Chapter 1: Let’s See Who They Choose

“Can I tell you something?” Sally nodded innocently.

“Today is the last day you're going to spend in this family.” Rita’s voice was dangerously low, a bit of smugness in her words.

That was the last sentence she recalled, before blacking out.

Now she lay on the ground, barely able to stand up, her head threatening to crack from the impact.

A while ago, she was walking along the stairs, with an earphone, singing along to a country music when Rita pulled her towards the staircase ..that she wanted to show her something important.

Like an idiot, she’d blindly believed her.

“What the hell happened?” she asked, slowly opening her eyes and looking at her side. Her grandmother lay still, barely breathing, eyes tightly shut.

Rita was standing over them with a smile.

“I pushed the two of you over the stairs,” she said, resting her hand on her chest.” Let’s see who my family will chose …the one who just arrived or their spoiled princess of 18 years.”

How will they believe her?

It was proving fucking difficult.

The first day she moved in, she’d accidentally broken Rita’s necklace. Rita had accused her of being jealous. Her dad had withheld her monthly upkeep until she learned her lesson.

Whatever …she just needed to save her grandmother.

Sally rose to her feet and rushed to her grandmother’s side.

“Why?” she asked, voice cracking, touching her grandmother’s neck with her two middle fingers, a sigh leaving her lips when she felt her pulse.

She’d been in this house for three months, yet she’d grown to love this woman so much. She was the only one who was available for her when they ignored her and pampered Rita.

And now she was lying on the floor with a pool of blood.

“Because we can’t stay in this house, the two of us. There’s no room for two daughters, so one of us has to leave, and it’s you.”

Sally blinked her eyes, not believing what she heard.

Eighteen years ago, Weston family had taken home the wrong daughter, whom they had been raising for all these years.

Sally grew up on one of the remotest parts of the city.

Someone had switched the babies during birth, identity still not known.

Three months ago, Rita fell sick and needed a blood transfusion.  Her blood type didn’t match any of her parents. Further investigations revealed that they weren’t biologically connected.

Well… she had never thought that she’d be the lost heiress of the wealthiest family in town …until Mathew and Susan Weston knocked on her door and announced.

“You are our lost daughter. come home with us.”

Of course …she was happy ..but this three months have been a living hell, continuously trying to earn their love.

“I’ll do anything. She needs medical care. Just let me take her to the hospital before anything bad happens to her, Rita,” Sally begged, cradling her grandmother in her arms, as if giving her warmth will wake her up.

“Please …open your eyes. I beg of you. You can’t die, okay.” she kept whispering on her ears ..may be just may be , she ‘ll hold on a little longer .

Her parents had decided to keep Rita because they had raised her for eighteen years. Their attachment to her wouldn’t allow them to send her away.

They hoped the two of them could love each other, but fate had other plans.

Rita took her time before replying.

“Sorry, dear sister… You should have stayed back in the hole you crawled out from. Now, you've forced my hand. Since you came, I've given you things that has been mine. I'm sorry, but I don't want to share them with you anymore.”

“The only heir to this family will be me.”

“What?”

“Rita… I couldn't care less about this family's money, but this is a living, breathing human being. If you don't let me call for help, we'll get into trouble,” Sally continued to beg, sweat dripping down her forehead.

“What do you want? I'll relinquish my rights as the biological daughter of this family. You can have their name. Their money. Their properties. I don't care. Just let my grandmother live.”

“I'm sorry, but that won't be enough.”

If she could, she would have snatched her phone, but Rita had thrown it outside. If she went for it, it would be a waste of time. Every second that passed meant that her grandmother's life was in danger.

“What do you want?” she asked, wiping her tears. “Fucking tell me.”

“Very soon, you'll find out.”

At that moment, the door was pushed open. Three people came inside, hurrying: Matthew, her dad, Susan, her mom, and Billy, her eldest brother.

“What's all the commotion?” Matthew asked coldly, his eyes scanning the ground.

Rita pushed herself down and fake tears started coming from her eyes, cupping her head in pain.

Susan and Billy rushed to her side and then stared daggers at Sally, who was kneeling on the ground, her white dress stained with her grandmother's blood.

“What in the name of God did you do?” Susan asked disgustedly, cradling Rita like a little child.” You little rat. You harmed your grandmother and my daughter.”

“You tried to killed her? How dare you?” Mathew snarled, checking his mother “ Is this how you pay us for bringing you home ?”

Sally opened her mouth to speak but Billy cut her shot.

They wouldn’t even allow her to talk.

 He shoved her hard and she landed, hitting her head on the wall.

“Criminal …I didn’t want to believe it when Rita told us that you were planning something against this family, that you wanted to kill her so that you can take her place. Now we see what you really are.”

Her shoulders sunk.

 “It was Rita. She pushed the two of us downstairs,” Sally said “But I guess you won’t believe me.”

 No one took her side.

They all condemned her even before she said a word

It had been three months… three months of hoping that she could belong, but even at this stage, they all chose Rita.

“I'll call for the ambulance. Then we'll deal with you,” Matthew said, pulling out his phone from his pocket.

“How could you tarnish your sister's name? Rita has lived with us for eighteen years. This was her grandmother, someone she loved dearly. How could you do something so atrocious?” Billy asked, spatting at her side.

Sally stood silently …this were supposed to be her family.

How the hell did she get herself in this mess?

“You just came here a few months ago, and we don't know what kind of crimes you were involved in, but we thought somehow, you could be better.” Mathew added “We really wanted the best for you, but now you’ve hurt my mother. That I can’t forgive.”

“Dad….I’m really innocent . Please listen to me. “Sally begged with her eyes. No one looked at her. No one listened.

“You must pay for hurting my grandmother,” Billy said, picking up his phone. “I'll call the police right now. We should never have accepted you into our house.”

“Maybe spending a little time in jail will make you a better person. The Weston family doesn't condone criminals, even when they are one of their own.”

Susan sneered

“I knew you weren't fit to enter this family.”

Then she looked at Rita adoringly “Sweetie, even if you're not my blood, you're better than her. Look at how badly you've been treated. Even in the future, if I am to choose again, I'll still choose you over her.”

Every piece of evidence pointed towards her.

How could she even defend herself?

When the people who were supposed to support her had all turned their backs on her?

“Sister, I thought you were going to be the best thing that ever happened to this family. I thought you were going to be the sister I've always wanted,” Rita said gently. “But now, I wouldn't mind losing you so that you could pay for hurting my grandmother. Please don't blame my family. You’re the one who caused all this .”

Sally didn’t say anything.

She neither begged them

She realized that there was nothing she could do.

As she was being escorted by the police, she gave them one last look.

If she was given another chance, she would protect herself from them.