Chapter 1

My adopted parents, Ray Griffin and Holly Wright, were over the moon with joy when they found out that I was actually the heiress of a wealthy family. They even set off fireworks to celebrate the happy occasion.

Tears welled up in their eyes as relief flooded their chests. They couldn't help but feel like their hard work was finally paying off.

Meanwhile, I was plagued with thoughts of the fake heiress of my real family, Quinn Emerson, coming up with all sorts of schemes to target me as I packed my belongings in my room. I knew that the harassment was inevitable since I had read novels with similar plotlines.

I couldn't shake off my pessimistic thoughts, especially since my nanny, Winnie Nelson, was giving me a constant stream of reminders.

"Although Mr. and Mrs. Emerson will be bringing you home with them, they'll still prioritize Ms. Emerson over you. They told me to tell you to be more understanding. Don't hold a grudge against Ms. Emerson since she's also a victim in this situation."

I felt like I might as well just end my life right there and then upon listening to her words.

My real parents were already giving me warnings even before I set foot into their residence. I had no doubt that I would be bullied to death the moment they brought me home with them.

The more I wallowed in my depressing thoughts, the more I felt like I was walking into a trap.

Was there even a point for me to continue living?

I might as well jump off the balcony and end my existence right now!

Abandoning my suitcase, I leaped to my feet and dashed toward the balcony.

Winnie was utterly caught off guard. However, before she could react, she saw Ray and Holly pounce on me and stop me in my tracks.

"Don't do anything rash, Charlotte! Your real parents will definitely take good care of you once they bring you home with them!"

"She's right! They're your family. There's no way they won't love you."

Winnie looked like she had more to say, but Ray and Holly swiftly shushed her.

"We're begging you. Don't say another word! Charlotte will actually jump off the balcony once she sets her mind to it. But misfortune will befall us instead of her!"

Winnie nearly suffocated from how tightly Ray and Holly had clamped their hands over her mouth. She did as she was told and didn't say another word after she freed herself from their grasp.

As she watched Ray and Holly convince me to come down from the balcony, she realized that perhaps zipping her mouth was the best course of action.

After all, she would suffer a terrible fate as well if I took my own life before I even returned to the Emerson residence.

I sighed after Ray and Holly successfully convinced me to come down from the balcony.

"Forget it. I already know that no one will treat me well after I join their family. Quinn just has to shed a few crocodile tears and pretend to be sad for Mom, Dad, and Finn to comfort her. They're just going to treat me like I'm nothing but the air around them.

"But well, since you're convinced that they'll love me, I might as well go back with them and experience what it's like to live with them for myself. If no one loves me, I'll just have to…"

Ray's and Holly's hearts leaped into their throats when I paused.

"I'll just have to cut short my miserable existence!"

Ray and Holly sighed in relief before looking at me warily. "Don't overthink this, Charlotte. We don't have any ulterior motives."

I nodded as my eyes reddened.

It was fine. So what if I wasn't loved? I had already gotten used to it a long time ago.

Tears continued to stream down my cheeks from my high-strung emotions. They didn't stop even when the car slowed to a stop in front of an extravagant villa.

Winnie grabbed my suitcases and asked me to get out of the car. She seemed like she had more to say, looking as if she wanted to ask me if I was trying to do my best impression of a tap. Perhaps worried that she would upset me even more, she chose to hold her tongue.

We walked through a rose garden.

There were three people standing in front of the villa—my father, Vincent Emerson, my mother, Lilian Asher, and my brother, Finn Emerson.

Quinn was sitting precariously on the edge of the balcony on the third floor.

I couldn't shake the feeling that this scene looked incredibly familiar.

Quinn was crying her eyes out as she blubbered, "Mom, Dad, Finn, I know it's my fault for usurping Charlotte's place for so many years. Now that Charlotte is back, I shouldn't continue being an eyesore in the family. Why don't I compensate her with my life?"

Mom, Dad, and Finn didn't pay any attention to me as they anxiously stared at Quinn.

"Come down, Quinn! What gave you that idea? You'll always be our treasure!"

"They're right, Quinn. You're the only sister that I have. I refuse to acknowledge that country bumpkin as my sister!"

My future felt incredibly bleak as I thought about how the Emersons were going to ignore me while I was forced to fight Quinn to stay in the family.

As I thought, it was pointless for me to continue living.

Winnie was the only one who noticed me dashing into the villa and climbing up to the third floor at breakneck speed. She immediately began to panic when she recalled Ray's and Holly's words.

"Don't let her jump no matter what happens!" she shouted. "When I picked her up, her adopted parents told me that misfortune would befall the people around her whenever she tried to take her own life!"

Mom and Dad ignored Winnie's warning while Finn scoffed.

"Is that supposed to be a joke? Why will misfortune befall the people around her when she's the one who's copying Quinn by threatening to end her life to garner sympathy?"

By the time Finn was done talking, I had already shoved Quinn aside. I didn't say a single word as I jumped from the balcony with zero hesitation, soaring through the air in a perfect arch.

"Goodbye, cruel world!" I shouted.