Chapter 1

As I lay dying on my hospital bed, my parents were at their beloved foster daughter's sold-out concert. My childhood sweetheart, Caleb Reed, held a bouquet and dropped to one knee on stage. "Lila, marry me!" he shouted.

Amidst my parents' thunderous applause, they shared a passionate kiss. Finally, they were a real family. And I, in that moment, took my last breath.

I had spent my whole life fighting her, competing for every scrap of affection. In the end, I died alone and filled with resentment.

The most bitter part? I was their biological daughter. Lila was just the foster child.

I have been given a second chance. This time, I'm done with them. Dad, Mom, keep your love. I don't want it anymore.

1.

I was reborn. Beside me, my parents were hugging eleven-year-old Lila Harding, smiling for a swarm of reporters. They looked like the picture of a perfect, compassionate family.

Tomorrow, the headlines would hit the local papers: "Famous Musicians Adopt Late Friend's Daughter―A House of Saints." The gears were already in motion. Everything was already settled.

Lila was the daughter of my parents' old friends, both musicians. She was a prodigy, but she had a congenital heart condition. One wrong move and she could drop dead.

Her parents had died in a tragic car accident while searching for a cure. That left Lila alone.

My parents, consumed by pity and guilt, decided to give her everything. Eventually, they forgot that I was their real daughter.

"Avery, you always said you were lonely," my mom said with a warm smile. "Now you have a sister to play with. Aren't you happy?"

In my past life, I was thrilled. I treated fragile Lila like family and protected her. I never realized she was a thief, slowly stealing my life until I was completely replaced.

My dad patted my shoulder. "Lila is sick, Avery. As the big sister, you need to take care of her and protect her. Do you understand?"

Lila's eyes immediately filled with tears, like a dam breaking. She looked at them with a trembling lip.

"Avery probably hates having an outsider in the house," she whimpered. "I'm taking away your love. Maybe I should just go back to the orphanage. I'll be fine there."

I often wondered if Lila had a personality disorder. Even at ten, she was a master of the guilt trip. Before I could even say hello, she had already branded me as a jealous brat.

My mom's heart melted instantly. She pulled Lila into a tight embrace. "Don't say that, sweetie. You are family now."

My dad gripped Lila's hand firmly. "That's right. Our home is your home. We are your mom and dad now."

Lila sobbed, burying her face in my mother's chest. She looked like a helpless, adorable puppy. Anyone would have been moved by her.

"Thank you... I finally have a home again," she choked out.

The winter wind howled, but the three of them were wrapped in a warm, touching tableau. They looked like a family reunited after years of separation.

I stood to the side, ignored. I was a stranger in my own life. Lila's greatest talent wasn't music; it was making sure she was always the center of the universe.