Chapter 2

It turned out that Liam thought all my suffering was merely a charade—that I was faking it just to contend with Tina for things that were, in fact, rightfully mine.

I stared at the blood on my hands and let out a bitter laugh. I remembered how, when Tina had simply twisted her ankle during P.E., Liam, being her homeroom teacher, had instantly dropped everything and abandoned all the other students to carry her to the ambulance waiting by the school gates.

He didn't even bat an eye when he nearly got hit by a car, as all his attention was on Tina, his darling sister. How could he ignore me now, his biological sister, after I had been pushed down the stairs and was bleeding profusely from my head?

Just yesterday, at the Johnson residence, I refused to relinquish my guaranteed university admission spot to Tina, causing my father, Henry Johnson, to slap me hard across the face. "You're clearly bad to the bone, always stealing what belongs to your sister! You ought to have been left to die in that godforsaken countryside!"

Karen, meanwhile, held Tina tightly, comforting her while scolding me. "Tina almost gave up on life because of what you did. You're indebted to her for the rest of your life."

Liam's reaction back then was exactly as it was at that moment. He merely looked at me with utter contempt and revulsion before turning away to softly console Tina.

I looked up. Fighting back tears, I fixed my gaze on Liam, the one who was supposed to be my biological brother.

I then declared defiantly, "You're absolutely right about that. I'm indeed putting on an act! I'm obviously the biological daughter of the Johnson family, so I'm just taking back what's rightfully mine! What does it matter that Tina stole my guaranteed spot at the university? I'm smarter than her, so I'll always be better than her!"

I had kept those thoughts inside me for a long time. I had longed to say them aloud countless times, but I had always been too afraid that saying them would diminish the tiny bit of love they had. I had endured it all—even when Tina bullied me, cut my hair, burned my books, poured filthy water on me, or even spread rumors that I had cheated in my exams.

I had always put up with everything, desperately hoping to earn even a fleeting glance from my parents and Liam. Yet, now, Tina, bathed in their affection, had stripped me of everything. I could no longer tolerate it.

Liam's face clouded over when he heard me speak. Once praised as the kindest in the whole school, he now looked like he was about to yell at me.

Just then, Tina, dressed in a pink ball gown, hurried to the scene. As her gaze swept over my messy appearance, she barely hid her triumphant smirk. Still, she was clearly worried that the other students would learn that I was the real heiress of the Johnson family. So, she quickly interjected, stopping Liam. "It's obvious that Kiara is just jealous of me, Liam. I'm certain that she doesn't actually harbor any malice…"

Having said that, she gently helped me up, putting on an act of deep concern as she continued, "Why are you lying here, Kiara? I know that it's tough that you were exposed for cheating. But honestly, Mom and Dad can't bail you out of this one. I know you had it hard in the countryside, but that doesn't excuse you from trying to cheat your way in."

Tina's remarks instantly stirred an uproar among the onlookers, causing their disdain for me to become even more pronounced.

In the meantime, Liam, spurred on by Tina's remarks, glared at me with utter contempt as he said, "Tina is being so magnanimous toward you, Kiara. You'd better get up now and stop embarrassing yourself in front of everyone!"

I gazed at the people before me, a profound disgust welling up inside me, especially at Tina's blatant hypocrisy. I had resisted letting her lay a hand on me, yet for some reason, my own hand ended up brushing against her.

Tina abruptly fell backward to the ground. Her face was a mask of fear. Tears streamed down her face as she said, "I know you're upset with me, Kiara, but how could you resort to violence?"

I was still completely stunned when a resounding slap landed hard on my face. The impact immediately caused my head wound, which had barely stopped bleeding, to start flowing again.

"You're truly a vile creature, Kiara! I ought to have let you die back in the countryside! How dare you lay a hand on Tina!" Karen bellowed.