Chapter 3
In my previous life, the rumors about me had been viciously spread in the family chat, and I had developed mild depression because of it.
Emily heard about it and wasted no time spreading it across the entire class.
She was jealous that I seemed to have a better life than she did. She wanted to bring me down and take my place.
The moment I stepped into the classroom, all eyes turned toward me.
"You seduced your stepdad? How shameless can you be?"
"Don't you know? Their mom wanted custody of Emily at first. Sophie didn't want to suffer with her dad. She threw a fit and made such a scene that their mom changed her mind."
"Look at her belly. Maybe she's pregnant."
Some were surprised; others gossiped with cruel delight. "What will that kid call him—dad or grandpa?"
The whole class burst into laughter, and the chatter only grew louder.
They made up accusations without evidence, and I had no way to prove otherwise.
I flew into a rage and beat Emily.
Blinded by anger, I didn't notice that Emily, never one to back down, did not fight back this time.
She collapsed to the floor, fragile, and blocked a boy who was about to stand up for her. "I'm fine. Don't blame Sophie. If hitting me makes her feel better, then so be it."
Immediately, everyone's contempt for me deepened.
"They're twins but so different."
"Emily's just too kind. That's why she spoiled Sophie."
Only when the bell rang did the students scramble back to their seats and the teacher walk in.
The teacher called me out by name. "Sophie, I know your family has money, but you need to watch the influence this has. If this keeps happening and brings shame to the school, we won't be able to keep you here."
No one considered how much harm those rumors did to me. No one looked for the truth behind the noise.
They believed what they heard and treated it as fact.
For a moment, I felt like a lone boat on the sea, isolated and helpless.
Later, I developed severe depression and mania.
I attempted suicide several times until I was forced to drop out of school.
"Go ahead and die then; stop pretending."
"She's just fishing for sympathy."
Those filthy words stuck with me to the day I almost died.
Returning to school stirred old resentments when I saw familiar classmates.
This time, Emily still chose the seat next to mine. "Mom hired several tutors for me. I already covered most of the seventh-grade material over the summer. If you don't understand something, ask me."
Praise bubbled up around her. Emily beamed, pleased as punch, pride written all over her face.
I said nothing. In my previous life, I had thrown myself into my studies to escape reality, so it wouldn't be easy for Emily to outshine me academically.
My unsettled mood lasted until evening, when the sight of Dad's homemade roasted lamb chops finally calmed me.
It smelled familiar.
Dad said happily, "Sophie, you really brought me luck. I crunched the numbers. I didn't sell many camcorders this summer, but I made as much as I did in the past few years.
"I already called your uncle and asked him to have people bring more back. Then not only can I buy you good food every day, but we can move to a bigger place."
Watching dad talk excitedly, I felt inexplicably happy.
As I ate the lamb, memories of my previous life crept back.
After my dad made a little money reselling camcorders, someone persuaded him to go into business and open a factory.
He was cheated.
And the one who swindled him was Richard. He had posed as a helper, and Dad trusted him without reservation.
Dad was too trusting, and the money was lost. In the end, he was still defending Richard.
"So, Dad, the money you earned has to be for buying me a house. Don't spend it on anything else, or I'll be mad," I said, warning him because I was afraid he would be cheated again.
"All right, I'll listen to you. This money will never go anywhere else, Sophie," he said with a smile.