The Scheming Sister Who Stole My Life

The year I turned thirteen, the day my parents brought me home for the family reunion dinner, my mother tried to put a chicken leg into my bowl, but my sister Nina snatched it away from me.

I slammed my bowl onto her head, and with one swift motion, overturned the entire table.

"Lucia, have you never had meat in your life?"

Before Nina could even begin to cry and complain, I suddenly acted like I had lost my mind. Grabbing my head, I screamed, my face went pale, I slapped Nina across the face twice, then jumped onto the couch, laughing and crying all at once.

My parents and the housekeeper were frozen in shock.

…

My name is Lucia Vance. Oh, and I’ve been reincarnated after a car accident.

I could sum up the failure of my past life in one sentence: "Good people get taken advantage of. Don't play the martyr."

Because of Nina, my mother had a second daughter. And as a second daughter, I was the only one thrown back to live with my grandmother in the countryside. My grandmother wanted a grandson, so from the time I was little, she cursed me, calling me a waste, a burden who had stolen her grandson’s chance at reincarnation.

In my past life, lacking love and family warmth, I kept brainwashing myself into thinking that if I was obedient and well-behaved, someone would love me.

When I was thirteen, my parents brought me to the city for the high school entrance exams. I lived with Nina, who was a year older than me, for over a decade. It wasn't until much later that I foolishly realized a truth: endure for a moment, and they’ll push you further, take advantage of your kindness.

No one cares for someone who can't even care for themselves.

The consequence of causing chaos at the family dinner was that my father, in a fit of rage, grabbed my hair, slapped me several times, and kicked me. Then the housekeeper dragged me upstairs to kneel in punishment.

As I knelt, enduring the pain in my scalp, I stared at my father and screamed, "You’re so biased toward Nina! If I’d known this would happen, you should’ve drowned me in the potty the moment I was born!"

"Just kill me, go ahead, haha, even if you kill me, you’ll end up in jail! In my next life, I’ll come back and torture you again!"

My father was so enraged, he looked as though he wanted to strangle me right then and there.

My mother just stared at me in shock, then showed a look of complete disappointment.

I, however, didn't care at all. I laughed loudly, meeting her gaze with a defiant smirk, whistling, challenging them with my eyes.

The next day, I went to my new school wearing a mask, a hat, and walking awkwardly.

Because it was the hot summer, the other students were groaning from the heat, yet I was the only one wearing a hat and mask.

During gym class, the teacher noticed my strange running form, trying to grab attention, and kept trying to pull off my hat, thinking I was playing a prank.

But when the teacher yanked off my hat, he saw the blood on my scalp and my swollen, red face. Seeing my terrified expression, he quickly snatched the hat back, and immediately called the police.

I swore I would be grateful to that teacher for his kindness.

Honestly, I was lucky my dad was a businessman, and my mom worked in a state-owned enterprise. They were both incredibly concerned with appearances, so no matter how absurd I acted, they would never throw me out of the house.

They would never kill me either. All I ever wanted was to be treated equally.

After the police were called, I was forced into confinement for a week. On my birthday, my mother took Nina out for social events and even gave the housekeeper the day off.

Before leaving, she told me that starving me was meant for me to reflect on my actions, to think about the shameful things I had done.

"Do you know that I’m on the verge of a promotion, and your dad is about to close a big deal? You’re ruining both our futures by acting like this."

"I should’ve listened to you, and just strangled you at birth!"

Nina stood beside her, grinning with a look of smug satisfaction in her eyes.

How stupidly na?ve of me to endure all that!

I stood by the door of my room, trying to calm my anger, when I suddenly remembered my past life, when I had been the obedient, well-behaved daughter everyone envied my mother for having.

Because of that, they felt entitled to take my things, hurt me with impunity, and then, as if doing me a favor, would praise me saying, "You're such a good girl!"

Since the child who doesn’t cry gets no candy, I decided to cry. Not only that, but I would go insane. I would destroy everything they were so proud of.