The Test That Shook Two Mothers

My mom treated me like the dirt beneath her shoes but worshiped my cousin like a queen.

Since I could walk, I had scrubbed clothes and cooked meals, but I would still be yelled at or smacked if I messed up. On the contrary, my cousin twirled in princess dresses and played the piano. She was cherished by my aunt and uncle like she was the center of their world.

Then came the day everything changed. At my cousin's birthday party, my mom got drunk and spilled the secret—she switched me and my cousin at birth.

It turned out that I wasn't her daughter; I was my aunt's daughter.