Chapter 1After learning I wasn't related to my parents by blood,
I went from being the most spoiled heiress in the capital to the most obedient girl.
My sister liked my dress? I gave it to her.
She ruined my birthday party? I didn't say anything.
Even when she blushed and said she fell in love with my boyfriend—
I just stayed quiet and walked away.
But the next day, he cornered me against the wall.
Callum's voice was rough when he asked,
"What the hell happened to you? It's just DNA, some stupid test. Does it really matter that much?"
His eyes searched mine, desperate.
"Are you seriously throwing us away over this?"
I stared at him. Laughed coldly.
"Wow. What a performance."
"But that stupid test proving I wasn't the real daughter was FAKED by YOU, didn't you?"
...
His eyes were red as he waited for my answer.
I pushed past him.
"You should be with my sister," I said. "I need to get to my graduation. Excuse me."
My sister had just woken up from being in a coma. She needed him more than I did.
She always did.
Callum froze, but he wasn't ready to give up. "Reese, you told me you wanted me there."
I kept walking. "I don't anymore."
Outside, my father's car was parked in the driveway.
He and my mother stood beside it in formal clothes.
"Even though you're not our biological daughter, we raised you for over twenty years," my father said. "That means something. We'll be at your graduation."
"We won't miss any of your important moments," my mother added.
Then she stopped mid-sentence.
Her eyes shifted past me to the front door.
My sister stood there crying, shoulders shaking.
Then she spun around and ran inside.
My parents' faces changed instantly.
They forgot all about their nice clothes and chased after her.
I could barely hear her voice from inside.
"You're leaving me alone again? The hospital was so cold and dark. I don't want to be alone anymore."
Two minutes later, my parents came back out holding my sister's hand.
"Ivy never got to go to college because she was sick," my father said. "We're bringing her to see the campus. It'll make up for what she missed."
I nodded quietly and didn't say anything.
I knew how this worked.
Whenever my sister was around, I was always the afterthought.
I used to fight it. But every time I did, people just laughed at me.
Everyone said the same thing—
if my sister hadn't been in that accident and fallen into a coma,
I wouldn't even EXIST in this family.
Now I understood.
Whatever my sister wanted, I'd give her.
At the graduation ceremony, my classmates crowded around me for photos.
Then my sister showed up with that innocent look on her face.
Everyone's attention snapped to her immediately.
"Wow, who's that?! She's gorgeous! Reese, is she your friend? Can I get a picture with her?"
I opened my mouth, then closed it.
No point in explaining. My sister was already smiling sweetly to them.
"Of course! But I'm not her friend—I'm her parents' real daughter~"
One sentence. That's all it took.
My classmates' faces lit up like they'd just heard the best gossip of the year.
Within seconds, they were pulling Ivy aside, whispering and giggling.
The way they looked at me CHANGED.
Just like that, my sister took my friendships as easily as she'd taken everything else.
I stood there alone. The space around me felt empty.
My mother walked toward me but stopped a few steps away.
That was the distance Ivy had decided was 'safe'.
"After the ceremony, we'll announce that you're adopted," she said.
"You won't be the fake daughter anymore. You'll be the Ashford family's adopted daughter."
Any other girl in my position would've been grateful.
I shook my head.
"You don't have to do that," I said quietly. "Just having someone here today is enough."
And after graduation, it would be time to cut ties with them anyway.
Chapter 2
My phone buzzed.
The class president sent out a message to gather for group photos.
I rushed back to the car to grab my graduation gown, but my bag was EMPTY.
Across the lawn, near the ivy-covered wall, my sister was wearing MY gown.
She was posing with Callum for couple photos.
They were holding hands, leaning closer with each shot.
Then their graduation caps bumped together. They both doubled over laughing.
Those caps—I'd spent three months making them. Matching set, just for us.
My sister must've felt me watching. She stopped laughing.
Callum frowned and stepped in front of her.
"Ivy just wanted to feel what college is like. It's just a gown. I'll have someone bring you another one."
Before I could say "don't bother," Ivy spotted the crowd gathering and flitted over like a butterfly.
Callum followed right behind her, playing the protective boyfriend.
Ivy whispered something to the class president, then climbed onto a chair and took my spot in the lineup.
Years from now, when my classmates pulled out their graduation photos, their fingers would land on my spot. But all their stories would be about HER.
I wouldn't leave a trace.
My mother had been watching Ivy with soft eyes.
Then she noticed my silence. The air went cold.
"Reese, you always take professional photos for important occasions, don't you? Tonight, we'll all go with you. You can do ten different sets if you want."
To me, this was a gift.
But really, it was INSURANCE.
Insurance that I wouldn't lose it like I used to—
that I wouldn't fight Ivy to the death over something.
But I didn't even have the right to throw a fit anymore. How could I possibly challenge the real daughter?
I shook my head.
"I'm not the Ashfords' biological daughter. When I leave someday, no one's going to miss me anyway. There's no point in taking photos."
"Besides, it's just a graduation ceremony. It doesn't matter."
After all, Ivy had already become the star of my graduation.
My mother froze. The smile slid off her face.
When she looked down, there was something complicated in her eyes.
After soaking up the college experience, Ivy walked over with an armful of flowers—bouquets my classmates and friends had given her.
"Reese, congrats on graduating!"
She pulled out a single piece of greenery from one of the arrangements and handed it to me like it was a gift.
Everyone was watching.
I took it and said thank you.
Ivy's smile faded a little.
She threw herself into my father's arms.
"Daddy~ did you guys forget to get Reese a graduation present? Don't bully her just because of me!"
The air went dead silent.
Because before Ivy woke up, my parents had actually prepared a graduation gift for me:
10% of the company shares.
More than my older brother got, and he was overseas.
But after Ivy came back, no one mentioned it again.
My parents didn't know what to say.
I smiled.
"I don't deserve something that valuable. Only Ivy does."
As for Callum—he'd planned to propose to me on graduation day.
Now the ring I'd waited over ten years for was on Ivy's finger.
Well. I didn't have anything left to lose.
Back then, I'd given up my chance to study abroad for grad school.
Because I wanted to stay close to my family. To Callum.
Now it was time to choose differently.
Chapter 3
As soon as I got home, I started reaching out to my graduate advisor again.
While I was shut in my room, I heard laughter explode from downstairs.
My older brother was back.
When I was little, I was glued to him. He practically raised me.
Then he went abroad to run the overseas branch.
After that, he was too busy to even send me a text.
A few months ago, I asked if he could come back for my graduation.
He never replied.
Now I wasn't naive enough to think he'd come back to surprise me.
Through the crack in my door, I watched him ruffle Ivy's hair.
His voice was full of longing.
"I'm so sorry I missed taking photos with you. I deserve to be punished."
Ivy pouted and grabbed his arm.
"Then you're not allowed to work. Stay with me for three months before you leave."
He agreed immediately. No hesitation.
They looked so natural together. So close.
I hadn't had that with him in years.
I used to think he'd just changed as he got older.
Then one day, I overheard my mother on the phone with him.
She asked him casually why he used to love me so much as a kid but now avoided me enough to move to another country.
My brother was quiet for a long time.
Finally, his voice came out rough.
"When we were kids, Reese and Ivy looked alike."
That one sentence destroyed me.
He sighed, and I could hear it through the phone.
"I don't want to treat my two sisters differently. But every time I see Reese's face, I think about Ivy lying in that cold hospital room."
"It's not fair."
I cried so hard that night.
Because I didn't understand—none of this was MY fault. Why was I the one paying for it? It wasn't FAIR!
So I fought back. I went against Ivy every chance I got.
Until that DNA test showed up.
I didn't believe it at first.
I secretly ran another test on my own. It confirmed I WAS my parents' biological daughter.
But I gave up anyway.
I stopped fighting.
I let Ivy have my clothes.
I watched her cut them all to pieces in front of me.
She ruined my birthday party, and I said nothing.
I even let her have Callum, the guy I'd loved for years.
Because the moment they decided to cut me out—to fake a DNA test and pretend I wasn't their blood—
I knew I'd never win against Ivy.
I snapped back to reality when I heard Ivy laughing outside my door.
"Fine, I'll be generous and give you a chance to take photos with me. Let's go do a family portrait."
"Callum, you're coming too!"
Everyone laughed with her.
The next second, Ivy let out a shocked cry.
"Wait—Jake, the necklace you sent me is GONE! I wanted to wear it for the family photos!"
"I remember putting it in the graduation gown. Oh my God, Reese! Why would she steal my necklace?"
She started pounding on my door, crying.
"Reese, please give it back! It was the first gift Jake gave me after I woke up!"
"If you're upset that I'm getting all the attention now, I'll stop talking to Mom, Dad, Jake and Callum, OK? Just give it back, please?"
Inside my room, I was packing.
I'd just found the DNA test—the real one that proved I was their biological daughter.
When I heard Ivy's crying, I froze.
I was about to open the door and explain when my brother kicked it in.
"Reese. Give her the necklace. Now."
But I didn't even take ANY necklace.
No one believed me.
My mother glared at me.
"We thought you'd finally grown up! Turns out you were just waiting for us to turn our backs so you could steal what Ivy loves most?!"
My fists clenched. My nails dug deep into my palms.
"I. Didn't. Take. Her. Necklace."
Ivy looked like she was about to faint. She swayed backward.
Callum immediately caught her and shouted at me.
"ENOUGH! All we asked was for you to be nice to Ivy. Are you seriously so jealous you want to destroy her?!"
I went silent. Every word I wanted to say got stuck in my throat.
It felt like choking on glass.
Suddenly, Ivy lunged at my packed suitcase and started tearing through it.
In the chaos, the DNA test fell to the floor.
Then she reached for my acceptance letter.
My blood ran cold. I screamed and tried to stop her.
"Don't! Stop!"
The university I'd applied to was strict.
That letter was the only proof of my acceptance. I couldn't lose it.
But I was too late. Ivy ripped it to pieces.
My mind went blank.
She leaned close and whispered in my ear.
"Your classmate was right—you DID apply to grad school abroad.
"Trying to run away? Not a chance. You'll live in my shadow. FOREVER."
"And yeah, I never lost a necklace. I just needed an excuse to destroy this."
I lost it.
I shoved her away hard and dropped to the floor, trying desperately to piece the letter back together with shaking hands.
Ivy hit the ground and immediately started sobbing.
Jake grabbed my arm hard, ready to yell at me.
Then he stepped on something.
He looked down.
A DNA test of me and my parents.
On it: Confirmed Biological Daughter.
His hand dropped like I'd burned him.
