Chapter 1

I'm the daughter of a poor couple who make a living selling fish at a market. We're so broke that every penny counts.

Even so, my parents scrape together everything they have to support my dream of becoming a professional dancer. They pay for my training and even spend their life savings on my scoliosis surgery without a second thought.

However, when Sylvie Putnam throws me to the ground, leaving me on the verge of paralysis, and then beats me until my face is a bloody mess, Mom barely spares me a glance.

Instead, she gently strokes Sylvie's head. "Good girl. You did the right thing after she upset you. Remember, never let anyone bully you."

Dad even picks up a stick and strikes it against my spine. "Don't worry. Worst case, we'll just pay some compensation. What could this worthless life of hers possibly be worth? We have plenty of money anyway!"

His words make the pain explode through my body and heart all at once.

Just yesterday, Mom and Dad were keeping vigil at my bedside day and night, frantic with worry over my illness. Now, all I can do is curl up on the ground and let a stranger kick and beat me without mercy.

"Good grief. She's practically being beaten into a cripple. How can something this serious happen and her parents still not show up?"

"Isn't she a dance student? Their audition is in a couple of days. What a shame…"

As the other students whisper around me, my consciousness slowly fades. Little do they know that the people who have just beaten me into a cripple are my very parents.

Chapter 1

"What's wrong, Sylvie? Why are you so upset?"

The moment I heard that familiar voice, my heart clenched. I forced myself to lift my head, only to see Mom gently taking Sylvie Putnam's hand, her face filled with concern.

Sylvie stopped what she was doing and shot me a disdainful glance. "I don't know where this lunatic came from. She was standing in my way and blocking me from getting to class.

"The audition is around the corner. If she gets in the way of my preparation, will she take responsibility for that?"

I parted my lips, struggling to push myself up from the ground. Blood was still dripping from my battered body. I needed to let Mom and Dad see me. Once they realized I was their daughter, they would save me and stand up for me…

Just as I managed to get myself up, Sylvie glanced back at me and screamed, "Shit! You scared me! Why do you look like a zombie?"

Mom immediately rushed over, covering Sylvie's eyes and gently patting her back. "It's too gory. Don't look…"

I lifted my head toward the window beside me. In its reflection, I saw a face covered in blood, my torn flesh hanging in ragged pieces. Blood mixed with sweat ran down my face, dripping onto the filthy floor.

Dad didn't even spare me a glance. He grabbed the stick beside him and relentlessly struck it onto my spine. "You disgusting piece of shit! Look at yourself! You're covered in blood! Are you trying to give my precious daughter nightmares?"

I collapsed onto the ground again. The stick came down like a storm, blow after blow. Agonizing pain tore through my already battered body, as if I was being burned alive.

Sylvie was the reason for the horrible state I was in. She had assaulted me into this.

With the last of my strength, I cried out through my tears, "Mom, Dad, it's—"

Before I could finish, the stick kept crashing down again. The pain made my entire body tremble. "I'm not your dad, you filthy thing!"

He then handed the stick to Sylvie. "Go ahead, Sylvie. Don't hold back. Whatever happens, we'll take care of it for you. Worst case, if you cripple or kill her, we'll just pay some compensation. It's not like we're short on money!

"Hey, look. She's even wearing her dance uniform. Hurry up and cripple her. Let's see how she's going to dance after this!"

Sylvie took the stick with a laugh and swung it at me with all her strength.

The dance uniform I was wearing was the one Mom and Dad had given me on my birthday. Now that it was completely soaked in blood, they could barely even recognize it.

I lay helplessly on the ground, utterly confused by what Dad meant when he said, "It's not like we're short on money." Weren't they the ones who got up before dawn every day to sell fish at the market?

Ever since I was born, our family had been dirt poor. We could barely afford enough food to keep our stomachs full.

Yet, Mom and Dad worked themselves to the bone to save enough money to send me to dance school and gave me a chance to pursue a dance career.

When I needed a 15-thousand-dollar surgery to correct my scoliosis, they agreed to it without hesitation, all because they wanted me to have a better future and achieve my dream of becoming a dancer.

Even just yesterday, when I came down with a cold, they stayed by my side day and night, taking care of me and reminding me to get plenty of rest.

Now, they were telling me they had been rich all this time. Not just that, but they also had another daughter.

What?

Chapter 2

My head felt like it was about to split apart.

Mom walked over with a bright smile and pulled out a box cutter, placing it in Sylvie's hand. "Here, Sylvie. Cut her face. She wants to be a dancer, doesn't she? Let's see how she's going to perform onstage with scars across her face."

Before I knew it, a searing pain tore across my face. Every cut felt like it was ripping through my nerves.

I vaguely remembered how Mom used to cup my face in her hands with that same beautiful smile. "You have such a pretty face, Rosie. You stand out even among all the other dancers."

The school bell rang. Sylvie dropped the knife, then took Mom and Dad by the hands and walked away with them. I could still hear their cheerful conversation.

"It's your 18th birthday in another two days. We're going to throw you the most extravagant birthday party ever…"

Only after they left did a teacher finally notice me lying there, covered in blood. "Are you okay? Who did this to you? I'll call an ambulance. In the meantime, can you tell me your parents' phone number?"

Warm blood mixed with my tears as it trickled down the corner of my mouth. I clenched my teeth and refused to say a word.

How could I? Even if I could, I wouldn't want to, either. After all, who would believe me if I said my parents were the ones who beat me into this state?

This morning, I felt much better from my cold. After I begged Mom and Dad to proceed with their day, they finally agreed to go to the market and set up their fish stall.

But they didn't come home for lunch, even when it was way past lunchtime.

I started to worry. I figured the fish stall must've been too busy and they couldn't get away. So, I heated some food and took it to them, thinking I could at least help out.

But when I arrived at the market, the vendors told me there were no couples selling fish there. I stood there in a daze until I spotted Mom and Dad in the distance.

I took off after them and eventually followed them into an elite private school. I was looking around, wondering which floor they went to, when someone suddenly grabbed me by the hair and yanked me backward.

"Where the hell did you come from? How dare you get in my way!"

I turned around and found a strange female student looking down at me. I was stunned. Before I could even react, one of her clique members stepped forward and slapped me across the face.

"What, cat got your tongue? Do you even know who she is? She's Sylvie Putnam, the daughter of Edward Putnam, CEO of Putnam Group! Do you think you can afford to mess with her?"

My mind went blank. Dad's name was also Edward Putnam.

It was only then that I belatedly realized the truth. My parents had been pretending to be poor this entire time. In fact, my family was filthy rich.

They weren't some hardworking couple who spent their days selling fish at a market, and I certainly wasn't their only daughter—they had another one who had grown up surrounded by wealth and luxury!

Before I could even process what was happening, Sylvie and her clique grabbed me, slammed me to the ground, and beat me within an inch of my life.

I kept thinking everything would be okay once Mom and Dad arrived, but to my dismay, they ended up being the ones hurting me.

I remembered them holding me in their arms on my birthdays and coming all the way to my dance studio just to cheer me on.

Mom would pull me into a hug and cry because she was so heartbroken that I had gotten hurt. Dad would even drive all over town just to make sure he could bring home my favorite strawberry cake before I got out of school.

But today, they battered me without mercy, determined to cripple me. They slashed my face and even shamelessly told me I would never dance again.

These were the same people who once paid for my scoliosis surgery so I could pass my dance auditions, the same parents who bought me the most beautiful dance costumes.

If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, and if someone had told me Mom and Dad had been lying to me all along and had another daughter somewhere out there, I would've called them bluff.

…

"Urgent! This patient needs emergency surgery!"

When I woke up in the hospital again, several doctors and nurses were frantically rushing me toward the operating room. I heard the nurses whispering among themselves.

"Why haven't her parents arrived yet? She's just a kid. How can they not bother to come after she's been thrashed so badly?"

"Well, I heard she got on the wrong side of the Putnam heiress."

"The school already called the police, but that family has money. I'm sure they'll do everything they can to get their daughter off the hook."

Chapter 3

The pain still throbbing through my body remained a constant reminder that none of this was a nightmare.

When the doctors and nurses wheeled me to the operating room, they suddenly stopped. Someone was blocking the entrance.

"Mr. Putnam's daughter twisted her ankle on the stairs just now. They're using this operating room. You'll have to wait."

At that, the nurse beside me panicked. "How can we wait? If this patient doesn't get treated now, she won't just be paralyzed. She could die! It's just a twisted ankle. Does she even need an entire operating room?"

But no matter what the nurse said, the person standing in front of us didn't care. They stepped back into the operating room and restricted access.

I lay helplessly on the gurney, my heart completely shattered.

After everything I had learned today, I no longer wanted to be saved. With Mom and Dad's betrayal and what they had done to my body, maybe it would be better if I simply never woke up again.

Just as I was thinking that, Mom suddenly stormed out of the operating room, hurried over to me, and stared at me for a long moment.

My heart clenched. A tiny spark of hope flickered inside me. Did she recognize me at last?

Ignoring the pain coursing through my body, I desperately twisted myself around and reached out my right hand, trying to make Mom see me.

Yet, all I met was the coldness in her eyes. She covered her nose and wrinkled her brow, as if my smell of blood disgusted her.

"I don't think there's much point in saving her in this condition," she said. "The rest of you, come with me. My daughter's injured foot is more important!"

With that, she grabbed the medical staff and pulled them away without a second thought.

"Ma'am, this patient's injuries are clearly much more serious!"

"Shut up!" Mom shouted, slapping the nurse across the face. "My daughter is the Putnam heiress! How can her life be compared to some nobody's? Her 18th birthday is in a few days. I won't have her showing up with an injured foot."

My hand, still reaching out toward her, froze in midair.

The nurse dared not say another word. She lowered her head and obediently followed Mom into the operating room. Just like that, I was left alone in the hospital hallway.

At that moment, the crushing feeling of being abandoned completely swallowed me.

After what felt like an eternity, the operating room doors finally slid open again. Mom and Dad wheeled Sylvie out, fussing over her the entire time.

"Sylvie, seeing you hurt your ankle breaks our hearts…"

"Make sure you get plenty of rest when you get home, okay? I'll call the school and get you excused right away."

Sylvie nodded, and a nurse wheeled her away.

Mom remained standing there, as if something suddenly occurred to her. "Honey, did we just forget Rosie is still at home? Quick, call her!"

They frantically dialed my number over and over, but no one answered. They had smashed my phone earlier at school. Of course, they couldn't reach me.

I wanted to scream and tell them that I was right here in front of them, but my throat was dry and burning. All that came out was a broken, strangled whimper from deep in my chest.

I truly had no strength left.

"Why isn't she answering our calls? Could something have happened?"

"Come on. We need to get home and check on her right now!"

Panicked, Mom and Dad turned to leave and rushed home to find me. I could only watch them walk away before helplessly closing my eyes.

It was then that the police arrived and stopped them. They were here to investigate what happened.

"This case hasn't been resolved yet, and neither have her parents arrived. No matter how much power you think you have, you can't just walk away like this."

Dad was already growing impatient. "Fine. Then call her parents and ask how much they want. We'll pay whatever it is."

"We're in a hurry to be somewhere now. Can't we just pay them?" Mom suggested, practically stomping her feet due to the anxiety.

The officer hesitated. "But…"

A police assistant stepped forward. "We just found her father's phone number—"

Dad cut him off, snatched the phone from his hand, and dialed the number without even looking at it. "Fine! Call him already and stop wasting our time!"

The next second, Dad's phone started ringing in his pocket.