Chapter 2

Three years ago, Andrew had barely handed over his college admission spot to me before he turned around and told Zoey I'd bribed a teacher to steal it from him.

He put his entire future on the line, betting that Zoey would blow up.

The only teacher who could have vouched for me had retired and was traveling abroad. No one could reach him.

Andrew had timed it perfectly, and his bet paid off.

Zoey flew into a rage, refused to hear a single word of my explanation, and had me pulled out of school on the spot.

I broke down, and we had a massive fight that ended with her slapping me hard across the face.

"Chase Hudson, you've never wanted for anything a day in your life," she snapped. "Did you really have to steal? Andrew clawed his way up from nothing. Do you have any idea what that spot meant to him?"

When she ordered me to apologize to Andrew, I refused, stubbornly insisting that I had done nothing wrong.

So, in the end, she kicked me out of the house.

That day, I just sat outside, waiting for Zoey.

I thought she was just angry in the moment, and that she'd call me back inside once she cooled down.

But by the next morning, she still hadn't come looking for me.

Just as I gave up and was about to leave, I saw a man walk out carrying a cat.

The cat, its leg broken, was thrown hard to the ground and let out a shrill, miserable yowl.

The man's face was twisted with disgust. The way he looked at that cat was exactly the way Zoey had looked at me.

"Stupidest cat I've ever seen," he barked. "Climbed a tree and still managed to break its own leg. Get out. I don't want you anymore!"

My eyes snapped to him. For a split second, his voice overlapped with Zoey's.

When I snapped out of it, I rushed over and scooped up the dying kitten.

Only then did I realize his leg hadn't been broken in a fall—someone had deliberately snapped it.

I wanted to confront the man, but he'd already gone back inside and shut the door.

That was the moment reality finally sank in.

That cat was just like me. It didn't matter whether we'd done anything wrong or not. If someone wanted to toss us aside, they would. They didn't even need a reason.

Just like that, I took the kitten in and named him Peanut.

Over the next three years, Zoey sabotaged me every chance she got, both openly and behind my back. She ruined every job I found, until my only means of survival was picking through trash.

Peanut's life sank right along with mine. The places we lived got smaller and smaller; the cat food I could afford got cheaper and cheaper.

I posted an adoption listing online.

I had already decided that the money from the RainDrop Fund would go toward a cemetery plot instead of treatment. Since my illness couldn't be cured anyway, I figured I might as well die the way Zoey wanted.

Still, I had to find a good owner for Peanut. He had to live a good life in my place.

What I didn't expect was a call from RainDrop Fund's customer service two hours later.

"Is this Chase Hudson?" the representative asked. "The fundraising campaign you created on our platform has been reported for suspected fraud, so your withdrawal has been rejected."

Then she dropped the bombshell. "The person who reported you was your sister, Zoey Hudson."