Chapter 1
My mom was the real heiress, the one sacrificed in a story where everyone doted on the fake one.
Even I, her daughter, was born mentally challenged and frail.
In the previous timeline, the fake heiress stole her brother and her husband.
Refusing to be humiliated, she got a swift divorce and took me with her.
She severed ties with her brother, left the Military Compound, and gave up her life of privilege.
She did everything she could to cure my mental illness.
But even so, I still missed getting into a top university by just a few points because of the fierce competition.
After graduation, I missed out on a promising job because I wasn't a Capital City resident.
When I was twenty-three, my long-standing heart condition worsened into heart failure.
My mom sold everything she had, but still had to watch me die on the operating table.
That night, she passed away with me, unable to escape the tragic fate of a side character.
Meanwhile, the fake heiress was showered with love and lived a life full of glory.
I found myself once again standing in the living room of the Military Compound.
The fake heiress was quietly sobbing, her face buried in her hands.
My mom gripped my hand tightly.
Her husband, James Foster, his face ashen, lowered his eyes.
"If you want a divorce, I'll respect your decision," he said.
Joseph Peyton, my uncle and Mom's brother, sat by the window, smoking in silence.
This time, my mom set the divorce papers aside.
She crouched down, her eyes gentle as she looked at me, her childlike daughter.
"Annie, how about we don't leave, okay?"
*****
Joseph, smoking by the window, froze for a moment when he heard her words.
The red-hot ash nearly dropped onto the back of his hand.
He suddenly turned, shooting a look at me and Mom.
Instead of relief, his eyes were full of impatience and irritation.
His cold voice rang out almost at the same time as Dad's.
"Claire, what are you up to again?"
Even Nina Jones, who had been sobbing with her face buried in her hands, froze for a moment, her shoulders stiffening.
Her tear-filled eyes suddenly darted toward us.
But Mom's face grew unusually calm.
She reached out, grabbed the divorce papers from the table, and without a word, dropped them in the trash.
"I'm staying. I'm not divorcing you," Mom said firmly.
Dad, dressed in his military uniform, gave a cold, mocking laugh.
"You think a military marriage is just some joke you can play with?" he snapped.
Mom squeezed my hand even tighter.
She met Dad's furious gaze, her voice icy.
"If you really want a divorce, you can go file the paperwork with the military.
"But that's your decision alone.
"And when it comes to property, compensation, and child support, you owe me every cent, don't even think about cutting corners."
James and Joseph's angry stares shifted to shock.
Back in the previous timeline, before Mom took me away from here, she was the treasured heiress of the prestigious Foster family, the wife of Captain Foster in the Military Compound.
She was the treasured heiress of the Foster family, married to Captain Foster.
She never had to worry about money her whole life.
So when she left with me back then, she was burning with anger and humiliation, walking out empty-handed, too proud to take anything with her.
She left with nothing but her rage and shame, refusing to take even a single thing.
But now, she met those shocked gazes head-on.
Her eyes swept over Nina, who was still crying endlessly beside Dad.
Mom spoke again, her voice calm and steady.
"If you dare to cut even a dollar from what I'm owed, James, you can forget about getting a divorce."
Dad's face flushed red, then turned pale with rage, the veins on his forehead standing out.
He shot to his feet.
"Don't you dare make baseless accusations! I'm a soldier, and I stand tall and have nothing to hide!"
"I'd never ask for a divorce, and I'd never betray my marriage!"
"But about all this mess, huh..."
He glanced around at the shattered porcelain scattered everywhere.
"Who was the one throwing a tantrum, saying they couldn't take it anymore?"
Nina, still crying, her face full of hurt, tried to play peacemaker.
"James, Joseph, please don't blame Claire."
"I shouldn't even be living here, let alone taking over James's bedroom."
"It's only natural for Claire to be upset. I'll move out right now."
With that, she covered her face and ran upstairs.
Dad instinctively reached out, as if to stop her.
But then, as if something occurred to him, he pulled his hand back, his face darkening.
But it was obvious he didn't want Nina to leave.
His face was tense, and after a moment's hesitation, he still went after her upstairs.
I heard his voice, flustered and urgent.
"You came to Capital City so suddenly, and I'm the only one you know here."
"Seriously, if you really move out, where would you even go?"
As he went upstairs, his voice faded away.
With Nina's nonstop crying, it was really getting on my nerves.
I couldn't help remembering when Mom and I suddenly had to leave this place.
Neither Dad nor Joseph ever cared where we'd end up.
Back then, Mom didn't know a thing about the world, and she just took me with her to some unfamiliar city.
It wasn't until night fell that it suddenly hit her, we didn't even have a place to stay.
Upstairs, the faint sounds of crying and comforting drifted down.
Finally, Dad's voice rang out, sharp with frustration.
"This is the house the military assigned to me!"
"If I say you can stay, then you can. Claire doesn't get to decide!"
Joseph, who'd been sitting by the window, finally couldn't take it anymore.
He tossed his cigarette aside, his face dark as he stood up.
"You've really gone too far this time!"
"Nina's from the same hometown as James, she just started working in Capital City, and she's got nobody here!"
"Why are you always so petty?"
Mom's hand trembled slightly as she squeezed mine.
Her expression remained distant and composed.
She shot Joseph a look, cutting him off mid-sentence.
"Fine, let her stay."
Joseph stared at her in disbelief.
On this very day in the previous timeline, Mom had slammed a family photo right in his face.
Back then, her eyes were blazing with fury and resentment as she spoke.
"Joseph, you swore in front of Mom and Dad's graves!"
"You promised you'd never let me be wronged, not even once in this life!"
"Now some outsider has moved into my house, taken over my husband, and claimed our master bedroom!"
"Are you blind? And you're still sticking up for her?"
But Joseph shot back, clearly losing his patience.
"You're just being unreasonable and narrow-minded. Nina's not up to anything!"
This time, Mom wasn't going to make the same mistakes again.
Mom didn't even spare Joseph a glance, ignoring his stunned look.
She took my hand and led me straight upstairs to our bedroom.
As we passed the master bedroom, we caught a glimpse of what was happening inside.
Dad was grabbing Nina's arm in a panic.
"You can't move out. What if something happens to you?" he said urgently.
Nina, choking back tears, leaned into Dad's arms.
Mom just glanced at them and then looked away.
She stayed calm, simply reaching out to quietly block my view of what was happening inside.
She didn't know I'd been reborn too, and she just didn't want me to get upset.
She held my hand and kept walking.
But Dad, inside, still noticed us.
He came to his senses, abruptly shoving Nina aside.
And next moment he hurried out after us.
"Claire, wait up. We need to talk."