Chapter 3

He’s been looking for me all these years?

How is that possible?!

I could hardly believe my ears.

Leo didn't notice the storm of emotions on my face and kept babbling excitedly.

"Yeah! I have a sister! But I’ve never met her."

"Dad says she’s the sweetest, most well-behaved girl. But over ten years ago, Dad’s ex-wife took my sister and ran away."

"Dad has been searching for her ever since, but he just can’t track her down."

My brain felt like it was short-circuiting.

There were way too many contradictions here.

Why did my dad claim that my mother took me and ran? My mother had always told me that Dad left a signed divorce agreement and abandoned us.

My mother's downward spiral was supposedly caused by his sudden abandonment.

Who was lying?

Seeing that I was unresponsive, Leo took my hand and pulled me into another room. He pointed at the beautifully decorated bedroom and said,

"This is the room Dad keeps ready for my sister! He says when she comes home, she’ll have her own space right away."

"Dad said my sister’s favorite color is orange, so the whole room is orange!"

"I even helped pick out the curtains! Pretty, right?"

Holding back my tears, I looked around the room.

On the nightstand, I saw a framed, slightly faded photograph. It was my father, holding me as a toddler, both of us laughing on a grassy lawn.

Suddenly, a warm, gentle voice came from the doorway.

"That’s my husband’s daughter from his first marriage. Isn't she adorable?"

I turned around to see a kind-looking woman. It was Helena, my dad's current wife.

Helena sighed softly. "It’s so heartbreaking. No matter how much money William sends to his ex-wife over the years, she refuses to let him see the child."

"Just last month, William wired another two million dollars to her as a high school graduation gift for the girl."

"We have no idea how she’s doing now. William hasn't slept a full night in years because of this."

My jaw dropped. I literally doubted my own hearing.

My dad... has been wiring millions of dollars to my mother all these years?

Then why did my mother force me to work multiple grueling jobs? Why did she confiscate every single dollar of my paychecks, leaving me with only fifty dollars a month for food?

There were nights when I had a burning high fever and couldn't even afford a clinic visit, forced to just shiver through the night in our cold trailer.

Why had my mother been lying to me my entire life?

I desperately wanted to scream the truth right there—to tell them that I was that lost daughter.

But I had to keep my head. I needed to find out the absolute truth first.

I had to know why my mother had subjected me to a lifetime of abuse and lies.

I didn't reveal my identity to Leo. I made up an excuse and quickly left the mansion.

After requesting a week off from my college classes, I rushed back to the trailer park.

The moment I pushed the door open, the overwhelming stench of cheap alcohol hit my nose. My mother was slumped on the stained sofa, surrounded by empty liquor bottles.

Seeing me home early, she blinked in confusion before grabbing an empty bottle and hurling it straight at my head.

"Why the hell are you here?! Shouldn't you be scrubbing plates at the diner right now?!"

"If you don't have rent money next month, don't you dare cry to me! I’m taking every cent of your paycheck to punish you for being lazy!"

"Never forget, Elena! I am in this pathetic state because of you! You owe me your entire life!"

Normally, I would have quietly cleaned up the mess and endured her screaming.

But today, I couldn't do it anymore. I walked right up to her, staring cold and hard into her bloodshot eyes.

"Mom, today my meal card was declined because I didn't even have a dollar and fifty cents left."

"Starting next month, can you please let me keep an extra ten dollars for food?"

My mother froze for a second, and then she completely lost her mind.

"Are you blind?! Do you think we have money to throw away?! We are broke because of you!"

"If you weren't a worthless girl, your father would have never left! I would be living in a mansion in New York right now enjoying luxury!"

"You want ten dollars? In your dreams! Ten dollars is enough to buy me another bottle of whiskey!"

"Starting next month, your allowance is cut by another ten dollars! If you can’t afford food, go eat the free rice at your school! Don't think I don't know they offer free food to beggars like you!"

Looking at her twisted, greedy face, the final string of affection in my heart snapped.