Chapter 3

Anna's POV

Here we go again.

It was the same in my previous life.

They made Jackson and me, who were already in seventh grade, go back to sixth grade to accompany her.

A year later, Ethan, who had grown close to Chloe, also transferred into our class under the pretext of wanting to take care of me...

From then on, the three of them performed various little dramas in class every day.

They framed me for bullying Chloe, getting me ostracized by the entire class.

How wonderful.

Too bad I didn't want to play such boring games with elementary schoolers anymore.

It was a complete waste of life.

I tilted my head.

"Does she need two servants just to attend school?"

My dad was so shocked he dropped his fork.

"A-Anna, what did you say?"

"I said, since Jackson is already willing to serve her, there's no need to force me too, right?"

My mom grabbed my arm, her face full of shock.

"Anna, what are you talking about? What do you mean serve? Mom and Dad just want you to spend more time together and get close sooner!"

"I have no obligation to get close to her. Whoever wants to get close to her can go serve her."

I stared at Jackson, who had been stunned silent since earlier, and delivered my final words.

"So it's settled. From now on, you two go to elementary school, and I'll continue in middle school. We won't interfere with each other."

I turned and went upstairs.

Leaving them all to comfort the sobbing Chloe.

Around nine that night, Jackson knocked on my door.

"Anna, are you asleep?"

"What do you want?"

"Can you open the door?"

"No."

Silence outside for a long time.

Just when I thought he'd left, Jackson's voice came again.

"Anna, you're upset, aren't you?"

I paused while organizing my clothes.

I frowned, my voice indifferent.

"No."

"You are! Anna, is it because I only paid attention to Chloe today and ignored you?"

I was somewhat speechless.

I really wasn't upset.

I just didn't care.

I found interacting with them so boring it made me want to vomit.

That Anna who would be heartbroken to severe depression from being ignored had already died alone in a psychiatric hospital.

I sighed.

"Really, I'm not. Jackson, you can do whatever you want, get close to whoever you want. It's your freedom. Just don't bother me."

Silence outside again.

After a while, his voice carried a hint of helplessness.

"Anna, Chloe is really pitiful. Look how small and frail she is. She has such a gentle nature and a soft heart. I'm really afraid she'll get bullied. Anna, I'll go back and stay with her for a year first. Once she's settled, I'll transfer to your school, okay?"

Fine.

Your family invested in the school. You can do whatever you want.

I rolled my eyes, packed my last piece of clothing.

I put in noise-canceling earplugs and lay down on the bed.

The next morning.

I walked into the living room with my suitcase and backpack.

Everyone froze again.

I looked up and saw Ethan sitting next to Chloe.

The boy my age was already quite tall, even half a head taller than Jackson.

The moment he saw me, he quickly stood up. His gentle eyes curved slightly, his voice excited.

"Anna! I came to pick you up for school!"

I lowered my eyes and saw Chloe's hand gripping his arm.

"You don't need to pick me up anymore."

"Of course, if you want to pick up someone else, be my guest."

The smile froze on Ethan's face.

"Why?"

I gestured with my chin toward the suitcase behind me.

The sound of chairs scraping against the floor rang out one after another.

Not just Ethan. My parents and Jackson all looked confused.

"Anna? What's this?"

Jackson stared at my suitcase with bloodshot eyes from staying up all night.

"Clothes and some daily necessities."

And my jewelry.

"I forgot to tell you all. Starting today, I'm moving into the dorms."

"What?!"

They all spoke in unison.

My dad walked over with a cold expression and crouched down to look at me.

"Anna? You want to live in the dorms."

"Yes."

"Why? Isn't it good at home? Did Mom and Dad make you unhappy?"

I remained silent, my eyes showing no emotion.

My dad's hand on my hair trembled slightly.

He hesitated and looked back at Chloe.

"Is it because of... Chloe?"

At those words, before I could react, Chloe was already biting her lip and letting out a suppressed sob.

My mom quickly stepped forward and pulled her into an embrace, looking at my dad reproachfully.

"What are you saying? How could that be? Anna, you tell us. Why do you want to live in the dorms? It definitely can't be because of Chloe. You like her, right?"

Everyone looked at me expectantly, waiting for my answer.

They were waiting for me to say: Yes, I like her. Wanting to live in the dorms is just me being willful. I haven't been wronged.

But I was best at disappointing people.

"Wrong. I don't like her. I hate her. And I don't just hate her."

"I also hate Mom and Dad, hate Jackson, hate Ethan! I hate all of you!"

In an instant, my parents' and Jackson's faces turned deathly pale.

Ethan didn't react much.

He seemed to think I was throwing a tantrum, his eyes full of tolerance and helplessness.

As I passed him with my suitcase, he even reached out to help me take it.

I dodged.

He wasn't annoyed, still shamelessly following behind me.

My parents wanted to chase after me, but Chloe's crying interrupted them.

She cried more and more pitifully, burying her small face in my mom's arms, trembling all over.

"Mom, Dad, just send me to an orphanage. Anna doesn't like me... I don't deserve to stay in this house!"

My parents naturally launched into kind words of comfort, but strangely, Jackson didn't speak up for once.

Ethan was still following me closely.

He forced his way into the car I was taking.

"Go take your own car."

"Why? I don't want to! I want to be with you!"

He tilted his head to look at me, showing his two small canine teeth, looking adorable.

My fingertips trembled slightly.

I suddenly remembered. It was the same in my previous life.

When everyone was ostracizing me.

The only person who didn't side with Chloe was Ethan.

He would stand firmly behind me when Chloe framed me.

Talk back to Jackson when he cursed at me.

Hold me and comfort me softly when my parents grew more and more disappointed in me.

"Anna, don't be afraid. You still have me. I'll stay with you. If they like Chloe more, that's their business. I'll only ever like my Anna!"

Like a drowning person grasping the only piece of driftwood available, I relied on him and trusted him even more completely.

Until the day Jackson and I turned fourteen.

Chloe suddenly fainted for no reason.

Ethan's body stiffened. Before anyone else could react, he shoved me aside and caught her firmly.

That "priest" he personally brought to the birthday party stood up in front of everyone. He told them I was bewitched by demons and had been bullying her constantly, which was why her health had gotten so bad.

What a conveniently timed "priest."

What a clumsy excuse!

The shock and embarrassment on the faces of all our relatives and friends. I still remember it to this day.

Everyone could see it was orchestrated bullying and humiliation aimed at me.

But my parents still took me to change my name without a second thought.

From that day on, the name that had been mine for fourteen years, Anna, became a forbidden word in the house.

They called me, Luna.

Luna.

A name changed for Chloe's sake.

It was a beautiful name, but I didn't like it.

I didn't like it until the day I died.