It turned out that Liam thought all my suffering was merely a charade—that I was faking it just to contend with Tina for things that were, in fact, rightfully mine.

I stared at the blood on my hands and let out a bitter laugh. I remembered how, when Tina had simply twisted her ankle during P.E., Liam, being her homeroom teacher, had instantly dropped everything and abandoned all the other students to carry her to the ambulance waiting by the school gates.

He didn't even bat an eye when he nearly got hit by a car, as all his attention was on Tina, his darling sister. How could he ignore me now, his biological sister, after I had been pushed down the stairs and was bleeding profusely from my head?

Just yesterday, at the Johnson residence, I refused to relinquish my guaranteed university admission spot to Tina, causing my father, Henry Johnson, to slap me hard across the face. "You're clearly bad to the bone, always stealing what belongs to your sister! You ought to have been left to die in that godforsaken countryside!"

Karen, meanwhile, held Tina tightly, comforting her while scolding me. "Tina almost gave up on life because of what you did. You're indebted to her for the rest of your life."

Liam's reaction back then was exactly as it was at that moment. He merely looked at me with utter contempt and revulsion before turning away to softly console Tina.

I looked up. Fighting back tears, I fixed my gaze on Liam, the one who was supposed to be my biological brother.

I then declared defiantly, "You're absolutely right about that. I'm indeed putting on an act! I'm obviously the biological daughter of the Johnson family, so I'm just taking back what's rightfully mine! What does it matter that Tina stole my guaranteed spot at the university? I'm smarter than her, so I'll always be better than her!"

I had kept those thoughts inside me for a long time. I had longed to say them aloud countless times, but I had always been too afraid that saying them would diminish the tiny bit of love they had. I had endured it all—even when Tina bullied me, cut my hair, burned my books, poured filthy water on me, or even spread rumors that I had cheated in my exams.

I had always put up with everything, desperately hoping to earn even a fleeting glance from my parents and Liam. Yet, now, Tina, bathed in their affection, had stripped me of everything. I could no longer tolerate it.

Liam's face clouded over when he heard me speak. Once praised as the kindest in the whole school, he now looked like he was about to yell at me.

Just then, Tina, dressed in a pink ball gown, hurried to the scene. As her gaze swept over my messy appearance, she barely hid her triumphant smirk. Still, she was clearly worried that the other students would learn that I was the real heiress of the Johnson family. So, she quickly interjected, stopping Liam. "It's obvious that Kiara is just jealous of me, Liam. I'm certain that she doesn't actually harbor any malice…"

Having said that, she gently helped me up, putting on an act of deep concern as she continued, "Why are you lying here, Kiara? I know that it's tough that you were exposed for cheating. But honestly, Mom and Dad can't bail you out of this one. I know you had it hard in the countryside, but that doesn't excuse you from trying to cheat your way in."

Tina's remarks instantly stirred an uproar among the onlookers, causing their disdain for me to become even more pronounced.

In the meantime, Liam, spurred on by Tina's remarks, glared at me with utter contempt as he said, "Tina is being so magnanimous toward you, Kiara. You'd better get up now and stop embarrassing yourself in front of everyone!"

I gazed at the people before me, a profound disgust welling up inside me, especially at Tina's blatant hypocrisy. I had resisted letting her lay a hand on me, yet for some reason, my own hand ended up brushing against her.

Tina abruptly fell backward to the ground. Her face was a mask of fear. Tears streamed down her face as she said, "I know you're upset with me, Kiara, but how could you resort to violence?"

I was still completely stunned when a resounding slap landed hard on my face. The impact immediately caused my head wound, which had barely stopped bleeding, to start flowing again.

"You're truly a vile creature, Kiara! I ought to have let you die back in the countryside! How dare you lay a hand on Tina!" Karen bellowed.

Karen, who typically carried herself like a refined lady, had now completely lost all semblance of control.

That resounding slap definitively extinguished any reverence I had once felt for Karen. I stayed silent, struggling to hold back my tears as I fixed my gaze on Karen, who was standing before me.

Yet, Karen perceived me as the embodiment of malice, uttering cutting remarks that tore into my very core. "Who do you think you are? How dare you harm my daughter! Why don't you just drop dead? You've been nothing but trouble. I don't expect you to be as brilliant as Liam and Tina, but at the very least, you shouldn't be so wicked! I truly wish I had given birth to Tina instead."

I clenched my hands tightly, gathering my composure before saying, "It's not my fault. You are well aware that it was Tina who cheated on the exam. I never—"

Yet, before I could complete my sentence, Liam cut me off. "Have you lost your mind, Kiara? You ought to know that Tina's excellence is common knowledge, having ranked first in every high school exam. You, on the other hand, were always dead last. How dare you accuse Tina like that!"

I merely looked at the people before me. I had endless explanations and mountains of evidence against Tina. Ever since I got into Evergreen High School as the top-ranking student, Tina had always switched out all my test papers. This competition was the only time she didn't manage to pull it off.

Still, I knew that no matter what I said, my family wouldn't believe me, as Tina was the only one they cared about.

Tina, nestling in Karen's embrace, looked at me tauntingly. She said, "I know this is all my doing, and you dislike me, Kiara, but I hold no grudge against you. I only wish that I had perished in that accident."

Upon hearing that, Karen and Liam, who were already seething with revulsion, became even more enraged.

Karen directly pointed her finger at me, yelling, "You vile creature! You lured Tina into the river and almost drowned her ten years ago! You wouldn't even be around if Tina hadn't been so magnanimous. How dare you still target her! You are to withdraw from school today! You ought to head back to the countryside and never come near Tina again!"

I merely stood still, feeling my body grow colder, inch by agonizing inch, unsure if it was from the blood loss or the pain in my heart. I had relied on my own efforts to leave that mountain village in the countryside and make it to the city.

Before I came here, I had thought that Karen would welcome me with open arms. I had hoped my academic performance might elicit even a trace of their affection. I had put aside the fact that they had left me in that far-off countryside, where I had to get up at 4:00 am daily to feed the pigs, trek three hours through the mountains to get to school, and had almost died from malnutrition.

I never held any of that against them. I always thought that I was somehow at fault and that if I just behaved better and achieved more in my life, they would eventually accept me into the family. Yet, no matter what my actions were, they would always view me as the inherently flawed one.

I remembered when I was first sent to that mountain village, Tina didn't go as Tina Johnson. She was known as Tina White. She was the cherished only daughter of the White family, the ones who sheltered me back then.

I initially believed that I was just staying in the countryside for a little while, but then I realized that my parents never intended to bring me back with them. They planned to leave me in that mountain village, where school was a grueling three-hour walk away.

The day I arrived in the mountain village, Tina beckoned me to the pond, telling me that only by retrieving the most stunning iris in the pond would my mother recognize my feelings for her and, consequently, reciprocate my affection.

I never sensed any ill intent from her. I simply slipped off my shoes and waded in. Yet, for some unknown reason, Tina joined me in the water as well. She then started to drown, gripping my waist relentlessly, which destabilized me. I ultimately lost consciousness from her relentless dragging.

Upon regaining consciousness, I found Tina lying weakly in my mother's embrace, saying things that made no sense to me. "You shouldn't blame Kiara. I only tried to pull her to safety, but she kept pushing me away…"

I wanted to tell them what really happened, but I was too weak even to utter a single word at that moment. In the end, I could only watch helplessly as my parents held Tina close and departed for home.

I could only watch as they condemned me, saying, "You're truly bad to the bone! You're actually plotting Tina's demise just because I complimented her for being cute."

"I should have smothered her the moment she was born!"

In the end, Tina was taken to the city to live a life of comfort and privilege, while I was left behind in the countryside.

The White family then abandoned their facade when my parents left. They routinely withheld my allowance, denied me sufficient food, and compelled me to toil every day.

However, no one else would intervene on my behalf. It was all because everyone viewed me as a wicked child, all thanks to Tina's drowning incident. Their perception was then cemented by the fact that even my biological parents had disowned me.

Just before she stepped into the luxurious car bound for the city, Tina turned to me. She stuck out her tongue in a mocking gesture. "I'm off to enjoy the fortunate life that was meant for you, Kiara."

Tina's utterance was barely audible, intended for my ears alone. Yet, its implications were immense enough to irrevocably change my entire life's trajectory.

I looked at my parents and Liam, who regarded me as if I were a plague, and at Tina, who was still feigning tears. I felt every ounce of my strength deserting me as I clutched my bag. I then swallowed the metallic taste in my throat and faced them, stating, "I'll leave. But before I do, I want us to formally sever all our ties as family."