Chapter 3

My parents renamed the true daughter Daisy Foster.

Her room was arranged next to mine.

The night she arrived, Mom and Dad prepared a feast. Our dinner conversation was perfectly harmonious.

Except for when we each went upstairs to our rooms.

SLAP—

Daisy slapped me hard across the face.

She lifted her chin haughtily: "Listen here you little bastard. You've been impersonating the real daughter for years. From now on, you'd better know your place."

She glared at me one last time before slamming her bedroom door.

After her light went out, I changed into a white nightgown, let my hair down, and grabbed my teddy bear before slipping out of my room.

Her door was unlocked. How careless.

How convenient for me.

I opened her door just wide enough to peer inside, standing perfectly still.

Motionless, I stared at her.

The hallway was lit. When she rolled over, she'd be able to see me.

Ahhhh—

AHHHHHHHHH!

Daisy's bloodcurdling scream echoed through the entire house.

Mom and Dad came running, flipping on the lights. Daisy was huddled in the corner. When she recognized my face, she flew into a rage:

"Lily Foster, are you trying to kill me?!"

I squeezed my teddy bear's paw. "I couldn't sleep. I just wanted to talk."

Daisy refused. In the end, Mom and Dad soothed her briefly before we all returned to our rooms.

This time she locked her door and drew the curtains tight.

Mom and Dad knew about Daisy slapping me earlier. They were observing in secret, waiting to see how I'd react.

Judging by their smiles just now, they seemed satisfied with my "performance."

Mom and Dad hate boring people.

Mom and Dad don't like useless children.

Oh right, when I was little, after the DNA test results came back, Mom and Dad went to check the hospital security footage.

There was a gap in the nursery camera feed. They searched for a long time before finally spotting a woman in black. Unfortunately she wore a hat and mask, so nothing could be made out.

Two weeks later, the hospital went bankrupt.

The kind where even the building gets demolished.

This was followed by reports of missing hospital staff, but those were quickly buried under other news.

Dad patted my head at the time: "What do you think we should do with you?"

I patted my teddy bear's head: "Turn me into a teddy too?"

Dad laughed heartily and scooped me up: "You're thinking too much, Lily. You're Daddy's adorable daughter."

Mom smiled: "That's right, Lily's not some boring little kid."

Dad chimed in: "You're far more interesting than those teddy bears. It'd be such a shame if you couldn't talk."

I smiled faintly and bit down hard on my tongue.

I didn't even dare pinch my arm or leg, afraid they'd see through my forced composure.

I didn't want to be turned into a teddy. I didn't want to be made into a doll.

So my every word and action had to mimic what they liked.