The fall of the false heiress
Chapter 1
To get rid of me, the fake daughter, Jessica,
had faked her own death ten times over three
years.
My family called her irrational and were
utterly sick of her.
So, when Jessica jumped off the roof again,
my parents watched coldly, and my brother,
Ethan, just frowned.
No one tried to stop her.
Jessica let out a sad smile and leaped.
My parents were shocked, rushing towards
her frantically.
Ethan trembled in fear, picking her up and
yelling, “You stupid girl, why did you actually jump?!”
I watched silently.
The second floor wasn’t a fatal fall, actually.
1
<
The moment Jessica jumped from the
second–floor balcony, everyone’s breath
hitched.
My initially indifferent parents were terrified,
instinctively lunging forward, trying to catch
her, but it was too late.
Ethan was quicker, reaching her before she
hit the ground.
I saw his facial muscles twitch uncontrollably,
his pupils filled with shock and fear.
“You crazy fool! Why did you actually jump?!”
Ethan yelled, his voice trembling, frantically
holding Jessica, his eyes red with worry.
Jessica lay still, her left leg broken, her right
hand bleeding.
But she didn’t cry; instead, she forced at
smile.
“Brother, Mom, Dad, I’m fine, it doesn’t
hurt…”
Her smile was heartbreaking. “Actually, it
would be better I were deau. After all, m
an outsider; I shouldn’t be here…”
“Stop it!” My dad gritted his teeth, telling the
panicked housekeeper to call 911.
My mom’s fingers trembled as she gently
caressed Jessica’s arm, crying and scolding
her.
“You silly child, you can act up, but you can’t
actually jump!”
Hearing this, Jessica finally cried, “Mom, I
wasn’t acting… I really wanted to die. Why
didn’t I die?”
She struggled to get up, trying to jump again.
My family was terrified, hurriedly preventing
her from moving until the paramedics arrived.
Jessica laughed bitterly, “Okay, I’ll try again
next time. There’ll always be a chance.”
“Jessica, if you say that again, I’ll beat you!”
My dad was furious but deeply worried.
My mom touched Jessica’s face, filled with
Г
guilt. “Sweetheart, don’t say such depressing
things. I didn’t expect you to actually jump.
We weren’t caring enough, we ignored your
emotional needs…”
I stood beside them, my heart aching.
Ethan suddenly stood up. “Mom, Dad, hold
Jessica steady; I’ll get a tourniquet!”
He rushed off, completely unaware of my
presence, bumping into me.
“What are you doing here? Get out of the
way!”
Ethan yelled, shoving me aside before rushing
into the house.
It was the first time in three years he’d been
so harsh with me.
2
I remained silent.
But suddenly, I realized I should leave.
Over three years, the fake daughter had
–
attempted suicide repeatedly fake cutting
herself with ketchup, using vitamins as
sleeping pills, staging a car accident…
At least ten times.
She was irrational, unreasonable, with only
one goal:
To get rid of me.
It was either her or me in this family.
She’d told my family countless times that she
was irritated and stressed by my presence.
She couldn’t bear living with me.
So, I had to go!
My family hadn’t indulged her; they always
scolded her and grew increasingly impatient.
However, this time, Jessica simply jumping
from the second floor revealed their true
feelings.
I laughed self–deprecatingly.
The laughter was faint, like my presence in
this family for the past three years.
My dad turned and glared at me. “Ashley, are
く
you still laughing? Don’t you know you should
help?”
My mom said nothing but was clearly
displeased with my indifference.
I’m the older sister; my sister is hurt; how
could I be indifferent?
I numbly walked over and knelt to help
Jessica.
As soon as I touched her leg, she cried out in
exaggerated pain, tears streaming down her
face.
My mom was frightened and pushed me
away. “Alright, alright, you don’t need to!”
I silently stood again.
Ethan came out with a tourniquet, pushing me
aside again, telling me not to obstruct him!
The three of them bustled around, carefully
and concerned, as if afraid Jessica would
bleed to death.
When the ambulance arrived, my mom
L
accompanied Jessica to the hospital.
My dad and Ethan drove separately, escorting
them.
The house was quiet, only the housekeeper cleaning up the blood.
I stood for a while, then went inside and
drank some water.
It was tasteless water, yet it choked me to
tears.
Wiping my tears, I opened my laptop, staring
blankly at my college application.
Actually, I came home today to ask my
family’s opinion.
Which college should I apply to?
Otherwise, I wouldn’t have come home so
early.
Long ago, I started finding ways to avoid
Jessica.
Boarding school, volunteering, aimlessly riding
the bus all day, reading in the park until
<
udik….
This way, I could minimize my time at home,
preventing Jessica from getting stressed.
My family felt sorry for my consideration,
repeatedly urging me not to do this.
“Ashley, you’re our daughter too. Don’t worry,
we won’t favor her!”
“Jessica is too spoiled; she makes us very distressed. We’ll teach her properly!”
That’s what my family said.
However, they’d been teaching her for three
years.
To no avail.
Today, Jessica made her first real “suicide
attempt,” albeit only jumping from the second
floor, yet she gained everyone’s love.
The teaching had completely failed.
3
So, I really should leave.
After the college entrance examination, I
asked my family where Labould
asked my family where I should go to college. They unanimously insisted I study in the city, as there were good universities here.
This way, I would be close to home, and they could easily visit me.
My first choice was a university in this city. But now…
I stared at the application, my finger hovering
over the mouse, then stopping, motionless for a long time.
Until the phone rang my mom.
I answered and heard her anxious voice.
“Ashley, bring your sister’s pillow to the
hospital. She’s in pain and wants her pillow.” Jessica’s pillow had special significance.
It was handmade by my mother, embroidered
with a lark.
