Chapter 3

Eric blocked my path again and demanded coldly, "Sophia, what kind of game are you playing?"

I was genuinely confused now.

"Eric, do you have some kind of problem? When I confessed to you, you acted like I was annoying the hell out of you. Now that I've stopped, you're throwing a fit?

"What, was your whole aloof act just an excuse to get girls to worship you? Oh, I get it. Your birthday passed and I didn't buy you an expensive present, so now you're pissed?"

I made sure to say all of this loud enough for everyone to hear.

The package pickup station entrance was crowded with people coming and going, and they all stopped to watch the show.

I raised my voice even more. "Everyone, can you believe this? I spent three years chasing Eric, and he never once accepted my confession. But he sure as hell took every expensive gift I gave him!"

In my past life, I'd been such an idiot. I'd never once questioned why Eric kept rejecting me but had no problem accepting all those pricey presents I bought him.

If I'd just stopped to think about it for one second, I never would've ended up dying the way I did.

Having a brain was a good thing. But being blinded by love? I was done with that.

"Sophia, stop making a scene." Eric reached out to grab me again.

"Sophia, I accept your confession. Come on, let's go." Then he actually tried to put his arm around me.

I quickly pushed him away.

"Everyone here is my witness. I don't like Eric anymore!" I announced firmly.

"Sophia..." Suddenly, a soft, timid voice interrupted.

I looked up and saw Emily standing there.

I hated Emily from the very core of my being. She was only three months younger than me, but my dad absolutely adored her.

Ever since we were kids, he'd brought her to live with us under the excuse of "keeping me company."

From that moment on, she'd played the fragile, pitiful little victim, walking around like she was on the verge of death every single day.

Emily was always playing the damsel in distress, tearing up at the drop of a hat and acting like she could barely catch her breath.

My mom was constantly busy with her business, so Dad handled most things around the house. I'd always figured Emily just knew how to play innocent and manipulative to win Dad's fatherly affection.

In my past life, I didn't find out until after I died that she was actually Dad's illegitimate daughter. What made it worse was that she had his last name, which meant she represented everything his old-fashioned, patriarchal mindset valued, carrying on the family line and all that.

"Sophia, I talked to Eric for ages before he finally agreed to give you a chance," Emily said, reaching out to grab my hand with that fragile, helpless look on her face. "You like him, don't you? Don't be difficult now."

I yanked my hand away from her and said coldly, "Who the hell are you to be mediating between us? I want to know why Eric's listening to you in the first place. Have you two been sleeping together this whole time?"

The second I pulled away, Emily pretended to stumble and let out a little cry as she fell toward the ground.

Eric rushed to catch her.

He frowned at me. "Sophia, Emmy was just trying to help you out. Why are you treating her like this?"

I got right in his face. "How exactly am I treating her? Eric, whatever's going on between you and me has nothing to do with her. Why is she even involved?"

Emily immediately jumped back into peacemaker mode. "Sophia, please don't be like this. I know you're upset, but Eric was only looking out for you when he turned you down at first. The truth is, he's always had feelings for you."

I didn't let her finish. "Enough. How do you know so much about what some random guy is thinking? If you like him, then you two can date. I'm not interested anymore, so please leave me alone."

With that, I turned around and walked away.

When I got back to my dorm room and made sure my roommates weren't around, I called my mom, Madison Quinn.

I needed to tell her that Emily was Dad's illegitimate daughter so she could protect herself from whatever Dad might be planning.

She picked up on the second ring.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, I cut straight to the point.

"Mom, there's something I need to tell you, but I'm not sure how to say it..."

"Sweetie, what's wrong? Do you need money?" Madison asked.

She'd been so busy with work my whole life that she always felt guilty about it, and the only way she knew how to make it up to me was by giving me money.

"No, Mom, it's not that. It's about Emily. I think she might be Dad's illegitimate daughter."

The words hung in the air, and my heart was racing. But if I didn't say something now, the consequences could be devastating.

There was a long silence on the other end before Mom finally spoke. "Sophia, I've suspected it for a while now. How did you find out?"