When I was ten, I accidentally overheard my mother on the phone.

It seemed like she was talking about me being a switched-at-birth rich girl, and that my real last name was Gardner.

The coldness and cruelty my mother had shown me all these years suddenly made sense.

When I turned 11, I paid an adult to get a maternity test done for both my mother and me.

The results confirmed that I was indeed her biological daughter.

I kept the report to myself and pretended I was still in the dark.

"Mom, next Wednesday is my birthday. Could you get me a dress?"

My 18th birthday was coming, and I wanted to look presentable for once.

My mother stood in the walk-in closet, trying on the custom-made gowns she had ordered.

Each time she tried one on, she would compare it with a pink diamond-studded evening gown she had just had steamed and pressed.

I knew that gown was for Clarissa Gardner.

"Here, what do you think? Does this go well with that one?"

Her tone was light and cheerful, though she still ignored my request.

I nodded.

"Mom, you look great in anything."

That was true. She had striking features and took good care of herself.

After all these years, she might have forgotten about the times she hit me, but she never skipped her morning runs.

Unfortunately, her beauty had long since withered, like a flower whose roots had rotted away.

"Let's get ready. We'll go to the Gardners' for a visit."

For the past 18 years, my mother had frequently visited the Gardners, claiming to be close friends with Sadie Gardner, who had grown up alongside her.

On the surface, it seemed like a strong friendly bond, but in reality, it was all about her worrying over Clarissa, the girl she believed was her biological daughter.

As soon as we entered the Gardners' home, my mother exchanged a few brief pleasantries with Sadie before turning her attention to Clarissa.

"Clarissa, I've come to see you! I have a gift for you. You're going to love it."

It was the same evening gown she had been holding earlier.

"Why don't you wear it to your birthday party?"

Sadie immediately noticed the gown's high price. While it didn't faze her, she knew my family wasn't wealthy.

"Fiona, you've spent quite a lot on my daughter over the years," she remarked. "You should be a little kinder to Coco."

Sadie gently stroked my frazzled hair, which had been damaged from lack of care.

My mother didn't spare me a glance.

"Why are you being so polite? We were born in the same month, the same year. We've been friends forever. Of course, I want to treat Clarissa well. Unlike Clarissa, Coco is ungrateful. Do you remember the clothes you gave her? She hated them so much she burned them all."

The truth was, she didn't want me to have nice things at all. She hated it when Sadie treated me well.

Every time Sadie gave me a gift, my mother would list it for sale online as soon as we left the Gardners, making a profit.

She would then use that money to buy Clarissa gifts, worried I might have a chance at a better life with the Gardners in the future.

Meanwhile, Clarissa, who was the recipient of my mother's enthusiasm, didn't seem to appreciate it.

"Mrs. Strauss, my mother has already prepared the gown for my birthday party. Thank you for the gesture, but it's not necessary."

She hadn't referred to my mother as "Aunt Fiona" in a long time.

When my mother asked her why, Clarissa simply said she didn't like it.

Sadie scolded her for being rude, but Clarissa remained firm in her stance.

I once wondered if Clarissa distanced herself from my mother because I had stopped talking to her.

But in the end, my mother, being soft-hearted, allowed her to call her whatever she wanted. She didn't care as long as the affection was there.

Then Clarissa suddenly turned to me and said, "Mrs. Strauss, why don't you let Coco wear this dress? It's more suited to her than to me."

Not only did Clarissa reject my mother's gift, but now she wanted to give it to me.

My mother couldn't hide her anger.

"That spoiled brat doesn't deserve this dress! She's ungrateful, and she isn't even worthy of wearing a dress you don't want!"

Realizing she had spoken too harshly, my mother quickly tried to cover up her words with a forced laugh.

"Clarissa, you can't be too kind. You need to know who's worth keeping in your life and who's not. Let's not talk about this anymore. How did you do on your mock exams?"

Clarissa politely replied, "Thanks for asking, Mrs. Strauss. I should be fine getting into a good college."

My mother's face brightened, and her voice was full of pride.

"I knew you could do it! Bring me your score report. I'd love to take a photo as keepsake."

Though I had grown used to it, the affectionate look in my mother's eyes made my heart ache.

Was this the way she would have treated me as her real daughter?

"By the way, Mrs. Strauss, Coco did really well in her mock exams too."

When my mother heard Clarissa mentioning me repeatedly, her expression soured.

"I already know how she did. You don't need to cover for her. Alright, I won't take up any more of your time. Once your college entrance exams are over, I'll have a big gift for you."

After we said our goodbyes, my mother shoved me to the ground the moment we walked into the house.

But that wasn't enough to satisfy her. She grabbed a stick and started hitting me, carefully targeting the places where my clothes would cover.

"Did you tell Clarissa that you wanted this dress? You're a liar, and Clarissa is the only one who covers for you. I know how bad you are at studies—how dare you say you did well at your exams!"

More hits rained down on me, and I curled up on the floor, shielding my head.

I remained silent, enduring it all. After all, it wouldn't take long to be over.

The results from the third mock exams came back, and I handed my report card—stacked with fake low scores—to my mother for her signature.

She didn't seem surprised; she must have gotten used to my failure by now.

"Ha, I knew it—you're a good-for-nothing," she scoffed. "And you still have the nerve to let Clarissa tell people you did well? Talk about thick skin. Having a daughter like you, I'd probably be better off if I just ended it all. Good thing you're not—"

She stopped herself abruptly and spat a raisin onto me. I felt disgusted, but I dared not flick it away. If I did, my situation would only get worse.

"Later, I'm heading to Sadie's for dinner. You'd better wash the clothes and clean the floors. And don't forget to do the dishes," she ordered.

I lowered my head, sinking deep into my thoughts. What would happen if my mother knew I was her real daughter? It wasn't long before she would find out. I smiled. I couldn't wait to see her reaction.

Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain on my head as my mother yanked my hair and slammed my head into the wall.

"Are you mute?! Did you hear what I said?!" she screamed. "I don't know whose bad genes you inherited, but if you could be even a little like Clarissa, I might actually think something of you," she spat out.

Day after day of abuse. The wall paint peeled off, revealing the cracked cement underneath, sharp enough to leave bruises on my skin.

I'd gotten used to the pain, but I still couldn't stop the sharp intake of breath that followed it. Blood dripped from my forehead, running down my hairline and splattering onto the floor.

I slowly lifted my head and met my mother's eyes.

"Is that so?" I asked, my voice steady despite the blood staining my face. "If my results were as good as Clarissa's, would you treat me better?"

Her eyes widened in fear, and she took a step back. Once she understood what I meant, she immediately pointed a finger at me.

"You? Don't get ahead of yourself. Not only is it impossible for you to get Clarissa's grades, but it's also your character! Your filthy genes!" she yelled.

I grabbed her finger, and we stood there, staring at each other.

As the time passed, I couldn't help but feel a strange sense of excitement—both for me and for my mother.

"Why are my genes so filthy? Am I not your child?" I asked, the words slipping out without hesitation.

My mother jerked her hand away, wiping it off in disgust.

"Wh-what the hell is wrong with you? Go away!" she shouted. "You're just a worthless child. That's never going to change!"

With that, she looked at the time and hurried out the door.

She was eager to see her "real" daughter. In the past, when she went to Clarissa's house for dinner, she would always bring me along. I was the best excuse for her to visit, and she liked showing Sadie how pitiful I was.

She thought the worse I looked, the more it would torment my "real" mother when we were reunited.

But unfortunately for her, my stomach had been getting worse, to the point where I couldn't stop myself from vomiting in front of others. My mother figured I was ruining Clarissa's appetite, so she started leaving me behind when she went for meals. She placed Clarissa above everything else.

After she left, I did everything she asked—washing, cleaning, and putting everything in its place.

Except for one room—her room.

She never allowed me inside, locking it with a password.

The familiar sound of the lock unlocking rang out before I walked inside.

The code was my original due date.

My mother thought this was her real daughter's birthday.

Her room was small but clean. The walls were filled with everything about Clarissa—her baby steps, her photos at school events, her yearly birthday pictures with my mother.

At the back of the room, there was a space where I knew a copy of Clarissa's third mock exam scores and college entrance exam results would soon be posted.

I opened my mother's latest diary entry.

[Clarissa, I hope you understand the love I've given you. Even though you've become distant these past few years and no longer call me "Aunt Fiona", it's okay. After your college exams, you'll come back to me. It's been eighteen years, and I've waited for you for so long. When we're reunited, you'll see through the Gardners' hypocrisy. You'll understand what I've sacrificed for you.]

I flipped through the pages, getting more and more amused. It made me laugh so hard that I was almost in tears.

"Mom, you're such a joke."

By early June, the heat had already begun to settle.

As the last stroke of my exam came to an end, my college entrance exams were finally over.

Lately, my life had been quiet, mainly because my mother's entire focus was on Clarissa. She was more anxious about Clarissa's results than anyone else.

Even though Clarissa didn't drink soup, my mother would still make her a pot every morning and send it over.

When the exam results came out, Clarissa did well—there was no doubt she'd get into the best school in the city. Her scores could land her in an Ivy League school if she applied.

This had been Clarissa's plan all along. She wanted to stay close to her family.

When my mother got her hands on the results, her joy was overwhelming. Her cheekbones practically soared.

"Thank God. This is amazing! I knew it! I'm finally going to win!" she cheered as she paced around the house.

But just as she was celebrating, there was a knock at our door.

"Excuse me, is this Coco Strauss's residence? I'm with Kingston University."

"Hello, Mrs. Strauss, congratulations! I'm from Ottuman University…"

After seeing off the representatives from the universities, my mother squinted her eyes and turned to me.

"You? Ivy League schools are actually scouting you? Did you cheat?!"

I let out a cold laugh. "How could there be cheating in the entrance exams? I did well, Mom—aren't you happy for me?" I raised an eyebrow. "Mom, tell me, which one do you think I should choose? Ottuman University or Kingston University?"

My mother was stunned, clutching her head as though in disbelief.

"No way! This is impossible! How could you score better than Clarissa? All this time... you've been lying to me? Have you found out about something?" she asked, her voice filled with suspicion.

She rushed over to me, grabbing my neck, her eyes burning with hatred.

I struggled to free myself, my voice hoarse as I spoke, "This is my surprise for you, Mom. Didn't you always say I was worthless? Well, turns out I'm better than Clarissa."

The pressure on my neck finally loosened, but that was only followed by a sharp slap to my face.

"That's impossible. Go to hell! Just die!" she shouted, her anger unchecked.

The blow was so forceful that I lost consciousness.

When I woke again, I found myself locked in my room. I tugged at the door handle desperately.

Outside, I could hear my mother's voice.

"Stay in there until the university applications are over. You're nothing but trash—you don't deserve to go to university. Don't you dare ruin my plans!"

I collapsed onto the floor.

I had seen that coming. Thank you, as always, for your cruelty.

When I finally saw daylight again, my mother dragged me to Clarissa's graduation party.

It seemed to be Clarissa's wish, wanting to celebrate with just family.

So the entire room was filled with just me, my mother, and Clarissa's family.

After dinner, my mother cleared her throat.

"Sadie, Jimmy, I have something to tell you. I only just found out, but when Sadie and I gave birth, the nurse accidentally swapped our babies. No wonder I've always felt a special bond with Clarissa. I just love this child, no matter how I look at her. I know it's hard to accept, but here's the nurse's recording."

In the recording, a woman's voice came through, apologizing.

"I'm sorry. I've kept this secret for so long, but now I'm paying the price for my mistake… After I swapped the babies by accident, I kept wanting to speak out, but I was afraid. I thought I'd lose my job. The Gardners have power and influence—they could ruin me."

After listening to the recording, there was an uncomfortable silence in the room.

Sadie's face showed disbelief as she tightly grasped Clarissa's hand.

Sadie's husband, Jimmy Gardner, rubbed his temples with a frown while muttering, "How could this happen? How could the hospital be so careless?"

My mother feigned concern.

"Yes, I didn't expect them to be so reckless. But luckily, both kids grew up under our watch. I understand you can't bear to part with Clarissa. She's such an outstanding child. But you must also understand how I, as her mother, feel. Who wouldn't want to raise their own child? Especially since, not long after I got pregnant with her, Tom passed away. Clarissa is our only child… Coco may be troublesome, but I believe you can give her a better life than I can!"

Jimmy and Sadie finally remembered me. They both looked at me with pity in their eyes.

My face was pale, and my arms were so thin they seemed like mere skin stretched over bones.

Sadie continued to rub Clarissa's hands repeatedly, her mind probably racing with different thoughts.

Just as I was about to speak, Clarissa cut me off. She seemed unfazed by the "truth" that had just been revealed.

"This is a huge matter. How can we rely on just one nurse's side of the story? We need a paternity test. If Coco and I were really swapped at birth, then of course I should return to my real mother."

My mother immediately agreed. "Yes, yes, we'll do whatever you say. You're so smart, sweetie," she added, giving Sadie a fawning smile before masking it with a sorrowful expression again.