They Told Everyone I Was Adopted, I Was Their Real Daughter Chapter 06

They Told Everyone I Was Adopted, I Was Their Real Daughter Chapter 06

I was assigned to the rocket design team. 

The work was exhausting but fulfilling. One night, Nathan and I were on duty. He handed me a 

breakfast burrito from the cafeteria. I took it and 

scrolled through my phone. 

A new post in the family group chat. Zoe. A photo of Mom and Dad kissing her cheeks, one on each 

side. The background: the famous cliff in Bali. 

I chewed slowly and kept scrolling. 

Mom: [The guide took such a great photo–perfect 

for the family album.] 

Dad posted a silly nodding Zoe sticker. Zoe sent 

one right back. 

I watched the two of them trade stickers. 

I thought of the family portrait on the wall at 

home. The day it was taken, I was late from my 

part–time job. By the time I got there, they were 

already done. The photographer offered to retake 

1. it. Mom looked annoyed and waved him off. “Such 

a hassle. Just Photoshop her in later.” 

But the final print had only three people. I’d asked 

Dad about it. He shrugged. “The editor said it 

didn’t look natural.” 

And the little “family of three” figurine on the 

coffee table, the one Dad brought back from 

Europe. 

My fingers went cold. I closed the group chat. 

Nathan noticed my face. “You okay?” 

I shook my head, finished the burrito, cleaned up, 

and went back to work. 

For the next two months, we worked round the 

clock. Every day was lab work, data verification, drawing revisions, and endless parameter simulations. The desert had brutal temperature swings–freezing at night, burning by day. We’d 

warm our hands on hot water bottles and keep going. 

I’d stay past midnight, sleep for two or three hours, 

then head back to the test site. Drill after drill. No 

rest. 

Two weeks later, Dad called. I almost didn’t answer, but I fumbled and picked up. 

His voice was sharp with anger. “You transferred your household registration! How dare you, Gia! 

Are you walking away from this family?” 

I’d just come back from the test site, my throat 

parched. “Isn’t this what you wanted? I’m just giving you what you asked for.” 

“Don’t change the subject! Where are you? I’ll 

come get you!” 

I took a drink of water and felt calm settle over 

1. me. “I’m in the Northwest.” 

“Northwest? What are you doing up there?!” Mom’s 

voice, shrill in the background. “Who goes to a 

godforsaken place like that? Are you trying to kill 

me?” 

I took another sip of water and felt nothing. “I’m 

here for research.” 

Mom laughed. “You? Research? You’re just trying 

to get away from us.” 

I set the cup down, still dry. “Isn’t that what your 

wanted?” 

“What did you say?” 

I let the silence stretch, then spoke, one word at a 

time. “You turned my room into a pet room. That’s 

how you kick someone out.” 

She started to interrupt. I kept going. 

“You didn’t care about my security clearance. You 

let Zoe destroy my model. You told strangers I 

was adopted. You made me feel like I didn’t 

belong. You wanted me gone. Now I’m gone. 

Congratulations.” 

Silence. Then Dad’s voice, heavy with irritation. “It’s 

all small stuff. We just give Zoe a little extra 

attention. You’re being petty.” 

Mom agreed. “We worked so hard to raise you. We don’t ask for gratitude. But you hold every grudge 

like a debt.” 

I listened. Nothing stirred inside me. “I have work 

to do. I need to go.”