconditional. Mine.

I looked at her with pure, adoration-filled eyes.

But she kept her gaze fixed straight ahead.

I forced myself to calm down and followed her gaze to the end of the paved driveway. A beautiful girl was standing there.

Her skin was milky white, entirely free of the calluses and roughness I had developed from working under the scorching sun.

She spoke in a soft, melodic purr, nothing like my raspy voice, which had grown harsh from shouting at flea markets to make a buck.

She had the confidence of someone raised by the most expensive private tutors. With just a fraction of the effort, she could attend the same elite schools as me.

She was... better than me in every single way.

The moment Eleanor saw her, a genuine smile lit up her face. "Natasha, meet your sister."

I stood frozen, refusing to budge. Almost defiantly, I stared at her.

"My name is Audrey!"

Natasha offered a sweet smile, but in a split second only I could see, her expression turned into pure contempt. "Nice to meet you. I'm Natasha."

Eleanor smiled and ruffled her hair.

"Alright, sweetheart. I only brought you along because you insisted on meeting your sister right away."

"Otherwise, I wouldn't have let you come. This place is filthy, and your health is too delicate."

It felt like a heavy, suffocating net falling over me, leaving me nowhere to run.

Instinctively, I looked back at Sophie.

Sophie wiped her eyes, waving at me excitedly. "Go on, baby! Go!"

"...Mom."

I didn't even know which mother I was calling out to.

I could only wipe away my tears in a rush as Natasha linked her arm through Eleanor's and climbed into the car.

Why was I crying?

Sophie must have been wrong. I must be angry at her for lying to me for so many years.

The one born for royalty was clearly Natasha.

It was never me.