Chapter 1

Seeing me standing there in silence, my sister immediately turned to our parents with a reproachful look.

"Mom, Dad, my sister has always been sensitive and insecure about her appearance."

"You need to say something nice to her. Compliment her a little. Don't make her feel worse."

"You don't have to hide from us. Not everyone in this family has to be camera-ready."

It sounded like she was trying to smooth things over, but every word was a reminder that I wasn't attractive.

Dad frowned at me.

"Take off the mask. Let me see if there's anything worth salvaging."

Before I could move, Mom let out a cold laugh.

"They say beauty reflects what's in the heart. Vivian is beautiful inside and out."

"Some people, on the other hand, walk through the door without an ounce of manners and can't even bring themselves to say hello."

"Maybe we shouldn't look. Otherwise, I might lose my appetite."

It wasn't that I didn't know how to greet them.

It was that these two people were strangers I'd met for the first time in eighteen years.

I simply couldn't bring myself to call them Mom and Dad.

I tightened my grip on my luggage bag.

"Excuse me. Which room is mine?"

The mask covered half my face, but it couldn't hide my clear, ethereal voice.

A second ago, Mom had been bristling with hostility.

Now, she froze as if she'd been struck by lightning.

She actually stammered before answering, her tone surprisingly polite.

"Second room on the left, upstairs."

Under the strange looks from Dad and my sister, Mom realized how stunned she'd sounded.

Her face flushed with embarrassment and irritation.

Her tone quickly turned sharp again.

"Every room in this house has a purpose. The one you're staying in was originally Vivian's dressing room."

"Vivian inherited the best of both of us. She's not even an adult yet, and several entertainment companies are already fighting to sign her."

"That room is important to her. And since you won't be staying here permanently, you understand what I'm saying, right?"

I nodded.

"I understand. Sorry for imposing."

"I'll only be here for a few days. Once the dorm opens, I'll leave."

Mom paused.

She probably hadn't expected me to be so straightforward.

As a Grammy-winning singer, she had always been especially sensitive to voices.

After hearing mine, she clearly seemed reluctant to let me go so soon.

"Well, you don't have to rush."

"You could stay until you graduate college and find a job. Then you could rent a place nearby."

She said it as though she were planning out my future for me.

But my future had never needed their arrangements.

I simply nodded without answering and walked toward the stairs.

Behind me, Mom continued muttering under her breath.

"What a shame. Such a beautiful voice."

"Too bad the face doesn't match. She could never make it in the public eye."

Once I returned to my room and closed the door, I stuffed my sunglasses and mask into my pocket.

My luggage remained beside the bed, ready to go at a moment's notice.

Other than the essentials, I hadn't unpacked a single thing.

My parents knew better than anyone how brutally the public scrutinized celebrity families.

And when I was born premature, weak and frail, with a prominent birthmark on my face, they decided I was better off being raised by my grandmother.

After that, Grandma sent them photograph after photograph, letter after letter.

They never replied.

Now I knew why.

They had probably handed the whole stack to their assistant without ever looking at it.

I'd once expected something resembling a real family bond from them.

Now, I wanted nothing to do with being their daughter.

I was only staying for a few days. Nothing more.

I took out my phone.

My academic advisor was organizing early dorm move-ins in our class group chat.

"Students coming from out of town who need to move into the dorms early can sign up with me."

Without hesitation, I typed:

"Hi, Sarah. Skye Brooks would like to register for early move-in next Friday."

I put my phone down.

Outside the window stretched the beautiful, almost flawless grounds of this house.

For eighteen years, my parents had worked tirelessly to maintain the image of a perfect family.

If their perfect family had no place for me, then I had no place for them in my life.