Chapter 2The Switch: A Life Reclaimed

The day my mom found me, my foster mother had gotten into a huge fight with my drunk foster father. She took all her anger out on me. A wooden stick as thick as a thumb—she said she'd break it on me, and she did.

I didn't have a single patch of unbruised skin left.

beaten to within an inch of my life, I was suddenly pulled into a warm embrace. Hot tears fell on my face. In my daze, I thought I had gone to heaven.

I didn't want to die, but heaven seemed okay. There was a woman with a gentle voice guiding me. Life there probably wouldn't be too hard.

At least, it couldn't be harder than this.

"My daughter... I finally found you. My poor baby."

I was sent to the hospital and recovered for a month before my mom took me home.

My dad is the CEO of a publicly traded company, my mom owns an art gallery. I have a brother in his junior year of high school, and a sister in the same grade as me—freshman year. A sister with zero blood relation to me.

We live in a villa, with countless luxury cars, a housekeeper, and bodyguards.

After entering the house, Mom went to the kitchen to check on lunch. She told me to pick a room first. "You can have whichever one you want."

I pursed my lips and carefully walked around the first floor. Even the bathroom was bigger, brighter, and cleaner than the entire house I used to live in.

I picked the only room that seemed "small and shabby" compared to the others, though it was actually spacious, bright, and had AC, a washer, and an ensuite bathroom.

In my old life, I wouldn't have dared to dream of this. Just having a bed was a luxury.

I figured this one would do. I shouldn't be greedy as the newcomer. Not sleeping in the security booth was already a win.

I started walking towards that room.

Mom poked her head out of the kitchen and saw me.

She immediately called out, "Ava, why are you going into the maid's room? That's for the housekeeper! Your room is upstairs!"