That Summer
I was so screwed.
In my past life, my sister got snatched up by
some rich family, and I ended up with a
freakin‘ cleaning lady.
Turns out, the high–society life was a
warzone. Cold parents, a bully for a brother,
and she ended up with absolutely nothing
after a nasty divorce.
My life? Picture perfect. A loving family, a
total dream, and a hot–shot millionaire who
fell head over heels for me, the poor little
nobody. Straight out of a rom–com.
Jealous as hell, my sister ran me over with
her car, sending us both back to the day we
got adopted.
Now, she’s making a beeline for the cleaning
lady, screaming:
“This time, I’m playing the leading lady, not
you!”
Too bad for her, being the main character
isn’t about what you’re born into.
1
My sister and I woke up in the orphanage,
reliving the day we were supposed to get
adopted.
Two families were standing in the director’s
office: the Garrets and the Millers.
The Garrets–all three of them–were decked
out.
く
Mr. Garrett was in a tailored suit, and Mrs.
Garrett dripped in jewels.
Their son, Chad Garrett, looked like he’d just
stepped out of a private school catalogue,
complete with limited–edition sneakers.
The Garretts were basically royalty in this
town. Mr. Garrett owned half the city, and
Mrs. Garrett was always plastered across
gossip magazines.
Chad was the golden prince.
Next to them, the Millers looked like they’d
crawled out of a coal mine.
Their hands were rough, their clothes were
worn, but they seemed nice enough. The
director said they both worked at the local
high school; he was a janitor, and she was a
custodian.
Last time, my sister, Tiffany, didn’t hesitate
for a second before latching herself onto the
Garrets.
But not this time. She all but dove into the
Miller’s arms.
“Mommy, take me home! I want to be your
daughter!”
“From now on, call me Tiffany Miller!”
With Tiffany practically vibrating with
excitement, I walked over to the Garrets.
And just like that, it was done. We were
officially adopted.
As we left the orphanage, I heard the director
muttering to herself.
“That’s strange. Tiffany’s usually all about the
fanciest stuff. If someone looked poor, she wouldn’t even glance at them.”
“Why didn’t she choose the rich family?”
The director didn’t get it.
But I did.
2
Last time, Tiffany clawed her way into the
Garretts‘ lives, becoming Tiffany Garrett.
She thought she was walking into a fairytale.
Especially with Chad Garrett as her ‘big
brother.‘
A rich guy and his adopted sister? It was
practically a romance novel trope. Living
under the same roof, sparks were bound to
fly.
But Tiffany never saw it coming. Chad didn’t
treat her like a princess, he loathed her.
2
“I can’t stand gold diggers. Don’t think I don’t
see right through you. You only want our
money!”
At home, Chad made Tiffany’s life hell.
At school, he and his pack of goons bullied
her mercilessly.
And her adopted parents? They barely lifted a finger.
They didn’t give a damn about Tiffany. They only took her in because some fortune teller told Mr. Garrett that adopting a daughter would bring him good luck.
Obviously, they were always going to side
with their real son.
While Chad was torturing Tiffany, he was
being all sweet and charming with me, the
nobody who got stuck with the Millers.
He saw me struggling, getting scholarships,
working my butt off in school and helping my
mom clean at night, never complaining.
“That Violet Miller… there’s something about
<
Just like in a movie, the spoiled rich kid fell
for the scrappy poor girl.
Later, when the Garrett parents died, Chad brought in a team of lawyers and left Tiffany with absolutely nothing. She didn’t get a dime.
A few months later, Chad and I got married.
He even said in front of everyone, “Violet, what’s mine is yours.”
Too bad I didn’t get to enjoy any of it.
Because a few days later, Tiffany, driven
insane by jealousy, ran me over with her car.
Now, here we are, reliving that day.
L
Tiffany thinks she’s finally going to live the
good life. A loving family, and then some rich guy will come along to shower her with love. She’ll have a fairytale wedding.
She actually smiled at me, all smug.
“This time, I’m going to be the main
character.”
