Chapter 1

Luna's POV

"Help me! Please, help me!"

Out on the ocean, Lily and I hung side by side from the massive yacht, screaming toward the shore.

We'd been kidnapped.

And right now, the kidnappers were forcing my family to choose between us.

Lily and I were born the same year. A hospital mix-up gave us two completely different lives.

Talk about cruel irony. I grew up in the slums, bounced around foster care, until the Ashford family discovered the hospital's mistake and brought me home.

I thought my days of drifting were finally over.

Turned out, it was just the beginning of my nightmare.

Lily—spoiled, sheltered, utterly pampered—threw a fit the moment she learned she wasn't their biological daughter. She refused to lose her status as a society darling.

My birth parents had already come to see this girl, who shared no blood with them, as their own daughter. So they announced to everyone that I was the housekeeper's kid, just to calm Lily down.

The three Ashford brothers only had eyes for Lily.

Lily accused me of trying to kick her out. Julian, the oldest—a Wall Street genius—threw millions in stocks and futures at her to cheer her up. Then he mocked me for being a clueless hick who'd never seen the world.

Lily lied and said I stole her bedroom. Silas, the second brother and a real estate mogul, handed over several of his luxury properties to her. He even declared that Lily was his only sister, irreplaceable.

Lily snatched away my college acceptance. Henry, the youngest brother and a renowned professor, not only got her a guaranteed admission but insisted I didn't deserve an education—that I was only fit to be Lily's servant.

The ocean churned violently. In the darkness, Julian stood on the shore, his face twisted with worry and panic. A fragile hope flickered in my chest.

Maybe Julian would choose me.

"Save Lily!"

His words hit me like a punch to the gut. Five years of humiliation came flooding back, choking me. Tears streamed down my face.

Julian, I'm your real sister!

I turned my gaze to Silas, but before I could get the words out, a wave swallowed them whole.

"Luna's just the housekeeper's kid. Her life has nothing to do with the Ashford family! Please, let Lily go... We can't lose her!"

Henry jumped in, his voice frantic. "Name your price. We'll pay anything. Just let Lily go unharmed!"

I felt like I'd been struck by lightning. My heart turned to ice. I stared at Lily, my face drained of color.

Why?

Why her?

We were both Ashford daughters, yet treated like we belonged to different worlds.

Lily was tied to the edge of the yacht. A smirk curled at the corner of her lips, smug and triumphant. "Listen up. Once you're dead, I'll be the Ashford family's only daughter!"

"So what if you're the 'real heiress'? You're still going to end up as shark food!"

She looked at me expectantly, savoring what she imagined would be the exquisite despair on my face. How thrilling!

I froze. My eyes widened in disbelief. "You planned this kidnapping?"

"Exactly!" Lily's eyebrows shot up, her expression gleeful. "I've been planning this since the day you walked into my house!"

"Look at them—my stupid, gullible brothers, all worried sick about me. And you?" She let out a gleeful laugh. "You'll just be a corpse at the bottom of the ocean!"

I looked back at my brothers on the shore, tears blurring my vision. I wanted desperately to tell them the truth, but their voices cut through the wind—cold, merciless.

"It's better if Luna dies. Then Lily can inherit everything."

"After she's gone, we'll donate her trust fund to charity in Lily's name!"

They'd never seen me as family.

It hit me then—even if I told them the truth, they wouldn't believe me.

The wind dried the tears on my face. Listening to their cruel, cutting words, I felt the will to live drain out of me.

But I wasn't ready to give up. I was the real Ashford heiress!

The rope snapped.

I was nothing but a grain of sand, falling into the vast, endless ocean.

Seawater flooded my nose. My consciousness began to fade. My body sank deeper and deeper.

God, is this your punishment for me?

What did I do to deserve this?

If only I could start over.

I would get my revenge. I would take back everything.

When I opened my eyes again, a sharp pain shot through my forehead. I pressed my hand to my head and felt something wet and sticky.

Blood.

Wasn't I supposed to be dead?

"Luna, apologize to Lily right now. How could you push her down the stairs?"

I staggered to my feet, dazed. My mother stood there, her face full of disappointment. Then I saw Lily, her eyes wide with fake terror.

"Mom, Luna hates me. She said a pathetic outsider like me with no blood ties should be kicked out of the house..."

Lily's voice faded into a dull buzz. I looked around, stunned.

I was back. Five years ago.

This was my first day at the Ashford estate.

Lily had framed me. She cried to our mother, claiming I'd pushed her down the stairs.

In reality, I was the one who'd been pushed.

My mother refused to listen to my explanation. Julian slapped me across the face and sent me to the maid's quarters to "reflect on my behavior."

Everyone thought I was a rude, ill-mannered country bumpkin.

This time, I wouldn't make the same mistakes.

"I didn't push Lily. She staged the whole thing!"