Chapter 1

Before I died, my parents had always indulged my mute little sister's every whim.

When I woke up again, I quit saving her.

She cheated on the SAT? I let her.

She dated a dropout? I looked away.

She quit school, got married, and became a teenage mom stuck in a dead-end life? I stayed silent.

This time, I refused to be her stepping-stone.

I chose a peaceful life.

And I chose to love myself.

*****

"Helena, Simone can't speak. As her elder sister, you should look out for her more. Now, that painting of yours has caught the attention of a renowned drawing master, so, well..."

Dad hesitated, glancing at Mom.

Under Mom's intense gaze, he finally forced out the rest, sounding almost apologetic.

He added, "Can you let Simone have that painting? It could give her a chance to study from that famous master and get into a top school."

I totally spaced out, however.

The image of my own body, lifeless in a blood-soaked bathtub, flashed before my eyes.

After a long moment, I realized I'd been granted a second life.

I was back in my senior year in high school.

And I knew everything could still be changed.

Dad continued, "Helena, you're smart and you work hard. It's just a painting, and it won't really affect you. But without it, Simone wouldn't even have a shot at going to school."

Dad was pleading earnestly.

Mom, however, was already looking annoyed.

I stayed silent.

Mom finally lost patience and spoke up.

"You're our daughter. We gave you life and raised you, so everything you have belongs to us. That painting is ours too. Even if you don't want to, you still have to hand it over to Simone," Mom declared.

It wasn't the first time I'd heard my parents say those words.

I rejected their request in my previous life.

But that painting still ended up in the hands of the drawing master named Zell, with Simone's name on it.

Later, Simone got accepted as Zell's last student.

I totally lost it and had a meltdown that day.

I called her out for stealing.

She just couldn't bear it and jumped off the third floor.

She was fine in the end.

But after that, my parents absolutely hated me.

And Zell saw Simone's behavior as proof of her being the real painter and became utterly convinced of her creative genius.

Meanwhile, I was labeled the wicked sister.

Zell completely blacklisted me from his circle.

From then on, my path in the art world became quite hard.

After everything I'd been through just to get into college, my parents cut me off financially.

And because of the stain on my name, my paintings were banned from every competition.

I shut myself away in my room, chasing the soul of painting day after day.

But every work of mine would vanish overnight, like it had never been there.

By the time I hit twenty-five, Simone had become the new sensation—thanks to all my stolen art.

I fought for myself.

I threw a fit, too.

But in the end, my parents locked me away at home, using a fake diagnosis of a mental disorder.

There was no hope of ever making a comeback.

Back then, I didn't get that fairness and justice were just the strong showing mercy to the weak.

I didn't know, either, that the weak demanding justice was just laughable.

I snapped back to reality.

I looked at my parents and said with resolve, "Alright, I'll listen to you."

They both looked stunned.

Then they exchanged a glance.

Their faces softened, and Dad said, "You've really grown up. You finally understand how tough it's been for us."

Then Dad casually handed me a concert ticket.

It felt like he was trying to make it up to me.

"You've always wanted to see this singer's concert, right? Here, take it. Simone has one too. You two can go together," he said.

I accepted the ticket.

Once again, I remembered my previous life.

Back then, both tickets ended up in Simone's hands.