Chapter 1 When Have They Ever Treated You as Family?

The salty seawater splashed across Eliana Sullivan's face, jolting her awake. Her eyes fluttered open to find herself lying on a yacht, hands and feet bound, surrounded by endless ocean.

"Eliana, you're awake?" A sweet voice drifted down from above.

Eliana lifted her head to see Charlotte Sullivan standing over her, smiling pleasantly. Two burly men in black flanked her sides, machetes glinting in their hands.

"You said this was an audition. Why did you bring me here?" Eliana struggled desperately, but the restraints held firm. It was futile.

Charlotte crouched down beside her, running her fingers along Eliana's slender arm, a sinister smile playing at her lips. "Eliana, these hands of yours can write songs, and these feet can dance. I'm so jealous."

Eliana's eyes narrowed with suspicion. "What are you planning?"

Charlotte didn't answer. Instead, she turned to the men behind her and said casually, "I don't like her hands and feet. Cut them off."

Panic seized Eliana. "Charlotte! You wouldn't dare! Mom, Dad, and my brothers won't let you get away with this!"

Charlotte burst into laughter—sharp, grating laughter that brought tears to her eyes.

"Eliana, has living with the Sullivans made you stupid?" She wiped the tears from her eyes, her laughter dying down. "When have they ever treated you like family?"

Eliana's face went pale, but she refused to believe it.

Charlotte pulled out her phone, dialed their father's number, and held it in front of Eliana's face. "Don't believe me? Ask them yourself."

The phone rang for what felt like an eternity before someone picked up. Eliana didn't waste a second. "Dad! Please, you have to help me! Charlotte's going to kill me—"

"Enough!" Her father, Simon Sullivan, cut her off coldly. "Haven't you caused enough trouble? Charlotte told us you've been struggling lately and asked us to check on you. Is this how you repay her?"

"No, Dad, she really did—"

Simon hung up before she could finish.

Charlotte proceeded to call their mother and Eliana's three brothers. No matter how desperately Eliana pleaded, they all dismissed her as hysterical and ungrateful.

Eliana stared at the phone screen, her entire body going cold.

She was the Sullivans' long-lost biological daughter, brought back home three years ago. She'd thought she'd finally found her family, only to discover that her parents and three brothers all favored the adopted daughter, Charlotte.

Her brothers had even forcibly taken away the film and television opportunities she'd fought so hard to secure, handing them over to Charlotte instead.

She had always been an outsider in this house.

Charlotte watched Eliana's expression crumble with despair, then slowly rose to her feet and gave the men a subtle nod.

One of them stepped forward, raising his machete, and brought it down without hesitation.

Eliana's scream tore through the air as her arm was severed. Blood spurted from the wound, the pain so intense she nearly lost consciousness.

Before she could even process what had happened, the second blow fell. Her legs were cut away, blood gushing from the stumps, pooling everywhere. The air reeked of iron and salt.

Eliana looked down at her mutilated body, her voice breaking from the agony. She glared at Charlotte through tears. "Charlotte... you have no conscience... If I hadn't given you that role back then—"

Charlotte's eyes gleamed with amusement as she crouched down again, lifting Eliana's chin. "You know, I almost forgot. You've been stealing my opportunities with that pretty face of yours, haven't you? Let me take care of that. Once I peel it off, you won't have anything left to compete with."

One of the men handed her a pair of pliers.

Terror flooded Eliana's veins. She thrashed wildly. "Charlotte! Are you even human anymore?"

Charlotte smiled coldly. The pliers reached for Eliana's face, and piece by piece, she tore the skin away.

"AHHH!"

The screams echoed through the cabin, quickly swallowed by the roar of the waves.

Charlotte tossed the bloody mass onto the floor and wiped her hands clean. She looked down at Eliana, now unconscious, and said flatly, "Throw her in the ocean. Let the fish have her."

The two men lifted Eliana's limp body and hurled it into the sea.

Eliana let the water pull her under, drowning in despair and regret as consciousness slipped away.

...

"Eliana? I'm talking to you. Are you going to agree or not?"

Eliana's eyes snapped open. She found herself sitting in the Sullivan family's living room.

Standing beside her was a man in a tailored suit, his features sharp and cold, frowning down at her.

It was Samuel Sullivan—her second-oldest brother.

Eliana's pupils dilated. Her body instinctively recoiled, her heart pounding violently in her chest.

She was supposed to be dead. How was she here?

"What's wrong with you?" Samuel's frown deepened. "Is it really that hard to hand over your song to Charlotte?"

Eliana froze. Her mind began to race.

This scene... it was eerily familiar. This was exactly what had happened when Samuel pressured her into giving up her song.

Had she... been reborn?

Samuel spoke again, his tone impatient. "Charlotte's album drops next month, and she needs a lead single. That song of yours would be perfect for her."

Eliana stared at him.

In her previous life, when she'd heard those words, her heart had ached. But she'd handed over the sheet music anyway—the song she'd poured three months of her soul into.

She'd done it because she wanted to please this family. She wanted them to see her, to acknowledge her.

And what had she gotten in return?

That song became Charlotte's signature hit. It won Song of the Year. It broke sales records.

And in the credits, only Charlotte's name appeared.

Eliana's name? Not even a footnote.

The memory ignited something cold and sharp inside her. Her expression shifted from confusion to steely resolve.

If God had given her a second chance, she sure as hell wasn't going to waste it.

She didn't answer Samuel right away. Instead, she walked over to the dresser, pulled open a drawer, and retrieved the sheet music.

Samuel's face softened slightly when he saw it. "That's more like it. Don't worry—I'll make sure you get other opportunities."

He reached for the sheet music, but Eliana pulled it back.

"Two months ago, you made me give up the lead role in that movie. You said you'd get me other opportunities. I didn't even get a supporting role. Why should I believe you this time?" Her voice was ice-cold.

Samuel's brow furrowed. He clearly hadn't expected her to bring up the past. He stammered, "That was the investor's decision. It had nothing to do with me—"

"And six months ago?" Eliana cut him off. "That international brand deal—was that the investor's decision too?"

Samuel's expression darkened. "What exactly are you trying to say?"

Eliana held up the sheet music, her face expressionless. "I've been at Sullivan Corporation for three years. Every single opportunity I've earned, you've taken from me and given to Charlotte. And what have I gotten? Nothing."

"Enough!" Samuel snapped. "How can you even compare yourself to Charlotte? She's gracious, mature, and considerate. All you do is throw tantrums!"

Eliana laughed—a bitter, hollow sound.

In her past life, those words had shattered her.

Now, they just made her sick.

"Fine." Eliana took a step back, gripping the edges of the sheet music with both hands. "You want this song so badly?"

Before Samuel could respond, she tore the pages down the middle. Scraps of paper fluttered to the floor like snow.

"Are you insane?!" Samuel's eyes went wide with fury.

Eliana tossed the last shreds of paper in his face, her voice steady and cold. "My work? I'd rather destroy it than let Charlotte have it."