CHAPTER 1
I was treated like an orphan in my own parents’ house.
But even orphans are shown kindness sometimes aren’t they?
So maybe “orphan” wasn’t the right word.
Servant? No even servants were treated better than I was.
At least they were spoken to, Fed properly, Seen.
I was invisible.
In the grand Sullivan mansion, a place known for power, wealth, and legacy I was nothing but a mistake.
My crime?
I was born a girl.
In the House of Sullivan, the firstborn must be male. A daughter could never become head of the family. It wasn’t written in law, but it was treated like one an unbreakable tradition.
A daughter firstborn was a disgrace.
But I refused to accept that I believed foolishly that if I became exceptional if I became better than any son they could ever dream of they would finally love me.
So I learned everything.Archery,Piano,Business management,Art,Science, Medicine,even traditional Chinese medicine.
Name a skill, and I had mastered it.
At school, I was always at the top of my class. Teachers praised me. Other students admired me.
But when I brought my results home, my parents looked at me like I had done something shameful. Like my success offended them.
I was only ten years old but I already understood one thing clearly:
Nothing I did would ever be enough.
Then my mother got pregnant again. And this time she gave birth to a boy.
The mansion that had been cold and silent during my birth burst into celebration. A grand banquet was held. Relatives traveled from far and wide. Laughter filled the halls.
I stood alone in a corner, watching.
Watching my parents smile, I had never seen those smiles directed at me
Tears slipped down my face as a painful thought settled in my heart. If I had been born a boy they would have loved me.
I cried quietly that night, blaming myself for ten years of their disappointment. I even cut my hair, hoping maybe looking less like a girl would make a difference.
From that day on, I stopped trying to be loved
Instead, I tried to be useful. If something went wrong, I took the blame.
If the business struggled, I secretly fixed the problems.
If there was extra work, I did it without being asked.
I was never thanked.
But I told myself it was okay.
Being allowed to eat three meals a day felt like a luxury.
The servants didn’t talk to me. They focused only on my little brother — the true heir of the Sullivan family.
Still, I endured.
Until the day everything changed.
When my brother turned five, he fell seriously ill. My parents rushed him to the hospital and stayed there day and night.
At just fifteen, I was left to handle most of the family business. No one asked if I could do it
They simply expected me to.
One evening, my parents returned from the hospital looking exhausted.
My mother spoke first. “Your brother needs blood,” she said. “We want to check if you’re a match.”
It was the first time they had ever asked me for anything.
I smiled.“Of course. Anything for my brother.”
The next morning, I was taken to the hospital. The tests showed I was compatible. They took my blood, and I felt dizzy afterward. A doctor told me to rest.
But while lying there, I overheard voices outside the room.
The doctor sounded worried. “She’s already weak. We can’t keep taking more. It could kill her.”
My father’s voice came next cold and firm. “My son must live. No matter the cost.”
My heart stopped.
Even now, remembering it, I can still feel that moment — the moment I truly understood.
I had never been their daughter.
I had only ever been a spare part.
Tears rolled down my face as the truth crushed me. I begged a nurse for help, and maybe she saw the fear in my eyes, because she secretly helped me escape.
I ran.
Through the hospital halls. Out into the streets. I didn’t know where I was going I just knew I couldn’t stay.
My body was weak, but fear pushed me forward.
I kept running… and crying… and praying.
“God… please… let me live. I don’t want revenge. I just want a life that belongs to me.”
I didn’t see the car.
I only heard the screech of tires.
Then everything went dark.
