Fractured Bonds

Chapter 1

My parents accidentally caused the death of the protagonist's parents in a car accident and adopted her as their foster daughter. She was like the heroine of a novel, instantly capturing everyone's attention the moment she appeared. This included my parents, my childhood crush, and my best friend. Meanwhile, I felt like an outcast, always in the shadows.

The spacious room was given to the protagonist, and I was forced to move into a narrow storage room. My classmates bullied me, calling me the daughter of murderers. My parents always said I had no empathy. My childhood crush and best friend accused me of being jealous and deliberately making her uncomfortable. Even though I did nothing wrong, I had to bear the blame that wasn't mine.

At the beginning of the new year, while they celebrated a cozy family reunion, I, suffering from severe depression, walked into the freezing river.

There was a knock on the door. I rushed to open it, excitedly, only to see my parents standing there with a girl about my age behind them.

"Julissa, from today, she is your sister. You need to be considerate of her," my parents said, their faces showing identical exhaustion.

I learned that two days ago, when they returned from a business trip, their car had crashed into Lauren's parents' car. Of the three people involved, only Lauren survived. Now, they had just finished dealing with the aftermath and planned to bring Lauren home to complete the transfer procedures for her school.

They didn't mention the details of the accident, but I frowned.

"Mom, Dad, doesn't she have any relatives?" I asked.

My dad's eyes widened in anger, and he slapped me hard across the face, not holding back at all.

"What are you talking about? It's our good fortune that Lauren is willing to come to our home. Do you want her to live under someone else's roof and be treated as an outsider?"

I winced in pain. Logically speaking, since my parents had killed her parents, they should be responsible for her.

"Then don't you have to go to jail for killing someone?" I asked innocently, looking up. The three of them froze, looking at each other, unable to provide an explanation.

I began to realize that things wouldn't be so simple. A strong sense of unease rose in my heart.

"These are adult matters; you don't need to worry about them," my dad said.

I nodded and quickly retreated to my room, ignoring my parents' voices behind me. I was up all night, my heart racing. Sometimes I felt like I was dreaming, and other times I hoped that Lauren would disappear from my house by morning. Maybe we could get along peacefully, after all, she had lost her parents.

In a daze, I seemed to have a dream. It was Lauren's birthday, and my parents and my friends were celebrating with her. I hid in a corner, suddenly rushing out to smash her cake on the ground. The people around us looked at me with condemnation, and my best friend stared at me with disgust.

"Disgusting, you still have the nerve to bully Lauren," she said.

When I woke up in the morning, I was drenched in sweat. My family wasn't rich, just a regular household. Adding another child would inevitably affect me. For instance, in our three-bedroom apartment, my parents used to sleep in the master bedroom, and I had the second bedroom. Now, only a windowless guest room was left.

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The next morning, I got up and slung my backpack over my shoulder, ready to leave.

My parents usually slept in and never made breakfast. I always ate at a breakfast stall on the way to school. However, today was different. Instead of being holed up in their room, they were sitting at the table, eating breakfast.

Oatmeal, vegetables, and hard-boiled eggs. They had actually made it themselves. They looked like they had been eating for a while, but no one had called me.

The three of them sat at the table, chatting about their plans for the day, while I felt like an outsider, completely unaware that they had made breakfast.

"Julissa, why did you get up so late? Come and have breakfast," my mom said with an awkward smile.

I looked at the three sets of chopsticks and bowls on the table, unsure where I was supposed to sit.

"Oh, Julissa, let me get you a bowl of oatmeal. I was in such a rush yesterday that I didn't get to greet you properly," Lauren said. Despite her words, she didn't move an inch from her seat.

Her sudden enthusiasm left me feeling bewildered.

"No, thanks... I don't like oatmeal."

My parents gave me a reproachful look, as if blaming me for rejecting her kindness. But I had never liked oatmeal, and they knew that.

I felt a tightness in my chest, and I didn't want to stay at home any longer. I turned to leave, but my dad called me back.

"You're not going to school today. Your mom and I are going to handle your transfer paperwork. From now on, you'll be attending Silverleaf High School."

I stared at him in disbelief.

I had always done well in school. When I took the entrance exam, Silverleaf High School had offered me a place, even willing to waive my tuition fees, but my parents had refused. They had reassured me that I should attend the best high school, not worry about scholarships or fees.

Now I was attending the top-ranked Angelwood High School, the best high school. Why were they suddenly transferring me?

"Why?"

My mom awkwardly took my hand and gently tried to soothe me.

"We asked around, and only Silverleaf High School is willing to take Lauren. But you need to transfer with her."

"Dad, Mom, is she your illegitimate daughter or something? I'm in my senior year, and you're making me transfer now?"

I let out a bitter laugh, feeling my anger rise. My dad cut off my rebellious words with a slap. This was the second time he had hit me since Lauren came into our lives.

No matter how much I didn't want to, it was a done deal. My parents insisted that my grades were good enough that it wouldn't matter which school I attended.

Clint called me, asking why I hadn't gone to school that day.

He met me at a café near the school and reached out to feel my forehead.

"You don't seem sick. Are you just exhausted lately?"

Tears sprang to my eyes almost instantly. I tried to calm myself and told him about Lauren.

His eyes filled with worry. I thought he was worried about me, but I didn't realize that this moment would be the start of his connection with Lauren.

"Mr. and Mrs. Stewart are being unreasonable. How can they make you transfer schools for an outsider?"

Clint was indignant and wanted to confront my parents.

"Forget it. They've already completed the paperwork. What good would it do to go now?"

Clint wasn't actually going to confront my parents. In the end, he promised me that he would find a way to get back at them.

Chapter 3

The means of revenge were unknown to me. But the next day, when I returned home, I found Clint coming out of our guest room. That guest room was where Lauren stayed.

"Julissa, you're back? I thought I'd give her a piece of my mind for you..." Clint scratched his head, looking embarrassed.

I pulled him to the balcony with a serious expr