Chapter 1
The courtroom was suffocating. The judge directed a question straight at me.
“Whom do you wish to live with, child?”
Everyone expected me to choose Amanda.
Amanda was the one who provided stability and the warmth of a mother’s love.
But I didn’t.
Instead, I turned my gaze toward Bruce, who stood a few feet
anyway and caressed the belly of his mistress.
Bruce looked genuinely surprised when I pointed at him, but in his eyes, I wasn’t more than a mere afterthought.
After all, I was just a daughter, not the son he’d always wanted.
To him, I was a placeholder, a girl who’d eventually marry off and leave the family name behind.
When the judge asked for my reasons, I spoke with the innocent conviction only a child could have.
“Daddy’s so pitiful. He just wants to be with Helen. What’s wrong with that? Daddy has to work hard to make money, and Helen is pregnant. I need to help Daddy take care of my little brother inside her. Mom’s always busy teaching, but she can’t have a son and won’t let Daddy have one with someone else. Mom’s the mean one.”
I glanced at Mom, whose face was buried in her hands. Her body shook with sobs.
But I knew better. I knew my mother. Behind those trembling fingers, she was stifling a laugh. This was all part of the plan. She played her part, and I played mine.
