4
I never knew the identity of the woman who had tried to steal my life.
But I knew, with absolute certainty, that she would show up one day.
Just as I was lost in thought, the door opened and Leo walked in.
“Mom, Dad,” he said, his voice flat. “We’ve been pampering the wrong person for eighteen years. Jenna is our
family. She’s my real sister.”
Whoa. The brother I’d hand–picked for his sister–doting personality was malfunctioning?
Then I remembered. He doted on his sister, not on me.
Now that Jenna was his sister, I was just an obstacle.
Heh. Interesting.
Jenna, now sitting on the sofa, had dropped her aggressive act entirely. Tears streamed down her face, a
picture of tragic beauty. She must have just learned the truth herself and rushed here to claim her family,
completely losing her composure in the process.
Rule number one of the Clark family: never, under any circumstances, tarnish the family’s reputation. In our
circle, appearances were everything.
My mother spoke first. “Leo! What are you talking about? Are you saying you knew she was your sister?”
Chapter 1
20.06
“Yes. The first time I saw her, I saw the birthmark on her arm.”
“I saw it when she was a baby. I remember.”
I remembered, too. During the brief time we were switched, my father had brought a five–year–old Leo in to
see the new baby. He actually remembered.
“So! Lila was the one who was switched!”
For a moment, my parents were speechless.
Leo pressed on. “I can’t let my sister live like that out on the streets. She has to come live with us.”
The brother who had cherished me for 18 years spoke with such chilling detachment.
My father sighed. “We need to investigate this properly. In the meantime, this young lady can stay at the villa
upstate. After we have the facts, we’ll decide if she’s moving in.”
My dear old dad! He was the best.
Leo Clark! This means war!
But Leo wasn’t done. “No! I won’t have Jenna living so far away! It’s not convenient for us to take care of her.
You have no idea how hard her life has been! You haven’t seen the place she lives in!”
My mother hesitated. “She can stay here, I suppose. It’s not like we don’t have the room. But Lila isn’t leavi-
- ng. Even if she isn’t my biological child, I raised her for eighteen years. I won’t be separated from her!”
Leo shot back, “Mom! She usurped Jenna’s life of luxury for eighteen years! It’s time for her to go back to
where she belongs!”
The adoration in my brother’s eyes was gone.
In its place was a burning rage, directed at the person who had stolen 18 years of wealth and privilege from
his real sister.
