Chapter 1

A piercing screech of brakes tore through the quiet summer night.

A thin, frail figure flew high into the air, then crashed hard onto the ground.

Blood poured from Jessica Whitmore's mouth in waves. She forced her eyes open and weakly dragged herself toward her phone to call an ambulance.

A foot came down on the phone right in front of her, crushing it to pieces.

"Jessica, why do you have to be so difficult? Anna just needs one of your kidneys to survive. Why won't you agree?"

"She's been our beloved little sister for twelve years. Why can't you think about how Mom, Dad, and the rest of us feel? It's just one kidney. Do you really have to be this selfish?"

Jessica shook her head.

Anna Whitmore wasn't sick at all. She was trying to get her killed. So why wouldn't anyone believe her?

Jessica was rushed to a private hospital by ambulance.

She was slipping in and out of consciousness, feeling her life drain away little by little. Her mind was flooded with memories — twelve years of suffering after the Whitmore family lost her, and six more years of misery after they brought her back.

When she was six, her brothers' carelessness had allowed traffickers to sell her to a family in the countryside, where she endured endless abuse.

By then, Anna had long since become the daughter the Whitmore family publicly claimed as their own. Yet Jessica, their biological daughter, was brought home under the label of "adopted daughter."

No matter how hard she tried to please them, no matter how carefully she watched her every step, they never saw her. Their eyes were always on Anna. They took everything from Jessica to spoil and satisfy Anna.

Her eldest brother James Whitmore told her Anna was fragile, so she had to attend to Anna personally — and if Anna got even a scratch, Jessica would be made to kneel as punishment.

Her second brother Michael Whitmore told her Anna had feelings for her boyfriend, so she should just hand him over.

Her third brother David Whitmore warned her not to get better grades than Anna, because it would upset her. Her fourth brother Joseph Whitmore added that since Anna was stubborn and competitive, Jessica wasn't allowed to be prettier than her either.

Jessica went along with all of it.

She accompanied James to business dinners to help land deals, getting so drunk she could barely stand, enduring harassment from the men there.

For Michael's research, she let herself be used as a test subject, her body covered in needle marks. She nearly went into shock and died more than once. Michael called her dramatic.

David was a singer — handsome, talented, the whole package. Every lyric and melody behind his work was something Jessica had stayed up night after night to create. But at the height of his fame, David pushed Anna into the spotlight and told the world that all the glory belonged to her.

When Anna was caught plagiarizing at a competition, Joseph forced Jessica to take the blame.

She had lost count of how many times things like this had happened — until a month ago, when Anna showed up with a diagnosis of end-stage kidney failure, sobbing and begging their parents to save her. The cruel irony was that Jessica turned out to be a perfect match for Anna.

Her biological parents, her brothers, even her boyfriend — they all pressured her to donate.

But it was a setup.

Anna had told her so herself.

And still, no one believed her.

Jessica tried to fight back, tried to call for help — but then an ambulance bearing the Whitmore Private Hospital logo pulled up.

In that moment, Jessica finally understood. They hadn't come to save her. They had come to put her on the operating table.

She was forced into the private hospital the Whitmore family had invested in.

Her consciousness faded. She was wheeled into the operating room and caught fragments of the doctor's terrified voice.

"Michael, Jessica's internal injuries are severe. Doing the transplant now could kill her."

"That's not your problem. The Whitmore family will keep you safe as long as the transplant succeeds. But if you can't do it — well, then there's no reason for you to be alive either."

Nothing more needed to be said.

The doctor steeled himself and began the operation.

A single tear rolled from the corner of Jessica's eye. So this was the family she had given everything to please — and they could throw her away without a second thought, all for the sake of an adopted daughter.

The hatred that rose in her was overwhelming.

Jessica let go of every last hope she had held onto.

But she wasn't ready to accept it.

If she ever got another chance, she would never give these monsters a single thing — not one drop of effort, not one moment of kindness.

Jessica died.

So annoying.

Jessica was jolted awake by a knock at the door. She opened her eyes and stared blankly at a familiar bedroom, her mind completely blank.

Hadn't she died on the operating table?

She shot upright and frantically checked where her kidney would have been removed. The skin was smooth and flat — not a single mark, no sign of any surgery.

While she was still trying to make sense of it, the bedroom door was unlocked with a key and pushed open.

Her mother, Maeve Collins, walked in looking irritated. "If you were already awake, why didn't you open the door? I'm telling you, avoiding it won't help. You're giving up that competition spot whether you want to or not."

"I've told you — the Whitmore family will take care of you for the rest of your life. You'll never have to worry about a thing. You don't need the recognition. Anna is different. Everyone knows she's a genius, and she's going to marry into the Thompson family. She needs this."

"Jessica, stop being so selfish."

Those words. She knew them by heart.

It was as if a bolt of lightning split through her mind.

She had been reborn.

She had come back to her sophomore year of college, when her advisor was about to recommend her for the domestic qualifying round of the International Youth Physics Competition. The qualifying round carried enormous weight — placing in it was practically a guaranteed entry ticket into the world's top physics research institutions.

Anna, who had always needed to outshine her, was eaten up with jealousy and made a point of letting everyone know she wanted to enter the competition too.

But the bar was high, and Anna didn't meet the qualifications.

The Whitmore family, unwilling to let Anna feel slighted, pressured Jessica to hand over her spot.

In her past life, Jessica had wanted so desperately to belong to the Whitmore family, to earn their acceptance. As much as it hurt, she gave up the spot. Through the Whitmore family's behind-the-scenes maneuvering, Anna walked away with an honorable mention.

It wasn't first place, but it was enough to be called proof of talent.

Anna's name began to spread.

To boost Anna's appeal as a future Thompson family bride, the Whitmore family spent lavishly on building her image — and deliberately used Jessica as a stepping stone.

Later, when Jessica's true origins came to light, she — the biological daughter the Whitmore family had never once publicly acknowledged — became the villain in everyone's story.

By comparison, Anna shone as a gifted, beautiful girl blessed by fate.

After Jessica died, the internet was full of people saying she had gotten what she deserved.

Jessica's hands slowly curled into fists, her eyes turning cold.

If trying to please them had never earned her anything real, then she was done trying. And every bit of pain they had put her through — she would return it to them a thousand times over.

"Are you even listening to me?"

Maeve stared at her with impatience. "Jessica, why can't you be more like Anna — obedient, sensible, considerate? Instead of this — selfish, only ever thinking about yourself."

There it was again.

That one sentence had held her captive for an entire lifetime. And yet, who were the truly selfish ones here?

Jessica looked at Maeve. She thought about how desperately she had once craved warmth from this woman, and almost laughed at herself. "You're right. I am selfish. So you might as well give up on this right now."

Maeve blinked. In the past, no matter how reluctant Jessica was, she would always give in the moment Maeve asked. She was actually refusing?

Maeve's expression hardened. "It's not like we're asking you to do it for nothing. If you cooperate, I'll arrange an internship at the company for you over the summer. Anna doesn't even get that opportunity. What more could you possibly want?"

Maeve's tone dripped with condescension, her eyes carrying a clear warning: don't push your luck.

Jessica almost laughed out loud.

In her past life, that so-called internship had meant being used to patch up the company's weaknesses, having her patents taken and used for free, and then — after she had fought tooth and nail to bring the Whitmore Group to new heights — being kicked out without a second thought.

All the credit went to Anna, of course.

Anna got the patents. Anna got the glory. And Jessica, bound by family loyalty, couldn't even step forward to demand an explanation.

In the end, Anna became an internationally renowned master of mechanical engineering and innovation.

The hatred in Jessica's eyes refused to settle. A cold smile crossed her face. "Keep that generous offer for Anna. I'm entering the competition."

"Jessica, I'm not here to negotiate with you." Seeing that neither kindness nor pressure was working, Maeve finally lost her temper. "Why do you insist on competing with Anna for everything? Wasn't it enough to steal her identity? Now you want to take her competition spot too?"

Jessica was so irritated she almost laughed.

"I was trafficked because you failed to protect me," she said. "I was barely gone before you adopted Anna. She stepped into my place and lived in comfort and luxury for years, spoiled and adored. So tell me — who exactly stole whose identity?"

"And that spot was mine to begin with. What does it have to do with her, or with any of you? I'm telling you right now — from today on, no one is taking a single thing of mine ever again."