Augustina coughed so hard her ribs ached.

The sudden movement yanked the IV needle taped to the back of her hand. A sharp pinch of pain grounded her.

She wiped her mouth with a trembling arm and looked around.

The room was vast and silent, filled with equipment she'd never seen outside of movies. A small, engraved plaque on the wall read 'The Cedars-Sinai Presidential Suite.' The name meant little to her, but the sheer luxury screamed money and power.

Her eyes darted to the digital clock on the bedside table. The red numbers displayed the date.

Her pupils shrank. Her breath hitched in her throat.

It was five years ago.

The memories crashed into her brain like a physical blow. This was the night of the charity gala. The night she almost drowned shortly after being brought back to the Hogan family.

In her past life, Kayleigh had deliberately pushed her into the deep end of the pool. Then, Kayleigh ran to the press, crying that Augustina had tried to drag her down and murder her.

The sharp click-clack of high heels hitting marble echoed from the hallway outside.

Augustina didn't hesitate. She grabbed the plastic tubing of the IV and ripped the needle out of her vein.

A thick drop of dark blood rolled down her pale skin and stained the pure white bedsheets.

She pushed off the mattress. Her bare feet hit the cold floor.

She walked over to the window and peered through the narrow slits of the blinds.

Out in the hallway, her legal mother, Cindy Hogan, was wrapping a cashmere shawl around Kayleigh's shoulders. Cindy was rubbing Kayleigh's arms, whispering soothing words.

A few feet away, her father, Felton Hogan, was aggressively pointing a finger at the hospital director. He was demanding they suppress any media leaks about the scandal.

Her second brother, Dustin, stood against the wall. He yanked at his silk tie, his face red with frustration.

"She's a curse," Dustin spat out. "A piece of trash we dragged out of the slums. We should have left her in The Warrens."

Augustina listened to the venom in his voice. In her past life, those words would have made her chest tight with panic. She would have cried, begging for their love.

Now, her stomach didn't even flutter. She felt nothing but a cold, clinical detachment.

She turned away from the blinds and walked into the private bathroom.

She turned on the faucet and splashed freezing water onto her face.

She stared at her reflection in the mirror. Her face was young. Her skin wasn't scarred by years of torture. Her eyes weren't dead yet.

A slow, chilling smile curled the corners of her lips.

The sound of the door handle turning echoed in the room.

Augustina quickly stepped out of the bathroom. She stood perfectly straight beside the hospital bed.

The door swung open. Cindy stormed in, her face tight with suppressed rage.

Cindy didn't ask if her lungs hurt. She didn't ask if she was okay.

"Do you have any idea what you've done?" Cindy hissed. "You ruined Kayleigh's limited-edition dress. You humiliated us in front of the entire board!"

Felton walked in right behind her. His eyes were hard and calculating.

"You will sign a statement for the press," Felton ordered, his voice leaving no room for argument. "You will admit you slipped and fell. If you don't, I will cut off every cent of your allowance."

Dustin leaned against the doorframe. He crossed his arms over his chest, looking at her like she was a stain on the floor.

Kayleigh hid behind Cindy's shoulder. Her eyes were red and puffy, but a tiny, mocking smirk played on her lips.

Augustina didn't cry. She didn't try to explain that Kayleigh pushed her.

She calmly reached over to the bedside table and picked up a heavy glass of water.

Dustin tensed. He took a step forward, his fists clenching, fully expecting her to throw it.

Instead, Augustina tilted her head back. She drank the ice-cold water in three long gulps, soothing her raw throat.

She set the glass down with a soft clink.

She looked at the four of them. Her dark eyes swept over their faces with the indifference of looking at strangers on a subway.

"Fine," Augustina said. Her voice was hoarse, but steady. "I'll sign it."

The room fell dead silent.

Felton blinked. Cindy's mouth parted slightly. They were entirely unprepared for this level of submission from the usually rebellious girl.

Kayleigh's smirk vanished. Suspicion flashed in her eyes. She stepped forward, extending a hand to play the victim. "Gussie, I'm so glad you understand-"

Augustina shifted her weight, dodging the touch completely.

She shot Kayleigh a look so sharp and hollow that Kayleigh physically flinched, a shiver running down her spine.

Felton cleared his throat, assuming his threat had finally broken her spirit. "Good. I'll have the lawyers draft it immediately."

"I have one condition," Augustina said flatly. "After I sign it, I am leaving this hospital. I want to go back to the estate tonight."

Augustina changed into a cheap, oversized hoodie the hospital nurses had bought from a discount store.

She walked out of the sliding glass doors of Cedars-Sinai. The midnight Los Angeles wind whipped her damp hair across her face.

A black Lincoln Navigator idled by the curb.

The family driver, Gus Kowalski, stood by the hood. He didn't move to open the door for her. He just chewed his gum and looked away.

Augustina didn't wait. She pulled the heavy door open herself and climbed into the very back row, squeezing into the narrowest seat.

Cindy and Kayleigh were already settled in the spacious, reclining captain's chairs in the second row. The heavy scent of Chanel No. 5 suffocated the air inside the cabin.

The SUV pulled smoothly away from the curb and merged onto the interstate heading toward Bel Air.

The interior was dead silent. The only sound was the low hum of the climate control system.

Cindy couldn't handle the quiet. She turned slightly in her seat, her tone dripping with condescension.

"Your behavior in front of those nurses was appalling," Cindy scolded. "Gulping water down like a refugee. You have no concept of high society etiquette."

Kayleigh reached out and gently patted Cindy's hand.

"Don't be too hard on her, Mom," Kayleigh said, her voice sickeningly sweet. "She just doesn't know any better."

Kayleigh paused, making sure Augustina was listening. "By the way, Mom, I need to go to the Ivy League alumni fitting tomorrow morning. The tailor is flying in from Milan."

It was a blatant display of power. A reminder of the elite resources and status Augustina would never touch.

Augustina leaned her head against the cold glass of the window. She didn't even blink.

She watched the streetlights blur past, her mind already calculating how fast she could liquidate whatever assets she could grab and disappear.

Cindy frowned. Augustina's lack of reaction felt like a direct challenge to her authority.

Cindy twisted her body around to glare at the back row.

"Are you listening to me?" Cindy snapped. "Tomorrow morning, you will stand in the living room and formally apologize to Kayleigh in front of the entire family."

Augustina slowly turned her head.

Her dark eyes locked onto Cindy in the dim light of the cabin.

She kept her voice completely flat, devoid of any emotion.

"No."

Cindy gasped. Her hand flew to her chest. She couldn't believe this girl, who usually craved her approval like a starving dog, had just flat-out refused.

Kayleigh's fingernails dug hard into her own palms. A flicker of genuine panic crossed her face.

In the driver's seat, Gus glanced in the rearview mirror. He shook his head in disgust, assuming this was just another pathetic cry for attention.

Before Cindy could scream, the Navigator took a sharp turn. The tires crunched onto the private driveway of the Bel Air estate.

Massive wrought-iron gates swung open, revealing a sprawling, brightly lit European-style mansion.

The SUV stopped in front of a towering fountain. Two rows of servants stood at attention on the front steps, holding umbrellas.

Gus threw the car into park and rushed out. He opened the doors for Cindy and Kayleigh, holding a large umbrella over their heads to shield them from the drizzle.

Augustina pushed open her own door.

She stepped out. Her foot landed squarely in a deep puddle on the stone pavement.

The freezing water instantly soaked through her cheap canvas shoes, chilling her toes to the bone. She didn't even look down.

A butler rushed forward, handing Kayleigh a warm, thick towel. He completely ignored Augustina, leaving her standing in the rain.

Augustina tilted her head back and stared at the massive structure.

This was the cage that had buried her dignity in her past life.

She took a deep breath of the cold air. Her jaw set. She walked up the pristine white marble steps with heavy, deliberate strides.

Augustina walked into the lavishly decorated living room.

Her soaked canvas shoes left a trail of muddy, wet footprints across the priceless Persian rug.

Her eldest brother, Preston, sat on a French tufted sofa. He lowered his copy of the Wall Street Journal, his eyes narrowing in disgust at the mud on the floor.

Felton sat in the oversized leather armchair at the head of the room. He held a crystal glass of whiskey. His face was dark as a thundercloud.

The moment Cindy stepped into the room, she started shrieking.

"Felton! You won't believe the attitude on her in the car!" Cindy pointed a shaking finger at Augustina. "She refused to apologize!"

Kayleigh squeezed her eyes shut, forcing a few tears to spill over her lashes. She shrank back against the wall, playing the terrified victim flawlessly.

Dustin slammed his hands down on a side table and shot up to his feet.

"Get on your knees right now and apologize to Mom!" Dustin roared, his face turning purple.

Augustina didn't look at him. She walked straight past the sofas, heading directly for the crystal wet bar in the center of the room.

She picked up a heavy Baccarat crystal tumbler and filled it to the brim with ice cubes and cold water.

Preston scoffed. "Look at her. No manners at all. She doesn't even answer when spoken to."

Augustina turned around, holding the freezing glass.

She walked slowly toward the sofa where Kayleigh was pretending to cry.

Everyone watched her, assuming she was just thirsty.

Augustina stopped right in front of Kayleigh. Without a single change in her facial expression, she flipped her wrist.

The entire glass of ice water poured directly over Kayleigh's perfectly styled hair.

Kayleigh let out a blood-curdling scream. The freezing water ruined her makeup, sending black mascara running down her cheeks. The ice cubes bounced off her shoulders and scattered across the rug.

Cindy screamed in horror, covering her mouth with both hands.

Felton slammed his whiskey glass down on the coffee table so hard the liquor splashed out.

"You bitch!" Dustin bellowed.

He charged at Augustina like an enraged bull, pulling his fist back to strike her face.

Augustina's eyes hardened. Her body reacted with the pure, violent instinct she had honed in the slums of The Warrens.

She swiftly pivoted her hips and sidestepped to the left.

Dustin swung at empty air. His momentum carried him forward, and he stumbled, slamming his chest hard against the marble bar. He gasped, the wind knocked out of him, collapsing to the floor in a heap of humiliated rage rather than agony.

Preston jumped up, ready to intervene, but he froze in his tracks.

Augustina had casually picked up a silver letter opener from the bar. She flipped it between her fingers.

The sharp, pointed blade caught the light of the crystal chandelier, gleaming with a cold, lethal threat.

The room fell into a dead, heavy silence. The only sounds were Kayleigh's sobbing and Dustin's pained gasps.

Augustina looked down at them from her position by the bar.

"Don't pretend you care about me," Augustina said, her voice slicing through the room like ice. "I know the maids put moldy food in my room. I know you only brought me back to maintain your pathetic philanthropist image for the board."

Felton's face turned a dangerous shade of red. He realized, in that exact moment, that this girl was completely out of his control.

He stood up, his chest heaving.

"If you want to act like a wild animal," Felton threatened, his voice shaking with rage, "I will cut off your trust fund. I will throw you out on the street tonight."

The corner of Augustina's mouth twitched upward into a mocking smile.

She slammed the silver letter opener down.

Thwack.

The blade sank deep into the expensive mahogany coffee table, vibrating from the force.

Cindy flinched violently, pressing herself into the sofa cushions.

Augustina stared dead into Felton's eyes.

"Exactly what I want," she said, emphasizing every syllable.

She leaned forward. "Draft the papers. I want to sever all legal ties. I don't want to carry the Hogan name for another second."

Felton narrowed his eyes. He stared at her defiant face. Slowly, a dark, malicious smirk spread across his lips.