Chapter 3

My heart felt as if it was being stabbed by blades upon hearing Mom's hurtful words.

Mom had always been afraid of being the subject of gossip, especially since Dad was gone. As a result, she always acted like a strict warden toward Celine and me.

Although she was strict with both of us, she treated me like a criminal and Celine like her own child.

If I didn't do my homework, Mom would rip my textbooks apart and dump the ruined books in the trash, which would lead to me being ridiculed by my teachers and classmates the next day.

If Celine didn't do her homework, Mom would just give her a gentle scolding.

If I accidentally broke a plate, Mom would punish me by making me kneel on the snow-covered ground for an entire night.

If Celine broke a plate, Mom would simply give her a light slap on the wrist.

The stark difference in how she treated us always made me wonder if I wasn't actually her biological daughter. I even did a maternity test after I grew up. However, the results cemented the fact that I was undoubtedly Mom's flesh and blood.

In my past life, I was barely alive after Celine dunked my head into the pot of boiling water.

However, when Mom rushed onto the scene, she didn't even spare a single glance at me. Instead, she was only worried about whether Celine had burned her hand.

Using the last bit of strength I had left, I asked Mom why she always favored Celine over me.

Mom had shot a look of disdain at me before answering, "I don't play favorites. You're the one who's being petty. That's why you think that I favor Celine more than you. In fact, Celine has never accused me of being biased."

But I knew the truth—Mom preferred Celine over me because she was prettier than me.

Mom always said that beauty was a type of resource in this day and age. She believed that there was a high chance that Celine could marry into wealth and change her life for the better, which was why she focused all her attention on Celine's marriage.

In the end, Mom didn't force Celine to meet Mr. Tate, no matter how reluctant she was. She also wasn't willing to let someone as outstanding as Mr. Tate slip through her fingers, so she ended up setting up a blind date between him and me.

While we were on the way there, she bombarded me with a stream of reminders. "Don't tell Mr. Tate that you had a boyfriend in the past. You're already at a disadvantage because you're not that pretty. He definitely won't be attracted to you if he finds out that you've fooled around with other men in the past."

At times, I truly wondered if Mom was blind.

Although Celine always stayed out for the entire night, Mom still deluded herself into believing that she was being good and obedient. On the other hand, she was convinced that I was fooling around even though I returned home every day after work and informed her every time I went out.

Fortunately, Gabriel Tate didn't mind my appearance.

I didn't have a good impression of him in my past life because of what happened between him and Celine. But after talking with him, I realized that he was actually a good man.

Gabriel was polite and knowledgeable. As Mom mentioned, the only requirement he had for his partner was for her to be pure. It was why he was still a virgin despite his illustrious background and excellent qualities, even with women constantly throwing themselves at him.

Since he had such high standards for himself, it was reasonable that he would have high standards for his partner as well.

Conversation flowed easily between us. After going on a few dates, we also realized that we got along well with each other.

During our last date, I even thought that perhaps this was why I was given a second chance at life. Not because I was supposed to take revenge on Celine, but because whatever omnipotent being that was watching over me wanted to set things right and let me marry Gabriel.

At that moment, I truly thought that marrying Gabriel wouldn't be such a bad thing.

However, I didn't expect Celine to break up with Jeffrey right after Gabriel and I had agreed to get engaged.

That day, she saw Gabriel after returning home. That very same night, she summoned Mom to her room.

The next day, Mom told me, "Break up with Gabriel. Celine wants to get together with him."

I felt as if I had been slapped. I was momentarily stunned before I asked, "Does Celine have loose screws in her head? Why does she keep wanting to steal my boyfriends?

"She already stole Jeffrey from me, even though he was just a piece of trash. Now, she wants Gabriel even though we're about to get engaged. Is she addicted to being the mistress?"

Mom slapped me the moment the words left my lips.

"How dare you speak about Celine that way! She's your sister! Besides, I wanted to introduce Gabriel to Celine from the very start, which makes you the mistress in this case, since you stole him from her."

My cheek stung terribly. The slap had also extinguished the last bit of love I had for her.

I couldn't take it anymore. "I don't care that Celine wants Gabriel. He's my boyfriend now. She can take him away from me if she's capable enough to sway his heart!"

I couldn't stay there any longer after giving my ultimatum. So I grabbed my bag and ran out of the house.

I knew that Mom would definitely find a way to set up Gabriel and Celine if she wanted him. However, I had confidence in Gabriel. I knew that he wasn't that type of man.

I stayed away from home for the rest of the day, replaying the day's events and my past life over and over in my head.

I felt incredibly upset, just like how I did in my past life. I thought about moving out after getting engaged to Gabriel.

I didn't expect to receive a call from him a few hours later. I hadn't even gone home yet.

"Let's break up, Cindy," he said.

My heart ached terribly, making my voice tremble when I asked, "Why? Is it because of Celine?"

Gabriel was silent for a long time before he answered, "You're a smart woman, Cindy. You should know that someone who's a part of the upper crust of society, like me, needs a beautiful woman by my side. If you and your sister have the same qualifications, I definitely have to choose the better one.

"I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you. But I hope that you won't cling to me. We can remain friends in the future."

Friends? I didn't need a bastard like him for a friend!

I immediately hung up.

Tears streamed down my face as I gasped for breath.

I scrolled through my phone, wanting to delete all the pictures I had taken with Gabriel while we were still dating. My eyes widened when I scrolled through the album.

A few minutes later, I felt a little better after deleting all the unwanted photos.

Since everyone was determined to bully me, they left me no choice but to retaliate.