Chapter 2

The gentle expressions on my adoptive family members' faces were something I had never seen before. No… That wasn't quite right. It wasn't that I had never seen it. It was just that they had never shown me that expression. That kind of affection belonged only to my cousin, Isabelle Cox.

Isabelle was the little princess everyone envied. When people mentioned the Cox family of Norvale, the first thing that came to mind wasn't their thriving business but their precious daughter.

Ever since she passed away, my adoptive parents seemed to treat me like I was their own daughter. They cared about my feelings and took the trouble to learn my preferences. They were willing to give me the love and sense of security I had always lacked.

In my previous life, I lapped it all up gratefully like an idiot. I did whatever they said, hoping things would stay this way forever.

In reality, I ignored the fact that they had never liked me in the past. They had often treated me like I was air in the house. Sometimes, they even seemed to despise me.

Cedric would scold me and look down on me. He would accuse me of being greedy and disgusting. And all those insults stemmed from Isabelle once giving me a piece of her new jewelry.

He had said he hated my face the most. He told me that even if I looked somewhat like Isabelle, I couldn't compare to her in the slightest.

However, did they really dislike my face just because I resembled Isabelle?

Back then, they adopted me because Isabelle had fallen seriously ill. She was diagnosed with bone cancer. They wanted to fulfill her wish of having a younger sister, and I happened to be the one she took a liking to.

My adoptive parents used instilling proper upbringing in me as an excuse to forbid me from acting unladylike or eating too excessively. I had to stay by Isabelle's side and keep her happy.

Only Isabelle treated me well and regarded me as family.

Gradually, I began to depend on her. I cherished her kindness and agreed to her requests…

Snapping back from my memories, I looked at Vivian.

She patted my hand and said, "I'm glad you like it. I had a small wooden bed custom-made for her and placed it by your bedside. I've already asked someone to take it upstairs to your room."

They relaxed, and satisfied smiles appeared on their faces.

"There are other gifts too. Later, we'll help you decorate your new room," Vivian added.

I thought about the room I had already been living in for half a month…

My heart suddenly sank into my stomach.

Then, I coughed a few times. "Mom, I think I've caught a cold. Can I open the windows for some fresh air?"

Vivian's voice rose slightly. "Are you sick?"

She immediately brushed my arm aside and took the doll back into her arms. I looked at her in confusion.

She averted her eyes for a moment and said, "Of course. You should move back to your old room for now and stay there for the next few days. I'll keep Baby with me. It wouldn't be good if it got contaminated. Karen, take a few maids with you upstairs and open the windows. Clean and disinfect everything."

My adoptive father, Jasper Cox, called out to Cedric, who was about to go upstairs. "Cedric, have a doctor come over later."

"Dad, it's not necessary. It's just a minor cold. I'll be fine after taking medicine for a couple of days," I said.

At that moment, my mind was racing for a solution. Once I moved into that carefully prepared room, it would be hard for me to ever leave.

In my previous life, I placed the doll on that willow bed every night. The next morning, it would mysteriously change positions. At the time, I didn't think much of it. I assumed Vivian came to check on me at night.

I slept very deeply at night, and it was extremely hard for me to wake up. Later, I became more and more lethargic. My complexion grew increasingly pale too.

I thought I was sick and wanted Jasper and Vivian to take me to the hospital.

However, they had insisted that I only needed proper rest and hired a caregiver to brush me off.

I lay in bed all day. How could I have known that my soul was slowly being stripped away from my body?

I started sleeping longer and longer. One day, I realized I couldn't move or speak at all when I woke up.

Suddenly, a pair of pale hands—so pale that the veins were visible—gripped me tightly.

A familiar face wore a vicious smile as she said, "It finally worked…"

"I" was smiling at me! Who was inside my body? And where was I trapped now?

The moment I saw my adoptive parents, I tried to scream in panic. I had hoped they would save me, as I was suffocating…

However, they just stared at me indifferently.

"That thing's useless now. Just get rid of it as soon as possible. Don't let it taint our home," urged Vivian while handing "me" a pair of scissors.

"I" took them with eyes full of malice and ranted, "Why should I have to endure all the torment from being ill. It hurts so much that I can't sleep all night, while you run around happily like an idiot every day! Do you know how badly I want a healthy body?"

She tore at my hair with her bare hands. Next, she cut apart my limbs with the scissors.

Pain spread through every inch of my body, but I couldn't make a sound.

"Burn it, Belle. Once it's burned, she won't have any lingering resentment, and her soul will disappear completely," Vivian urged again.

Only then did I realize that the one inside my body was Isabelle, the person who had once treated me the best!

In that instant, I finally understood. The person who promised that I would always be her favorite little sister had only lured me to her so that I could die in her place.