2
Oh.
I get it now. Stella Sterling is her real daughter.
Now that her daughter is back, I, the fake heiress, am naturally expected to hand everything over to her daughter.
"How could I do that?"
Stella Sterling hesitated. "But that's my sister's fiancé..."
"Don't worry about it. What's hers is yours."
Mrs. Sterling said it so casually.
The moment she finished speaking, Stella dove joyfully into her arms. "Mom, you're so good to me."
"Silly child. You've suffered so much in the past..."
Mrs. Sterling choked up, holding her.
The two of them wept until their eyes were blurry, a picture of profound mother-daughter affection. The sight was honestly making me sick.
I was never interested in my good-for-nothing fiancé, Zane Vance. But the fact that they decided the fate of my engagement without even bothering to ask my opinion still shocked me.
The Sterling Family's ways were as outrageous as ever.
I turned to leave.
Stella wanted Zane, and I was happy to let her have him.
But perhaps getting what she wanted too easily robbed her of the thrill of conquest, because Stella decided to stab me in the back. "Mom, what about my sister?"
I stopped in my tracks.
Mrs. Sterling asked, confused, "What do you mean?"
"I just think my sister is at an age where she should be getting married, so you should be concerned about her marital affairs too."
Stella gave a shy smile. "Since you've already agreed to let me be with Zane, well... a relationship between two people can't have a third person, so..."
"I understand, I understand!"
Mrs. Sterling laughed. "Don't you worry, I'll take care of it."
Then she frowned at me. "Stella has a point. It's not appropriate for you to be living here anymore. Move out on your own."
"Fine."
I gave a crisp nod. I couldn't be happier.
But Stella's eyes suddenly filled with resentment, as if she wouldn't be satisfied until I was on my knees, begging for mercy.
I turned and left the room.
Just as I reached the doorway, I saw Mr. Sterling, his face filled with pity.
"Dad, I..."
"I know, I know. It's for the best that you move out. That way Stella won't be upset seeing you."
He cut me off impatiently, then hurried into the room.
Listening to the joyful laughter coming from the room, I shook my head, mocking myself. 'I never should have expected any affection from the Sterling Family.'
My adoptive parents had known for a long time that I wasn't their child.
And from the moment they found out, their attitude toward me changed drastically. Their words grew cold, their actions harsh, and they blamed me entirely for their biological daughter's disappearance.
And they never stopped searching for their real daughter.
Now, their wish had finally come true.
As for me, raising me for over twenty years was no different than raising a dog. Oh, actually, I was treated worse than a dog.
After all, besides a bowl of food, a dog gets to play with its master and receive affection when he's happy. All I ever got was emotional abuse and endless accusations.
I never used to understand.
It's not like I ran to the Sterling Family myself or was the one who caused them to take home the wrong baby. Why did they treat me like that?
Later, I figured it out. It was nothing but impotent rage.
Someone had to be the scapegoat.
They didn't want to admit their own mistake led to this tragedy, so they came to a tacit agreement to push all the blame onto me.
Once they stopped loving me, my very breathing became a mistake.
