Chapter 1

After I came of age, I entered the Gallo family's trial period.

Only those who passed the family's trials within five years would earn the right to wear the family crest. Anyone who failed would be sent to the shooting range as a live target.

This year's trial was to seize a weapons shipment at the port.

I was the first to locate the weapons cache, but when Vera blundered into the ambush, I had to stay behind and clean up the mess to save her.

After the fierce gunfight, my team's casualties ended up exactly one more than Vera's.

At the crest ceremony, my mother Carmela once again pinned the family crest to Vera Gallo's chest, smiling with satisfaction.

"Vera brought back the weapons with the fewest casualties. She passes the trial again this year, without question.

"Not that the crest needs to be awarded twice, but Elsa, you really aren't as capable as Vera. Better luck next time."

Better luck next time.

I'd been hearing those exact words for four years straight.

Ever since Vera was brought back four years ago, I, the adopted orphan, had become the most unwelcome person in the house.

Because she claimed everything I had should have been hers.

The moment she heard that Carmela had treated me well, she'd spiral into hysterics and threaten to kill herself.

From then on, I waited four years and never once received the crest from Carmela's hands.

This time, I was done waiting. I was going home. My real home.

Chapter 1

After the ceremony, Vera ducked behind Carmela and made a face at me.

"Sorry, Elsa. You lost the crest to me again this year."

Carmela ruffled her hair affectionately. "You little brat, rubbing it in after you've already won."

"Come on, I had the butler order those pastries you love."

Their laughter faded as they walked away, and the rest of the family dispersed one by one.

Leah, who'd grown up with me, approached with red-rimmed eyes. "You found the weapons the Moretti family had hidden before anyone else. If Vera hadn't barged in with her people to steal the credit, she wouldn't have exposed you. You barely made it out alive."

I touched my neck. A bullet had grazed right past it during the firefight. Another fraction of an inch, and it would have killed me.

Leah continued, seething. "Besides, your mother promised to let you pass this year! Vera already has the crest. What does she need another one for? But if you don't pass next year, you'll be sent to the shooting range as a live target!"

I stared at the empty hall and forced a thin smile.

Ever since I was little, everyone knew how badly I wanted to pass the trials, earn the family's approval, and truly become one of them.

The first time I took the trial, Carmela had been about to pin the crest to my chest.

But Vera had to have one of her episodes right at that moment.

She screamed and cursed and raged, accusing me of stealing everything that was rightfully hers.

To calm her down, Carmela ended up pinning the family crest on Vera instead.

From that day on, Carmela always made exceptions for Vera.

Whatever Vera wanted, I had to give up. Whatever Vera didn't want, I couldn't have either.

She kept saying Vera had severe bipolar disorder, that I'd stolen Vera's happiness, and that I owed it to Vera to give way.

And I did.

But in return, the favoritism only grew worse.

She knew full well that if I failed the trials again, I'd be sent to the shooting range as a live target. She did it anyway.

If that was how things were, then this family that didn't love me was no longer worth staying in.

With that thought, I gave Leah a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. I won't let it come to that."

Then, without another word, I walked back to my room alone.

Carmela was standing at the attic door, waiting for me.

She came up and took my hand, smiling as if nothing had happened. "Look what I brought you. Tiramisu from Bebaked Dolce. Try it."

My chest warmed. It was my favorite dessert. She remembered.

"Thank you, Mother," I said softly.

Carmela gave me an amused look. "You two sisters have the exact same taste. They were running a buy-one-get-one deal, so after I ordered Vera's, I remembered you like it too."

The small warmth that had begun to bloom was doused in ice water, cold to the bone.

"So I only deserve a leftover freebie. Is that it?"

She always did this. She chose Vera without a second thought, then turned to me to toss whatever scraps of kindness she had left.

Vera's gift was a diamond necklace. Mine was a cheap seashell wind chime.

She received a handmade couture gown. I got a last-season dress from the clearance rack.

She got the latest top-of-the-line phone. I got a case that didn't even fit mine.

Even after four years of this, I still couldn't let go of the way Carmela used to treat me.

Her brow creased. "What are you being petty about now? I've told you, Vera has severe bipolar disorder. If she ever senses that I favor you over her, she'll have an episode. Do you want to watch her die?"

She must have realized she'd gone too far, because her tone softened. Holding out the tiramisu, she said, "Elsa, I know your team took extra casualties because you were protecting Vera. This tiramisu is my way of thanking you."

So the freebie was just a reward for keeping Vera safe. Nothing more.

I pulled my hand away and turned my back to her. "I understand, Mother. Please go. I'm tired and I want to rest."

Carmela's expression turned impatient. "Vera was stolen by our enemies the day she was born. She spent eighteen years suffering out there, which is how she developed such severe bipolar disorder. And you, an orphan I took in, have lived a comfortable life under my roof ever since. Everything you have, you owe to Vera."

The place inside my chest that had gone numb began to ache again, sharp and prickling.

I used to think I was lucky. After being separated from my real family, I'd found a mother who loved me without reservation.

But once Vera came back, I learned the truth. In Carmela's heart, I had only ever been Vera's stand-in.

Before, I had always held my tongue when she said things like that. But today, I suddenly didn't want to anymore.

I lifted my head and met Carmela's gaze, each word clipped and deliberate. "But Mother, I never begged you to adopt me."

Smack.

Before the words finished leaving my mouth, Carmela's palm struck my face. My cheek burned.

When she saw blood seeping from the corner of my lip, she instinctively glanced at her own hand.

Her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but all that came out was a hollow attempt to placate me. "Elsa, stop throwing tantrums. Next year. Next year the crest will be yours. Once Vera's position is secure, I'll let you pass."

I'd heard that line for four years.

Every year Carmela said the same thing, and every year she gave the crest to Vera.

I said nothing. I didn't even turn to look at her.

"Take some time to cool off." With that, she turned and walked away.

Tears slid down my face. I slowly lifted my head and watched her retreating figure, my voice so raw it barely carried. "You don't have to bother. I'll be gone soon."

Chapter 2

I pushed open the door and walked back into my room.

The attic was barely fifty-five square feet, with no windows and stale, stagnant air.

The ceiling was under five feet high. I couldn't even stand up straight.

This was the only space I had in this mansion that sprawled like a castle.

The day Vera first arrived, she saw my bedroom with the balcony and broke down crying on the spot. "I had to sleep on the floor at the orphanage, and the big room that was supposed to be mine has some stranger living in it."

Carmela spent an entire day consoling her, then told me to give the room to Vera and make do with the little attic for a few days.

Once Vera accepted me, she'd arrange a better room.

I believed her. But those few days stretched into four years.

I went downstairs to get water. Passing Vera's bedroom, I noticed the door was ajar, and her voice drifted out as she talked on the phone.

"Mother was kind enough to bring her tiramisu, and she still gave her attitude. Talk about ungrateful."

"She's just an adopted stray. Not only did she take eighteen years of my life, she has the nerve to stick around even after I'm back. Just wait. Next year I'll make sure she doesn't get the crest again, doesn't pass the trial, and gets sent straight to the shooting range as a live target."

I tightened my grip on the water glass and went back up to the attic.

The truth was, when Vera first came back, I'd offered to leave on my own.

Back then, Carmela held me and cried. She said after losing Vera and then her husband to a revenge killing, she'd almost given up. Finding me was the only thing that kept her going.

"Whether you're my flesh and blood or not, I raised you for eighteen years. You're my daughter.

"Vera just can't accept you yet. Once you two spend more time together, you'll be like real sisters."

So I stayed.

But every time Carmela showed me even the slightest kindness, Vera would fly into a rage and threaten to kill herself.

At first, Carmela only pretended to be cold to me when Vera was watching. But over time, the act became real, and she genuinely stopped caring.

I sat on the edge of the bed, took out my phone, and sent a reply. [Give me a few more days. After my birthday, once I've said a proper goodbye to this family, I'll come back.]

After I sent it, the anxiety I'd carried for four years suddenly settled.

A few days ago, my birth family had found me.

The regal, dignified woman had stood before me in tears, saying she was my biological mother. She told me I'd been stolen by a rival family as a baby, and she'd believed I was dead all these years.

Twenty-two years later, she'd discovered by chance that the Gallo family had taken me in.

I was relieved I hadn't been abandoned, yet I couldn't turn my back on the woman who had raised me for more than twenty years.

So at the time, I'd only asked for time to think.

But now, it all suddenly became clear.

The truth was, from the day her real daughter was brought back, there was no longer a place for me in this family. I just hadn't been willing to admit it.

Now it was time to go.

Chapter 3

The next day was the birthday I shared with Vera.

I was a foundling. Carmela didn't know my real birthday, so she'd given me the same one as Vera.

My childhood friend, Cole Marino, came too, bringing two gifts.

He handed me a small bag. "Open it. It's for you."

I unwrapped it. Inside was an elegant keychain with a tiny Hermes logo.

My nose stung, and I smiled and thanked him.

In the four years since Vera came back, he was the only one who still remembered to get me a birthday present.

Beside us, Vera let out a soft scoff. Carmela and Cole both turned to look at her.

She folded her arms, looking smug. "See? I told you. Elsa only deserves the freebie."

She casually lifted the bag Cole had given her. The logo matched the one on my keychain. It was a limited-edition Hermes bag.

"I'm not that easy to please. Who treats a keychain that came free with a bag like some kind of treasure?"

The servants all kept their heads down. No one dared say a word.

The metal edge of the keychain dug into my palm, and its icy touch spread from my fingertips straight into my chest.

I pressed the keychain back into Cole's hand, turned, and fled to the attic.

Cole followed me in shortly after.

His tall frame could barely move in the cramped attic. He had to squeeze himself onto the edge of the bed.

"What, you're upset now? Don't like the birthday present?"

I didn't answer. My clenched fingers had gone white.

He frowned, his voice dropping colder. "You never used to be this petty."

I looked at Cole, and suddenly he felt like a stranger.

Four years ago, the day Vera came back, she'd pointed at me and screamed insults, then shoved me down the stairs. But Carmela only cared about holding Vera and calming her down, without so much as noticing my injuries.

Hurt, I hid in the garden and cried alone.

Cole found me there. He carefully tended to my wounds and sang a few corny old nursery rhymes to cheer me up.

"Elsa, don't cry. Even if the whole world gives up on you, I never will."

I came back to the present, looked at Cole, and suddenly smiled.

"What are you smiling about?"

"Nothing."

Cole picked up the keychain and placed it back in my palm. "It may be a freebie, but I picked it out myself."

"Elsa, stop being mad at me, okay?" He pulled me into his arms.

I listened to his heartbeat, but felt none of the old warmth between us.

Tears fell without warning, landing on the back of his hand.

"Vera can't handle stress right now. I don't want to see her have another episode and hurt you again.

"I promise, once Vera accepts you, I'll make it up to you."

I didn't argue or give the keychain back. It was brand new. It had to be worth something.

That afternoon, I took the keychain to a luxury resale shop.

When I got home, Carmela and Vera were sitting in the living room, waiting for me with grim expressions.

Vera shoved her phone in my face. "My friend spotted you at a luxury resale shop! My bag just happens to be missing. Did you steal it?"

"What was in your bag?"

She lunged for my purse. I held on tight.

Inside was a Cartier bracelet, a gift from my birth parents.

My eyes burned, but I kept my gaze fixed on Carmela. "I didn't take it."

Carmela hesitated. "Vera, could there be a misunderstanding? Elsa wouldn't stoop to theft."

"Mother! Are you taking this stray's side against me?"

The moment Vera finished, Carmela rushed forward to help her restrain me.

"Elsa, just let Vera look. It'll clear your name."

Carmela's grip was iron-tight, her fingers digging in painfully. I had no choice but to stand there as Vera ripped my purse open.

"And you said you didn't take it!" Vera snatched the bracelet, her voice shrill. "If you didn't steal my bag, where'd you get the money for a bracelet? Elsa, Mother gives you eight hundred dollars a month. That's it."

My voice shook as I tried to explain. "Someone gave it to me."

No one believed me.

Carmela looked at me with undisguised disappointment. "When did you become like this?"

She took my phone, called the servants to drag me back to the attic, and locked the door from the outside.

"Stay in there and think about what you've done! You're not coming out until you admit what you did!"

That evening, Cole showed up.

His voice carried through the door, laced with obvious contempt. "Elsa, I explained everything to you, and it turns out you didn't listen to a single word. Instead, you went and stole the gift I gave Vera and sold it."

Vera's sobbing followed right on cue. "Cole, it's my fault. I should have taken better care of the present you gave me."

Cole immediately softened his tone to comfort her. "It's not your fault. I've been too easy on her."

I leaned against the cold wall and slid to the floor.

My heart went cold.

Chapter 4

I was locked in the attic for three full days. No food, no water, and not a single person came to check on me.

On the afternoon of the fourth day, the lock was suddenly pried open.

My cousin, Luca Gallo, came in and helped me up. "Are you okay?"

He ordered the servants to bring warm water and food. I sat on the living room couch and wolfed it all down.

Vera and Carmela soon came downstairs.

Luca glanced up at them, his voice clipped with displeasure. "I looked into Vera's missing bag. It was in a drawer in her walk-in closet the whole time. It had nothing to do with Elsa."

"You locked her up for three days over a made-up accusation? Vera being stolen as a baby wasn't Elsa's fault."

Carmela's startled gaze landed on Vera. "Vera, is what Luca said true?"

Vera's face went ashen, then flushed red.

That reaction told Carmela everything she needed to know.

She turned to the servants. "Go check Vera's room. See if the bag is in her closet."

"Mother!" Vera grabbed the hem of Carmela's sleeve, screeching. "I'm sorry! I lied. Please forgive me!"

"Vera, how could you frame Elsa like that? If she hadn't protected you during the trial, you would have died at the port!"

Carmela's voice trembled, and her eyes reddened instantly.

She took Vera by the arm and steered her toward me. "Go apologize to Elsa."

Vera said nothing. The next second, she spun around and dashed into the kitchen.

When she came back out, she was gripping a paring knife and pointing it straight at her own throat.

"I'm sorry, Mother. I was just terrified Elsa would take your love away. I was so insecure. That's why I did it.

"Mother, I don't want to put you in a difficult position, but I can't control myself. So maybe if I were dead, all of this would just stop."

She pressed the blade down slightly. A thin red line bloomed across her pale throat.

Carmela went white. She reached out with shaking hands. "Vera, don't do this! You're the one I love most!"

Cole arrived after hearing what was happening and coaxed her in a gentle voice. "Sweetheart, give me the knife. Don't hurt yourself."

He inched closer and was about to reach for the blade.

Vera suddenly wheeled around and charged at me with the knife raised.

The cold tip slashed across my arm. Blood poured out instantly, soaking through my sleeve.

My whole body shuddered with pain.

The next second, Cole rushed to Vera's side, his face full of concern. "Vera, are you all right?"

Carmela threw her arms around Vera, her voice shaking. "Cole, hurry! Get Vera to the hospital!"

They carried Vera out without looking back at me once.

"Elsa, you're hurt." Luca snapped out of it and hurried over to help me toward the door. "I'll take you to the hospital."

"Just bandage it. I don't need a hospital."

Luca went upstairs for the first-aid kit. As he wrapped the wound, he kept apologizing. "I just thought they were being too cruel to you. I didn't expect Vera to actually snap and hurt you. I'm sorry."

He was the only person in this family who still stood up for me.

I shook my head and told him it wasn't his fault.

Vera had done it on purpose. She wasn't sick. She wasn't out of her mind. She just wanted to use these stunts to drive me out of the Gallo house for good.

But I kept quiet. She was Carmela's biological daughter, and she counted on Carmela's love for her. There was no point saying anything.

My phone buzzed twice. Two text messages.

The first was from Carmela. [When we get back, don't provoke Vera again. She can't handle stress.]

The second was from Cole. [Apologize to Vera later, and we can put this whole thing behind us.]

Not a single word asking if I was all right.

I was the one Vera had framed. I was the one Vera had cut. And somehow, I was still the one who owed an apology.

Luca stood beside me and asked quietly, "Elsa, are you okay?"

"Take me outside."

Luca didn't understand, but he did as I asked. The moment we stepped through the door, he froze.

A black Bentley was parked by the curb. The door swung open from inside, and a man in a tailored black suit stepped out, the Rossi family crest gleaming on his chest.

He bowed slightly. "Princess. The Don sent me to bring you home."

I gave Luca a relieved smile. "Goodbye, Luca. I'm going home. My real home."