From the moment I was brought home, the Monticellos believed I was their long-lost daughter because I resembled their mother. But Adrian never saw me that way. To him, my sun-kissed skin and hardened demeanor were proof I didn’t belong in their world of perfection.
He didn’t believe I was his sister. He couldn’t accept that I had been raised in poverty, in a life that had left me rough around the edges. So he dragged me in front of the entire family, demanding a DNA test to prove I wasn’t one of them.
When the results confirmed I was his sister, I had hoped for some acknowledgment, maybe even an apology. But instead, Adrian tore the results apart right in front of me. His face twisted with anger as he spat, “Aliyah, don’t think this piece of paper changes anything. You’ll never replace Maddy. You better know your place.”
Those words had cut deeper than anything else. I had come home to the family I was meant to belong to, only to find I would always be second to Madilyn. Even in my own home, I was told to stay in line.