Chapter 3

My parents, faces ashen, escorted me back to the Turner estate. Mom cleaned the wound on my forehead while Dad called Jack over and kicked him, ordering him to apologize. Jack refused. "Why should I apologize?" Dad's patience snapped. "Look at what you've done to Yelena. Don't you think you should apologize?" Jack grabbed Cecilia's arm. "She hurt Cecilia in the car. I was right to hit her!" Even Dad, who had raised Cecilia for years, was stunned when he saw the mark. Mom, however, fixed Cecilia with a hard look and said, "She was next to me in the car. When exactly did Yelena hurt you?" Cecilia went pale and stammered, finally admitting it happened when they got out of the car. Mom's eyes sharpened. "Fine. We'll pull the surveillance footage. You know I don't like liars." Hearing that, Cecilia's face drained completely. After a long beat, she confessed, "Mom, I'm sorry. I hurt myself, and it had nothing to do with Yelena. I was afraid you'd favor your biological daughter over me." Mom frowned. "Cecilia, I'm so disappointed. Go to the study room. Don't come out until I say so!" Jack shot to his feet. "Mom, what are you doing? Cecilia already said it was an accident. She did it because she felt insecure. You can't abandon her now that you have a biological daughter, can you?" Then, he turned to me with contempt. "Shouldn't Cecilia be afraid? This bitch records and begs. She's not normal." "Enough, Jack!" Mom's slap landed on him before he could finish. "You don't know what Yelena went through. You have no right to call her abnormal." Her words stunned me. I touched the scars on my skin. They knew my past. I had been abducted at three. The traffickers didn't sell me off, but instead forced me to steal with other children. There were quotas. If we failed, we would get beaten. We weren't allowed to cry, either. If we did, they would shove blades in our mouths. We slept in cages and survived on spoiled rice. Disobedient kids were crippled, so they fetched higher prices. When the traffickers were arrested, I went to an orphanage. Somehow, people found out I had been a thief. The other children started to shun me. The little ones ignored me, while the older ones beat me. I complained to the teachers, but they only shrugged. "Why do they beat you and not others?" That moment of helplessness taught me something—the teachers wouldn't protect me or care about the others' actions. I was an honest person. I could only fight back when I was bullied. So, I bought a recorder. After every beating, I exacted revenge with harsher tactics. In the end, the matter closed with Cecilia standing in the study all night. Of course, Jack kept her company. From then on, Jack's contempt toward me only grew, and Cecilia avoided me. News about me jumping into the fountain and my begging for bus fare spread quickly. My parents' neighborhood group chat, as well as Jack and Cecilia's school chat, were all abuzz about it. My parents held a welcome banquet and invited many guests to show acceptance while drowning out the rumors. They dressed me up like a fairy-tale princess and paraded me around. "This is our biological daughter, Yelena. She's obedient and sensible." After a while, I saw Cecilia walking over. Even though she hadn't made a scene outwardly, she had been doing small dirty tricks behind my back, like hiding bugs in my bed, staging pitiful scenes with the house staff so they would shun me. Those stunts were petty compared to what I had endured at the orphanage, so I had decided not to make a fuss as long as the matters were small. That day, though, Mom's and Dad's warmth seemed to set her off. Cecilia said she wanted to introduce me to some friends. I hesitated but went along. When I arrived, a group of ladies stood there. I started to introduce myself. "Hi, I'm Yelena–" Before I could finish my sentence, they started laughing. "So, this is the girl from the orphanage? She's just like what you said—dirty and disgusting," one with chestnut hair mocked. They were looking for trouble. I frowned. I tried to ignore them and leave, but a tall girl blocked me. "Don't go. Let's play a game." Her hand pinned my shoulder, and I felt a sting. I looked closely and realized she was holding two needles. "We'll play the injection game. You're the patient, and we're the nurses." They closed in, each brandishing a needle that pricked at me like rain. Cecilia stood outside the circle with a faint smile. I curled up and begged like I always did in the orphanage. "Please stop… If you keep hitting me, I'll tell Mom and Dad…" "Telling Mom and Dad?" Cecilia came over and yanked my hair hard. "You're in this situation because I planned this. There are no cameras here, and you don't have a recorder. We won't leave any marks." She squeezed my chin and aimed a prick near my heart. "Everyone here is a socialite. Will they believe in you or us? If you pull that stunt, Mom and Dad will think you've embarrassed them. "Yelena, you've been living lavishly lately. But let me tell you this—I'm the Turner family's real daughter. You're just related to Mom and Dad by blood. They don't love you. They didn't get rid of you because it's their responsibility!" I sobbed harder, my shoulders shivering. "Please, don't threaten me anymore. I'll pull out my trump card…" Cecilia laughed. "And what can a coward like you do?" "I'll drag you to hell with me," I said. As if hearing a joke, they laughed out loud. "Show us what you've got, then." Before they could finish, I struck. I set their party dresses alight with a lighter. Screams erupted. Before anyone could help them, I tossed the lighter at myself and put on an innocent face. "Do you believe me now?"