Chapter 2

After handing the items to Jeremy, I watched as he drank the water and gleefully wore the bracelet. Only then did I go and buy another bottle of water as well as an amethyst bracelet similar to the one Thomas had gifted me.

Then, I returned home.

When Mom and Thomas saw that I'd nearly finished the water, they sighed in relief.

In the next few days, Adelia no longer looked sick like before. She seemed healthy and was more active and energized than she'd been before.

I curled up on the couch and faked a cough.

Adelia quickly walked up to me. With a smug and taunting look, she asked, "Are you feeling unwell, Rosalie? You look so pale. You're not very sick, are you? Poor thing…"

Adelia then waved her medical report in my face as if she were showing it off.

"Oh yeah, you haven't heard, have you? I went to the hospital earlier today, and the doctor said I've fully recovered! Don't you think I've been blessed, Rosalie? It looks like all your luck has come to me," she said.

Hatred welled up in me as I watched her chatter gleefully. I still swallowed my anger and forced a smile. "Congratulations, Addy. Still, I'm sure my luck will return to me soon."

Mom had just come home when she heard of Adelia's recovery. She grinned happily and held Adelia's hand, her eyes full of love and concern.

"Oh, my sweet child. Thank the heavens you've recovered!" Mom exclaimed, eyes watery with tears of joy.

When she turned to me, her gaze became sharp as she snapped, "Unlike someone who is a burden to others, acting all sick and mopey!"

Tears filled my eyes when I heard Mom's words.

In my past life, she had treated me the same way, chiding and beating me. It had only worsened after I fell sick, as though she wished I would die right away.

However, I was Mom's biological daughter, while Adelia was just a child she'd adopted.

Soon, it was the day to fill out our university application forms. Adelia was confident that my exam results had been swapped with hers, so she didn't even check hers before she started filling in the forms.

I coughed vigorously and pretended to care as I asked, "Are you sure you don't want to check your final exam marks first?"

"Why do you care?" Adelia scoffed. "I know very well what my marks are. So what if you have high marks? If your health continues declining, you're just going to end up dead! It'll just benefit me in the end!"

Twisted delight crept across her face as she spoke. A strong sense of disgust flooded my chest as I watched.

"Is that so? You have to be careful, then, Addy. Don't let all those blessings overwhelm you when that happens," I warned.

Adelia grew angry when I said that. She was about to retort when Thomas entered the room.

"Thom!" Adelia threw herself into his arms as soon as she saw him. Her voice trembled as she said, "Rosalie is coughing so violently. I'm so scared it's contagious…"

Adelia even nuzzled into his arms when she spoke.

Thomas held her close and looked at me with a frown.

"You should go and rest in bed if you're feeling unwell, Rose," Thomas said in his usual gentle manner.

I'd been blinded by Thomas' false tenderness in my previous life, thinking he'd been sincere toward me.

Only in death did I find out that he'd been in cahoots with Adelia behind my back. They'd even planned for my death.

Now that I was back again, I was going to make them pay.