Chapter 1

I was the curse of the family.

My mother had severe chondromalacia and nearly bled to death giving birth to me.

My parents hated me for it, dumping me in the dark basement to fend for myself.

Later, my little sister was born. She was always sickly.

My parents claimed it was all my fault—that my bad omen had doomed her too.

So they banished me to our old, rundown house in a remote rural town.

They left me no money and bought me no groceries. I survived for years by digging through garbage cans.

It wasn't until I turned nine that my father finally came to bring me back.

I genuinely believed I was finally coming home to a loving family.

Instead, the second my mother saw me, she lunged forward and began beating me frantically.

"It's all your fault, you little monster! You poisoned your sister, and now she needs a kidney transplant to survive!"

My father stood by, his gaze utterly chilling.

"We should have aborted you the day we had the chance."

But Mom and Dad, I don't have much time left either.

It was my little sister's first birthday party. Dressed in an exquisite fairy-tale gown, she was cradled warmly in Dad's arms.

Meanwhile, I was pinned to the icy floor tiles, battered and covered in blood.

Mom glared down at me with pure venom.

"Riley, you only came back to murder Stella, didn't you?"

"Why couldn't you just drop dead?! I almost bled to death in the delivery room because of you! And now you dare lay a hand on my precious daughter? How can an evil creature like you even exist?!"

Baby Stella burst into tears. I instinctively reached out to soothe her, but Mom violently shoved me aside.

"Riley, the moment I find the bruises you left on Stella, I will pay you back a thousand times over!"

Mom collapsed onto the floor, trembling with exhaustion.

Dad instantly rushed over, wrapping his arms around her with profound tenderness and whispering softly, "Chloe, sweetheart, take it easy. You need to take it easy. You're already unwell."

"If you hate Riley that much, the second she donates her kidney to Stella, I'll ship her right back to the countryside."

"Chloe, the only daughter we care about is the one you love. As long as you despise her, Riley is nothing more than an unwanted stray."

Dad's voice was devoid of warmth.

When his eyes shifted toward me, there was only bitter disappointment.

"Riley, I told you to behave."

"How many times must I warn you? Your mother is sick. Everyone in this household caters to her!"

"If you hadn't hurt your sister and made her cry, your mother wouldn't have had an episode."

"Riley, you disgust me." Dad waved the maid over. "Throw her in the basement."

Panic immediately set in. Cold sweat broke out across my forehead as the crushing weight of claustrophobia gripped my chest. Everyone had forgotten I was terrified of dark, enclosed spaces.

Curled up in the damp, freezing corner, tears trickled down my cheeks.

"But Dad... I really was being good."

I didn't hurt Stella. She started crying, and I just wanted to gently pat her.

Because that was how Mom used to hold me, a very long time ago.

Mom had a cartilage condition that made her knees hurt.

During my delivery, complications nearly cost her life on the operating table.

She had suffered from severe depression ever since. The sight of me triggered her rage.

So, when I was only three, I was dumped in the countryside to scavenge through dumpsters for scraps and stale bread just to stay alive.

Now, at age nine, Stella's kidneys were failing, and Dad brought me back for one sole purpose.

There was no warmth, no affection. Just bruises and beatings on my very first night back.

I lay sprawled on the concrete floor, my small body aching all over.

Later that night, an icy bucket of water splashed across my face, snapping me awake.

Mom loomed over me in the shadows, looking like a vengeful specter clawing out of hell.

Her eyes were bloodshot, dripping with pure hatred.

"Riley, as long as you're breathing, my little Stella will live in terror."

"For Stella's sake, you don't deserve to exist in this world!"

Her fingers locked onto my throat, squeezing with terrifying force. She truly wanted to choke the life out of me right then and there.

Suddenly, Dad stepped in, pulling Mom into his embrace and whispering reassurances.

"Chloe, stop. Don't be afraid. As long as I'm here, I'll never let Riley hurt you or our baby."

"Stella still needs her kidney to stay alive. She can't die yet. Please. Take a breath."

Mom buried her face into Dad's chest, sobbing hysterically.

She cried that she must have sinned in a past life to give birth to such a heartless monster.

"Mark, in one week, I want Riley gone!"

"As long as she leaves her kidney behind, our little girl will be saved!"

Dad gently carried Mom away.

I was left lying alone on the damp, freezing concrete.

Endless darkness threatened to swallow me whole. I squeezed the small tracker bracelet tightly in my hand.

Miss Anderson, my teacher in the countryside, had given it to me. She told me that whenever things became unbearable, all I had to do was press the emergency button.

She promised she would send someone to rescue me.

I held the bracelet against my chest, as if drawing a sliver of warmth and courage from the cold plastic.

I really didn't want to run away from my parents.

I just wanted a family.