Three years after being brought back to my family, I jumped off a building.

As my soul floated in the air, I wanted to see how my parents and brother, who always despised me, would break down in tears, filled with regret.

But my father simply shook his head indifferently and looked at my lifeless body, saying, "How childish."

My mother pressed her lips together and sighed in relief, as if a burden had been lifted.

My brother stood in front of the fake heiress, shielding her from the gruesome sight of my death.

Even so, the fake heiress burst into tears, prompting the whole family to rush to comfort her.

I stared in stunned silence for a long time before a bitter smile crossed my face.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back to the moment I was first brought home.

Realizing I had been reborn, I sat in silence for a long time.

In front of me, my parents spoke through reddened eyes, pouring out their guilt and how much they missed me over the years. They even said they had been thinking about me for ten years!

In my previous life, I was so touched that I broke down in tears, throwing myself into their arms, naïvely believing I finally had a family. That I was finally loved.

But three years later, I was tearing at my hair, screaming and crying as I jumped off a building in front of them, hoping my death would earn just a sliver of their affection.

No one had ever loved me.

So, this time, I felt nothing. I was as calm and unfeeling.

“Sweetheart, are you still settling in? It’s alright, I’ll help you pick a room first. Take your time,” my mother said gently, noticing my silence.

She took my hand and led me upstairs to the third floor.

My father followed us with a smile, pulling out his phone to call Shane Lowe. “Come home as soon as you can.”

Shane replied with two words, “I’m busy.”

My father frowned, and my mother looked a little embarrassed as she explained to me, “Your brother’s always busy. He’s taken on most of the company’s responsibilities. He’ll only be back on the weekends.”

I believed them in my last life.

In this life, I didn’t care.

My belief made no difference.

On the third floor, every room was brightly decorated, warm, and brimming with a girlish charm.

“Carol, take your pick. You can have whichever room you like,” my father said with a smile.

My gaze settled on the room closest to the stairs.

On the bed sat a plush panda, its fur soft and inviting.

In my past life, I’d been captivated by it at first glance, mistaking it for a sign that my parents truly loved me. I chose that room without hesitation because I fell in love with that panda.

However, my parents' expressions shifted slightly. They exchanged a glance before quickly smiling.

"Carol, we forgot to tell you that this room belongs to your sister, Leila," my father said with a chuckle.

"Leila is such a considerate girl. She cleared out her room especially for you, saying you should have the most spacious one. It’s only right for you to live here."

Back then, I blinked in surprise, feeling touched. "My sister gave me her room? That’s so kind of her."

I still loved that panda and that room.

My parents exchanged another look, hesitant to speak further.

But I was already too excited.

I dashed inside without a second thought, wrapping my arms around the plush panda.

Just then, Leila Lowe came home, her backpack slung over one shoulder.

Leila and I were both fifteen, but she was far more mature and not as naïve as I was.

Seeing me in her room, she pressed her lips together, forcing a dimpled smile. "I heard my sister came home, so I took the day off to come back. Do you like this room? Then it’s yours."

She bit her lip after speaking, turning her face away.

My parents silently observed her every reaction.

My mother quickly came over and pulled me aside. "Carol, why don’t you pick another room? This one’s too big. I don’t think it’s suitable for you."

"Why not?" I asked, confused.

I also sensed a subtle change in the atmosphere, though I couldn’t quite place it.

At the time, how could I have known what was wrong?

After all, my parents had cried for me, and they loved me so much.

Moreover, Leila had willingly emptied out her room for me to choose.

I was their biological daughter. What’s so wrong about picking a room I like?

I wondered, filled with doubt.

My mom’s expression shifted again, as though she wanted to say something but held back.

My dad appeared more stern than usual, yet he stayed silent as well.

Leila stepped forward to help me make the bed. “Sister, just stay here. This house is yours, after all. You can live wherever you like.”

And so, I settled in.

In the rural town, my days were filled with pots, pans, and endless fields.

Now that I was in the city, it felt like that was all I knew how to do.

But here, there were no pots, no pans, and no fields to be found.

So, I couldn’t figure out what was wrong.

I had only been in Leila’s room for half a day before Shane, who rushed back, dragged me out.

He was furious.

With anger seething in his voice, he yanked me away from my book and into the hallway. “Don’t you have any manners? This is Leila’s room! How could you just take it over so shamelessly?”

I was completely stunned, not just because it was my first time meeting him but because I couldn’t understand how I was “taking over” anything.

Frightened, I called for my parents.

They hurried upstairs, but Shane spoke first.

“Mom, Dad, how could you let this happen? This is Leila’s room. Don’t you realize how unfair this is to her? Aren’t you worried about hurting her feelings?”

“This…” My parents’ expressions turned complicated, unsure of what to say.

But I caught a flash of irritation in my mom’s eyes as she looked at me.

I froze for a moment.

I knew that look all too well.

My late foster father used to look at me like that when he was alive.

Mom was angry at me!

So, it turned out, I really was an intruder.

Since that day, I trod cautiously and endured one precarious year after another.

In the end, I leapt off the high-rise.

How foolish I was.

This time, I couldn’t afford to be foolish.

In this lifetime, I resolved not to fight, not to compete, not to cry, and not to make a scene. Most importantly, I vowed never to love them again.

A faint smile crossed my lips as I pointed to the smallest room at the very back.

“I want that one.”

My parents froze for a moment, then quickly showed expressions of relief, though they pretended to scold me. “That’s the storage room. Why would you pick that? Choose another.”

“I’m used to small rooms. They make me feel safer.”

My tone carried a hint of self-mockery.

After a sigh, they agreed.

Just like that, they agreed to let their biological daughter, who had been missing for ten years, live in the storage room.

Leila, their fake daughter, returned right on cue.

She ran upstairs and looked visibly surprised when she saw me in the storage room.

I glanced at her, calm and composed.

She thought I didn’t know her little schemes—that she had deliberately placed a panda plush in her room to lure me into choosing it.

From the moment I came home, I already fell into the traps she meticulously laid out.

She spent three years fighting for our parents’ love and ultimately emerged victorious.

And I, through death, came to understand one simple truth: “The best way to gain love is to love myself.”

I moved into the storage room and closed the door behind me.

Leila came over with the panda plush. "Sister, here’s a toy for you. I’m sure you’ll like it."

"I don’t like toys, thank you," I replied through the door and began unpacking the books I brought from the countryside.

From the moment I was reborn, I already had a plan.

I would love myself.

There were many ways to do that, but for me now, the best way was to gain knowledge, achieve independence, and stand on my own.

"Sister, do you dislike me? It makes sense. I’m the one who took over your place…" Leila’s voice came from outside the door, tinged with sadness.

She seemed to be speaking to me, but in reality, her words were meant for our parents to hear.

My parents were still there.

As expected, my mom quickly stepped in to comfort her. “Your sister is probably just tired and needs some rest. Don’t read too much into it.”

My dad chimed in, “Leila, no one’s taking anyone else’s place in this family. Don’t let it bother you.”

But there was.

It was me.

…

After a nap, the villa was quiet.

The housekeeper informed me, “Miss Leila wasn’t in a good mood, so Mr and Mrs. Lowe took her out shopping.”

I simply responded, “Oh.”

That was fine by me.

I began organizing the cash gifts—money from my parents and relatives when they came to welcome me home. Altogether, they added up to over twenty thousand dollars.

I needed to save it.

Because I knew my future wouldn’t be easy, and this money would be my biggest asset.

The town chief had helped me open a bank account, so I grabbed my bank card and headed to the nearest branch.

In my previous life, after three difficult years, I grew familiar with the area.

So, I wouldn’t get lost this time.

At the bank, I came across a sharply dressed man in a suit, accompanied by the branch manager, who was all smiles and nods as he walked him out.

I stopped in my tracks.

The man in the suit was my brother, Shane.

This was our first meeting in this lifetime.

But he recognized me after seeing my photos and videos.

He glanced at me, sizing me up, before speaking coldly, “Carol Lowe?”

“Yes.”

The bank manager’s eyes darted between us before he greeted me warmly. “Miss, what’s your relationship with Mr. Lowe?”

Shane frowned, clearly displeased. “That’s none of your concern. Get back to work.”

The manager gave an awkward laugh and quickly left.

Shane looked at me again. “You just got home. What are you doing here?”

“Depositing money,” I replied honestly and went straight to get a number.

“Depositing money? Those cash gifts?” Shane sneered. “I thought you’d give the cash to Mom and Dad to manage. After all, Leila always does that.”

I stayed silent.

He scoffed, his tone dripping with disdain. “Greedy, aren’t you? Fine, keep your own money if you must, but don’t even think about laying a finger on the family’s!”

He was exactly the same as in the previous life.

In my first week back then, a gold necklace went missing at home.

Shane was convinced I stole it.

He thought I was poorly raised, money-hungry, and nothing but trouble.

Who would’ve thought that in this life, the necklace hadn’t even gone missing yet, and Shane had already made up his mind about me?

But I didn’t care, and I wasn’t going to argue.

I just wanted to deposit my money.

With a cold scoff, Shane turned and walked away.

…

That evening, my parents and Leila were all present, discussing which school I should attend.

The brochures laid out on the table were all for elite private schools.

I made my choice directly. “I don’t want to go to a private school. I want to attend Shaw City High.”

It was a top public high school.

My plan was simple: finish high school, get into college, and leave this house.

I had no desire to be a wealthy heiress.

My parents were stunned, while Leila hid her inner delight and spoke up. “Sister, there’s no need for us to attend an ordinary high school. We don’t even need to take the college entrance exam; we’ll study abroad in the future.”

“Yes, Carol,” my mom said, patting the back of my hand. “You and your sister should both go to Royal Rose Academy. We’ll take care of everything for your future.”

My dad’s gaze flickered as if he was weighing his options.

I knew exactly what he was thinking.

In my previous life, I had enrolled in Royal Rose Academy and became infamous.

Not because I was dazzling, but because I stood out in all the wrong ways.

A girl from a rural town among the heirs and heiresses of Shaw City’s wealthiest families—I was painfully out of place.

When news spread that I was the Lowe family’s long-lost heiress, I was turned into a joke.

Many came out of curiosity to see me, but when they found a skinny, sun-darkened country girl, the ridicule was inevitable.

Worse yet, Leila fanned the flames.

She not only arranged for people to bully me but even sent a handsome boy to pretend to court me.