Chapter 5

In my previous life, I was the one who'd nearly drowned. I ran a high fever and had nightmare after nightmare.

I kept mumbling, delirious: Linda pushed me. Linda pushed me.

And that kind of trauma, to them, was just a little "accident." Linda playing around, not watching where she was going.

I thought of that now, and I stroked the bruises on my body and started laughing.

"Serves her right. She deserves everything she got."

Mom raised her hand, but it stopped just short of my face.

"You—you—you're my own flesh and blood. My own daughter. And you're this vicious?"

Linda leaned against the headboard, coughing weakly.

"Mom, she only acts out because she wants your attention. I'm not upset with her."

Jason tensely fed Linda warm water and rubbed her chest to ease her breathing. "Linda, you're too good-hearted. That's why she keeps walking all over you."

Then he launched into a detailed account of how I had "attacked" Linda and pushed her into the pool.

Linda chimed in every so often to magnanimously "forgive" me.

What a performance. Really.

Mom held back her anger, her eyes cold on me.

"Since you're my daughter, I'll spare you. But starting now, you personally take care of Linda's every need, until she says she forgives you."

I went full crazy. "Fine. I'll take care of her right now."

I stood up, ripped out Linda's catheter, and threw the urine bag directly at her face.

Linda let out a blood-curdling shriek. "YOU BITCH—I'LL KILL YOU!"

That dropped the whole delicate, pitiful-little-flower routine real fast.

Jason's face twisted. He lunged at me again.

"You really dare—"

I spun, grabbed the nearest chair, and drove it straight into his crotch.

He doubled over instantly, tears shooting out of his eyes.

I laughed.

"Still want me to care for her?"

"Still want me to apologize?"

I leaned close to Linda's face. "I'll give you one chance. Tell the truth. Or trust me, I have all the ways in the world to cure your little 'illness.'"

Mom was full-on hyperventilating in the corner.

"God help me. You're hopeless. I actually regret bringing you back."

I smiled coldly.

Gran would never have imagined it.

The family she wanted so badly for me to come home to, the biological parents she made me search for, hated me this much.

Gran had scraped and starved to put me through school. Out before dawn every day, collecting trash off the streets in rain, snow, storms, never taking a day off.

My school fees, my textbooks, bus fare, food. She'd saved it all up cent by cent.

To feed me properly, she'd skipped her own breakfast and dinner, eating only once a day.

She starved herself down to skin and bone just to keep me healthy.

I loved her so much.

She used to tell me: when she found me, I was soft and milk-white, clearly a baby loved by her parents. She refused to let me lose what I was born with.

I used to clench my teeth and say: "They threw me away. They stopped being my parents the moment they did that. You're the only family I need, Gran."

She'd shake her head and smile, saying I was young and didn't understand yet.

But Gran, look at this. Your love was replaced a long time ago.

Linda caught Mom's expression shifting to her favor and immediately latched on like she had a shield.

"Mom, she really is trying to kill me. I'm scared. Can you ask Dad to make her leave?"

Mom was visibly repulsed by the smell all over Linda but couldn't not comfort her.

"Just wait. I'm calling your father right now to deal with this."

"Today we are removing that thing from the Veil family for good."

Linda's eyes lit up, vicious and delighted. But her face kept that same perfect wide-eyed innocence.

Dad arrived shortly after.

No questions. Two slaps across my face.

"Didn't I tell you last time? Why are you still treating your sister this way?"

"You may be the biological daughter, but the Veil family has standards. We don't tolerate this kind of abuse."

I smiled coldly. Same script as last time.

Day one back in this family, and Linda had already started with the crying and the injuries.

I never knew when I'd have a new crime pinned on me.

Two lifetimes of being framed, humiliated, and left to die. The rage burned through me like wildfire.

I let my smile spread slowly across my face as I looked at each of them in turn.

"Mom. Watch closely and see who the real manipulator is."

"Dad. Open your eyes and look at the Veil family's precious 'standards.'"

"Jason. You're an idiot."

"And you, Linda, I hope you can keep up the performance after today."

Then I pressed the button for the surveillance system I'd planted throughout the house.