Chapter 2

Anna's POV

"Anna, come here! Haven't you been looking forward to having a sister?"

My mom held Chloe's hand, standing at the door and waving at me with a smile.

Chloe lifted her pale little face and greeted me obediently.

But I had no reaction.

I turned and went back to my room.

Leaving everyone in the living room looking at each other.

My dad sighed helplessly.

"What's gotten into that child? Who upset her now?"

My mom sounded awkward.

"Maybe she's just not used to having a sister in the house yet. It's fine, I'll go coax her in a bit."

Chloe's voice carried a sob.

"Mom, Dad, does Anna not like me?"

Before my parents could respond, Jackson eagerly spoke up.

"No, no, Anna just has a big temper, but her heart isn't bad. Don't cry, don't be sad. I'll go talk to her for you later!"

My parents beamed.

"Jackson is so sensible. You must take good care of Chloe!"

Their laughter kept drifting into my room.

Once again, I thought the soundproofing in this mansion was really terrible.

I didn't like it.

It was annoyingly loud.

I simply stood up and started taking inventory of my belongings.

Too much time had passed. I couldn't remember what I owned at age twelve.

Looking carefully now, I was truly wealthy to a staggering degree.

No wonder Chloe loved stealing my things so much.

Even my grown-up self... couldn't help feeling a bit jealous.

I picked up the jewelry on my vanity and stuffed it all into my backpack.

I had to take it now, or Chloe would find various excuses to take it away soon enough.

I looked at the bracelet in my hand and remembered the scene from my previous life when Chloe smashed it.

That was the first time I slapped her.

The red-eyed little girl cowered behind the door, her voice sounding as aggrieved as if I had broken her possession.

"Anna, I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to... I've never had things like these. I just wanted to look at it, I... I didn't hold it steady..."

She burst into tears, drawing my parents and Jackson.

That was the first time I went crazy and hit someone, and the first time my dad locked me up.

Chloe clung to my mom's leg, crying so hard she nearly passed out, yet she still had time to look up and make faces at me...

I pointed at her accusingly, and the next second, Jackson shoved me hard into my room.

"Anna! Can't you have some sympathy? Chloe is so pitiful! How can you bully her? It's just a bracelet. You have countless others! What's wrong with giving it to her?"

I bit my lip, desperately swallowing the sob that rose to my throat.

Just a bracelet?

No!

That was the birthday gift Jackson bought me with his first prize money from a creative competition!

But he had forgotten...

Starting that year, I never received another birthday gift. Even the stream of dolls, clothes, and jewelry that used to flow into my room all got redirected to Chloe's room instead.

Just because she said, "The kids at school all laugh at me, saying I'm skinny and have no taste, not bright and beautiful like Anna. I look like a little monkey..."

She was lying!

It was clearly Jackson who led the whole class to isolate me!

He knew everything.

But he didn't defend me.

He watched as my parents grew more and more disappointed in me.

More and more partial to their adopted daughter with her tragic background...

By the time I finished packing all my belongings.

Someone finally knocked gently on my door.

"Anna? Sweetheart, come out for dinner."

My mom was patient, her voice impossibly gentle.

I didn't respond.

I just opened the door and let her lead me to the living room.

Chloe sat in my usual spot, looking uncomfortable.

My dad and Jackson were both helping arrange her place setting.

I turned to look at my mom.

"Am I eating on the floor?"

Everyone froze.

My mom's hand holding mine unconsciously tightened.

"How could that be? It’s my fault. I forgot to set up a chair for you. Where's the maid? Get Anna a chair quickly."

Chloe hesitantly stood up, her big innocent eyes instantly filling with tears.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know this was your seat. I... I'll give it to you!"

Jackson quickly stood and pressed her back down, looking at me reproachfully.

"Anna, it's the same wherever you sit. Chloe just got here. Don't scare her! At worst, you can sit on my left! I'll sit between you two, okay?"

My parents said nothing, instead watching for my reaction.

Wasn't this just tacit approval?

I sneered inwardly.

Really, so childish.

The whole family was putting on a performance, but their acting was extraordinarily terrible.

It was enough to kill my appetite.

I took the chair from the maid and pulled it to the very corner of the dining table, far away from all of them.

Jackson paused mid-pour as he filled Chloe's water glass. He looked at me several times, seeming to want to say something, but ultimately said nothing.

We finished the meal in this bizarre atmosphere.

As I got up to go upstairs, my dad stopped me.

He looked somewhat uncomfortable, clearing his throat before speaking with a smile.

"Anna, Chloe is a year younger than you and Jackson. You're the older siblings, so you need to look after her more. She just lost her birth parents and is very traumatized. We're her family now. We should take care of her."

My mom chimed in.

"That's right. Mom knows you might not be used to having a sister yet, but look how sweet Chloe is. If you spend more time together, you'll definitely grow closer."

The two of them kept making eye signals across the table.

Clearly, neither wanted to be the first to broach whatever came next.

I was getting impatient.

My voice was cold.

"So?"

My mom looked stunned by my question.

Perhaps she'd never heard me speak to her in such an icy tone before and didn't know how to respond for a moment.

My dad took a sip of water and spoke with a smile.

"Anna, Chloe just transferred here. Her physical and mental state aren't good, and we're really worried. How about you and Jackson both repeat a grade to go to school with Chloe? Sound good?"

As if to make it more convincing, he quickly added.

"Jackson already agreed. We're just waiting for you."

I looked at Jackson.

He kept his head down, not daring to meet my eyes.