Chapter 1: A False Identity

It was hot in Melcester in June. The tarmac shimmered in the scorching sun; no one was willing to venture outdoors. Myrna Stark dragged her packed luggage out of the room. Before she came downstairs, she heard Stephanie Stark’s voice from below.

“Dad, Mom, are Myrna’s biological parents coming to pick her up?”

Myrna’s foster father, Luther Stark, responded sternly, “It’s none of your business. Have you mastered the piano music you’ll play later? Your grandmother’s friend will be arriving from Nemmington. She’s a professor at Hebbury College of Art and a national piano virtuoso. If you play well, your grandmother will speak to her friend, and you’ll be admitted to the university in Nemmington.”

“I’ve been practicing it.”

Before Myrna could go downstairs, she heard Stephanie continue coquettishly, “Dad, what do you think Myrna’s biological parents look like?”

Hardly had her voice faded when she muttered innocently yet contemptuously, “They said they would come the day before yesterday, but they didn’t arrive until today. Did it take them two days and one night to get here by train from the town?”

Hearing this, Myrna stopped in her tracks, a hint of irony flashing in her indifferent eyes. Three months ago, she had accidentally discovered her boyfriend’s affair with Stephanie, who was also dating someone else. Myrna, furious, exposed the affair. Then, she was told she wasn’t a true member of the Stark family; they had taken her from an orphanage.

They hadn’t adopted her out of kindness, nor did they intend to do good. The truth was Stephanie had suffered from a rare blood disease since birth. Besides medication, she needed monthly blood transfusions.

The Stark family’s company had been listed the previous year, earning them fame and prestige in Melcester. If Stephanie’s treatment had only required money, her family wouldn’t have found it troublesome. Unfortunately, besides her congenital disease, Stephanie had rare Rh-negative blood—a blood type found in only one or two out of 100,000 people. The Stark family was wealthy, but couldn't guarantee the hospital would have enough Rh-negative blood for Stephanie every month.

Therefore, they devised a solution: they adopted a child with matching blood type from an orphanage and used her as a mobile blood bank for Stephanie. Myrna was that blood bank.

Since childhood, Myrna had been groomed to be Stephanie’s generous sister, giving her beautiful clothes and opportunities to win awards. If not for the exposure of Stephanie’s affair with Lawson Cooper, Myrna would still have been kept in the dark.

The Stark family revealed these things to Myrna because Stephanie had largely recovered after years of treatment. She only needed to take care of herself; medication and transfusions were no longer necessary. Myrna was no longer useful. Furthermore, her grandmother, Amy Maddrell, was angry that Myrna had created a scene over Stephanie’s affair with Lawson at Stephanie’s birthday party. For Stephanie’s and the Stark family’s sake, Amy exposed Myrna’s true identity to everyone.

Luther didn’t want to discuss Myrna. “That’s enough.”

But Stephanie was unwilling to be quiet. She retorted with a pout, “It’s true. If they could afford plane tickets, they would have come earlier. They must be poor!”

“Shut up.”

Luther saw Myrna coming downstairs and silenced Stephanie in a low voice. The first thing that caught Luther’s eye was Myrna’s beautiful face. She wore a light blue T-shirt and a red and white striped shirt, the hem casually tucked into denim shorts, revealing her fair and slender legs. All the Stark family members had fair skin, but Myrna’s was even fairer, accentuating the color of her eyes. Seeing her, Luther always felt a sense of distance. It made sense; after all, Myrna wasn’t his biological daughter.

“Myrna, have you packed your things?” Myrna had lived with the Stark family for over ten years. Luther pursed his lips and looked away. Unlike the rest of the Stark family, he had always been kind to Myrna.

Myrna came downstairs with her light luggage and replied, “Yes.”

Stephanie, finally seeing Myrna, stopped mocking her and said with feigned calm, “Myrna.”

Myrna walked past Stephanie without responding. Ignored, Stephanie pouted unhappily and cast her long eyelashes down aggrievedly. With a pale face, she looked as frail as a flower in the wind.

Amy’s face darkened. She leaned on her cane and snorted, “Didn’t you hear what Stephanie said to you?”

Stephanie took Amy’s hand, looked up, shook her head weakly, and bit her lip to defend Myrna. “Grandma, forget it. Myrna is in a bad mood. I’m fine.”

Hearing this, Amy disliked Myrna even more. She began to find fault with Myrna, saying in disgust, “You’re indeed not one of us. After more than ten years, you still look like a barbarian!”

“Mom,” Luther pleaded. Then he walked up to Myrna and, pretending to be nice, took out a card. “This is $1,600.”

Luther sighed and handed the card to Myrna. “Take it. Behave yourself after you go back with your parents. You can buy some clothes with the money. It may also be useful for your future studies.”

He had always been cautious. The Stark family had just secured a development project from the government, so he didn’t want to cause trouble at this critical moment. Luther had investigated Myrna’s biological parents. Her father, a teacher from River Town, was surnamed Payne. River Town, 300 kilometers from Melcester, was notoriously impoverished. Entrepreneurs, including Luther, donated to River Town for poverty alleviation. He hadn’t found it necessary to thoroughly investigate a teacher from such a small town; he assumed Myrna’s father was like other rural teachers often interviewed in the news.

Myrna was in her final year of high school. Upon returning to River Town, she was unlikely to be admitted to university. Stephanie, however, would attend university in Nemmington after finishing her studies at Melcester Central High School. Myrna’s life would be ruined.