Chapter 2

In my previous life, Selena was always so soft and unassuming, quietly taking everything that belonged to me without anyone noticing.

Everything that should have been mine.

"Lydia, why are you just standing there? Hurry up and come down!" Alfred called out to me from beside Selena.

Instantly, everyone's eyes turned to me.

I shivered, feeling awkward, and caught the way Selena's eyes seemed to darken for a split second.

"I haven't congratulated you yet, Lydia. You ranked so high. You must be able to apply to your dream school. I'm so jealous," Selena said.

I brushed her off, "You're not bad yourself."

It was true. She was just one spot behind me.

Too bad, though. Our dream school only had one spot available in this city.

And that spot should have been mine.

But everyone in the room acted like they didn't even notice, crowding around Selena to comfort her.

Alfred was practically patting his chest, swearing up and down that she'd get in.

"Don't worry, you'll definitely get what you want," he said.

I turned and headed back to my room, ignoring the sudden silence in the living room behind me.

Jessie, Selena's mother's deliberately quiet complaints drifted right to me.

"Why isn't Lydia as close to us as Selena?" she muttered.

Then came Selena's gentle comfort.

I shut the door tight behind me.

'Peace at last,' Lydia thought to herself.

Lydia lay on her bed, desperately trying to ignore the gnawing hunger in her stomach.

After a while, someone knocked on the door.

It was Alfred.

"Lydia, you'll feel awful if you skip dinner," he said.

"I made you some noodles. Just open the door, okay?"

Fed up with the constant knocking, I got out of bed and opened the door.

Just like he said, Alfred was standing there with a bowl of veggie noodles.

I took it from him, and as I tried to shut the door, he blocked it with his hand.

"Lydia, let's talk," he said.

Seeing he wasn't going to leave me alone, I let him in.

I was so hungry I just wanted to wolf down the noodles, but Alfred's words caught me off guard. I nearly spilled the hot soup all over myself.

"Lydia, have you ever thought about... studying abroad?" Alfred suddenly asked.

I stopped mid-bite, stunned.

"Didn't you always say you wanted to go abroad? Your parents have been wanting to make it up to you for what happened before, so when they heard, they started looking into schools overseas for you. You don't have to worry about the money. They'll take care of everything.

"Check these out. See if any catch your eye."

I was still in a daze, and just followed his hand, glancing at the list.

They were all those famous schools everyone talked about, with pretty campuses and a dreamy atmosphere.

Basically, places where rich kids from home go to get a fancy diploma.

Anger rushed straight to my head, but I couldn't stop myself from laughing.

They'd really go this far for their own kid.,' thought.

What a heartwarming family bond!

They even spent a ton of money and carefully picked out all these fancy schools.

I guess I should be eternally grateful.

Alfred smiled when he saw me laughing, but he felt a shiver go down his back.

I shot back at him.

"Alfred, didn't you promise that if we got into the same college, you'd be with me?"

Honestly, it was a little embarrassing to admit, but that was one of the main reasons I hit the books so hard.

In my last life, I didn't make it into the same college as him, but Alfred still chose to stay with me. I was so touched, I gave him everything I had, no regrets, just pure devotion.

Now that I thought about it, it was nothing more than him trying to ease his guilty conscience.

"You obviously like Selena, so why are you telling me all this?" I asked.

That was the part I just couldn't understand.

But Alfred fumbled awkwardly, trying to dodge the question.

"I don't like her, you're imagining things..." he muttered.

"If you don't like her, why do you call her every day to help with her homework? Why do you always hang out at her place and help with chores? Why do you watch her and grin like an idiot? If you don't like her, then why..."

I was trying to ask why he erased my college choices just for her.

I swallowed the rest of the sentence, biting it back hard.

"Can you stop overthinking it? She's just like a sister to me. After what happened, I just feel sorry for her. Is it so wrong to take care of her?" Alfred said.

I looked at him with pure sarcasm.

I was the one who really had to survive in that mess for years.

I was the one who went through all that chaos right before the exams.

But he only ever worried about Selena.

He finally got it, his lips fumbling, not knowing what to say.

At last, he let out a heavy sigh, his shoulders slumping as he buried his face in his hands.

"She saved my life," he said quietly.

I had never even heard about this. Alfred had never mentioned it, not once.

He wouldn't go into any details, only insisting, "I owe her."

A cold sneer twisted inside me.

So my life was just his way of paying her back.

He really knew how to scheme.