Chapter 1

**Prelude**

On Christmas Eve, my parents were at it again, ditching me for their triple overtime pay.

After twenty years of this same routine, I was done. I wasn't going to sit around alone and cold for yet another holiday. So, I packed up some dumplings and set off to find them.

What I didn't expect was to see them step out of a shiny luxury car, arm in arm with some guy my age. They were laughing, heading into a five-star restaurant like they didn't have a care in the world.

"Is it really okay to leave Sarah home alone?" I heard someone ask.

My mom shrugged, barely glancing my way. "She's fine. She's used to it."

My dad chimed in, brushing it off like it was nothing. "She's not like you. You're our precious one."

I didn't even hesitate. I turned around and walked away. All those years they'd pretended to be poor? That was the last straw. This time, I didn't need them.

**Prelude ends**

Back home, I slammed all the food onto the table.

In the past, I would've never wasted food.

From as far back as I can remember, I knew we weren't well off. Every bit of food, every piece of clothing, came from my parents' tight-fisted savings. My clothes were never new.

Every season, my mom would bring home a bag of secondhand clothes and say, "These are from your mom's colleague's older sister. They've been washed, so we don't need to buy new ones."

I never asked where she got them, but growing up, I almost never wore anything new. Always hand-me-downs that didn't fit right. The other kids would call me a ragpicker.

I thought if I just worked hard enough, I could someday buy myself new clothes.

During the holidays, I'd give my parents every penny I got from relatives, anything to lighten their load.

But who knew? They had no load at all.

I did a little digging, and that fancy car? It belonged to the Johnson family. They were the richest family in town. Their son had been spotted driving that car with some celebrity girlfriend.

I recognized his face from the gossip rags. The guy I'd seen with my parents? Same guy. Turns out, I was the one who'd been kept in the dark about our real wealth!

I couldn't help but laugh bitterly. After sniffing back my frustration, I stormed into my parents' room, convinced they'd been careless.

And there it was. A contract worth hundreds of millions, with my dad's signature on it. A Mont Blanc pen tucked in the paperwork. My stomach dropped.

I put everything back exactly as I'd found it and quietly retreated to my room, covering myself with the blanket. Maybe when I woke up, this would all be some messed-up dream.

The next morning, my parents were already hustling around in the kitchen.

I sat down at the table, staring at the breakfast in front of me. Wait a second…who eats seafood porridge first thing in the morning?

It tasted exactly like the seafood feast we had when the professor treated us last time.

I glanced at the garbage bag by the door. Sure enough…

"Mom, Dad, did we win the lottery or something?" I asked, keeping my tone casual as I watched them.

My mom looked genuinely confused. "Sarah, what are you talking about?"

"Then how are we suddenly able to afford this fancy seafood porridge?"

I pointed to the garbage bag by the door. My mom's face drained of color.

My dad let out a nervous laugh. "Oh, that's from when I worked late with the boss last night. He packed it for me, but I couldn't finish it, so I brought it home."

"With our salaries, how could we afford seafood porridge?"

I nodded slowly, taking a sip. Seafood porridge, $80 a bowl. Last night's dinner had probably cost more than my entire month's rent.

If they were really struggling, I would've thought this porridge was a luxury.

But now, it tasted like chewing on wax.

I took two bites, then pushed the bowl away.

"I'm full."

"Sarah, why are you eating so little? Are you feeling sick?"

My mom's worry seemed real, but I wasn't buying it.

I shook my head, forcing a smile. "No, aren't we going to Grandpa's today? I'm just saving room for lunch."

My mom sighed in relief, and my dad seemed about to say something when his phone buzzed.

I glanced at the screen, "Precious son Jack."

Jack Johnson. The golden child. So, what the hell did that make me?

My dad quickly rushed to the balcony, my mom trailing behind him. I overheard bits of the conversation, words like "don't let Sarah find out" and "be reasonable."

I felt a cold knot in my stomach. So, they'd known the whole time. They'd just been pretending.

For a second, I almost wondered if I was living in The Truman Show. But everything felt way too real.