Chapter 1

I pushed the front door open.

The three of them were gathered around the dining table, with a towering, custom three-tier fondant cake in the center.

Five bold characters were written across the top of the expensive gold-leaf chocolate—"Congratulations on Your Academic Success!"

It had been prepared for my adopted younger sister, Winona Fairchild.

Even though she hardly ever cracked open her textbook, and even though her score fell far short of even the minimum passing mark, Mom and Dad had still gone all out to throw her the grandest celebration.

Winona sobbed in Mom's arms while Dad stood beside them, his face full of heartache as he handed her tissues.

"Don't cry, Winnie. It's okay even if you didn't do well. You just didn't perform well for once, that's all. I'll buy you the bag you've had your eye on tomorrow," Dad said.

Mom gently patted her back. "That's right. Even if you don't go to college, your dad and I can take care of you for the rest of your life."

I stood in the shadows of the entrance, watching the heartwarming family scene unfold before me. After starving all day, my stomach chose that precise moment to let out a loud, untimely growl.

Mom turned around when she heard it. The moment she laid eyes on me, the distress on her face instantly vanished, and her brows instinctively knitted together.

Then, she suppressed the disdain in her eyes. "Can't you make a sound when you walk? You're like a ghost. You startled Winnie!"

Dad glanced at me and asked apathetically, "You checked your scores today too, didn't you? How did you do?"

The air suddenly went still. Winona raised her head from Mom's embrace and stared at me, a hint of nervousness hidden in her eyes.

Lowering my gaze, I shoved my hands in my pockets and tightened my grip on the results slip that read 1550.

"I didn't do well," I said calmly. "I barely made the cut for a community college."

As soon as my words fell, I clearly saw Mom and Dad breathe a sigh of relief.

Mom turned around and reassured Winona with a warm smile. "See? Your older sister was left to fend for herself for a decade. Her brain has already gotten rusty.

"She couldn't even make it into a regular college. Even though you didn't do well this time, your foundation is way better than hers. You've taken piano and horseback riding lessons since you were little, so there's no need to feel inferior."

Winona broke into a smile before slicing off a piece of cake heaped with strawberries. "Thank you, Mom and Dad! I knew you loved me the most!"

The rich, sweet aroma of buttercream soon filled the living room.

I gulped, despite my dry throat. I was about to head to my room when Mom called out to me.

She pointed at the far end of the dining table, where a plate of stone-cold leftovers and a few sprigs of greens sat.

"Your stomach is sensitive, so you shouldn't eat anything too sugary. Heat up those leftovers and eat them. Don't let them go to waste."

Leftovers yet again. When Mom and Dad played favorites, they always had a million noble-sounding excuses to justify their actions.

While eating her cake, Winona coquettishly tugged at Dad's arm.

"Dad, I found a really good international program. It's run jointly with a foreign college, and after graduation I can continue my studies in their country. But… the tuition's a little expensive. It costs 100 thousand dollars a year."

"So what if it's 100 thousand dollars?" Dad affectionately tapped her nose. "So long as you're happy, I'd gladly drop a million dollars!"

Mom watched them. As if a sudden thought struck her, she approached me and, for the first time ever, took my hand in hers.

Her hand was soft and warm, yet it couldn't warm my ice-cold fingertips.

"Han, ever since you returned six months ago, we've spent a lot of money to nurse you back to health. Winnie has congenital heart disease. She can't endure the hardship of retaking the exam.

"However, you're different. You've been out on the streets for a decade. What kind of hardship haven't you endured?"

Mom paused before deciding my future for me as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Community college won't get you anywhere, so you shouldn't bother going through with it.

"Tomorrow, I'll have your father pull some strings and get you a summer job at an electronics factory on the outskirts of town. Work hard, take on more night shifts, and you'll be able to earn enough to cover your sister's first-year dormitory fees."