They Burned My Memories for Their Real Daughter,Then the Truth Came Out

1: 1

Back in our hometown, when a child comes of age, the whole family builds a bonfire tower for them and sets it alight.

It's meant to promise a bright, blazing life ahead, and a career that climbs higher every year.

Three days before the celebration, my father and brother spent two months building one with their own hands, a bonfire tower seven meters tall.

Lesley Dickerson gasped with delight.

"Seven meters. That's the tallest tower in the whole village this year!"

Mom laughed and ruffled the top of her head.

"Of course my Fifi deserves the best. You're the little princess of this family."

There was only one tower. I hesitated, again and again, and finally made myself ask.

"Where's mine?"

Zachary Chilton froze for a beat, then frowned.

"We ran out of time, so we didn't make yours."

Mom gave me a cool glance.

"You still owe this family five hundred thousand in raising costs, and you want a tower too?"

I blinked and forced the tears back down.

Three years ago, after Lesley was brought home, I went from the doted-on little princess to the extra adopted daughter overnight.

Fifteen years of being raised had turned into a heavy debt.

I looked at the four of them, standing there together with their backs to me.

And I knew the extra one in this family should leave.

...

The bricks for the tower were made by my father and my brother, Zachary, with their own hands, then stacked one by one.

Every brick laid was a blessing for their child.

The year I was twelve, the older girl next door had her coming-of-age celebration.

Flames roared up from the top of the tower, red sparks flooding the sky, lighting up the night and my face.

Back then, my father saw the longing in my eyes and teased me.

"When it's our Eve's turn, your dad will build you an even taller, even bigger tower."

Zachary ruffled the top of my head.

"I'll help then too, and give Eve my blessing."

The tower they'd promised stood right in front of me now.

Only it wasn't for me. It was for Lesley, the one who was truly theirs.

Tears welled up, and my throat went dry and tight.

Seeing me still standing there, my father glanced at his watch.

"Evelyn Chilton, look at the time. What are you still doing here? Don't you know you're supposed to go make lunch?"

I gave a dull "Mm" and turned toward home.

In this house, all the chores and errands are mine. Cooking, ten dollars. Mopping, eight. Laundry, five...

The money I earn goes toward paying back what I owe my parents for raising me.

The day Lesley was brought home, she saw I was still living here and broke down sobbing.

"If you're keeping this adopted girl, what did you bring me back for, your own daughter?"

To calm her, my parents lied that I was staying only to pay off fifteen years of raising costs, working as a servant until the debt was cleared, then I'd be sent away.

Behind her back they told me to just keep up the act for a while, and once Lesley accepted me, I wouldn't have to do any of it anymore.

I thought "a while" meant a month, half a year at most.

But now it looked more like the rest of my life.

In the living room, I set the last dish on the table and had just started to sit down to eat.

Lesley took a bite of the crawfish and looked up at me.

"Evelyn, why isn't the crawfish spicy? Don't you know I love spicy food most?"

"I didn't enjoy this meal. That's coming out of your wages."

I tried to explain.

"Zach's stomach has been bad lately, so I went light on the chili."

Zachary paused with his chopsticks midair and rolled his eyes at me.

"Fifi likes it spicy, so you make it spicy. Deciding on your own gets your wages docked."

Lesley let out a cold snort.

"You really know how to grovel."

I didn't answer. I sat down and had just reached out with my chopsticks.

Then Mom suddenly cleared her throat.

"Evelyn, from now on you eat in the kitchen."

My hand froze around the chopsticks.

"What?"

Lesley watched me with a nasty little grin.

"What servant gets to sit at the table with the family?"

I looked from my father to Zachary, hurt, but neither of them so much as glanced at me.

So I carried my bowl back to the kitchen and finished a bowl of rice with nothing but pickled scraps.

After they finished, I started on the dishes.

My father's voice carried in from the living room.

"Evelyn, don't bother with dinner. We're going to the zoo this afternoon, and we'll eat out tonight."

I answered him.

When I finished the dishes and came out of the kitchen, the living room was empty, three pairs of slippers set neatly by the door.

So it turned out the "we" my father meant didn't include me.

The tears I'd been holding back finally fell.

My teacher sent me a message.

【Evelyn, are you sure you want to enter the classified training program at the Kingsport Research Institute? You won't be able to come home for ten years.】

【The spot locks in tomorrow, and you'd leave the day after. Talk this over carefully with your parents.】

I wiped the tears away and wrote back.

【I'm sure. My family fully supports me.】