After Eliz accepted the adoption, things happened so fast. In a week, Marcelina came to the orphanage to take Eliz home.

After settling everything, the nuns sent off Eliz, and Marcelina wept while staring at Eliz the entire time.

"Mrs. Wright, why are you crying?" Sister Marigold asked with a puzzled gaze.

Marcelina immediately wiped her tears away.

"For years, I always felt like something was missing in me. When I saw Eliz for the first time in church, that's when I am missing a daughter. I've never adored a girl like this like how I adored my–" Marcelina stopped. "I just love her. I'm so happy she accepted me," Mrs. Wright expressed. 

Sister Marigold and Marcelina watched Eliz talk with the other kids, crying as she bid them her farewell.

The kids in the orphanage loudly cried when they learned their big sister was going away. They all crowded around to hug her.

"Please take good care of her, Mrs. Wright. She's a wonderful kid. I wish I could keep her here, but it would be selfish of me to deprive her of a good life with you."

"She's my daughter now. I'd do everything for her."

Inside the car, Marcelina couldn't hide her excitement. She couldn't sit still in the car. She kept glancing at Eliz through the rearview mirror.

Eliz blushed. She couldn't believe she had someone she could call her mother now.

"Do you want to eat something? Wait, do you want to buy some clothes? I'm so excited to show you your room. I decorated it for a week, and I hope you like it. What are your favorite foods? I'll cook everything for you." Mrs. Wright bombarded her with questions, one after the other. 

Seeing the pure excitement in Marcelina, Eliz's heart pounded with happiness. She glanced at Marcelina awkwardly.

"Mrs. Wright, thank you so much for wanting to be my family."

With one hand on the steering wheel, Marcelina reached the other to squeeze Eliz's hand.

"Sweetie, it's 'mom' now. Call me mom."

"M-Mom?"

The word felt alien to Eliz, as she had never called anyone her mom before.

They arrived in front of a huge gate. It opened as soon as the car was in sight.

Eliz's mouth gaped at the monstrous size of the gate. Her eyes grew even wider when the mansion appeared before her sight. She knew the Wrights were one of the wealthiest in town, but to see such a huge mansion was still unbelievable.

'Is this going to be my house now?' Eliz exclaimed in her head.

The front yard, covered in bermudagrass, was as wide as the whole premise of the orphanage where Eliz lived. The remodeled 1980s mansion, majestic in stance and paradisal, awed Eliz. She couldn't close her mouth.

"Welcome home!" Marcelina chanted with excitement after she opened the car door for Eliz. "Come on in, I'll introduce you to your brother."

'I'm gonna see that boy again?' she squealed in secret.

Eliz wanted enough time to absorb what was happening, but Marcelina was too excited. She dragged Eliz inside and called for her son.

"Maximus! Maximus! Come downstairs! I have a surprise for you!"

They didn't hear any response, but a moment later, someone descended the stairs. Eliz felt a breeze pass her face when she met the most stunning and attractive guy she had ever seen in her life, with his cargo shorts and plain white v-necked shirt.

They had met and spoken to each other before, so she thought Maximus would be a little happy about the news. But she was dead wrong.

Opposite to the admiration in Eliz's eyes, the object of her admiration looked at her with spite.

"I brought home your sister," Marcelina merrily announced to her son.

Maximus buried his stares at Eliz, making the latter shrink in awkwardness.

"Sister?" Maximus scowled at Eliz. "Don’t dream. I'll never accept you as my sister."

Eliz's chest shrunk in shock. She heard from another nun that Marcelina's son didn't want the adoption to happen, but she never imagined he hated it that much.

"Maximus! How could you say tha–" Mrs. Wright exclaimed. 

Maximus was already walking past them and deliberately collided with Eliz on her shoulder.

Marcelina took Eliz's hand. "Please don't take it to heart. He's just– he will learn to love you in no time. I'm sure of it."

Eliz gave a nervous smile.

"Do you want to see your room?" Marcelina immediately decided to bury the unhappy welcome from Maximus.

Eliz nodded and smiled.

"Ethel!" Marcelina called out.

A kind-looking maid in uniform appeared. "Yes, Madame?"

"We have a new Miss in the house. This is Eliz. She's the daughter I was talking about."

Eliz bit her lower lip when she heard the word 'daughter'. It felt nice.

Ethel's eyes widened. She looked into Eliz's eyes as if she was searching for something. Then she smiled at her.

"Welcome home, Miss Eliz."

Eliz sheepishly smiled at the maid.

"Can you please help us take her things to her room?"

"Yes, Madame. Right away."

Before going up the stairs, Eliz looked back to where Maximus had gone.

'It seems like… he hates me. How is this gonna work?' Eliz thought.

**

Eliz vowed to herself that while she was under the care of Marcelina, she would do everything to make her deserving of such a blessing. That also meant restraining her condition and hiding it forever.

However, Eliz as she was, that could only last so long. 

It happened that the first person to discover her secret was her brother.

"Gotcha!" a voice yelled.

Eliz jerked in surprise. She dropped the box she was holding and the contents scattered to the floor.

Evidence of her crimes was exposed to her brother's eyes. Dread consumed Eliz as she watched Maximus pick up a piece of jewelry.

"That's– that's– it's not–" Eliz didn't know how to begin explaining.

"My mom's looking for this for days. Dad gave this to her, and this means so much to her. It was in your hands all this time."

"Brother, I– Ah!" Eliz whimpered in pain when Maximus pushed her.

"I'm not your brother," Maximus scorned.

Maximus frowned with contempt as he recognized the other items scattered on the floor.

"These are mine!" he exclaimed and picked up his missing paintbrushes hurriedly. "I've been looking for them everywhere!"

Eliz's heart was pounding in her chest. She was horrified at the thought that her mom would find out about this and possibly abandon her. Knowing Maximus in the recent few days, she had a dreadful feeling that he would exaggerate the situation to more than it was.

"I didn't even have to do anything, you literally dug your own grave." He smirked. “Now I have a real reason to kick you out of the house, you thief." 

Maximus threw the paintbrushes at Eliz's face, and the girl winced in pain. However, she soon realized there was worse to come as she quickly heard footsteps heading downstairs.

She immediately followed Maximus and caught up with him halfway down the stairs. She grabbed his arm to stop him.

“Maximus, please don’t tell mom!” she pleaded, still holding on. 

Maximus shoved her hand. “Don’t touch me!”

“I beg you, please don’t tell her.” Tears of desperation flooded her cheeks. She was praying Maximus would listen to her plea.

“Are you scared, huh?” he taunted.

“If you kick me out of the house, do you think you will hurt me?”

He frowned in confusion.

“No, you'll just hurt mom ultimately. Is that what you want?”

Eyes wide and unfocused, Maximus staggered when he realized she was probably right.

Eliz wiped her tears with her sleeve. “What is it about me that is so unlikeable, Maximus?”

“Everything,” he plainly answered, refusing eye contact. “I only have one sister, and it's Maxine.”

"Do you really think mom adopted me to replace Maxine?"

He buried his stare deep into her eyes. "Why else would she bring home an orphan whose eyes resemble Maxine's?"

Eliz blinked. To her, Maximus appeared as a wounded brother who was deeply hurt by his sister's passing. She was deeply moved. 

“Maybe you just need time,” Eliz said in a low and sympathetic voice. “Even if it takes months or years, I know someday you’ll accept me in this family.”

The 16-year-old gritted his teeth as he moved closer to her. His steps were menacing, inciting danger. Eliz had to step backward until her back hit the handrail.

“Even if decades pass, never, Eliza. I’ll never accept you.”

Eliz believed it was impossible for anyone to be angry for that long. But fifteen years later, she was about to be proven wrong.