But my soul didn't go home. It drifted to a mansion in the city center.
A luxury van idled at the entrance. The driver opened the passenger door.
A familiar figure stepped out.
Dad.
Dad—who had always worn threadbare work clothes—was dressed in an expensive suit.
The front door swung open. A girl in her twenties emerged, looking eerily like me.
She hooked her arm through his, beaming. "Daddy! Everyone's ready, just waiting for you!"
Daddy?
Did Dad... have another daughter?
My soul followed them inside.
Pristine white carpet. Blinding luxury. Crystal, gold, silk.
And there—
Mom.
My mom, who had been "bedridden" year-round, was dressed in pearls and glittering jewelry.
She skillfully uncorked a bottle of wine, poured it into an exquisite decanter, and divided it among four stemmed glasses.
On the table sat a huge cake. The message read: Happy 18th Birthday to Serena Abbott & Anna Gilbert
The woman who looked exactly like me lifted her glass with a smile.
"Daddy, Mommy, let's all wish my little sister—whom I've never met—a happy birthday!"
The three of them raised their glasses and drank it all in one go.
The remaining glass was probably left for me.
Anna Gilbert was my name. The ones celebrating my birthday were my parents, and my older sister whom I had never met.
But I had never truly known them.
All at once, I fell into enormous confusion and panic.
Mom sighed. "Ah, if only Anna could come."
Dad's face turned stern. "There's still one last month. Once Anna finishes the college entrance exam and completes the task, we absolutely cannot give up halfway!"
I was stunned.
A task? What task?
Mom dabbed at the tear marks at the corner of her eye. "It's all thanks to the 'raise-poor' plan you designed. That's how we trained our Anna to excel in both character and academics—to endure hardship and work hard."
"To raise her, I've worried myself sick."
"Pretending to be bedridden all day. The figure I worked so hard to maintain with yoga is about to go out of shape."
Dad drained his glass in one gulp. "These past years, I haven't suffered any less."
"When Anna was home, I didn't even dare smoke cigars. Held it in until my whole body felt miserable."
My sister cut cake for them. "Once my little sister gets into college, we can come clean to her."
"By then, the mansion, the luxury cars, the family business—it'll be enough to make up for the suffering she's endured these past years."