Chapter 2

My parents didn't hesitate.

They pointed at me.

"Her."

The man grabbed me.

Seconds later, the bomb went off.

My parents threw themselves over Adela, shielding her with their bodies.

I was still trapped in the man's grip when the explosion tore through my legs.

That year, I'd earned admission to one of the best universities in the country.

While I was unconscious in the hospital, my parents used their connections to have my place transferred to Adela.

When I finally woke up, I cried and demanded to know why.

My mother wouldn't meet my eyes.

"We promised publicly that Adela would never be punished for her biological father's crimes."

My father sighed.

"What happened that day was instinct."

"You're disabled now. We can't send you away to college alone."

"We've decided you'll stay at the estate, where we can take care of you."

Then came the part that hurt even more.

"As for the university place, letting it go to waste would have been pointless."

"Adela can use it."

My mother nodded.

"And it's good for the Moretti Foundation."

"It proves that even the daughter of a notorious killer can have a future if she's given the right opportunities."

I underwent more than a dozen surgeries.

Most of the time, I was alone.

Meanwhile, my parents threw Adela an extravagant celebration for getting into my university.

They took her to dinners with trustees and administrators and personally asked influential friends to look after her.

I asked for only one thing.

The Moretti Foundation funded several of the country's leading trauma surgeons.

I begged my parents to arrange for one of them to operate on my legs.

They refused.

"Absolutely not."

My mother's face darkened.

"If anyone discovers we used foundation resources for our own daughter, they'll accuse us of corruption."

My father was even angrier.

"The Moretti family has spent years building relationships with politicians, hospitals, and charitable organizations."

"We're at a critical point."

"Do you want an investigation opened into the foundation?"

"Would destroying everything we've built finally make you happy?"

Without the surgery I needed, the damage became permanent.

I never walked again.

Now, seeing the guilt on their faces, I felt the smallest flicker of hope.

Maybe this time they finally understood.

Before I could speak, Adela's tearful voice came through the phone.

"Mom, Dad, don't come."

Her breathing sounded uneven.

"Gertrude is right."

"What happened five years ago was because of me."

"She lost her legs because of my biological father."

"If that killer comes for me tonight, then maybe I deserve it."

Her voice broke.

"Consider it my life paying back hers."

The call ended.

Whatever hesitation my parents had vanished instantly.

My mother's expression changed.

"Gertrude!"

"Look what you've done to your sister!"

My father grabbed his coat.

"You'd better pray nothing happens to Adela before we get there."

"If she's hurt because of this, we'll never forgive you."

Something inside me went completely still.

"And if something happens to me?"

I looked at them.

"Will you refuse to forgive her too?"

My father's face turned red.

He kicked my wheelchair over.

I crashed onto the floor.

"How did I end up with such a selfish, ungrateful daughter?"

I looked up at him from the marble.

"If I had a choice, I wouldn't be your daughter either."

The front door slammed shut behind them.

Not long afterward, Adela posted a photograph online.

She was nestled safely between my parents, smiling brightly.

Moretti guards surrounded them in the background.

Her caption read:

"All I said was that I was scared, and Mom and Dad brought everyone to protect me. I'm so lucky to have this family."

Messages began arriving almost immediately.

People from the Moretti family's social circle.

Foundation donors.

Family friends.

"Gertrude, this isn't the time to be jealous of your sister. You're putting everyone in danger."

"Almost nobody outside the family even knows who you are. Why would the killer target you?"

"Adela has spent years appearing publicly as the Moretti daughter. She's the one who's been exposed to danger while you stayed safely hidden."

"You should be grateful to her."

I stared at the messages.

They had no idea.

My parents hadn't hidden me all these years because they wanted to protect me.