Chapter 2

When I opened my eyes again, I was in a hospital room.

Fortunately, I had called the police. Both Edith and I were rescued.

Evelyn's voice came. "Edith, you haven't eaten for a day. I've brought you food."

I looked up and saw her cutting fruit into different shapes, trying to feed Edith.

Edith was annoyed, but when she noticed that I was awake, she raised her eyebrows proudly and took a bite of the fruit.

Evelyn's face lit up with joy. "I've removed the pits from the cherries for you."

I opened my dry lips and hoarsely called out, "Mom."

Though Evelyn had her back to me, I could feel her smile freeze.

After a long silence, she spoke coldly. "Now that you're awake, you should go home. The hospital charges for the bed."

Stunned, I looked at the IV in Edith's hand, but I had nothing.

Evelyn put on a sweet smile and continued to please Edith, never even looking at me.

The harsh reality hit me hard. When Evelyn first had me, Edith's parents died in a car accident.

Evelyn had rushed to adopt Edith while she was still a baby. At that time, Evelyn hadn't fully recovered from giving birth to me.

To avoid making Edith feel inferior, she ignored my dad's objections and left me in my grandmother's care.

I grew up with my grandmother, who always told me that Evelyn had kept Edith by her side out of respect for her friend.

I was often called an orphan, but I never resented Evelyn. I even thought she was kind-hearted.

It wasn't until I died in my past life that I learned the truth. Edith's father had been Evelyn's lover for many years, but Edith's grandfather hadn't approved of Evelyn.

With no other choice, she had married my wealthy dad, hoping that he would later help Edith's father.

After Edith's father died, Evelyn poured all her feelings for him onto Edith. She had been overly indulgent with Edith since she was a child.

My birth, on the other hand, was considered a shame. If my dad hadn't begged her to keep me, I might never have been born.

I had tried to hold on to the hope that Edith was lying, but her slap shattered that hope, making me realize that I had always been the disfavored child.

And what I fought so hard to save wasn't even my mom. She was someone else's mom.