Chapter 2

Ignoring others' confused looks, I rushed frantically into the dorm, tearing through each room in a desperate search.

It was late afternoon, and most of the kids were out, scattered across the grounds, playing in every corner. Trying to find one kid out of more than a hundred was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

I was gasping for breath, sweat pouring down my face. I'd been searching for over half an hour, but my real sister was nowhere to be found...

If I couldn't find her soon, she would die in tonight's fire, and that little liar would steal her identity for good.

"Excuse me?"

My heart skipped a beat as I turned around abruptly.

A girl with twin braids gave me a warm, goofy smile, and then pointed to a car parked not far away. "Miss, the director and your parents sent me. The paperwork's all done. They're ready to leave."

After thanking her, I slumped back into the car, feeling totally defeated.

My fake sister was still clinging to my mom. When she saw me come back empty-handed, she let out a sigh of relief, and I could see the look of satisfaction in her eyes.

That just made me even more certain: she was a total faker.

My dad gave me a serious lecture. "Do you have any manners at all? Running wild around the orphanage! The staff said you were going around pulling at little girls' clothes. Are you trying to drive me insane? You humiliated our family! Sometimes I wish you were the one who got lost back then!"

He'd always been strict with me, pushing me to be the best, to act right, but he'd never said anything that harsh before.

Then he turned to my fake sister, his voice softening. "Once we get home, take a few days to settle in. No need to rush back to school. If you need anything, just tell your mom and me. And if you have any problems, ask your sister for help, okay?"

The girl nodded obediently, throwing in some sweet, charming words that even made my usually stern dad crack a smile.

Back in my previous life, it was exactly the same story when my fake sister moved in. She was smart and a sweet-talker, totally ruling over me thanks to my parents' guilt.

At first, I thought she was just scared and lost, too young to know any better. So I did everything I could to be a decent elder sister.

I never got jealous of how my parents spoiled her, or how my childhood bestie James Wright always looked out for her. When she got really sick, I stayed by her side day and night and even donated my kidney to her.

But in the end, what did I get in return?

My fake sister had never learned a single dance move but still went up on stage at the competition, pretending she belonged there.

When people laughed at her, she burst into tears and sobbed, "If only I could be as talented as Lola..."

So my parents handed over all my trophies to her and stopped all my after-school classes and training.

She trailed after James all day, looking up at him with wide-eyed innocence and gushing, "I've never seen such a handsome guy before."

But everyone at school knew that I was supposed to be James' future wife.

After some gossipy classmates started spreading nasty rumors about her, she came to James, all teary-eyed, and asked, "Why does Lola get to have such a handsome boyfriend, and I don't?"

So, at our engagement party, James broke off the engagement right in front of everyone and announced he was engaged to her instead.

My parents acted like it was the best thing ever... Nobody gave a damn about how I felt.

When she was diagnosed with that serious illness, everyone acted like I was the one who owed her everything.

If I'd been the one who got taken all those years ago, Emma wouldn't have had to go through all that hardship, and they could've found her illness early and treated it in time.

So I was forced to give her a kidney, but when her body rejected it after the surgery, everyone acted like it was all my fault that the whole thing failed.

It was all so damn ridiculous.

Right before Emma took her last breath, she said she was terrified of dying, that she couldn't bear to leave me, and that she wanted us to be sisters again in our next life.

James, who saw her as his muse, and my parents, who treated her like she was their whole world, didn't even hesitate to have me buried in the same coffin with her, just so I could keep looking after her.

Whether it was on the road to the afterlife or in the next life, we were bonded to stay together.

Because, in their eyes, I owed her too much.

The taste of blood in my mouth snapped me back to reality, and strangely enough, I actually felt relieved.

Thank goodness that a girl this twisted wasn't my real sister.

When we got home, Mom didn't hesitate for a second. She told me to move into the tiny room downstairs and let the imposter take over my big bedroom.

Her excuse was that I'd had everything to myself for more than ten years, so now it was only fair to let my "sister" get her share.

The fake lounged in the crystal chair I'd spent ages hunting down, flashing a sweet smile and chirping, "Thank you, Mom and Dad."

Mom pressed a hand to her chest, eating it up, and muttered, "Isn't our little girl just the sweetest?"

Our maid, Laura, had already brought in top chefs from all over the country to prepare a feast, and one mouthwatering dish after another was set out on the table.

Mom and Dad kept serving the imposter, acting like I, their real flesh and blood, didn't even exist.

The girl sitting across from me was already dressed in a custom-made white dress. Even without any makeup, she still seemed pure and sweet.

She kept shooting me happy little looks, obviously enjoying herself.

I glanced at the clock; it was already 7 p.m.

Just then, the imposter's phone dinged with a notification.

She arched her eyebrow, eagerly set down her fork, and snatched up her phone.

My dad didn't even flinch. Normally, mealtime at our house was dead silent and strict—no talking, and definitely no phones at the table.

She'd only just come home, and Mom and Dad were completely enchanted, letting her do whatever she wanted. I had never seen them acting like this before.

Deep down, I made a mental note of it.

Across the table, the imposter sheepishly put her phone down. Too bad, it was just some boring ad.

I stared straight at her and finally broke my silence. "Not seeing any news about the orphanage fire is truly disappointing, isn't it?"