Chapter 4

Shortly after the principal returned, Mom and Dad arrived.

Canceling my overall exam scores was a done deal, but my exact punishment was up for debate. Ms. Bolton softened and wanted leniency, but Ms. Johnson insisted a harsh example was needed to stop other students from risking cheating during the college entrance exams.

Both sides had a point, so the principal hesitated.

Then, Dad said something no one saw coming. "Stop arguing. We're withdrawing her from school."

The teachers were stunned. What kind of parent wouldn't even bother pleading for their kid? Why withdraw right before such a major exam?

Mom cut in. "Our daughter messed up, and her mind isn't on studying, anyway. Even if she takes the test, it'll be a waste of time. If we withdraw her, you teachers won't need to deal with her anymore. We still have a son at home—paying for one kid's college tuition is enough."

Even as someone who'd been given a second chance at life, I panicked and dropped to my knees when I heard what Mom and Dad said.

"Mom, Dad, please don't make me drop out. If I get into college, I'll pay my own tuition by working part-time—I won't spend a penny of yours! When I make money later, I'll take care of you both and help Harry!"

If I lost my shot at the college entrance exams, my second chance at life would basically be over.

I got more and more emotional and kept groveling at their feet, smacking my head on the floor until tears and blood splattered across the floorboards.

Mom and Dad didn't even look at me. In the end, it was the teachers who couldn't take it anymore.

The principal made the call. "Forget it. She's owned up to her mistakes, so we'll let her off with a major demerit."

Cheating would leave a stain on my record, but at least I still had the chance to sit for the college entrance exams.

That same day, I wrote a long self-critique and didn't leave school until late. I found Lily waiting for me on the way home.

She smiled smugly when she saw what a wreck I looked like. "Bet you're dying to know who stuffed those cheat sheets in your clothes and backpack, huh?"

I asked coldly, "Was it you?"

She shook her head. "Harry slipped them in while you were asleep—I just gave him a few pointers. Without you, your whole family will be so much happier, right?"

"You…" I ground my teeth, feeling helpless.

"I just love seeing how much you hate me but are powerless to do anything about it." Lily leaned in, grinning like she'd already won. "I don't just want to beat you. I want to destroy you."

I ended the recording on my phone as I watched her walk away.

The awful day wasn't over yet. I got home starving, seeing nothing but a few giant trash bags waiting for me.

"You're legally an adult, so it's not a crime for us to stop supporting you now. From today on, you're on your own!" My parents' cutting voices came through the locked door, crushing my last shred of hope.

My tears spilled over, no matter how hard I tried to hold them back. The trash bags held my textbooks, test papers, and a few changes of clothes.

"Move." A few big guys shoved me aside and carried a poker table into the apartment.

Before I could move the bags filled with the trophies and award certificates I'd gotten since I was little, the men trampled them into junk.

Through the gap in the door, I saw them carry the poker table into what used to be my room.

In my past life, under Mom and Dad's coaxing, I'd accompanied big names in the entertainment industry for drinks and was even forced to "serve" some of them.

When I'd been engulfed in cyberbullying, they'd spread rumors about me for money. Harry had even auctioned off private photos of me.

At my lowest, they'd abandoned me and sucked every last drop of blood out of me.

Even though I'd been given a second chance at life, my so-called family had cast me aside once again.

This time, I wouldn't suffer in silence. Everyone who'd hurt me would pay dearly!

I had everything ready. All I needed now was the right moment.