Chapter 1

Jessica Shaw wrapped her arms around Dad's arm and acted all sweet. "Dad, please let me stay with you! I love you so much, and I'm not afraid of struggling at all."

Since Jessica grew up spoiled and reckless, Dad was deeply moved by her words. He did not notice Mom standing beside him with a dark, stormy expression.

Mom stepped forward and said, "No. Jessica will suffer if she goes with you, so I have to take her."

She was concerned that Jessica would suffer if she went with Dad, but she never considered my well-being. The two of them fought fiercely over Jessica's custody, acting as if I were invisible.

No one cared whether I existed.

In the end, Jessica insisted on staying with Dad, and no amount of persuasion could change her mind.

Mom reluctantly took me since she had no other choice. I followed her and got into my soon-to-be stepfather Richard Wagner's luxury car.

Jessica skipped away hand in hand with Dad. She even shot me a smug, provoking look before leaving. However, I was completely unbothered.

After all, Mom was extremely wealthy, while Dad's life was a complete mess.

In my previous life, Dad was constantly on the run from creditors and dragged me along with him. As a result, I never had a chance to focus on school. The bankruptcy and the divorce crushed him, and he completely gave up on himself, drinking all day in a cheap rental and neglecting everything else.

I used to be a top student, but I could not afford tuition and had to take care of him. Eventually, I dropped out early just to make a living.

Even though we shared the same parents, Jessica was always the lucky one. She was pretty and knew how to charm our parents–and they adored her.

Since she was my younger sister, they always said I should act like the older sister and let her have her way in everything. Even during the divorce, both parents only wanted her.

In this life, however, she ultimately chose Dad. He finally had a moment to hold his head high in front of Mom.

As soon as we got in the car, Mom started criticizing me. "You've been ugly since you were little, and you're not likable at all. Now that we're going to live with Richard, don't you dare embarrass me."

I thought it was ridiculous, wondering what kind of mother would talk about her own daughter like that in front of someone else.

Nonetheless, I did not react.

Before long, the car had pulled into an upscale neighborhood filled with mansions. I had known from my past life that Richard was wealthy, but I had not realized he was this wealthy.

Later, Richard enrolled me in the city's best private school, and a driver would pick me up every day. To make up for dropping out in my past life, I studied incredibly hard.

My efforts paid off, and I consistently ranked in the top three at school year after year. Mom, who had barely paid attention to me before, suddenly loved attending my parent-teacher conferences.

She enjoyed being admired by other parents and praised by the teachers as an excellent mother. Since Richard did not have children of his own, life in that house was incredibly comfortable for me.

Gradually, I started having my own goals and wanted to study abroad.

Before Richard could even say a word, Mom jumped in and snapped, "You're just a kid, so what's this nonsense about going overseas? Don't think a few good grades mean you can do whatever you want."

Later on, I realized that when someone truly disliked a person, they did not need a reason. Even a biological mother could be that way to their own child.