Chapter 4
Every day, she would call me by my name like she was closer to me than any real sibling.
And what did it amount to?
She was the one who shoved me into the pond with her own hands and watched me drown.
"A real sister?" I shot back.
I leaned in close, bending down so our faces were almost touching.
"You think you even deserve to treat me like your sister?" I sneered.
Her tears froze on her cheeks.
Jason's face went completely dark.
He didn't shove me away.
Wait, no. He wasn't pushing me. He was protecting her.
He stepped in front of Martha, blocking me from her.
His eyes were cold, sharp as knives.
"Adelynn," he spat out each word, "you're disgusting when you're jealous."
He accused me of being jealous.
I stared at his face, that holier-than-thou expression, and suddenly, I just lost the urge to explain myself.
I did the same thing in my previous life, desperately trying to explain and to prove I was innocent.
But it never mattered.
They always believed her, not me.
The more I explained, the more they thought I was just hiding something.
The more I tried to prove myself, the more they saw me as the nasty one.
So why waste another word on them?
"Disgusting?" I let out a low laugh.
I stared at Jason and then at Martha, peeking out from behind him, her eyes glistening with tears as she watched me.
I said, my voice icy. "Jason, this is just the beginning."
Jason's gaze shifted for a second.
He looked genuinely surprised. I could tell he hadn't expected this from me.
After all, in my previous life, whenever he called me names like that, I'd get all teary-eyed, desperately trying to defend myself, trying to prove how much I loved him.
This time, I just smiled calmly at him, as if he were a total stranger.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Jason demanded.
I didn't answer.
I turned and walked away.
Behind me, I heard Martha's quiet sobs and Jason murmuring to comfort her.
"Don't cry. I'll walk you back," he said softly.
"Mr. Robertson, I swear, I really didn't do anything,..." Martha stammered.
"I know. She's just making a fuss," Jason said.
"Maybe Miss Arnold is just upset," Martha murmured.
"So she gets to bully people just because she's upset?" Jason shot back.
*****
Their voices drifted over on the wind.
I kept walking.
A few steps later, lines of semi-transparent text suddenly floated across my vision.
[OMG. She really just smashed the sigil pendant?]
[That pendant brings all the luck. Did she just toss away her golden finger?]
[Oh man, the whole story's off the rails now. Is Jason even gonna like the heroine anymore?]
[Adelynn's really out here trying to change her destiny.]
[Wait, can she see us?]
[No way, she's inside a novel. How could she possibly see the comment?]
I stopped in my tracks.
The comments were still floating across my vision.
[Honestly, that scene was so satisfying. She just smashed the pendant. Martha's face totally cracked me up. LOL.]
[Satisfying? She just pissed off Jason. She's in for it now.]
[Seriously, Jason's the male lead. Now that she's burned that bridge, how is she supposed to survive?]
[Man, poor Miss Arnold. She doesn't even know what's waiting for her.]
[The punishment was harsh. She died so brutally. I was furious when I read that part.]
[I hope she survives this time.]
I stared at those comments for a long while.
Then I lowered my head and kept walking.
So that was it.
It was just a story in a book.
My previous life was just a plotline for them to watch.
They already knew I'd end up drowned.
They knew I'd die.
They knew the Arnold family would be wiped out.
But they just sat back and watched, like they were watching a play unfold.
I clenched my hand so hard my nails dug into my skin.
The sting kept me sharp. The pain was the only thing that made me feel real.
It was fine.
That was all behind me.
This time, I wouldn't let them just sit back and watch.
I was going to show them what a real spectacle looked like.
When I got back to Lakesurge Estate, my personal maid Sara Gill was under the veranda, spreading herbs out to dry.
She spotted me, froze for a moment, and then hurried over.
"Miss Arnold, you came back all alone? No one with you?" Sara said, worried.
I looked at her.
In my previous life, Sara was the one I trusted most.
When I was in trouble, she risked everything to save me, but all it took was a random accusation from Martha, and they beat her to death right then and there.
She was only fifteen when she died.
I walked over and pulled her into a gentle hug.
Sara stood frozen.
"M-Miss Arnold?" she stammered.
I released her and gave her a smile.
"It's nothing, I just felt like giving you a hug all of a sudden," I said.
Sara's face flushed bright red.
Sara lowered her head and muttered quietly, "What's up with you today? You're kind of strange."
I didn't explain.
I walked into the room and sat down by the window.
Sara followed me in and poured me a cup of coffee.
"Miss Arnold, someone from Mr. Robertson's side dropped by earlier. They said there's a family dinner tonight and they want you to come early," Sara said.
A family dinner?
It all came back to me.
This was the party from my previous life.
It was Martha's first time appearing before the whole Robertson family.
She wore the dress I gave her and the hairpin Jason gifted her, standing there shy and nervous among the crowd.
Everyone adored her.