In the final seven days after I decided to depart for good, I transformed into the daughter my family had always dreamed of.

I conceded to Remy's every whim, never to fight or deny her. When she wanted to use my work for a contest, I deferred. When she wanted me out in the frost and howling wind, I did just that.

My quiet compliance led my family to think that I had learned the error of my ways.

"You've finally accepted that you owe Remy so much, and that you have to compensate her!"

Even until the end, they never understood why I couldn't care less.

"Fiona, why aren't you saying anything?"

To that, I could only smile. "Isn't this what you've always wanted?"

When the System found me once again, I was celebrating my birthday alone.

"Confirming egress from this world. Seven days until the portal opens."

I nodded quietly, then grabbed a piece of cake and stuffed it into my mouth. The poor-quality cream tasted awful, but when I remembered that this was my last birthday cake in this world, I swallowed it without complaint.

Before I could even put my hand down, the door to my room was violently kicked open.

My older brother, Blake Rivers, saw me crouching on the floor. Disdain filled his eyes.

"So this is the reason you refused to come out to celebrate Remy's birthday even after we called you so many times! You're already celebrating your birthday on your own here!"

Upon hearing that, my dad stepped out from behind Blake. Immediately, he grabbed the cake in my hand and threw it into my face without hesitation. The sticky cream smeared my face and my hair, and the sliminess was quite upsetting.

I looked at my dad, stunned, but all I got was a furious reprimand.

"Do you really not want to celebrate your birthday with Remy that badly? We've finally found her after so long! Do you really dislike her that much? Have we treated you badly all these years? Do you lack love so much, you don't want her to get even a little bit of attention from you?" he roared.

Out in the corridor, my mom was holding Remy in her arms. There was only impatience in her eyes. While she had said nothing, her silence had already proven her stand on this.

I looked at the disdain on their faces and subconsciously extended my hand out, wanting to defend myself. However, Blake brutally swiped my hand while it was in mid-air. A stinging red bruise quickly appeared on my fair skin.

"Fiona, you just want to upset Remy during her birthday, don't you? Have you forgotten how much she suffered because of you? Are you still trying to bully her?" he snarled.

I simply looked at him silently and stopped defending myself.

So many times, I've cried and begged to defend myself when things like this happened. Even when my throat became dry and I had run out of tears, they still refused to believe me. Instead, they consoled Remy whose eyes had become only a little red.

In the past, I wanted to question them countless times. I was the one they had spent so many years with, but why wouldn't they believe me?

But now? I was going to leave soon. The answers to those questions were no longer important.

I chuckled and looked into Blake's eyes. Once, his gaze upon me was filled with love. Now, however, only contempt remained.

Blake took my gesture as a provocation. His chest heaving, he struck my face hard. "You still refuse to admit it? What more do you want?"

The impact swung my head all the way to the side. I could feel the numbing pain on the left side of my face.

Remy, who was hiding behind everyone, suddenly cried, "Blake!"

It wasn't because she was worried about me. She was simply startled by what he had done.

My mom patted Remy's back before casting a disdainful gaze at me. "Alright, Blake. Today is Remy's birthday, so don't upset her. Leave Fiona here to think about what she has done."

Blake snorted and kicked the cake right in front of me. The smiling face on the cake turned over, instantly becoming a crying face.

The door in front of me shut with a deafening bang.

The sounds of laughter and blessing were separated by this door, but they still entered my ears without pause.

I pushed myself and crawled up, heading toward the washroom. My red, swollen, cream-smeared face was evidence of what had just happened.

I cleaned myself up slowly with a towel.

It was fine. Seven more days.

I consoled myself that I could leave in seven days.

Remy and I were twins. Today was our birthday.

Many years ago, little Remy was kidnapped while playing outside. This day was her second birthday after she was finally found.

My dad, mom, and older brother treated this occasion with utmost seriousness. So much so, they began the preparations a few months ago. However, they had completely forgotten my birthday, which was on the same day.

Only when Remy was showing off about it yesterday did I find out everything.

"Fiona, Dad and Mom said they've prepared a super-duper birthday party for me! Do you know anything about it? I can't stop myself from being excited just by thinking about it!" she bragged.

I knew the party had nothing to do with me, so I didn't answer her.

When Remy didn't get the reaction she wanted, she continued, "Ah, I forgot! Seems like Dad and Mom won't let you join. It's fine, though. If you want to come, I can tell them to let you join us."

She raised her head, parading in front of me like a victorious peacock.

"It's fine," I answered coldly.

When Remy had just been brought home, I thought she was exactly the way she presented herself—innocent and harmless. This impression was how I fell into her trap. She framed me for all kinds of things, all the while playing the victim and earning my parents' indulgent love.

It was all thanks to her that my relationship with my family worsened.

Remy grinned deviously.

"How sad, Fiona! You're the one they've lived with for a decade, but I became the apple of their eyes instead. How can you be such a failure? But you owe me everything! If you're the one who got kidnapped all those years ago, I wouldn't have suffered so much."

There was only jealousy and malice in her eyes, but they quickly returned to normal.

"Oh, right. Do you know how Dad and Mom described you, Fiona? They said you're cruel and selfish, and that you're unworthy of being their daughter! You're such a failure in this family, Fiona!"

I could feel the sting deep in my heart.

My mission here was to alleviate the sorrows of the parents whose daughter had been kidnapped. After so many years, I had already treated them like my parents.

Now that they had Remy, they hated me.

It was time for me to go.

When the System found me and asked me if I had second thoughts, I immediately said no. Whatever that was never mine in the first place wasn't mine, no matter what had happened.

Once again, my door was opened from the other side.

Remy looked like a culprit who returned to the scene of the crime to enjoy her handiwork. When she looked at the cream on me, she waved in disdain.

"Why haven't you cleaned yourself up yet, Fiona? That low-grade cream fits you perfectly! You're just as abhorrent."

I continued to wipe away the cream on my hair, ignoring her provocations.

It wasn't the first time she would come to provoke me after something similar had happened. In the past, I would still talk back to her. Then, she would just use that as an opportunity to cry to my parents. After that, I decided to stay silent.

Seeing that I had ignored her, Remy turned and looked around my room, trying to see if there was anything new that she could take for herself.

"Today's my birthday. Dad, Mom, and Blake gave me lots of presents! What are you going to give to me, Fiona?"

Remy crossed her arms over her chest, not finding anything appropriate about her demanding a gift from me. In the past, I would ask her why she didn't think of giving me a present first. Now, it no longer mattered.

Remy glanced at what was on the table. Instantly, her eyes lit up with interest and she made a grab for it.

"A draft for the design competition? I didn't expect you to join this competition without me in secret!"

Her eyes flashed with a sly gleam, and she quickly hid the draft behind her.

"Since you didn't prepare any presents for me," she ordered arrogantly, "give me this as my birthday present! It's just a drawing, so you won't mind, right?"

I looked at what Remy was hiding behind her. It was a draft I had finalized after three months of editing and constant feedback from my teachers. In the past, I had placed all my hopes on it. I had wanted to use it to win a prize and salvage my relationship with my family. My parents had always been delighted whenever I got good grades.

Now, however, I no longer had any use for it.

I turned my attention away and continued cleaning my hair while looking in the mirror. "If you want it, then you can have it."

Remy's eyes widened with surprise. She didn't expect me to react with such indifference.

It wasn't the first time she wanted to take something away from me. Before, I would resist her every time. Only when my parents and Blake yelled at me would I give it to her. By now, she had taken so much from me that it made no difference if she took one more.

Maybe because I was too calm, Remy became unhappy instead. She angrily clenched her fists and glared daggers at me.

"Don't think I'll remember how well you treat me! I won't forgive you for everything that has happened in the past just because you gave me a thing or two! You owe me everything, I tell you! If you're the one who got kidnapped all those years ago, I could also enjoy eighteen happy years of life! I didn't have to start working even when the sky was still dark! I should have everything that you have right now!" she shrieked.

Remy's eyes were red as she ran out of my room.

After I had just cleaned up all the mess on the floor, my mom pushed open my bedroom door with a cake box in hand. She sat down in front of me and showed me the box.

"You haven't eaten dinner yet, right? There are some leftovers. Eat."

Although my family would doubt and hurt me again and again, I would always soften up whenever I faced my mom.

Back in my original world, I lost both my parents when I was very young. I had to live with my uncle and aunt. They treated me as nothing but a burden, providing me only with the bare minimum. Whenever I saw others in their mom's arms, I would always watch them enviously.

When I came to this world, I enjoyed the familial love I never had. My mom treated me like her treasure and loved to call me "her baby Fiona". When I was sick and got hospitalized, she would care for me and stay with me the whole day, delaying her work.

From my new parents, I experienced the things I never had. I grew addicted to their affection, so much so that I didn't return to my original world even after I had finished my mission.

However, everything changed the moment Remy was found.

I stopped my thoughts from wandering too far, and opened the cake box in front of me with shaky hands.

Whatever tenderness in my heart instantly dissipated when I saw what was inside. It really was leftover cake—in fact, there wasn't much left to begin with. There was only one piece left, most likely after all the pieces had been taken. It lay sadly on the side.

My mom should have just thrown it away, but she still brought this tiny piece for me. I wasn't sure if I should hold the box or just drop it.

My mom, thinking I was overjoyed, grinned.

"Alright! Now that you've eaten the cake and celebrated your birthday, there's something I want to tell you. I heard from your teachers that you managed to get a recommendation for guaranteed admission. Can you tell your teachers to give it to Remy? With your results, it should be easy for you to get into Royal University. But for Remy, it'll be difficult. Speaking of which, you owe Remy this. Don't forget what you did to her."

My mom's voice was gentle, but her words were akin to blades cutting right into my heart. I felt something hard stuck in my throat, choking me.

"I can't do that, Mom."

My mom frowned, displeased with my disobedience. "Why can't you, when all you need to do is say a few words? It's just like what Remy said. You've never treated her like she's family! I can do anything for you, but you tell me you can't do something so simple when I need your help. Is this how you repay me, Fiona?"

When I saw how impatient my mom was as she looked at me, my insides throbbed painfully. At that moment, I wanted to tell her a lot of things.

I wanted to explain why I couldn't do what she told me to.

I wanted to ask her if I should just give everything to Remy without question.

I wanted to ask her if…if she really hated me that much.

Despite that, I swallowed all the words that I wanted to say.

What was the point of telling her all those things? If they believed this was how I was like, explaining myself to them was pointless.

"Alright, Mom. I'll talk to my teacher about it," I said, lowering my gaze.

She seemed quite surprised with my lack of resistance. "You really will?"

I couldn't blame her for being suspicious. Previously, whenever they told me to let Remy have her way, I would shake my head in protest and voice my unwillingness. They had to yell at me first, and only then would I give whatever Remy wanted with a frown.

This time, I didn't fight back before agreeing to it.

In a few more days, I would be leaving. Arguing was pointless.

My mom, unaware of my thoughts, smiled serenely.

"It's just as Blake said. You'll mature after we ignore you for a few days. See? You finally understand that Remy's your younger sister. You have to go easy on her. You owe her so much, so this is how you should repay her. In the future, you should be like this and stop fighting with her again. Understand?"

Mocking language, turning a blind eye to the situation. That was the best way to educate one's child.

I looked at the gentle woman in front of me, finding her starkly different from how I remembered her. The way she cared for me in the past seemed like a product of my delusion.

A bitter smile reached my lips, and I suppressed the anguish inside of me.

Once my mom had the answer she wanted, she didn't stay. When I heard the door closing, I looked at the "cake" in front of me for a while before throwing it into her bin.

Don't waver, Fiona. That's not your mom.