Chapter 3: The Day of Reckoning

Soon, it was SAT day.

I went to the test site alone. At the school entrance, I bumped into Lillian.

She was surrounded by a huge crowd—Mr. Hayes, Mrs. Hayes, and... my mom, Carol Foster.

Everyone hovered around Lillian, their eyes full of love and concern, almost over the top.

Carol Foster has never looked at me like that. She hadn’t even come home in the six months leading up to the test. She left me alone in a rundown apartment, focusing all her care on Lillian at the Hayes’ mansion. She didn’t even leave me a dime.

The apartment always smelled like dust and old ramen packets. I kept the heat low to save money, bundled up in thrift-store sweaters. Some nights, I’d eat dinner sitting on the cracked windowsill, watching headlights crawl by outside, wondering if this was just how life was supposed to feel for some people—quiet, cold, invisible.

I’d microwave whatever I could find, curl up with a thrift store blanket, and tell myself tomorrow would be better. It had to be.

If I hadn’t saved up from part-time jobs over the past two years, I wouldn’t have made it through.

But that’s fine. If Carol had come home, she’d just boss me around, never let me settle down to study. She always saw me as a threat, afraid I’d outshine Lillian.

I didn’t get it before. But after seeing the live chat and this scene—what’s left to figure out?

[I almost feel bad for the supporting character... Her adoptive mom sides with Lillian, treats her worse than a stray. Finally gets recognized by her birth family, but her real parents still don’t like her. Her whole life is loveless...]

[Don’t care, the supporting character is in the wrong, period! Besides, without the score swap, how could our main character have the satisfaction of a face-slap?]

[But... does the supporting character really want to swap scores? I saw her studying hard before the test, didn’t look like she wanted to slack off and coast. Meanwhile, the main character was just out partying with blond guys—she really seems to have gone off the rails...]

I couldn’t help but smile. After all this time, someone in the chat is finally seeing things clearly.

But my smile, in Lillian’s eyes, meant something else entirely.

“Natalie Carter!”

Across the crowd, Lillian raised her hand and called my name loudly. People nearby glanced over, some snickering.

“Natalie Carter, what are you smiling about? So confident about the SAT?”

Lillian bounced over like a cheerleader on game day.

I kept a straight face. My heart hammered so hard I thought everyone could hear it, but I kept my face blank, refusing to give Lillian the satisfaction. “It’s nothing. What about you?”

“What do you think? I’ve got five top tutors, and you’ve never beaten me.”

She was brimming with confidence, clearly trying to bait me into swapping scores.

I sincerely advised her, “Lillian, you should do your best on the test.”

Lillian flashed a sly grin. “Of course! Just for your advice, I’ll do my~best~on the SAT.”

“All right, that’s enough—”

Carol Foster stepped forward, blocking Lillian from me like a mother hen guarding her chick, afraid I’d somehow mess her up.

“Natalie Carter, someone like you—how could you possibly distract Miss Lillian before the test? Get lost!”

Mr. and Mrs. Hayes came over too, looking me up and down with clear disapproval.

“Lillian, go on into the test center. Don’t let the wrong people throw you off.”

This was my first meeting with my biological parents. Luckily, the live chat had already spoiled how miserable I’d be after being recognized by them, so I had no expectations.

And with no expectations, there’s no disappointment.

I turned and headed for my test room.

The linoleum squeaked under my sneakers as I walked away, head up, heart pounding. Nerves felt like static running down my arms. After 18 years of being pushed down, this time, I’m determined to win.