Irreplaceable
Chapter One
So, I was in the middle of crafting some killer
ad copy when this chick shows up at our
house, practically clinging to my mom’s leg,
sobbing about how she’s the real biological
daughter.
Mom was totally gobsmacked. So was my
brother. And me? I was just… bewildered.
My brother, Mr. Impulsive, immediately
declares he’s dragging us all to get a DNA
test.
Meanwhile, Mom, looking like she’s about to
faint, is calling my dad: “Honey, get home
now! We might have switched the baby at the
hospital!”
Dad, cool as a cucumber, replies, “Yeah, I
know.”
“How do you know?” Mom asks.
“Remember? You said the baby was crying
too loud and was driving you nuts, so you told
me to swap her out? I just grabbed a quieter
one.”
“I meant change her diaper!” Mom screamed,
nearly blowing the roof off the house.
- 1.
I was halfway through writing an amazing
piece of copy when Mom walks in, looking
く
like she’s carrying the weight of the world on
her shoulders.
“Ashley, I can’t keep this a secret anymore.”
“The truth is, you’re not my and your dad’s
biological child. We’ve loved you like our own
all these years, and it breaks our hearts to let
you go.”
“But I don’t have a choice; your birth parents
have found us and are downstairs.”
I just stared at her, not saying a word, as she
started crying.
“And the daughter I never got to see after she
was born… you wouldn’t believe it. She looks
exactly like me.”
L
She buries her face in her hands, sobbing
uncontrollably.
“Now that she’s back, I have to send you
back. I hope you don’t hate me, honey.”
I close my laptop and calmly say, “Give me
your phone.”
She hands it over, looking confused.
I open her Kindle app and delete her recent
reads.
The Real Heiress and the Fake Daughter
When the Real Heiress Showed Up, I Went
Back to the Country to Farm
Heiress vs. Imposter: The Ultimate Catfight
<
“Didn’t you have some other romance novel
you hadn’t finished?”
Mom looks sheepish, her voice dropping, “It
was updating too slow, so I stopped reading
it.”
“Alright, I’m gonna go now since you’re busy.”
“Close the door, please!”
Mom practically sprints out of the room.
Muttering to herself: “Stuck–up, boring… just like your dad, who doesn’t know how to have
any fun.”
Seriously, what kind of mom treats romance
novels like the Bible and tries to act out
scenes from them?
I sigh and reopen my laptop, trying to get
back into the zone.
Then, the door flies open again.
This time it’s my little brother, panicked.
“Ashley, it’s bad! Your secret’s out! My, my,
my real sister is here!”
My brother’s only four and has been.
corrupted by Mom.
He’s the only one in the family who plays
along with her weird fantasies.
Plus, he’s not very bright. It’s a lethal
combination.
く
He’ll drive you up the wall in no time.
I deadpan, “You’re a bit late. I already busted
Mom. Didn’t she tell you?”
I pinch his soft cheek, smiling a little too
much, “Oops, looks like you’re not Mommy’s
favorite little boy anymore. No more playtime
for you!”
He shies away, terrified, “No, Ashley, I’m
serious. There’s a girl downstairs, and she
says you’re not our parents‘ real daughter.
She is.”
“Mom heard her and collapsed on the floor.
You gotta go down there!”
When I get downstairs, this girl is hugging my
L
mom, crying her eyes out.
“Mom, I’ve finally found you! You don’t know
what my life has been like all these years.”
“I was getting punished all the time. The
bruises on my body wouldn’t even heal before
I’d get new ones.”
“And they favored my brother, after he was
born. Even breathing was a sin.”
Mom looked bewildered, glancing back and
forth between the girl and me, trying to figure
out what was going on.
“Congrats, Mom, your dreams have come
true!”
“And she does look just like you, no DNA test
<
needed.”
“Ashley, honey, can you give me a hand? My
legs feel weak.” Mom reaches for me.
But the girl’s quick, already supporting her.
“I’m here, Mom.”
“Call your dad and tell him to get home.”
“I’ll do it!” The girl chirps before realizing
what she said, and looking up at me with a
face that was broken and pitiful. “Ashley, do
you think I’m allowed to have Dad’s phone
number?”
“So dramatic. Clearly Mom’s kid.”
My little brother mutters from behind me.
