Chapter 1

My daughter, Sophie Shaw, pushed away the cloth doll I'd sewn with my own hands and rushed into Marissa Yates' arms.

"I don't want that plain doll! I want the princess doll Ms. Marissa got me!" Sophie yelled.

My mom, Grace Quinn, immediately dragged me to the side and hissed, "Anna, are you crazy? You know today marks Marissa's ten-year homecoming, and you show up with that raggedy doll? Are you trying to jinx the day?"

My brother, James Yates, stepped in front of Marissa, guarding her like I was a criminal or something.

"Anna, Marissa recently had a miscarriage. She's still recovering. Don't upset her," James said.

Meanwhile, my husband, David Shaw, gently draped a coat over Marissa, looking at her with obvious tenderness in his eyes.

"It's windy outside. Don't catch a cold," David said softly.

No one seemed to remember that today was also my birthday, or that it also marked ten years since I was brought back to the Yates family.

Just then, a cold, mechanical voice echoed in my mind.

"Countdown initiated. Host Anna Sennett, are you certain you won't consider my proposal? Your death in exchange for a brand-new life."

I looked at the happy "family" in front of me and let out a bitter laugh.

"Alright," I told the System.

*****

With a thud, the rabbit doll I'd spent a month painstakingly sewing, stitch by stitch, fell onto the cold marble floor.

Dust settled on its once-snowy fur, rendering it as out of place as I felt.

My daughter Sophie didn't spare it a glance. Her small body shot like a cannonball straight into the arms of Marissa, who had just walked through the door.

"Ms. Yates! You're finally back! I missed you so much!" Sophie squealed.

Marissa—the imposter heiress who'd stolen my place for ten years, and was still the apple of my family's eye.

Today, she was dressed in a champagne-colored gown that made her skin glow. Her gentle demeanor made her look as delicate as a flower in a breeze.

She crouched down, dotingly pinched Sophie's cheek, her voice so soft it could melt butter. "I missed you, too, Sophie. Look, I brought you a gift!"

She opened a massive, beautifully wrapped box, revealing the newest smart interactive princess doll—it could sing, dance, and even speak dozens of languages.

Sophie squealed with delight, hugging the doll so tightly she wouldn't let go.

My mother, Grace, beamed, walking over to take Marissa's hand, her tone full of concern. "You silly girl, you just got out of the hospital. Why would you go through all that trouble? We have everything you could want here."

James, my brother in name only, immediately took Marissa's bag, his caring gaze impossible to miss. "Exactly. The doctor said you need rest. Dad already bought the villa next door for you to recuperate in."

My husband David quietly headed to the entryway, grabbed a cashmere wrap, and gently draped it over Marissa's shoulders.

"It's chilly tonight," he said, his gaze lingering on Marissa's pale face.

The whole scene looked like something out of a priceless oil painting.

And me? I was just a stray blot of ink marring the canvas—an eyesore in their perfect picture.

How heartwarming. A real family, huh?

I stood there, watching them fuss over Marissa, as if I didn't even exist—just a ghost in the room.

Today was my thirtieth birthday.

It was also the tenth year since I came back to the Yates family.

And, coincidentally, the tenth anniversary of Marissa's "homecoming."

How fitting. Even the heavens seemed to remind me that my existence was merely a backdrop for her grand return.

Sophie, hugging her new doll, ran past Marissa, her little foot stomping squarely on the rabbit's face.

My breath hitched at the sight.

I'd stayed up for nights, eyes bloodshot, to finish it. Her kindergarten teacher mentioned she'd recently developed a fondness for rabbits.

But she didn't even look at it.

"Sophie, don't you like the present Mommy made?" I said, my voice dry and rough.

The lively mood in the living room came to a sudden halt. Everyone's eyes landed on me.

Grace's brows scrunched up tight. She stormed over, yanked me into a corner, her voice cold as ice and full of anger.

"Anna, what's wrong with you? Why do you have to mess things up today?

"You know Marissa just got out of the hospital, and you show up with that shabby doll? Are you trying to ruin everything? You did this on purpose, didn't you?"

I stared at her, thinking how ridiculous it all was.

It was my birthday, and giving my daughter a gift was somehow jinxed?

"Mom, today's my birthday, too," I reminded her.

Grace's face twisted even more, like I'd just told the world's biggest joke. "Birthday? You've had ten years of nothing but good days since you came back. Living off us, eating our food, wearing our clothes—what more do you want? After all Marissa's been through, we're just trying to make it up to her. Can't you just act a little more grown up?"

"Grown up? How am I not being mature?" I asked, bitterness coating my tongue.

"You dare talk back to me?" Grace's voice shot up, her finger jabbing at my face. "Look at you—all shabby and pitiful! That raggedy doll you made can't even compare to the princess doll Marissa got her. Of course Sophie doesn't want it!

"You're just forcing her to like your junk—aren't you just making her miserable? You're just jealous! Jealous of how good we are to Marissa!"

Her words were like a venom-tipped knife, slicing right into my heart with ruthless precision.

James approached, his tall frame imposing. He looked at me with cold eyes, as if I weren't his sister but some sworn enemy.

"Anna, that's enough. Marissa just had a miscarriage. She's still very weak. Stop making a scene and upsetting her."

Oh, so her miscarriage was my fault. She was weak, so I should just shut up.

I glanced at Marissa, who was being guarded like she was the most precious thing in the world.

She nestled into David's arms, her eyes watery, looking like she might burst into tears at any moment. In a soft, fragile voice, she said, "James, Mom, please don't blame Anna... It's all my fault. I shouldn't have come back today... I shouldn't have interrupted your family..."

She made sure to stress the word "family."

David gently patted her back, giving me a look filled with disappointment and blame.

"Anna, say sorry to Marissa," David said, his voice cold and firm.

My own husband was actually making me apologize to the woman who took everything I ever had right here, at my own birthday party.

I laughed, a burning urge to tear it all down surged in my chest.

Just then, that cold, emotionless voice echoed in my mind again.

"System Alert: Emotional levels detected—threshold reached.

"Second Chance Initiative, final confirmation: Are you ready to erase your existence in this world, trading it for a shot at a fulfilling life in a whole new world? Will you accept, or refuse?

I'd been hearing that voice for an entire year ever since the day Marissa discovered she wasn't the true heiress of the Yates family, but I was.

Ever since I was brought back to the Yates Estate, all excited and thinking I'd finally get the family I'd always dreamed of.

It was like a ghost—never failing to haunt me whenever I was at my lowest, every time I felt hopeless and in pain.

I'd always thought it a hallucination. Until now.

I looked at the familiar, yet utterly alien, faces before me.

The disgust in Grace's eyes. The wariness in James'. The disappointment in David's. And Sophie, peeking out from behind Marissa, her eyes holding nothing but strangeness and a flicker of fear.

What was I still hoping for? That on my thirtieth birthday, they might spare me a crumb of their affection?

Slowly, I bent down and picked up the dirty, trampled rabbit from the floor.

Then, lifting my head to meet all their gazes, I spoke clearly, deliberately, to the voice in my head, "I agree."