The Abandoned Heiress,I Was Never Your Second Choice

Ten years after her parents abandoned her, Cecilia Henson is found again. Her father and mother spend their savings on a down jacket, work night shifts and early jobs, and swear the separation was only to protect her from relentless creditors. For a moment, Cecilia dares to believe the lost warmth has returned.

Then she meets Cynthia Henson, the polished girl her parents raised in her place—the one who received every luxury while Cecilia scratched pictures of a family into orphanage dirt. Her parents' tenderness curdles into lies, and even the congee they offer her was picked up from the floor.

On New Year's Eve, Cecilia gives them one last chance, asking for honesty. Instead, they announce they must leave for work out of town, pressing an old phone and a red envelope into her hands before rushing away.