Chapter 3

Mom finally returned from her conference a few days later.

Marcus, her loyal assistant and driver, picked her up.

She walked into a storm of accusations and a daughter on the verge of breaking.

"Mom," I just hugged her, tears finally coming.

She held me tight. "I know, sweetie. I've seen some of it. We'll fix this."

But before Mom could even start, the next blow landed.

A "leaked" DNA test result spread like wildfire online.

It "confirmed" Brittany was Katherine's biological daughter.

And I was not.

The clinic was some obscure place I'd never heard of.

Even though Mom had told me the truth about Brenda's past, a cold sliver of doubt pierced through me.

What if... what if Mom was wrong?

What if Brenda's crazy story was somehow true?

The thought made me sick.

I looked at Mom, searching her face.

She looked shocked, then a steely resolve hardened her eyes.

"This is a lie, Ashley. Another one of Brenda's tricks."

Brittany, of course, was ecstatic.

She paraded around the house, acting like she owned the place.

"See, Mother?" she said to Katherine, her voice dripping with false sweetness. "I told you. I'm your real daughter."

Mr. Henderson called from the school.

"Katherine, in light of this new DNA evidence, and Ashley's previous aggression..." he began.

He was practically convinced I was a violent imposter.

I felt the world tilting.

"Mom," I whispered, my voice trembling. "Is it... possible?"

She looked at me, her gaze unwavering. "No, Ashley. It's not."