Chapter 5 · The Sister Who Stole My Life

In the distance, a bunch of local kids raced by on horseback, their laughter ringing out across the open grasslands.

Emily remembered how, in her previous life, Sophia had learned to ride out here on the grasslands. The way she looked, so cool and full of spirit, had totally won over Lucas.

"I'm going to learn how to ride," Emily suddenly declared, her resolve shining through.

She figured that if she could gallop across the plains like Sophia, maybe she'd run into Lucas even earlier.

Back at the tent around noon, Emily finally worked up the nerve and said to Frank, "I want to learn how to ride a horse."

Frank burst out laughing, like he'd just heard the best joke. He sneered, "You? You can't even herd the sheep properly, and now you want to ride a horse?"

Emily blurted out, "I'll do my best. I'll skip meals if I have to, and take on more chores. Just please teach me how to ride."

Martha narrowed her eyes and said, "You want to learn to ride? Fine. From today on, you're in charge of cleaning the sheep pen and herding fifty extra sheep every day. If you can pull that off, I'll teach you."

Emily nodded without hesitation.

She had no clue what cleaning out the sheep pen actually involved, or how hard it would be to wrangle fifty more sheep.

All she wanted was to learn to ride as soon as possible, so she could cross paths with the man who'd change everything for her.

But the moment she stepped into the sheep pen for the first time, the stench was so overpowering that she nearly passed out.

The reek of sheep manure and urine slammed into her, and the ground was squishy and damp beneath her boots.

Emily gagged, tears streaming down her face.

Martha stood outside the pen, shooting her a cold, mocking look. She sneered, "What's wrong? Didn't you say you wanted to learn to ride?"

Emily clenched her jaw, grabbed the nearby shovel, and started scooping up the manure.

With every scoop, she fought back the urge to gag. The muck smeared across her clothes, her hands, even her face, but she kept going.

She was willing to do whatever it took to meet Lucas.

*****

Meanwhile, in the Whitmore residence's study, I was totally lost in a sea of knowledge.

My tutor looked at me in disbelief as he checked over the math problems I'd just finished. He asked, "Sophia, do you really get all this?"

I nodded and said, "It's actually pretty interesting."

Honestly, none of this stuff was new to me.

Back in my previous life out on the grasslands, I scavenged for old books and taught myself as much as I could.

Now, with a real teacher showing me the ropes, all those scattered bits of knowledge were finally coming together into a complete picture.

My tutor checked out my homework; his eyes lit up with admiration. He exclaimed, "Wow, you're making amazing progress. Keep this up, and you'll catch up with the other kids in no time."

Grace stood by the doorway, and when she heard the teacher's praise, she couldn't help but smile with pride, like any mom would.

I walked up to her, a bit nervous. I asked, "Mom, can I learn to ride?"

Back on the grasslands, riding was my only joy and comfort.

Whenever I was on horseback, with the wind whipping past my ears, I could forget all the hardships in life, if only for a moment.

Grace looked a little surprised. She asked, "You want to learn to ride? Of course you can. But what made you suddenly want to try it?"

I lowered my head, not sure how to explain.

I couldn't tell her that, in my previous life, horses were my closest companions; the only thing I could count on out there on the endless grasslands.

Ryan happened to walk by, caught our conversation, and jumped in, all excited. He said, "Sophia wants to learn to ride? That's awesome. I'll take you to the stables this weekend. One of my buddies is a coach there."

And just like that, on Saturday morning, I found myself at the equestrian club out on the edge of town.

The familiar atmosphere of the stables washed over me, making me pause for a moment.

The smell of hay, the sound of hooves thudding on the ground, and the occasional neigh of a horse... It all felt so familiar, like I was transported back to my days on the grasslands.

Chapter 5

In the distance, a bunch of local kids raced by on horseback, their laughter ringing out across the open grasslands.

Emily remembered how, in her previous life, Sophia had learned to ride out here on the grasslands. The way she looked, so cool and full of spirit, had totally won over Lucas.

"I'm going to learn how to ride," Emily suddenly declared, her resolve shining through.

She figured that if she could gallop across the plains like Sophia, maybe she'd run into Lucas even earlier.

Back at the tent around noon, Emily finally worked up the nerve and said to Frank, "I want to learn how to ride a horse."

Frank burst out laughing, like he'd just heard the best joke. He sneered, "You? You can't even herd the sheep properly, and now you want to ride a horse?"

Emily blurted out, "I'll do my best. I'll skip meals if I have to, and take on more chores. Just please teach me how to ride."

Emily nodded without hesitation.

She had no clue what cleaning out the sheep pen actually involved, or how hard it would be to wrangle fifty more sheep.

All she wanted was to learn to ride as soon as possible, so she could cross paths with the man who'd change everything for her.

But the moment she stepped into the sheep pen for the first time, the stench was so overpowering that she nearly passed out.

The reek of sheep manure and urine slammed into her, and the ground was squishy and damp beneath her boots.

Emily gagged, tears streaming down her face.

Martha stood outside the pen, shooting her a cold, mocking look. She sneered, "What's wrong? Didn't you say you wanted to learn to ride?"

Emily clenched her jaw, grabbed the nearby shovel, and started scooping up the manure.

With every scoop, she fought back the urge to gag. The muck smeared across her clothes, her hands, even her face, but she kept going.

She was willing to do whatever it took to meet Lucas.

*****

Meanwhile, in the Whitmore residence's study, I was totally lost in a sea of knowledge.

My tutor looked at me in disbelief as he checked over the math problems I'd just finished. He asked, "Sophia, do you really get all this?"

I nodded and said, "It's actually pretty interesting."

Honestly, none of this stuff was new to me.

Back in my previous life out on the grasslands, I scavenged for old books and taught myself as much as I could.

Now, with a real teacher showing me the ropes, all those scattered bits of knowledge were finally coming together into a complete picture.

My tutor checked out my homework; his eyes lit up with admiration. He exclaimed, "Wow, you're making amazing progress. Keep this up, and you'll catch up with the other kids in no time."

Grace stood by the doorway, and when she heard the teacher's praise, she couldn't help but smile with pride, like any mom would.

I walked up to her, a bit nervous. I asked, "Mom, can I learn to ride?"

Back on the grasslands, riding was my only joy and comfort.

Whenever I was on horseback, with the wind whipping past my ears, I could forget all the hardships in life, if only for a moment.

Grace looked a little surprised. She asked, "You want to learn to ride? Of course you can. But what made you suddenly want to try it?"

I lowered my head, not sure how to explain.

I couldn't tell her that, in my previous life, horses were my closest companions; the only thing I could count on out there on the endless grasslands.

And just like that, on Saturday morning, I found myself at the equestrian club out on the edge of town.

The familiar atmosphere of the stables washed over me, making me pause for a moment.

The smell of hay, the sound of hooves thudding on the ground, and the occasional neigh of a horse... It all felt so familiar, like I was transported back to my days on the grasslands.