Chapter 1

I hauled my sixty-pound suitcase to the main gates of Westbrook University once again, still on my own.

Harry and Bryan were already doubled over with laughter at this point.

Daisy pulled out a tissue and patted away the sweat on my forehead.

“Violet, with an IQ like yours, how on earth did you get admitted here?

“I was just making a joke, but look how you bought it.”

I bit hard on my lower lip.

Gazing down at my feet, I realized I had lost one of my shoes while sprinting in panic. I rubbed my hands together in burning embarrassment, eyes brimmed with hurt.

“Daisy, that wasn’t funny at all.”

After being dragged back and forth across cities, only 200 bucks remained out of my 1,500 monthly allowance. How was I supposed to survive the rest of the month?

“I didn’t mean it like that.”

Daisy stared at me for a few seconds before her eyes slowly welled with tears.

Bryan stepped forward, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“Come on now, it’s a happy day. Don’t throw a tantrum out of nothing.”

Not finding myself throwing a tantrum, I looked toward Harry, hoping my brother would speak a word of justice on my behalf.

Instead, he knitted his brows and lectured me:

“Violet, don’t be such a killjoy. Uptight like that, no one at school’s gonna like you.”

“Alright,” Daisy chimed in, slinging an arm around my shoulder, walking me toward the campus.

“I had no ill intentions. You’re overthinking.

“And don’t worry, I have no interest in stealing your brother—he’s always been my brother to begin with.”

My footsteps ground to a halt.

“What… what do you mean?”

She leaned in close to my ear, whispering in a secretive tone, “Your parents picked you up in an orphanage. I’m their actual daughter. Why else do you think they treat me so much better?”

A violent ringing echoed through my brain.

It all came back to me—how Daisy and Bryan always got the best food, while I was given the leftovers.

How they were always given more pocket money.

Seeing me frozen in shock, Daisy flashed a triumphant grin and slapped my back hard.

“Silly girl, how did you fall for it again?”

Harry burst into a laugh.

Bryan shook his head, a little smirk touching his lips as he reached out to ruffle my hair.

“You should see your face.

“Getting accepted here must be pure luck. You should’ve ended up at a community college.”

I lifted my teary eyes to stare at him.

He had been my desk mate throughout high school. He knew how hard I worked for it.

I woke at five every morning and studied till midnight. I worked through countless pens and filled sixteen notebooks.

And now he was claiming my admission to a top-tier university was nothing more than sheer luck.

“I’ve never been into jokes, even as a kid.

“You guys… should cut it out.”

I gathered every ounce of courage to speak the truth I had buried deep inside for years.

After a fleeting silence, sharp, piercing bursts of laughter exploded around me.