Chapter 1
After my husband, Charles Lane, and my best friend, Evelyn White, murdered me, I found myself standing in a queue at the Soul Waystation.
"A new life awaits. Which house shall be your destiny?" the Soulwarden asked.
I pointed a steady finger at the adulterous couple reflected in the Mirror of Life and Death, a cold, sharp smile curving my lips.
"That one," I said, my voice flat and certain. "I am going to be their precious little miracle."
"That much malice will weigh heavily on your soul," he cautioned. "It could twist your fate in the life to come."
"I don't care," I replied, dismissing his concern with a casual wave.
This time, I would be their daughter who came back to "repay" them for everything.
*****
The next moment, I was enveloped in warmth, then suddenly squeezed and propelled through a tight passage as the world lurched and tilted.
A piercing cry tore from my throat, announcing my arrival.
This time, I, Charlotte Wright, entered the world as Vivian Lane, the daughter of my enemies.
"Congratulations, Mr. Lane!" the nurse beamed. "A healthy baby girl, with a fine pair of lungs."
After I was cleaned and wrapped in a soft blanket, the nurse gently handed me to the woman.
Evelyn White was my former best friend.
Pale and exhausted from the delivery, she reached for me, her face glowing with a Madonna-like tenderness.
"Come to Mommy," she cooed, her voice thick with saccharine sweetness.
Mommy? As if.
The instant her fingertips brushed my skin, I unleashed a wail so gut-wrenching and unhinged, it seemed to come from the depths of hell itself.
The sound tore through the peaceful delivery room.
The nurse and doctor both started, visibly shaken.
Evelyn was so rattled that her hand trembled, and she nearly dropped me. "What is wrong with her? She was perfectly fine a moment ago," she said
The nurse hurried over and scooped me up. The instant I was lifted from Evelyn's arms, my cries subsided.
"Probably just the newborn feeling a bit insecure," the doctor remarked, dismissing it.
But something crossed Evelyn's face. A shadow of unease.
*****
Back at the Lane Mansion, whenever Evelyn drew near, my internal alarm would blare to life.
The moment her hands reached for me, I'd transform from a sweet, cherubic baby into a wild, thrashing little beast.
My arms and legs would flail wildly, my tiny, razor-sharp nails raking mercilessly across any exposed skin on her face, neck, and arms.
Evelyn hissed in pain and looked down to see three angry, red scratches rising on her arm.
Seizing the moment, I wailed even louder, as if I were the most wronged creature on earth.
"What's going on?" Charles burst in, drawn by the commotion, and was met with the scene.
He found Evelyn with blood on her arm and me in her arms, screaming as if I were being tortured.
"I... I don't know, she just suddenly..." Evelyn stammered, her face ashen.
Charles took me from her arms, impatience plain on his face.
The second I was in his arms, my cries ceased, replaced by a few pitiful sniffles.
I nestled my face against his warm chest, found the perfect spot, and promptly drifted off to sleep.
I was the picture of innocence, quiet and sweet, a perfect angel compared to the screaming demon I had been moments before.
Charles looked at the angel in his arms, then at the scratches on Evelyn's arm, his brow furrowing into a deep frown.
*****
From that day on, this became the new normal at Lane Mansion.
Whenever Evelyn tried to hold me, I'd claw at her and scream bloody murder.
But when Charles held me, or Grandpa, Grandma, even Nina the housekeeper, I'd turn into a perfect little doll, quiet and sweet and utterly angelic.
Within a month, Evelyn's arms were a canvas of fresh scratches over fading ones, and she had to cake her face with concealer to hide the marks.
Meanwhile, whispers started circulating: the Lane heiress was simply incompatible with her mother.
*****
That night, I clawed Evelyn's lip open. Again.
She finally snapped.
"What do you want from me?" Evelyn snarled, slamming the door shut and looming over my crib, her face contorted with rage. "Are you a demon? Why do you only do this to me?"
I gazed back at her, my eyes wide and innocent, silent and still, the very picture of angelic purity.
Yes. I was the demon you made, came to take your life
Seeing me so calm, Evelyn clawed back a sliver of composure. She took a deep breath, as if trying to reassure herself. "You're just a baby. You don't know anything."
Her hand trembled as she reached for me again, as if she needed to prove something.
Just then, the door swung open.
Charles walked in, glass of milk in hand, and froze at the sight: Evelyn's face contorted with rage, her hand hovering threateningly over their daughter.
"Evelyn! What are you doing?" Charles barked, rushing over to scoop me up protectively. His gaze, when he turned to her, was pure ice, cold and brimming with disappointment.
"I did nothing. I just wanted to hold her," Evelyn said, her voice cracking with desperation.
Charles soothed me gently, not even glancing at Evelyn as he spoke. "If you don't like her, stay away from her. From now on, Nina will take care of her."