Chapter 2

Olivia Hayes came home.

The Hayes mansion was lit up like a palace for her welcome party. Cars lined the long, winding driveway. Music and laughter spilled out onto the manicured lawns.

And Daniel, who hated social gatherings, was there.

He stood near the grand staircase, dressed in a tailored black suit that made him look sharp and impossibly handsome. He was a different person.

I remembered all the birthdays he had missed. My sixteenth, my eighteenth, my twenty-first. He always had an excuse. He needed to meditate, to detach from worldly affairs, he' d said. He couldn't be bothered with something as trivial as a party.

Now, here he was, the center of attention, a vibrant, engaged man, all for Olivia. I finally understood. It wasn't the world he was detached from. It was just me.

I gripped my wine glass, the crystal cold against my skin, and tried to swallow the lump in my throat. I moved through the crowd, feeling invisible, and overheard two women talking near the champagne fountain.

"Did you see the gift Daniel got for Olivia? A private island!"

"No! I heard that was supposed to be his wedding gift for Sarah. The one he was planning to build a house on for them."

"Well, I guess plans change. Look at them. They look so perfect together."

I didn't have to look. I could feel it. I turned and saw them. Olivia, radiant in a red dress, was laughing up at Daniel. My adoptive parents, David and Martha, stood beside them, beaming. They looked like a perfect family of four. A family I was never truly a part of.

I tried to turn away, to find a corner to hide in, but Olivia saw me. A smug, triumphant smile touched her lips. She excused herself and walked toward me, her red dress flowing around her like blood.

"See?" she whispered, her voice sweet but laced with poison. "Seven years ago, you couldn't compare to me. And you still can't."

I stared at her, speechless.

She leaned closer, her eyes glittering with a cruel light. "Let's make a little bet, shall we? Do you think Mom, Dad, and Daniel will still side with me this time? Just like they always do?"

Before I could react, she moved with shocking speed. She took the diamond brooch from her dress and dragged its sharp pin across her own cheek.

A line of red appeared on her perfect, pale skin.

Blood welled up, a single drop rolling down her face. Her expression shifted instantly from smugness to terror.

"Sarah!" she cried out, her voice high and panicked, loud enough for everyone to hear. "I know you're angry! I didn't mean to take anything from you! If you want Daniel's brooch that much, you can have it! Just please, please don't hurt me! I already gave you Mom and Dad! I even gave you Daniel!"

Her words were a performance, and the room was her audience.

Heads turned. The music faltered.

Martha was the first to reach us. Her face was a mask of fury. She didn't even look at Olivia's bleeding cheek. Her eyes were locked on me.

"You!" she shrieked, and her hand flew up, striking me across the face. The slap was so hard my head snapped back.

"You unruly child! I knew you'd never change! You have a wicked heart!"

The sting on my cheek was nothing compared to the pain that exploded in my chest. I looked past my mother's furious face, searching for Daniel.

He was looking right at me. And his gaze was filled with pure, undiluted disgust.

"No," I whispered, trying to explain. "She did it herself. It wasn't me."

But my words were lost. They were completely drowned out by Olivia's loud, theatrical sobs.