Chapter 1

The day my wealthy adoptive parents brought their 'real' daughter home, I had my bags already packed.

"I'll head back to the village. Make room for the real one."

My parents' smiles were strained as they pressed a hand on my suitcase.

"Nonsense. This house is big enough for ten daughters. You're not going anywhere."

On the first day, the real daughter, Celeste, saw me, her eyes welled up with perfect, on-demand tears.

"I envy you so much. You enjoyed eighteen years of Mom and Dad's love. I got nothing."

That night, she was found in the bathtub, an empty bottle of sleeping pills beside her. My parents screamed as they rushed her to the hospital.

Spotting me stepping into the family car, Celeste was consumed by a fresh wave of jealous rage. By midnight, she'd slit her wrists.

When Celeste became the target of school rumors, she marched straight to the rooftop. There, she staged a dramatic proclamation of her innocence for all to see.

All fingers pointed at me. My parents were caught between a rock and a hard place.

I simply showed them my booked flight ticket.

"My study here is complete. It's time I returned to my real home."

But when I was truly about to walk away, Celeste panicked...