She uncorked a bottle of wine with practiced ease, poured it into an exquisite decanter, then divided it among four stemmed glasses.
On the table sat a massive cake. The words on top read: Happy 18th Birthday to Lily Gilbert.
The woman who looked exactly like me raised her glass with a smile.
"Daddy, Mommy—let's wish my little sister I've never met a happy birthday!"
The three of them clinked glasses and drank it all in one go.
The remaining glass was probably meant for me.
Lily Gilbert was my name.
The ones celebrating my birthday were my parents and my older sister—the one I'd never seen.
But I had never truly known any of them.
All at once, confusion and panic swallowed me whole.
Mom sighed. "If only Lily could be here."
Dad's expression hardened. "One month left. She'll take the college entrance exam and complete the task. We can't give up halfway now!"
I froze.
A task? What task?
Mom dabbed at the corner of her eye. "It's all thanks to your 'raise her poor' plan. That's how we trained Lily to excel in both character and academics—to endure hardship and work hard."
"Raising her has worried me half to death."