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…
“Go back to the village?” Celeste’s voice shot up. She twisted away from the ledge, her suicidal performance abandoned. I met her blank stare with a brisk nod. “Yes. To my real family’s place.” It wasn’t the first time I’d said it. My adoptive parents were the ones clinging to me, begging me to stay. I’d known Celeste would never tolerate sharing the Hayes mansion. So on the very day the DNA results came in, I’d already consulted my teachers and counselors about transferring. With my academic record-valedictorian of the entire state-I could have written my own ticket anywhere. In fact, when word got out I wanted to transfer, the two schools practically fought over me. One refused to let me go, and the other was begging me to come. I’d planned to leave early, but my adoptive parents insisted I stay with the Hayes family. Even if the blood tie wasn’t real, the eighteen years of love we shared certainly were After all, for nearly two decades, I’d been the obedient daughter, the golden child against whom every other rich kid was measured, the walking testament to my parents’ success. But Celeste knew none of this. If she did, she’d probably faint with rage again. “You’re doing this on purpose! You’re playing the victim so they will pity you and see me as the monster! You never had any intention of leaving!” She stood by the rooftop railing, sobbing as if her heart were breaking, perfect tears tracing paths down her cheeks. Then, in a sudden, violent move, she lunged at me and snatched my backpack, upending it with a vicious shake. “Who packs only books when they’re running away? You’re putting on a show!” The air went still. Everything that spilled from my backpack was indeed books. Celeste’s foot crushed the book and she choked back sobs. The next second, she revealed the cut on her wrist and the scar on her forehead. “Which one of us is really Mom and Dad’s biological daughter?!” Her angry shout made my parents flinch, their bodies trembling. Their eyes filled with pain, and they immediately rushed to protect her, their faces etched with heartache. “Celeste, it’s you, of course!!” “Dad and Mom love you both!! Aria, you…” I took a step forward, my expression calm, interrupting their words. I spoke directly. “Of course, it’s you, Celeste. You have blood ties with them. I’m just an outsider!” Celeste, her eyes blurry with tears, looked up. The satisfaction in her eyes hadn’t even fully surfaced before my next sentence struck it down. “But I think you’re sick!” Facing my parents’ astonished faces, I continued. “She might have paranoid delusions and self-harming tendencies. I suggest she gets a mental health check-up. If this kind of illness is delayed, it can…” “Snap!” A sharp slap landed on my face, Dad’s hand trembling. “Shut up!” “Aria Hayes, do you have any empathy at all?!” Mom immediately covered Celeste’s ears in her arms, then looked up at me. “She doesn’t mean any of this!. She’s been through hell! Her life in that town was a nightmare!” Struggling to finish her words, they both shielded Celeste and left the rooftop, descending toward the waiting luxury car under everyone’s gaze. And I was left behind, standing utterly alone in the center of that accusing circle. Celeste had suffered? From what I’d seen, she had never suffered… I stared down at the small, unmarked package I’d just retrieved from outside her room. A heavy sigh escaped me.. I couldn’t quite understand it. If Mom and Dad knew she was poisoning the whole family… Would they still be able to love their biological daughter? I wasn’t kidding. Celeste was genuinely sick.
My plane ticket was canceled. “Aria, no matter what, the Hayes family will never abandon you!” For a second, I felt touched when my parents said that. But the next second, my softened heart hardened back to stone. “The moment Celeste comes home, you go back to your old town? What will outsiders think of us?!” “They’ll just mock our family for being dysfunctional.” At the end of the day, I, who had been their daughter for eighteen years, wasn’t their own flesh and blood. Celeste was sent to the hospital for just a tiny scratch, and my parents were beside themselves with worry. She was brought back to the Hayes mansion, adored by everyone. The first thing that happened when we got home was my belongings were moved out of my room. My parents looked away, unable to meet my eyes. “Aria, you’re the older sister. Celeste isn’t well, and this room gets great sunlight. Why don’t you switch rooms?” “You’re always so understanding, you’ll surely…” “Fine.” Without a moment’s hesitation, I agreed, shrugging as if it didn’t matter. They wouldn’t let me leave, but they also needed to hurt me to compensate Celeste. “Aria changing rooms is exactly what she should do!” “Of course, she’ll agree! She’s been usurping Celeste’s place for so many years, doesn’t she feel ashamed?!” The villa’s front door was abruptly pushed open. A figure swaggered in: Julian, from the Sterling family next door. He also had another identity: my fiancé. The Hayes and Sterling families had an engagement planned for the next five years. Now that Celeste was back, that engagement naturally shifted to her. Julian hated me. He couldn’t wait to see me suffer. He gave me a cold look, then stood beside Celeste, his back straight. “I heard everything that happened at school, Aria. I advise you to behave yourself!” “Don’t you dare bully Celeste!” A blush crept onto Celeste’s face, and her eyes reddened. “Mom, Dad, and Julian… you’re all so good to me.” “No one has ever been so kind to me before.” Her voice was hoarse and choked. My parents were immediately touched, and Julian stared at Celeste, his face as red as an apple. That feeling of being their whole world, of being depended on and spoiled, was something I’d never experienced. A cough escaped me, and their gazes softened even more. Turning away, in a corner where they couldn’t see, Celeste gave me a chilling stare. Clearly, she wasn’t done with me. In the days that followed, Celeste found new ways to torment me. I went to the restroom, and a bucket of dirty water was thrown over my head. “Doesn’t she know her place? A fake, still bullying the real daughter!” “She pushed Celeste to suicide, and now she’s spreading rumors that she’s sick.” “I can’t stand people like her!” Wiping the water from my face, I held up my phone, which was recording, and marched straight to the teacher’s office. When the culprits emerged from the office, looking pale and miserable, my desk had been defaced with huge lipstick graffiti and moved out into the hallway. “Aria, are you okay!” “Don’t be sad!!” Celeste cautiously approached me from the front row, a look of concern on her face. The next second, she stepped on a book I’d dropped, stumbled, and crashed directly into the corner of the desk. “Ah!!!!” That day, my parents rushed to the hospital for the second time, straight to Celeste’s bedside. Seeing the cut on her head, they both gasped. When their gazes finally found me, their eyes filled with disappointment. “Aria, look what’s happened to Celeste again!” “Every time she’s near you, she ends up hurt. What is it about you that brings her so much pain?” What did her getting hurt have to do with me? Before I could voice it, Julian shoved me aside. “It’s all your fault!” “Celeste, from now on, you’ll stay with me. I’ll keep you safe!” He turned to my parents. “Mr. and Mrs. Hayes, you have my word. I’ll take care of her. No one will lay a finger on her again.” He emphasized the last few words, Julian looking meaningfully at me. I scoffed, my eyes icy. “I don’t want to be around her!” They only saw the cut on Celeste’s forehead; they didn’t see my vandalized desk or my dirty clothes. At my words, my parents’ faces immediately changed. Unable to hold back, they roared. “Unrepentant! Celeste has been so patient with you!” “Don’t forget, she’s our biological child.” Celeste’s body trembled. She suddenly hugged her head and crouched down. “It’s not her fault. I came from the countryside, I don’t know the rules. Aria hates my poverty, so she doesn’t even let me touch her. It’s only right that she pushed me away!” “Snap!” Unable to stand it anymore, I slapped my soaked school uniform jacket onto the floor. Dirty water splattered several of their faces. I raised my hand and tapped the blackboard, pointing above my head. “What are you arguing about? There are cameras inside and outside the classroom!” Mom and Dad froze. Half an hour later, Celeste bit her lip and said nothing. The video paused on the scene where I was being bullied, standing alone. Julian clicked his tongue, then looked away, reminding them. “Aria’s just got dirty clothes, but Celeste’s face is injured.” “Yes, yes.” Clearly, Celeste’s injury was more important than my humiliation. It was just a misunderstanding, my parents told me not to be so pessimistic. Celeste was tenderly taken home by my parents to recover, while I was left awkwardly at school, without even an apology or explanation. That evening, to thank her parents and Julian, Celeste personally cooked a pot of soup. The whole family was moved to tears. They drank bowl after bowl, and Julian, who came to join them, guzzled the soup down. My eyelids twitched. As I cautiously opened the kitchen monitor, the harsh ringing of a phone suddenly echoed through the dining room. The moment it connected, two cheerful voices came from the other end. “Aria, our sweet girl!” “When are you coming home?”
“Thud.” The bowl hit the table. Julian snatched my phone. Celeste’s face turned ashen as she put down her bowl, implying. “Aria, why are you secretly contacting them behind Mom and Dad’s backs?” “They…” She spoke as if she wanted to say more, then suddenly turned to my parents, throwing herself into their arms. “Mom and Dad, please don’t let Aria go back to that place. I don’t want her to go!” “I’m doing this for her own good!” Her crying filled the air, and Julian’s expression shifted. My heart sank. Realizing something was wrong, I immediately tried to grab my phone. “Give it to me!” Julian shoved me hard, holding up the phone with a smirk. “Aria looks down on you for being poor, why would she ever come back?!” “Don’t dream about it. You’re not good people either. Haven’t you tortured Celeste enough? How much more do you want to gain?” “Aria?! She wishes you were dead.” I looked at Julian in utter disbelief. When had I ever said those things?! He was doing this on purpose. My parents reacted, once again snatching the phone from Julian before I could. They immediately spoke into it. “Yes, those things you did to Celeste! We’ll investigate everything!” “Aria will never return to that hellhole of yours!” “She’s staying with the Hayes family forever!” My breath hitched. I watched as Mom swiftly hung up the phone. Before I could explain, a slap landed on my face. “Aria Hayes, is this your dramatic ploy?!” The last shred of affection in my heart shattered. I met the disappointment and doubt in their eyes. Celeste was finally satisfied. She stepped forward triumphantly, pretending to hold my parents back, speaking gently on my behalf. “Aria was spoiled for eighteen years, so it’s normal for her to feel disappointed.” “No matter what, she shouldn’t say she wants to go back to that den of evil and hurt Mom and Dad’s feelings…” She was seemingly speaking up for me, but actually implying I was ungrateful and not worth raising. My parents’ faces grew even uglier. Julian scoffed, muttering “ungrateful brat.” The air in the villa instantly turned sour. My parents’ expressions were indifferent; they didn’t spare me another glance. Only Celeste winked at me. In the following days, my treatment at the Hayes’ home plummeted. The entire Hayes household treated me like air. The family driver picked up and dropped off Celeste for school, completely ignoring me. Everyone at school laughed, saying I’d fallen from queen to commoner. Only Celeste would step forward to defend me. Every time she did, she’d receive praise, and Julian, especially, would go out of his way to humiliate me for her sake. Until a month later, Celeste felt unwell and asked to go home, but then suddenly went missing. She’d been kidnapped! The moment the Hayes family driver relayed the news, everyone remained silent, but their eyes immediately turned to me. “Did someone finally snap?” “Celeste has no enemies, why would she suddenly be kidnapped?” “Could it be someone deliberately seeking revenge? After all, the public media hasn’t even announced Celeste’s identity yet.” “Speaking of which, I think the person who hates Celeste the most must be her.” Countless suspicious gazes fell on me. Julian even pushed me directly, his brows furrowed. “Aria, where did you take Celeste?!” I thought they had lost their minds. Celeste was kidnapped, and instead of calling the police, they suspected me first. “I don’t know.” My face was devoid of expression. The moment I said those words, the classroom door burst open. Mom and Dad rushed in, their faces anxious. “Aria, do you really not know?!” “Yes.” I wasn’t lying. I really didn’t know. But I probably knew where Celeste had gone… I met my parents’ gaze directly. Just as I was about to drop my eyes in disappointment, a voice suddenly spoke from above my head. “I believe Aria.” “She’s the child we raised since she was little. No matter how much she dislikes Celeste, she wouldn’t hurt anyone.” My eyes flickered. My chest warmed, and I couldn’t help but look up. But just as I was about to explain, Julian suddenly moved. Holding up his phone, his face pale and distraught. “The kidnappers sent a video!” The next second, the video started playing. A voice came through. “Celeste, right? You’re the real daughter Aria talked about!” “You’re worth a lot more than her.” “We have her to thank for being able to catch you…” The entire room erupted in chaos. My parents instantly let go of my hands, their faces filled with utter disbelief. My dad’s facial muscles twitched. He pointed at me, his chest heaving. “You animal!” I didn’t explain. I raised my hand and dialed the emergency number. Seeing me about to call the police, Julian’s face suddenly fell. “Don’t call the police!”
“You’re insane!” Someone covered their mouth, looking at me with derision. Julian advanced towards me, his eyes red. “We just want to find Celeste. Are you deliberately calling the police to provoke the kidnappers into killing her?!” “You’re doing this on purpose! You’re in league with the kidnappers!” My parents’ dazed expressions instantly turned into dawning realization, and their gazes at me grew even more furious. I evaded Julian, quickly called the police, ignoring their exceptionally angry stares. “The kidnapped person’s name is Celeste Hayes… Yes, she’s been kidnapped for three hours, so she probably hasn’t gone too far…” The moment I hung up the phone, a pair of hands suddenly grabbed my throat, squeezing with merciless force. “Just tell us where Celeste is!” “Aren’t you afraid of being taken away by the police if you call them?!” “Aria Hayes, you’re still acting crazy! You’re beyond saving!” “I’m giving you one last chance! Tell me now! Where is Celeste?!” Julian was frantic, applying desperate force with his hands. I gasped for air, my frantic breathing drawing the attention of the others present. Pointing at me, someone screamed. “Quick! Officer, arrest her!” “She…” The next second, the scream seemed to be choked off. Everyone stared blankly at the door. A familiar figure appeared at the entrance. “Celeste!!!” My parents’ faces lit up with surprise. They took a step forward, then, seeing her clearly, their expressions instantly fractured. Celeste’s face held no trace of joy. She was supposed to be the rescued kidnap victim, but she was being held by police officers on either side. When she moved, her handcuffed wrists were revealed. “This is…” Someone pointed at Celeste, their mouth open wide enough to fit an egg. “Officer, you’ve arrested the wrong person!” I coughed, pulled a USB drive from my pocket, and plugged it directly into the computer at the front of the classroom. “They didn’t make a mistake.” They arrested exactly who they should have. I had waited a month for this day. The video on the USB drive began to play. Celeste’s gentle voice filled the room. “If I ‘get kidnapped,’ everyone will blame Aria, won’t they?” “Seventy-thirty split on the ransom. The Hayes family won’t pursue it. I’ll make sure of it.” “Take the money. And disappear.” My parents’ faces instantly turned ashen, utter disbelief etched on their faces. After a few seconds of silence, Celeste’s voice continued. “Pin it on Aria’s birth parents.” “They actually wanted to send me to a mental hospital.” “Me? Sick? Impossible.” The air in the room turned to ice. Everyone took a collective step back, as if an invisible, toxic barrier had just expanded around Celeste. Julian couldn’t believe it. A sudden, warm trickle under his nose. He raised a hand to find it streaked crimson. The next second, he collapsed onto the floor.
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