Chapter 7

That was when I finally learned the truth. Cecilia had her own biological parents, and they were still alive. In the first year after I was kidnapped, my parents searched everywhere for me. One day, a human trafficker was caught. He mentioned a little girl who matched my description, so my parents rushed to check. They didn't find me. Instead, they found Cecilia, who was beaten half to death by her own parents. She was their fifth child. They had caught her stealing and nearly killed her for it. My parents said her eyes looked too much like mine. So, for 50 thousand dollars, they bought her from those people. For the next 13 years, she took my place at home. My parents truly raised her as their own daughter. However, in the end, she couldn't hide what ran in her blood. That same cruelty, that same habit of taking what wasn't hers—it never went away. When she heard she was being sent back, the color drained from her face. She trembled all over. "No, please. Mom, don't send me bac