Chapter 1
It all started because my dad casually said something while sponsoring a student from a poor background.
“What a coincidence! You were born on the exact same day and time as my daughter.”
That one offhand comment somehow led the girl to imagine that we’d been switched at birth and that she was the real daughter and rightful heiress.}
Determined to “set things right,” she glared at me with righteous fury and declared, “You’re nothing but a fake living in someone else’s place. I’m going to sell you off as punishment!”
I was stunned. Still, I tried to stay calm and explain the situation rationally.
But she wasn’t having it. She thought I was just making excuses and suddenly lashed out violently.
I looked to my soon–to–be boyfriend for help. But instead of stepping in, he just scoffed and said, “I knew something was off about you. You’ve stolen someone else’s life. You should pay for that.“}
And just like that, he stood by while she ordered some guys to beat me up.
When one of them tried to rip my clothes off, about to do something unthinkable, that was when my dad finally showed up.
-B
When Karrie Goodwin showed up at the door of my study with two shady–looking men, I was working on a group project with Damon Morton, my soon–to–be boyfriend. The atmosphere had been kind of sweet and flirty until she barged in with her nonsense and ruined it. She used to stop by sometimes to ask for help with schoolwork, but this was the first time she’d brought strangers. I was annoyed, sure, but mostly confused.§
“What did you just say?” I asked. “What do you mean, ‘real and fake daughter‘?”
Was she cracking under university pressure?
But clearly, my confusion wasn’t the reaction she wanted. She scoffed. “Don’t pretend, Melody. I know you’re not the real daughter of Hutchinsons. I am.“}
“We were born on the same day, same time. Clearly, after your mom gave birth, she switched us so you could live the good life,” she continued.
I couldn’t help but laugh. The whole thing was ridiculous. But that only made her angrier.
She slammed her hand on the table. “While you lived it up in the city, I was suffering in the countryside! But karma’s real, and now I’m back. I came here today to expose the truth. So do yourself a favor and get out of my house.”
Then, after a pause, she went on with her delusion. “But if you want to play games like in those cheesy dramas, pretending to be the rightful daughter, I won’t hesitate to end you right here and now. My dad already treats you like royalty. Just imagine how much better he’ll treat me, his real daughter. So if I kill you. What’s the big deal?“}
At that point, I was beyond shocked.
Karne looked around the villa with greedy eyes, like she was already claiming it as hers. “Everything you have should’ve been mine. Your mansion, your car, your jewelry. Even your boyfriend, Damon, should be mine.”
Damon scratched his head awkwardly but didn’t say a word to deny that he was my boyfriend.
As far as I was concerned, Karrie was just one of the many students my family had helped financially over the years. The only thing even slightly unusual was that she and I ended up at the same university and that we happened to share the exact same birth date and time. That little detail caught my dad’s attention. He doted on her endlessly and thought the coincidence made her “special.” That was probably why he decided to support her, even though her grades weren’t all that impressive.
He even gave her father, Alvin Goodwin, a man with no education or job prospects, a position as our gardener. He also let her visit him at our house regularly, too.
In hindsight, my dad’s kindness might’ve been too generous. It must’ve fed into Karrie’s wild imagination, especially since she reads too many fantasy novels.
I sighed and tried to keep my temper in check. Calmly, I said, “Karrie, you’ve misunderstood. I’m my parents‘ only child. Yes, we were born at the same time, but you were bom in a mountain village. I was born at home. There’s no way we were switched.”
6:14 AM
