Chapter 1

The day I was brought back to the Evans Family, I threatened to kill myself if they didn't send Charlotte, the spoiled impostor, back to the countryside.

The Evans Family had no choice but to give in. The other wealthy families in Riverdale were stunned that a twelve-year-old could be so ruthless, and they avoided me like the plague.

Every year after that, the Evans Family's butler would send me photos of Charlotte living in the mountains, and I checked every detail myself.

Until my brother, Andrew Evans, finally snapped and yelled at me.

"How could the Evans Family have a daughter as cruel as you? Charlotte was just a kid back then!" Andrew shouted.

I stared blankly at the hideous scar on the back of my hand, recalling what Charlotte whispered to me right before I died in my previous life.

"Actually, when you were twelve, the Evans Family had already found that little village. But I just faked an illness, and they all rushed back to be with me."

"Emily, you can rest easy now. I'll take everything from the Evans Family. Your parents, your brother, your fiancé, and all their money."

*****

When Andrew pushed the door open, the photos were still scattered across my desk.

Charlotte, who used to be pampered and spoiled, now looked sunburned, her eyes empty, and her hands rough and worn from hard work.

We grew up in the same place, with the same parents. I managed to get rid of the mountains, that sort of a destitute, on my own.

Yet, she didn't. So who does she have to blame but herself?

Andrew let out a cold laugh.

"So, watching Charlotte struggle in the mountains finally makes you happy, huh?"

"You threatened to kill yourself just to stop us from seeing and helping her, all so she'd have to suffer like this. You really are..." he continued on renting his anger.

"Vicious, right?" I finished for him softly, then smiled.

I quietly completed his sentence, then smiled.

"Andrew, if you guys hadn't found me back then, or if it had taken years for you to find me, maybe I'd be just like her now. Would that mean I deserved it?" I asked.

Andrew was caught off guard for a second, then scoffed.

"All this talk, but really, you're just jealous that Mom, Dad, and I like Charlotte more. She's just naturally more likable than you. Even if you stick to Mom and Dad all day, do you really think you're the daughter they long for?"

"Have you ever had any real friends all these years? Every big family in Riverdale keeps you at arm's length. Even Peter, your fiancé."

His voice suddenly stopped, but I knew exactly what he meant.

Even Peter kept his distance from me.

"Oh, and by the way," Andrew quickly changed the subject, but the disgust on his face was lingering there.

"Mom and Dad think you shouldn't go to the Blake Enterprises party tomorrow night. Your reputation is awful, and it's Peter's big night as the new VP. For their sake, it's best if you just stay away."

"Alright then," I nodded and replied.

*****

After Andrew closed the door, the calm facade I'd been holding onto finally shattered.

I lowered my head, feeling a hollow emptiness as I stared at those photos.

If Charlotte were here, they'd have picked out her dress weeks in advance, hired a makeup artist to wait at home, and taken her to the party with smiles all around.

That was exactly how things went in my previous life.

Charlotte was always clever and cute, everyone adored her, and she learned everything in a flash.

I'd heard those praises so many times, I was sick to death of them.

Me? The real daughter of the Evans Family? I was nothing like her.

Withdrawn, cold, and distant, that was all I was.

The only thing we shared was our feelings for Peter.

Time had long since wiped away the excitement my parents felt when they first found me. Faced with a daughter who had no emotional connection to them and didn't know how to play the perfect child, they quietly started missing the sweet girl they'd raised for ten years.

But they had no clue that their so-called perfect daughter would one day bring ruin to the Evans Family.

In my previous life, the Evans Family finally found me after I got into college.

Turns out, eighteen years ago, Mrs. Evans went into premature labor while working out of town and had to deliver at a local hospital.

Three years later, during a routine check-up, they realized they'd brought home the wrong child, and that's when the search for me began.

I saw my real parents sobbing uncontrollably, my brother Andrew with a cold, distant look, and Charlotte, the imposter who'd taken my place and been spoiled like a precious jewel.

It felt surreal, almost like a dream, but I was deeply relieved.

So those people in the mountains who treated me like an enemy really weren't my parents after all.

My real parents had been searching for me all along, waiting for me to come home.

And then I discovered that Peter, the senior I'd had a secret crush on for so long, was actually my fiancé.

Originally, Charlotte was supposed to take my place and get engaged to him.

Life with the Evans Family turned out nothing like I'd imagined.

At first, my parents felt sorry for me, seeing how I'd spent over ten years living cautiously and being overly frugal. But slowly, that pity faded, replaced by a barely noticeable sense of disdain.

They'd watch Charlotte, dressed in custom-made gowns, play the piano with adoring eyes, then pout and play the perfect daughter for them. Every gesture was the picture of a flawless heiress.

But when it came to me, they'd just say, "Well, Emily's not really good at anything except studying"

Even Peter, always so polite, would look at Charlotte with a tenderness he never showed me.