In my past life, my twin sister, Lily, saved a mob boss’ life. In return, he became obsessed with claiming her.
Terrified of his violent world, she pushed me, her twin sister, into her place.
My biased parents also forced me to comply.
Have you forgotten that your sister donated her bone marrow to save you when you were sick? What’s the big deal about stepping in for her now? You owe her this!
“You can’t be so selfish, thinking everyone should revolve around you. You need to give back!”
It was true Lily had given me her bone marrow, and for years, I’d been repaying her, an endless cycle.
I was sick and tired of that life.
Looking at their cold faces, I nodded.
Later, the mob boss went straight for me, establishing a legitimate business empire. I became the glamorous wife of a billionaire.
Meanwhile, Lily was scammed out of money and herself by some street punks. In a fit of rage, she plunged a knife into my chest.
“You stole the life that should have been mine! If you die, I can take your place and have a good life!”
I didn’t struggle. Because what she didn’t know was that the mob boss had a serious obsession, twisted and insane.
As for me, I had been tortured to the point where I no longer wanted to live.
When I opened my eyes again, I was back to the day before the mob boss was supposed to pick up his bride.
“My poor darling girl, Mom doesn’t want you to be taken by someone like that, but he’s from the underworld, and he’s foreign. He kills people without batting an eye. What are we going to do?”
“Lily, if only you hadn’t saved him, it’s your good heart that caused all this trouble. Your life is ruined.”
Hearing Mom and Dad’s worried voices, I realized I had been reborn.
In my past life, at this very moment, Lily was sobbing dramatically, her eyes intentionally glancing at me.
“Why is my fate so cruel? Is being kind my fault? I wouldn’t ignore even a stray animal on the street, and I donated my bone marrow to my sister without a second thought when she was sick. Why do good deeds go unrewarded?”
At her ‘reminder,’ Mom and Dad finally noticed me zoning out on the couch.
Their eyes immediately lit up. Dad was the first to suggest, “Rose, you and Lily are twins. I sometimes get you confused. Do you think that boss might not be able to tell the difference? After all, he’s only met you once.”
Mom understood his meaning. “Are you saying… we should let Rose marry him in Lily’s place?”
I immediately refused. “No way!”
I had just gotten into my dream university and had my life all planned out. I didn’t want it derailed by one of Lily’s schemes.
Lily’s crying suddenly intensified. “Mom, Dad, that’s not fair to Rose. Just blame my bad luck!”
Mom frowned. “And that’s fair to you?”
Then, she glared at me fiercely. “Have you forgotten that your sister donated her bone marrow to save you when you were sick? What’s the big deal about stepping in for her now? You owe her this!”
Dad chimed in, “You can’t be so selfish, thinking everyone should revolve around you. You need to give back!”
I was speechless.
Yes, Lily donating her bone marrow to me was a fact.
But all these years, I’d been repaying her, and it felt like it would never end.
Anything I owned, if Lily wanted it, she would simply take it.
This included, but wasn’t limited to, a limited-edition doll, a dress, and even a boy I had a crush on when I was first discovering love.
Whenever I expressed dissatisfaction, she would use the bone marrow incident against me. My parents would side with her, constantly accusing me of being insensible, only knowing how to take and never give back.
For years, I’d been suffocated by their expectations.
Finally, even my entire life was being thrown away.
I knew Mom and Dad’s favoritism stemmed from Lily’s lively and outgoing personality, while I was quiet, withdrawn, and didn’t know how to please anyone.
So, to end it all, I eventually agreed to sacrifice myself.
The ironic part was, I ended up dying by Lily’s hand.
But in this life, I wouldn’t obediently comply again.
I was about to speak, but unexpectedly, Lily suddenly declared loudly, “It’s fine! I’m willing to marry him! I believe he’ll go straight for me and live a normal life!”
Meeting her determined gaze, I realized she had also been reborn, though I didn’t know how she died.
Perfect, it saved me the trouble.
I curved my lips into a slight smile. “Well, congratulations, Lily. No more suffering through school. You’ll marry the boss early and reach the pinnacle of life in one step.”
Lily rolled her eyes at me. “Cut the passive-aggressive act. So what if you’re good at studying and got into a good university? After graduation, you’ll probably make three thousand a month, while I’ll be married to the boss with more money than I can spend. It’s normal for you to be jealous.”
Me, jealous?
Oh, I was so jealous.
I hoped she could still smile after she learned about Lucian’s obsessions.
Mom and Dad were bewildered by her sudden change in attitude. “Sweetheart, didn’t you say you didn’t want to marry him? You cried for days, your eyes were swollen. Why the sudden change of heart?”
Lily quickly put on a show of being understanding.
“Mom, Dad, I’m not like Rose, who’s so good at her studies. If I really let her go in my place, her whole life would be ruined. I can’t be that selfish. Even if… even if my life is over, at least Rose can take care of you in your old age.”
Mom and Dad were completely swept away by her ‘sacrifice’, the three of them hugging and crying endlessly, making isolated me feel like an outsider.
Though I was used to it, this scene still stung my heart.
Even if Lily herself was willing to marry him this time, Mom and Dad still couldn’t help but feel resentment towards me.
Even though I hadn’t said a word this lifetime, they still blamed me for not actively shielding Lily from this fate.
Instead, Lily’s ‘sacrifice’ for the ‘greater good’ filled them with guilt.
In my past life, on the day the boss came to pick up his bride, Lily, terrified of being recognized, hid in her room and didn’t show her face.
Mom and Dad also lied, claiming they only had one daughter.
This time, Lily began to groom herself before dawn, eagerly anticipating a life where the mob boss would cherish her above all else.
Unaware of her true feelings, Mom and Dad hadn’t slept a wink, worried about her leaving.
In the morning, Lily came to my room and warned me fiercely, “I’ve already told Mom and Dad to keep quiet, saying we only have one daughter. Don’t get any stupid ideas. Don’t you dare come downstairs and be an eyesore later!”
I was more than happy to comply. After everything in my past life, I never wanted to see that man again.
“I know. I won’t go out.”
But Lily still wasn’t reassured. She stubbornly tied me to a chair.
Soon, there was a stir downstairs.
He had arrived.
My dad ran a small business, and while we weren’t poor, we certainly weren’t wealthy. This townhouse was his big splurge, and to save money on renovations, the soundproofing was… well, let’s just say ‘barely there’.
I could hear the conversation downstairs clearly.
I thought that after being reborn, I wouldn’t tremble at the sound of his voice again, but when he spoke, I still held my breath.
“Miss Henderson, it seems you’re ready.”
His voice was deep, laced with an authority that sent shivers down my spine. It wasn’t directed at me, but at Lily, yet it echoed the nightmares of my past life, and I couldn’t help but tremble slightly.
“Yes, let’s go!”
Lily’s voice was jubilant, probably captivated by his appearance.
In my past life, it was after she saw Lucian that her hatred and jealousy towards me reached its peak, making her determined to kill me.
Lucian, though born and raised abroad, with mixed heritage, was a perfect blend of Eastern and Western features. He was tall and lean, with fair skin and sharp, deep-set features-the dream of countless young women.
Just like in my past life, Lucian left Mom and Dad a hefty sum of money for their retirement, enough to astound my small-town dad, who was easily impressed.
I prayed for them to leave quickly, to banish the nightmare of my past life far away from me.
Suddenly, Lucian asked, “Is she your only daughter?”
I froze. Had he asked that question in my past life?
Searching my memories, I found no answer. I wasn’t sure.
Lucian couldn’t possibly have been reborn too, could he? A man so careful with his life, so powerful and wealthy-I couldn’t imagine anyone being able to kill him.
Mom, Dad, and Lily all said in unison, “Of course. We only have one daughter, and she’s the one who saved you.”
“Is that so… Then let’s go.”
Lucian’s tone was unreadable.
Hearing them leave, I let out a long breath.
Soon after, Mom came to untie me.
She excitedly told me, “He gave us a check for a hundred million, and it’s US dollars! Can you imagine how much that is in local currency?! Your dad and I can relax for the rest of our lives!”
Yet, she had been crying and reluctant to let go of her precious daughter just before Lucian walked in.
In my past life, they could have also retired comfortably with this money they got from ‘selling’ me.
But Lily, uneducated and irresponsible, got carried away with the money. She spent her days in nightclubs, drinking and partying, and fell in with a group of punks who claimed to be trust fund kids.
Whether they were actually rich, I don’t know. But in the end, she was scammed out of money and herself, dragging Mom and Dad back to square one overnight.
I forced a smile. “Congratulations.”
Mom paused, then changed her tone. “Congratulations for what? Congratulations that your sister was snatched away by a gangster and will never come back? This money is the payment for your sister’s life. Do you even have a heart?”
Do I have a heart?
I wasn’t the one smiling happily while holding the money.
I couldn’t be bothered to argue with her. Anyway, once I started university, I planned to live on campus. I’d walk my own path from then on, wanting no more ties to them.
Four years flew by. My university life was unexpectedly smooth and peaceful.
I thought I had completely escaped the shadows of my past life, but then, news came that Lily was returning.
Lucian had indeed gone straight for her, moving his businesses domestically, but I knew the suffering she had endured behind the scenes.
On the day she came home, she made a grand entrance, escorted by luxury cars, covered in designer brands.
I knew her; no matter how miserable she was behind closed doors, she always had to appear superior in public.
So Mom and Dad didn’t notice anything amiss. They even called to warn me, “Your sister’s back. Don’t come home for a while. We told our son-in-law we only have one daughter, we can’t let him find out.”
I laughed. “Mom, I haven’t been home in two years.”
The last time was when Mom accidentally broke her leg and called me back to care for her.
My words silenced Mom for a moment. Then, she grumbled, “You’re truly useless. In the future, your dad and I will have to rely on your sister and our good son-in-law.”
She hung up after that.
I shook my head helplessly. I hoped so too.
That evening, I had just gotten back to my rental apartment from work when Mom called again.
“Come home. Your sister wants to see you.”
It was a command, and she hung up before I could refuse.
I didn’t want to listen to her, but considering Lily had also been reborn, if she wanted to see me, she would definitely find me. It was better to humor her and see what drama she was planning.
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