The day I was brought back to my biological family, the "fake" daughter couldn't handle it. She swallowed a bottle of sleeping pills. By the time she reached the hospital, she was pronounced dead on arrival. Instantly, she became the family’s saint, their white moonlight. And I? I became the sinner. My parents tried to mold me into her shadow. My two older brothers cursed me daily, asking why I wasn't the one in the grave. Only I knew the truth: The fake daughter faked her death. I know this because I’ve been reborn. In my past life, I died trying to expose her. In this life, I decided to help the "happy family" reunite a little earlier than planned. But once I did, they begged for forgiveness. 1 "Lily! Today is Jessica’s memorial! How dare you celebrate your birthday? Why wasn't it you who died?!" "How can you be so vicious? All you think about is fighting for attention! Let me tell you, you will never be half the woman Jessica was!" I blinked, my vision clearing. I was looking at the youthful faces of my brothers, Ethan and Ryan. I lifted my shirt to check my stomach. Smooth skin. No scars. That’s when I knew for sure—I had been reborn. In my previous life, Jessica and I were switched at birth. When I finally returned home, full of hope, I wasn't met with love, but with disgust. Jessica staged a suicide that very day and was declared dead. From that moment on, I was the villain. My parents looked for traces of her in me. My brothers hated me, convinced my return killed their beloved sister. I lived in guilt, begging for scraps of their affection. At twenty-five, desperate to please them, I agreed to a business marriage. My husband was a monster. He beat me until I miscarried. When I called my family for help, they told me to endure it for the family's sake. "It’s just a beating," they said. "Jessica lost her life because of you. You owe her." Broken, I wandered the streets until I saw something impossible. Through a restaurant window, I saw the "dead" Jessica. She was sitting with my parents and brothers, celebrating her birthday. They were laughing. Eating cake. Giving her the love I had craved my entire life. I rushed in, screaming, demanding answers. Jessica hadn't died. All my suffering was for nothing. In the chaos, I ran out into the street and was hit by a truck. As I lay bleeding out on the asphalt, my parents just glanced at me coldly before turning back to sing "Happy Birthday" to Jessica. Even though I was their flesh and blood, they only ever loved her. I died realizing the truth: I didn't lose to a mistake. I lost because they simply didn't love me. Thinking of this, I clenched my fists. 2 Ryan's voice cut through my thoughts. "Lily, are you deaf? Stop playing the victim on the floor!" He grabbed the cake—the one my best friend Sarah had bought me, the only person who remembered my birthday—and smashed it into my face. I wiped the frosting from my eyes, stood up, grabbed a chunk of the ruined cake, and slammed it right back into Ryan’s face. Ryan’s eyes went wide. The submissive doormat he knew had just fought back. "Lily! Are you crazy? Why couldn't you just die instead?!" Ryan screamed, his eyes burning with hatred. They had said that so many times. Why didn't you die? In my past life, I wondered that too. Living was torture. I smirked. "Yeah, this lunatic is still alive, while your perfect, precious Jessica is rotting in the ground." "Dead. Cold. Desperate..." Slap. A heavy hand struck my face. I glared at Ethan, my oldest brother. Ethan looked panicked. His hand trembled in the air. I scoffed internally. He couldn't handle me speaking ill of Jessica? What about the psychological torture they put me through? What about my husband’s fists? What about me dying in the street? I grabbed Ethan by the collar and slapped him back. Hard. I used every ounce of strength I had. Ethan’s eyes bulged. He was more shocked than hurt. "Lily! Have you lost your mind?" he growled. Everyone said I was crazy. Well, now I really was. Ryan, seeing this, panicked and kicked me hard in the ribs. "Ah—" I cried out in pain, face pale, but I didn't let go. I grabbed Ethan’s hand and bit down. Hard. The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth. Go to hell. All of you. Even if I die again, I’m taking a piece of you with me. Ryan was screaming now. "Help! Lily’s gone insane! Get this bitch off him!" Two grown men couldn't shake me off. The servants rushed in, shoving me away roughly. They treated me like a piece of furniture, not the daughter of the house. I stood there, staring at the deep bite mark on Ethan’s hand, and smiled. 3 "Enough!" A voice boomed from the staircase. My father stood there, looking at me with pure disgust. "Filthy. Look at yourself." Right. I didn't look like Jessica. Without her shadow, I was less than a stranger to them. "Dad, Lily’s lost it," Ryan stammered. "She hit Ethan. We just told her she shouldn't celebrate her birthday on Jessica’s death anniversary, and she snapped." My father scoffed. He cared about dignity above all else. "Is that true?" I wiped the blood from my mouth. "Yeah. What does Jessica’s death day have to do with my birthday?" My mother rushed over, hearing my words. Tears instantly rolled down her cheeks. "Lily! How can you be so cold? She was your sister!" I laughed, tears welling in my own eyes. "Sister? A stranger I never met? She deserves to be my sister?" "Have you ever considered that I am your biological daughter?" "Why does my life have to be a memorial for someone else's?" My mother clutched her chest, sobbing, unable to look me in the eye. Ryan stepped in front of her. "Stop torturing Mom with Jessica’s name! You are venomous!" Ethan chimed in, cold as ice. "Mom, Dad, let's go visit Jessica’s grave. Don't let an outsider waste our time." An outsider. I never belonged. My mother cried uncontrollably but let them lead her away. I watched them leave with cold eyes. Forget it. Parents, brothers... I don't want any of them. I looked at the smashed cake on the floor. A shame. I couldn't eat it. But today, I was going to have my cake and eat it too. I was celebrating my rebirth. 4 After cleaning myself up, I packed my bags. The servants called the family to tattle on me. They did it right in front of my face. Ryan sneered over the phone, "Good. Let her leave. Hope she dies out there." Ethan stayed silent. My mother just wept. My father ignored it, busy polishing a photo of Jessica. The maid looked awkward as she hung up. She handed me a bag of pastries. "Miss, for the road." I took it, nodding. It was ironic that in two lifetimes, the only kindness in this house came from the hired help. My best friend, Sarah, was waiting at the gate. Seeing her, I broke down. "Sarah!" Sarah hugged me tight. "Lily, did they hurt you again?" I nodded, tears falling. "They ruined the cake you bought me." "I'll buy you another one." I went home with Sarah. As soon as we arrived, my mother called. Her voice was choked with tears. "Child, why did you really leave? What am I supposed to do?" "Go live with Jessica," I said. The phone was snatched away. "Lily! What is this new game?" Ethan yelled. "Do you only feel good when you make Mom miserable?" "Let me tell you, you will never compare to Jessica. You are nothing compared to her." "Apologize now, and we'll let you come back." He was sure I wouldn't refuse. The old me wouldn't have. I used to crave their love, humbling myself into the dust. But I was tired. Let them love Jessica. Let them bleed for her. "I don't need you anymore," I said, forcing a smile into my voice. "What?" Ethan sounded stunned. Then he laughed. "Is this your new tactic?" I had tried tactics before. After Jessica "died," I tried everything to make them look at me. But the harder I tried, the more they hated me for being alive. What was my crime? Wanting to be loved by my own family? If that’s a sin, then I’ll stay away. Ethan hung up angrily, convinced I was bluffing. Sarah held me as I lay on her couch. "I'm here, Lily," she whispered. I closed my eyes, the final image of my past life flashing in my mind. Jessica is alive. I sat up abruptly. "Sarah," I said, my voice trembling but loud. "Jessica isn't dead."
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