He could not accept that I, an outsider adopted by his family, had instead lived a vibrantly healthy, glamorous, and flawless life.

To enact his revenge upon me, he went so far as to drag me into a marriage with him.

He fully achieved his malicious purpose.

The three years of marriage to him were unequivocally the most excruciating years of my entire existence.

He transitioned from initially subjecting me to cold violence and utter neglect.

To slowly, systematically torturing and humiliating me as time went on.

He would brutally clamp his hands around my throat, screaming hysterically in a mindless rage.

Why wasn't I the one who was trafficked to the countryside?

Why wasn't I the one whose kidney was ruthlessly harvested?

Why did I get to carelessly occupy the life that belonged to his sister, Chloe?

That nightmare of a marriage finally came to a screeching, definitive halt with my death.

The exact instant the massive truck sent my body flying through the air, I clearly perceived that I felt absolutely no pain.

Instead, a profound, unprecedented sense of relief washed over me.

How wonderful!

The accounts between myself and that family were finally settled, completely squared away.

If there truly was a next life.

I swore I would never, ever be adopted by that household again.

13

Perhaps there was truth to the old saying.

The person you least wish to encounter is precisely the one who will materialize right before your eyes.

Chloe actually transferred directly into my exact classroom.

This was an turn of events I had completely failed to anticipate.

It seemed an ill-fated karmic bond truly existed between the two of us.

Fortunately, with over forty students packed into a single classroom.

As long as I maintained a firm resolution to avoid any interaction with her, we barely had any reason to exchange a single word.

Treating her as a complete stranger all the way until elementary school graduation was an entirely viable strategy.

However, this comforting illusion was shattered with staggering speed.

The trouble originated during a casual recess break.

While heading to the restroom, I inadvertently overheard frantic, terrified cries for help echoing from the furthest, innermost stall.

Stepping closer, I noticed that the stall door had been firmly barricaded from the outside using a thick wooden stick.

The moment I slid the makeshift bolt away, I discovered that the person trapped within was none other than Sera.

"Sera, who locked you inside here?"

Her gaze darted around evasively, and she shook her head so violently it looked like a rattle.

"No, nobody did."

Following that incident.

The exact same situation played out two or three more times.

I attempted to question Sera, but she kept her lips sealed tight on every single occasion.

Until one evening, around half past eight.

I was heading home after purchasing a few items from the supermarket at the estate entrance, when I stumbled upon a thinly dressed Sera crouching alone by the edge of a manicured flowerbed, weeping silently.

At that exact moment, I finally confirmed the identity of the person who was constantly tormenting her.

"Did Chloe throw you out of the house?"

Catching sight of me, Sera scrambled to her feet, frantically wiping away her tears.

She still seemed desperately intent on denying the truth.

"No, she didn't."

"Then why on earth are you crouching out here all by yourself instead of going home?"

Sera stammered and hesitated, utterly incapable of fabricating a believable excuse to deflect my questions.

A light drizzle began to fall from the sky, and her clothing was far too thin for the chill.

After a brief moment of hesitation, I tapped into my smartwatch.

"Julian, would it be alright if I brought a classmate over to our house to sit for a bit?"

There was a slight pause on the other end.

"Where are you right now?"

Barely five minutes passed before Julian emerged, holding an umbrella to escort me back.

Sera followed us into the residence with a deeply timid, cowering demeanor.

Upon learning that she hadn't eaten dinner yet, Julian immediately instructed Nanny Zhang to whip up a fresh bowl of hot noodles for her.

"Did Chloe throw you out?"

I directed the question at Sera once more.

This time, she offered no denial, silently lowering her head.

As she sat closer, I noticed angry, purple pinch marks bruising her wrists.

"Did you two get into a physical fight?"

Sera instinctively yanked her sleeve down to conceal the marks, shaking her head rapidly.

Sitting beside us, Julian let out a disdainful snort:

"As if she would ever dare lay a finger on that little brat. It's blindingly obvious she was just taking a one-sided beating."

A little brat?

"Who are you calling a little brat?"

"Who else could it possibly be? Chloe, obviously."

Julian explained that Chloe had always been incredibly malicious and unruly, earning Quite a reputation throughout the entire neighborhood.

Consequently, everyone had bestowed a fitting nickname upon her.

The little brat.

Seeing my skeptical expression.

Julian leaned in to display a faint, faded scar etched onto his forehead.

He explained that during a massive snowball fight with several neighborhood kids two winters ago.

A stray snowball had accidentally clipped Chloe's shoulder. Even though everyone was swathed in thick, heavily padded down jackets.

It couldn't possibly have caused any actual pain.

Yet, that little girl had flown into a hysterical, vicious rage. Brandishing a sharp, jagged stone like a feral leopard, she lunged straight at him and bashed him right over the head.

I froze dead in my tracks.

In my previous life.

When Chloe was brought back to the family.

Her personality had been incredibly extreme, volatile, and perverse, prompting her to throw violent tantrums in the house day after day.

His mother would constantly weep in front of me, ceaselessly murmuring about how incredibly sweet, gentle, and obedient Chloe had been during her early childhood.

She insisted that if Chloe had only been raised properly within their household, she would have undoubtedly matured into the most sensible, exceptional young lady.

However.

The Chloe described by Julian seemed completely irreconcilable with the soft, precious, and innocent little girl cherished in his mother's memories.

Could all of that have simply been the heavy distortion of a mother's rose-tinted glasses?

Sera finished her noodles.

I spent a bit more time offering her quiet comfort.

Suddenly, the sharp chime of the doorbell rang out.

Uncle Joseph was currently away from home, having traveled abroad to negotiate a major business partnership.

Auntie Judith had attended a close friend's baby celebration today and mentioned she would be returning quite late.

Naturally, I assumed it was Auntie Judith arriving home.

Yet the moment the door swung open, an entirely unexpected face materialized before me.

The corners of my mouth instantly flattened into a cold line.

"Is Sera here..."

Perhaps struck by the sudden, freezing hostility radiating from my expression.

Christian's sentence cut off abruptly.

He stared at me with a look of profound confusion.

The two of us locked eyes in a tense, silent standoff for several seconds.

Realizing that I had allowed my composure to slip, I forced my expression to soften slightly, stepping to the side to create a passage.

"Sera, your brother is here for you."

Hearing his voice, Sera scrambled up from her seat, scurrying over with eager steps as she whimpered out a fragile, aggrieved cry:

"Christian."

Christian looked down at her, letting out a soft, weary sigh.

"I've already scolded Chloe severely. Don't be upset anymore. Come on, let's head back home."

Sera sniffled softly, obediently falling into step behind him.

After taking a couple of paces, she remembered something, turning back around to give me a gentle wave.

"Clara, thank you so much for tonight. I'm going home now."

I moved to firmly shut the door.

Only to slam directly into the intense gaze Christian was directing straight at me.

He was staring at me, his eyes brimming with a deep, calculating scrutiny and contemplation.

Bang.

Without a single shred of hesitation, I slammed the door shut right in his face.

14

I began to experience a creeping doubt over whether my actions had been a mistake.

That was right.

The sole reason Chloe had been tracked down and returned to the family with such staggering speed was entirely due to an anonymous text message I had covertly sent to her father.

In my past life, the media had extensively covered the news when Chloe was rescued.

The remote mountain village where she had been trafficked all those years ago was a notoriously infamous haven for human traffickers.

It was reported that several university students had been abducted and forced to bear children in that godforsaken place.

Even though my interactions with Chloe had been utterly miserable in my previous existence.

If a mere effortless gesture on my part could completely alter the tragic destinies of those innocent girls.

I would bound to do it without a second thought.