Chapter 1 The Day He Replaced Me

I had been reborn, back to the very day my life had taken a sharp turn for the worse. The day Caspian Holmes became the adopted son of our family and took everything that had once been mine. Every bit of closeness. Every ounce of affection.

From the moment he entered my home, I had fallen from heaven straight into hell.

Caspian was the son of my dad's former comrade in the military. Our families had been close for years, and he and I had once been inseparable. We were best friends in every sense.

But after his parents died in an accident, he was left alone. A frail, sickly child with no one left to depend on.

Out of respect for their past friendship, my parents barely hesitated before taking him in as their adopted son.

"Eli, from now on, Caspian is your younger brother. You've gone from best friends to family. Aren't you happy?"

"I'll be a good brother, Eli!" Caspian held my dad's hand in one of his, my mom's in the other, looking at me with a shy yet hopeful expression.

In my previous life, I had been overjoyed at that moment. After all, what kid wouldn't want to spend every day with their best friend? But back then, I had not known that the moment Caspian became part of our family, he would change completely.

He became sensitive. Jealous. Cunning. A liar who stole everything from me piece by piece.

By the time I finally realized the truth, it was already too late. He had latched onto my life like a parasite. I still carried the title of biological son, but no one in the family cared about me anymore. Even my fiancee, who had been promised to me since childhood, had eventually been taken by him.

"Eli," my dad said, his tone turning serious, "I need to be upfront with you. Even though you and Caspian are both my sons, he is weak in health, so your mom and I will naturally give him more attention. As the older brother, you should learn to give in to him."

I had heard those exact words a hundred times in my previous life.

They always used Caspian's weak health to morally pressure me, reminding me that I was the older brother, forcing me to hand over what was rightfully mine—piece by piece.

Even my heart. My future. My life.

At the thought, I could not stop myself from looking at them coldly. "Caspian was born a day earlier than me. So why am I the older brother, and why is he the younger one?"

My dad frowned immediately, disappointment written all over his face. "We're all family now. Do you really have to be so petty?"

My mom gently patted Caspian's head, her voice soft and coaxing, leaving me no room to argue. "Eli, you're taller and stronger. Caspian is so thin and weak. It's only natural that you should be the older brother."

Caspian's lips trembled, and he threw himself into my mom's arms, bursting into tears. "Eli doesn't like me, does he? I'm a child no one wants… Mom, Dad, why didn't you take me with you…"

My parents immediately pulled him close, flustered as they wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes.

"Cas, don't say that. From now on, we're your parents. If Elias dares to object, we'll kick him out." My dad shot me a cold glance as he spoke. His tone made it clear that he was not joking.

My heart sank even further. Caspian really was something. With just a few words, he had completely won them over.

Hearing that, Caspian stopped crying at once, and he put on a bright smile, looking up at them sweetly. "Mr. and Mrs. Holt, can I call you Dad and Mom?"

My parents nodded fervently, visibly moved. "Of course you can!"

The three of them embraced excitedly. Caspian even kissed each of them on the cheek. They looked like a perfect, happy family—so harmonious that it almost felt as though I were the outsider.

Caspian's room was not ready yet, so I offered him mine. Not because I was considerate. But because I knew exactly what kind of person Caspian was. If he did not take something from me, he would never let things go.

My dad patted my head approvingly. "That's more like it. It's Caspian's first day here. You should give in to him."

Behind his back, I rolled my eyes.

It would not just be this day. From now on, every single day, they would use the same excuse to make me yield to Caspian.