Chapter 1

I’ve always been a coward—submissive on the outside, but fiercely proud on the inside.

My adoptive parents sold me to a creepy old hillbilly in our run-down mountain town for fifty thousand dollars.

And all I did was argue the price up to seventy thousand.

On the day I was supposed to be shipped off, someone grabbed me and shoved me into the back of a black SUV. I didn’t even fight back. I just curled up in the corner and quietly asked the driver to turn up the AC.

It wasn't until I arrived at a massive estate that I realized the truth: I was actually the kidnapped biological daughter of a billionaire family.

My biological parents warned me more than once that I must never make Chloe, their adopted daughter, angry.

But then, I heard Chloe’s inner thoughts: *“I’m going to fake a fall down the stairs in a minute and blame it on this country bumpkin! With everyone watching, she won't be able to deny it.”*

I was so terrified that my parents would hate me even more, so I beat her to it—and threw myself down the stairs first.

At my welcome-home party, Chloe’s inner voice rang in my head again: *“Look at this loser. She drenched herself in my perfume, but she still reeks of poverty. So gross.”*

Maybe it was my deep, toxic insecurity playing tricks on me. I didn't say a word. I just walked over and jumped straight into the garden pond.

In my past life, Chloe tortured me to death.

So in this life, I do everything she says. I never make her angry.

But once my parents started hearing Chloe's true thoughts, they regretted everything.

But that’s not enough. I want Chloe to experience exactly what I did—sleeping and eating in a filthy pigpen.

***

On the ride to our estate, my parents warned me more than once: do not make Chloe angry.

When I met my adopted sister for the first time, she grabbed my hands warmly, her face lighting up with a sweet smile.

"Oh my gosh, you must be Nora! You’re so pretty! Look at those beautiful big eyes!"

But in my mind, her real thoughts screamed loud and clear: *“Ugh, what a disgusting country bumpkin. What kind of miracle did your ancestors pull to let a peasant like you step into the Foster mansion?”*

*“But so what if you’re here? I have a million ways to kick you out. Everything in this family belongs to me, and me alone.”*

The smile on her face twisted with a hint of malice.

*“I’ll just fake a fall down the stairs in a minute and blame it on this loser. Everyone will see it, and she won’t be able to deny a thing. Mom and Dad love me so much, they’ll definitely throw this trash out for me!”*

Once her thoughts faded, she pointed upstairs. "Nora, it's your first time home, so you probably don’t know where your room is. Let me show you around!"

In my past life, I actually believed her. I thought she genuinely wanted to be a good sister to me.

But that belief only made my parents and brother despise me.

My brother, Julian, darkened his face and spoke in a cold, harsh tone. "Nora, are you deaf? Didn't you hear Chloe talking to you?"

"I’m warning you. As long as I’m in this house, you will never, ever bully Chloe."

Living this life over again, hearing Julian say those words still stung.

I just nodded obediently and followed Chloe up the stairs.

As we reached the landing of the staircase, she suddenly stopped.

She turned around, looking at me with a sinister, hateful glare.

"You're just a charity case. How did you get so lucky to even breathe the same air as us?"

"Oh, Mom and Dad love me most. What do you think they’ll do if I tell them you pushed me down the stairs? Will they... throw you out?"

With that, she started drifting her steps toward the edge of the stairs.

I was so "terrified" of her getting hurt, so I grabbed her arm like a clumsy, anxious coward.

"Chloe, I know you don't like me, but you shouldn't risk your own safety."

Before she could react, I gathered all my courage, threw my weight backward, and tumbled violently down the long flight of stairs.

Before I blacked out, I caught the absolute terror on Chloe’s face.

*“No... this is wrong! It wasn’t like this in the past life...”*

Yes, she was right. It wasn't like this in my past life.

In my past life, Chloe was the one who fell, and she pinned the blame entirely on me.

My parents made me kneel outside the mansion doors in the freezing rain until Chloe was fully recovered and discharged from the hospital...

Back then, I begged for Chloe's forgiveness over and over, but it only brought me more brutal, inhuman torture.

***