On the day of my coming-of-age ceremony, I was declared the servant's child. Vivian Cox was Mom and Dad's biological daughter.

Mom's gaze turned to ice. "Since you're the servant's child, get out. Go to the servants' quarters. From now on, you serve Vivian. Understood?"

Dad didn't miss a beat. "Effective immediately, you're removed from the Cox family registry. Vivian Cox is the sole heiress."

I nodded, face blank.

Last night, I'd heard everything. Dad's voice, soft with affection—but not for me.

"Vivian's father did us a favor, after all. Keeping her here without a name or status will invite gossip. We'll just announce she's our biological daughter."

Mom hesitated, then gave in. "It can only be this way. We'll make it up to Alex later."

My eyes had burned. I'd gone back to my room trembling.

The truth was, they'd forgotten me long ago. The moment Vivian arrived, I stopped being the Cox family's heiress.

Fine. I didn't want this identity anymore either.

——

Vivian stood between Mom and Dad, her face arranged into perfect apology.

"Alex, I didn't expect this either. I never meant to take your place." She paused, letting the words land. "Don't worry. In my heart, you're still my sister. I won't treat you like a servant."

Sweet words. But I saw the malice flickering behind her eyes.

Mom pulled Vivian behind her, voice sharp. "Why waste your breath on this bastard? Vivian, you're too kindhearted."

She turned to me. "Alex, you know what you are now. Get out. Go to the servants' quarters. You're not welcome here."

I lifted my head and took in the room. Every detail had been arranged to Vivian's taste. Even the cake bore only her name.

And what she was wearing—this season's custom couture. One outfit worth more than every piece of clothing I'd owned for years combined.

My place in this family? I'd seen it clearly long ago.

Dad's patience snapped. He turned to the butler. "Isn't there a partition room in the servants' quarters? Put her there." He gestured toward the hall. "And her bedroom—have someone convert it into that esports room Vivian wanted."

"You can go."

Under Mom and Dad's vaguely uncomfortable gazes, I walked toward the door.

"Wait."

I froze. Vivian's voice, sweet as poison.

She turned to Dad, tilting her head. "Daddy, the pendant Alex is wearing—Grandma gave it to her. But since she's not family anymore, she shouldn't have it, right?"

My hand flew to my chest, clutching the pendant. I looked at Dad, pleading.

Grandma had given this to me when I was little. She was the only one who'd ever truly loved me.

Nothing in this world mattered more than this pendant.

Dad glanced at the desperation in my eyes. He didn't hesitate for even a second.

He strode over, ripped the pendant from my neck, and hurled it to the floor.

"You're not a Cox anymore. Stop clinging to things that aren't yours!"

"Have some dignity!"

The pendant shattered on the marble.

"No!"

I lunged forward, dropping to my knees, scrambling to gather the fragments—

"Butler." Vivian's voice, bored. "Clean that up before someone steps on it."

"No—Dad, Mom, please." My voice cracked. "Grandma left this to me. You can't throw it away."

They didn't soften. They let the butler sweep it into the trash.

I knelt there, frozen. Shaking.

Gone. The last piece of the Cox family I had left—destroyed by their own hands.

From this moment on, I truly wasn't one of them anymore.

I said nothing else. I stood, turned, and walked out of the banquet hall.

The room Dad had "prepared" for me was a storage partition. Smaller than Vivian's bathroom.

"Miss, you've been wronged."

"When the time is right, I'll speak to Mr. Cox. There has to be a way."

I looked into the butler's pained eyes and shook my head.

Nora Whitney had watched me grow up. Of course she knew who I really was.

"Nora, it's fine. This place isn't so bad."

I started tidying the room. Five minutes later, I was done.

Vivian had some illness—diagnosed from god knows where—that meant she couldn't sleep alone. She'd specifically requested me as her bedmate.

To keep me from disturbing her precious rest, Mom and Dad made me sleep on the floor.

The thin bedsheet Vivian "accidentally" spilled water on more nights than not. I'd end up lying on cold, bare hardwood.

Compared to that, this was a luxury hotel.

In the middle of the night, half-asleep, I heard the door creak open.

Mom and Dad.

Mom's voice was low, almost guilty: "Isn't this a bit much? Making Alex live in this dump—how's she supposed to handle it?"

Dad's tone was ice: "Consider it training. As a young lady of the Cox family, she should be able to endure this much."

"Don't worry. She's adapting fine. Besides, it's only temporary. I'll make it up to her later."

I smiled in the dark. Bitter.

Temporary. Make it up to me.

What made them think that after all this, I'd crawl back to the Cox family, grateful and devoted?

Not that I wanted the title of "Cox family's young lady" anyway.

After a hazy day of rest, Nora woke me before dawn.

She hesitated, clearly uncomfortable: "Miss... Miss Vivian is requesting you prepare her breakfast. Eighteen dishes. Not one less."

Eighteen dishes would take at least two hours. I'd definitely be late for class.

Knowing my homeroom teacher, I'd be standing in the hallway all day.

But I didn't hesitate. I dressed quickly and went.

From the first day I moved in, I knew Vivian would find every possible way to torment me.

This was all within expectations.

"Alex, I feel so bad asking you." Vivian's voice dripped with false sweetness. "But what can I do? You're a servant now, and Mom specifically assigned you to take care of me. You know how it is—eighteen dishes is the bare minimum for my breakfast."

I curled my lips.

Before Vivian was brought back to the Cox family, her family hadn't even been middle class.

Eighteen dishes is the minimum.

She probably hadn't even had proper breakfasts back then.

That's what I thought. But my face stayed blank as I set down the last plate.

"It's done, Miss."

I grabbed my bag to leave.

Behind me, Vivian suddenly collapsed, writhing on the floor.

"It hurts—I'm so itchy! Mom, Dad, help me!"

They rushed out of their room.

"Vivian! What's wrong?"

Through her pained grimace, Vivian pointed at me.

"Mom, Dad, don't blame Alex. She didn't mean to... give me something I'm allergic to."

Dad stormed toward me. His hand came down hard across my face.

The slap sent me crashing to the floor, ears ringing.

"Alex Cox! How could you be so vicious—trying to hurt your own sister!"

I clutched my cheek, stunned. "I didn't—"

Mom's gaze cut through me like ice: "What else would we expect from a servant's child? No manners. A twisted heart. I'm warning you—if anything happens to Vivian, you won't get off easy."

They swept Vivian up and rushed her to the hospital.

I thought it was over.

But before I could catch my breath, Mom's car screeched back into the driveway. She stormed inside, grabbed me without a word, and dragged me toward the car.

The spot she grabbed was exactly where I'd scraped myself falling earlier. The pain made me flinch.

Mom yanked harder, impatient. "What's with that attitude? Do you still think you're my daughter?"

"Vivian needs a blood transfusion. Now. Your blood type matches—let's go."

I stopped resisting, though something sharp twisted in my chest.

"Mrs. Cox, did you forget? I'm anemic. The doctor said I can't donate blood to anyone."

She froze. A flicker of embarrassment crossed her face.

Before she could respond, the driver announced we'd arrived.

Dad threw open the car door, grabbed me, and shoved me straight toward the operating room. "Hurry. Every second counts."

I looked at Mom one last time. Said nothing. Lay down on the transfusion bed like a good daughter.

My head grew heavier. Nausea coiled in my stomach.

They still needed more blood.

Before I blacked out, I heard the doctor mutter: "These rich families, I swear. The kid's perfectly healthy—why do they need this much blood?"

Bitterness flooded my chest.

When I woke, the doctor told me my parents had already left.

Home was in the suburbs. I didn't have a single dollar on me.

So I walked. Five hours. I nearly collapsed twice before I finally saw the Cox family's front gate.

But before I could reach it, I spotted all my luggage piled outside.

"What are you doing?"

I rushed forward, stopping a servant mid-throw, my clothes dangling from her hands.

Mom and Dad stood nearby, faces cold.

"After what you did to Vivian today, you have the nerve to come back?"

"You're not part of this family. Get out. We don't want to see you again."

I stood there, watching my belongings get tossed out like garbage.

I used to think I really didn't care anymore.

But the two people staring at me with those indifferent faces—they were my parents. And for someone who had nothing to do with them by blood, they'd done this to me.

"Alex, if you did something wrong, you have to face the consequences." Vivian clutched Mom and Dad's hands, her voice dripping with guilt. "Don't worry—they're just angry right now. You're only moving out temporarily. I'll put in a good word for you later, and maybe you can come back and stay in the maid's room."

But the moment our parents looked away, her expression twisted.

She mouthed the words slowly, making sure I caught every one:

Alex Cox, you can't beat me. Get out of the Cox family.

I didn't respond. I just looked at Mom and Dad.

"If you want me gone, fine. But I need Mrs. Cox and Mr. Cox to sign an agreement confirming I'm not a member of this family. A complete severance. No unclear entanglements later."

Mom blinked, clearly caught off guard. She tugged at Dad's sleeve, helpless.

He didn't react.

Seeing this, Vivian clutched her head and burst into tears. "Mom, Dad, maybe let Alex stay? I'm okay. Even if she really hates me and wants to hurt me... it doesn't matter."

The moment she finished, Dad's expression hardened.

He pulled out his phone and called a lawyer.

Within minutes, the agreement was in his hands.

After both of them signed, he tossed it at my feet.

"The agreement you wanted. Sign it."