Chapter 2

The phantom pain of the poison still seemed to linger.

I thought of what was in Anthony's diary.

He wrote that he didn't love Mom at all.

He went after her because she was rich, and because my soft, long hair was exactly his type.

Thinking of this, I hugged Dad tightly. "Daddy, can you take me to get my hair cut?"

Before, when my hair grew past my waist, Dad said it was too much trouble and suggested I cut it short.

Mom had said, "Cut it? Why? You'll look like a tomboy. Your dad just wants a son. He can't stand seeing you look pretty. Don't listen to him."

So I'd thrown a fit, refused to cut it, and hated Dad even more.

But after Dad died, I learned the real reason Mom didn't let me cut my hair. Anthony wanted me as his hair model to make money.

Dad's eyes lit up with joy, and he immediately told the driver to get the car ready.

Just as we were about to leave, the housekeeper, Martha Jones, came back from grocery shopping with her daughter, Emily.

Hearing I was going for a haircut, Martha's face changed. She grabbed my arm. "Mr. Collins loves your long hair. You can't cut it. Your mother won't allow it."

She thought just mentioning Mom or Anthony would make me obey.

She didn't notice Dad's disgusted frown when she said "Mr. Collins."

She was gripping me too hard. I started crying exaggeratedly.

Dad pulled me behind him, displeased. "Ms. Jones, you're overstepping."

But Martha wasn't about to let it go. Seeing she couldn't stop me, she nudged her daughter Emily to try.

Looking at these two ungrateful snakes, I wanted to tear them apart on the spot.

In my previous life, after Mom and Anthony plotted, the next night she took me "camping."

That night, Martha got Dad drunk and set the house on fire.

Dad burned to death.

Afterwards, Martha claimed Dad had tried to assault Emily while drunk, that she'd just set a curtain on fire to scare him, and it got out of hand.

With her dramatic story, the public sympathized deeply with her and her daughter.

Mom promptly wrote a letter of forgiveness, and Martha was set free.

Then Mom gave her a bunch of money, and Martha took Emily abroad to study.

But I later found out the fire was deliberate. Mom had basically hired Martha to kill Dad.

Remembering this, I pushed Emily away and coldly told Martha, "Ms. Jones, as the housekeeper, you're way out of line. You're fired."

Martha was stunned, then sneered. "I was hired by your parents. You're only a child. You can't fire me."

She was confident.

But Dad's voice came from behind me. "Ms. Jones, Nicole is right. You're fired."

Just then, Mom came downstairs, hearing the commotion.

Martha rushed to her. "Mrs. Reed, Mr. Lester is firing me because I tried to stop Nicole from cutting her hair."

Then she turned tearful eyes on Dad. "Sir, how can you do this? You've always treated Emily like a daughter. How can you make her leave this house?"

Dad's expression grew darker. He waved a hand impatiently. "Ms. Jones, my only daughter is Nicole. Please be out of this house by the time I return. We don't need a housekeeper who oversteps."

With that, Dad led me out.

Mom followed anxiously, whispering to Dad not to fire Martha.

This time, Dad didn't give in to Mom.

Frustrated, Mom tried to coax me instead, begging me not to cut my hair.

I looked at her innocently. "But Mom, you always complain about how much work it is to wash my hair. If I cut it, you'll have more time to spend with Daddy. Aren't you happy about that?"

Mom was speechless, having no comeback.

I happily got in the car with Dad.

But the happier I felt, the more guilty I became.

Because in my previous life, I was one of the people indirectly responsible for Dad's death.

I snuggled close to him.

This time, I won't let anything happen to him.