Chapter 5
The doctor’s voice wasn’t loud, but it exploded like thunder in the quiet room.
Dad whipped around to stare at Mom, his face instantly drained of color.
‘Did you hear that? What did he say? How can Sage be Type A?”
Mom’s body swayed as she instinctively covered her mouth, eyes full of terror and disbelief.
‘Impossible… absolutely impossible!”
Mom screamed and snatched the test results from the doctor.
She stared at those damning results, shaking all over like she might collapse any second.
‘Doctor, you screwed up, right?! Test them again! Do it RIGHT this time!”
Dad rushed over and grabbed the lab report, comparing it with Rowan’s fake DNA test.
The truth was right there, naked and undeniable.
Sage was a total fraud.
And me? I was their real daughter–the one who’d suffered through hell.
‘ROWAN!”
Dad was so pissed his veins were bulging out.
He stormed into Sage’s room and punched Rowan square in the face.
‘You better explain what the HELL is going on!”
Rowan stumbled backward, blood trickling from his mouth.
Looking at Mom and Dad’s murderous expressions, his legs went weak.
“Dad, Mom, I… I…”
He stammered for ages without getting a single word out.
Sage freaked out too, throwing herself at Mom’s feet in tears.
“Mom, you gotta believe me—I really AM your daughter! The hospital screwed up! They had to have!”
Chapter 5
Mom kicked her away, completely losing it.
‘GET AWAY FROM ME! You lying little bitch! You’re not my daughter! Mia is! MY MIA!”
She ran to my bed sobbing and grabbed my hands.
‘Mia, baby, Mommy’s so sorry! Mommy screwed up so bad!”
Wake up, sweetie, look at Mommy!”
looked at her tear–stained face and felt absolutely nothing.
Sorry?
What the hell was “sorry” gonna fix now?
Could “sorry” erase all the pain I went through?
I spent forever in that hospital.
Mom and Dad acted like they were trying to make up for eighteen years of neglect–hiring the best nurses, using the most expensive treatments.
They sat by my bed every single day, going on and on about how sorry they were.
‘Mia, Daddy’s a piece of shit! I’m scum!”
‘Baby girl, you’re breaking Mommy’s heart. Please just talk to me, okay?”
But their tears couldn’t touch me anymore.
After that, Rowan got banned from coming near my room.
only heard through nurse gossip that Dad had broken one of his legs and locked him up at home.
And Sage? She got arrested for arson and identity fraud.
Apparently, she was still screaming about being the real Castellano daughter when they dragged her away.
I started losing my appetite more and more.
Everything tasted like this gross metallic flavor that made me want to puke.
My body was visibly wasting away.
The doctor hooked me up to IVs, but it barely helped.
Mom held me while crying her eyes out.
Chapter 9
“Mia, please eat something, just a little bit? You’re gonna kill Mommy with worry!”
Seeing Mom cry all day, I forced myself to eat.
But I’d just throw it all up again.
The doctor told Mom I had severe PTSD and needed time to recover.
When I got discharged, they’d completely redone the house.
Every single thing that belonged to Sage was gone–wiped clean.
My room got switched to the biggest, sunniest one, filled with all my childhood stuffed animals.
Mom and Dad carefully carried me to the soft bed, their eyes full of desperate pleading.
“Mia, do you like it? This is your room now.”
I didn’t say anything, just stared out the window.
Once upon a time, I’d wanted all this so badly.
But now? These pathetic consolation prizes just made me sick.
“Please leave.” My voice finally came out, hoarse as hell.
Mom and Dad froze.
“Mia, what did you say?”
“I said get out.” I repeated coldly. “I don’t want to see you.”
Mom immediately started bawling while Dad’s face went white.
“We just… we just want to take care of you.”
“Take care of me?”
I laughed bitterly.
“Where were you when I was treated like garbage and Sage was walking all over me?”
“Now you want to take care of me? Too damn late!”
I started grabbing stuffed animals and hurling them at both of them.
“GET OUT! GET OUT!”
Chapter 3
Mom and Dad were so freaked out by my breakdown that they practically ran from the room.
The door slammed shut and 1 collapsed, curled up on the bed, shaking uncontrollably.
I started grabbing stuffed animals and hurling them at both of them.
“GET OUT! GET OUT!”
Chapter 3
Mom and Dad were so freaked out by my breakdown that they practically ran from the room.
The door slammed shut and 1 collapsed, curled up on the bed, shaking uncontrollably.
