Reborn: No Longer Your Substitute

Not far away, a young man was chatting with the girl beside him, a smile playing on his lips.

"I really wanted to go on the field trip this time, but my health won't let me. What a shame. Still, you can always pretend Duncan is me. Whenever you miss me, you can just look at him."

Brianna Collins raised an eyebrow.

"Don't worry about it. Once you're better, I'll take you anywhere you want."

They made a striking couple, and anyone could see how well they suited each other. More than that, they were each other's first love.

Duncan Sadler followed behind them, carrying Lucas Sadler's bag. Hearing their conversation, he lifted his head and glanced at Brianna Collins.

He lowered his gaze. So was that why she'd taken him on so many trips in his previous life? Was it to make up for all the places Lucas had never gotten to visit?

Then again, it made sense.

Lucas was like the rising sun, and Duncan was nothing more than his shadow, destined to live in the light Lucas cast.

The two people ahead came to a stop. Lucas suddenly leaned down and kissed Brianna.

"I'll get going then," he said, walking away. "See you tomorrow!"

Brianna froze for a moment.

"Lucas!" she called after him, frowning. "Don't run! You have a heart condition!"

She could only shake her head helplessly.

Duncan's eyes stung as he watched them. He lowered his head and hurried past Brianna, hoping to get away before she noticed him. But just as he walked past her, she called his name.

"Duncan."

He stopped in his tracks.

When he turned, Brianna reminded him, "I'll pick you up at your place at nine tomorrow morning. We're going on a field trip."

Duncan was about to refuse, but Brianna had already turned and walked away. With no chance to respond, he carried the books into the house.

The moment he stepped inside, he heard Frank Sadler reprimanding Lucas.

"How many times have I told you not to overexert yourself? Keep this up, and you'll make me angry."

Though Frank's words sounded stern, there was a kind of concern in his voice that Duncan had never experienced himself.

His steps faltered, then he lowered his eyes and started toward the stairs, hoping to slip away unnoticed.

"Duncan, just leave my books on the desk," Lucas suddenly said.

Duncan nodded.

"What are you, a mute?" Frank snapped. "Can't you even say hello? You come home without greeting anyone."

Duncan kept his head down. He didn't bother pointing out that he'd already greeted them earlier, only to be ignored as usual.

"Got it," he said quietly.

Then he turned and headed upstairs.

"He's always skulking around," Frank grumbled behind him. "I don't know who he takes after."

Duncan kept his head down.

30 years of living among the wealthy in his previous life had taught him nothing about how to carry himself like one of them. Instead, it had only driven home the truth that he was nothing more than a stand-in.

But now that he'd been given another chance at life, he no longer wanted to play that role.

He placed Lucas' books on his desk, returned to his own room, and quietly worked through a full set of practice problems.

His phone rang.

"Duncan, congratulations on placing second in the math competition. The next round is the national competition. If you finish in the top three, you'll qualify for direct admission to Kingswell University."

"I understand. Thank you, Mr. Benson."

After hanging up, he opened his drawer and took out a thick stack of cash.

He'd saved 13,000 dollars over the years from working part-time while studying, and it was enough to enroll in a full-time math training program that offered on-campus housing.

In two weeks, Lucas' condition would flare up again, and he'd start finding new ways to make Duncan's life miserable.

In his previous life, Duncan had spent his days running between the hospital and school to take care of Lucas. His grades had plummeted, and he'd ended up at an ordinary university, forever living under Lucas's thumb.

But this time, Duncan was going to live for himself.