Chapter 3

Seeing this, I handed Billy and Maisie each an ice cream. "They're still so young. Don't push them too hard. Maybe when they're older, they'll actually enjoy playing the piano," I said gently.

The moment Billy and Maisie heard me, they abandoned Jessica. Nodding repeatedly, they clung to my legs. "Daddy's the best! Mommy's so mean!"

Jessica could hardly believe her eyes. In a fit of anger, she grabbed Billy and Maisie and began spanking them.

All night, their cries reverberated across the entire apartment. I waited until she had almost done before finally stepping in.

"That's enough! They're just children. You can't hit them like this."

…

That night, both Billy and Maisie refused to sleep with Jessica. They wanted me to stay with them instead.

Of course, I wasn't going to sleep in the same bed as the two individuals who had caused my death in my past life. I regretfully told them that Jessica didn't want me to sleep with them.

For the first time, I saw the malice they felt toward Jessica reflected in their eyes. Still, their resistance was pointless—they had to obediently attend piano class alongside Olivia.

Every day when I returned home, I would see Jessica sternly forcing Billy and Maisie to memorize scores and practice finger exercises.

Meanwhile, Olivia would quietly sit beside them, her fingers dancing over invisible piano keys in the air.

Whenever I had a day off and took the kids to piano class, I always made sure Olivia was safely in the teacher's care. But when I saw Billy's and Maisie's pleading eyes, I couldn't resist letting them skip class and taking them out for some fun.

Each time, I warned them not to tell Jessica; if they did, I wouldn't be able to take them out anymore.

In those moments, Billy and Maisie were perfectly united. Waving their fists, they would declare, "It's our little secret."

Perhaps because I always treated them to these special outings, Billy and Maisie naturally thought I favored them over Olivia.

From a child's perspective, anyone who took them out to have fun was a hero.

I even asked Olivia if she ever felt that I was being unfair. She simply shook her head and looked at me with grateful eyes. "I know you mean well, Daddy. I'm already very touched that you adopted me."

As my bond with Billy and Maisie grew stronger, Jessica began to lose her composure.

As they grew older, I continued enrolling them in more extracurricular classes.

Each time, I insisted that it was entirely at Jessica's request. But after years of piano lessons, she began to notice that Billy and Maisie hadn't made any real progress.

Slowly, she began to wonder whether they simply weren't suited for piano and started exploring other activities for them.

Nevertheless, things had been different in my past life.

Under my constant guidance, the twins—especially Maisie—had quickly shown talent in piano. By the time she was eight, she had even appeared on television, becoming a well-known child piano prodigy.

But in this life, I often spent time taking them out to play. Whenever they struggled with piano practice, I would step in and cover for them. Gradually, they became more unruly.

The more extracurricular classes I enrolled them in, the more resentment Billy and Maisie developed toward Jessica.

Thanks to my indulgence, the twins quickly gained weight.

Jessica watched day by day as Olivia blossomed into a graceful and charming girl. At the same time, her two children steadily grew rounder. Billy, in particular, was starting to resemble a little puffball.

While preparing their meals, Jessica made sure that Olivia ate plenty, piling her plate high with fried chicken and mashed potatoes.

As for Billy and Maisie, she mostly gave them leafy greens and carrots. Naturally, the spoiled twins couldn't tolerate such unequal treatment.

Seeing them throw tantrums at the dining table, Olivia would secretly pass them food from her plate.

After meals, I would also slip them extra snacks, explaining that Jessica wasn't being deliberately unfair. I told them that she was just trying to cut costs, considering how expensive food had become.

The two young troublemakers were furious upon hearing this. They couldn't understand why they should be the ones to sacrifice their meals just to save money.