I froze.

After being reborn, I somehow gained the power to hear others' thoughts and to wrench those private words into the open.

Hilda's mocking curses poured through my mind like an endless stream.

Then, Mom's voice cut through it all, sharp as a whip. "What's with that look? If you won't eat, then stay hungry!"

I turned without a word. As I headed back to my room, a plan was already taking shape in my mind.

…

The next morning, the maid, Susan Walker, appeared at my door with a glass of milk.

"Ms. Valerie, why aren't you drinking? Best to have it while it's fresh."

Her smile lingered, but a sharp glint flickered in her eyes as she watched me.

I took the glass, then slammed the door in her face, the edge nearly catching her hand.

Her face must have soured on the other side. I could hear her muttering curses under her breath for a long while before finally stalking off.

Of course, I didn't drink it. I already knew the milk was drugged. I poured it straight into the flowerpot.

There was a sudden knock at the door.

Hilda came in wearing an innocent smile, closing the door behind her. Her gaze fell on the empty glass, and satisfaction curved her lips.

"Val, if I join this family, you won't be mad, will you? Even if you are, don't go hurting yourself."

Her smile looked sweet, almost naive, as she drew a small knife from her sleeve and slashed toward my arm.

A mirthless laugh escaped me.

So she wanted to drug me into madness? Newsflash—I was already there.

My hand cracked across Hilda's cheek.

She froze in shock. She'd always been the one to strike me. Never in her wildest dreams had she thought I'd hit her back.

"H-how dare you hit me? I'll tell Mom and Dad—"

I slapped her again, hard. Her cheek puffed out where my hand landed. I didn't stop. A quick, brutal barrage of slaps left her face grotesquely swollen.

Hilda had no fight left. She could only give me that venomous glare.

I flicked my hand after the blow and let a smirk curl my lips. "Don't take it to heart. I'm bipolar. Hitting someone in the middle of an episode is perfectly normal, isn't it?"

I kept everything bottled tightly in my past life. When the illness flared, all I could do was shut myself away and endure it alone. But now, reborn, I refused to hold back any longer.

"Do you really think Mom and Dad see you as their daughter? You're nothing but a charity case. Taking you in was already more than they owed you. They've made it clear. The company shares are mine!"

Hilda clutched her cheek, her eyes glittering with poisonous hate, and swept downstairs without another word.

Sure enough, the moment I stepped into the living room, Dad hurled his mug to the floor, the shatter echoing as he roared, "Has your jealousy gone so far? Look at what you did to Hilda!"

Mom was clutching Hilda, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I'd rather not have a daughter like Valerie. I'm sorry, Hilda."

Hilda pressed a hand to her swollen cheek and bit her lip. "I know Val resents me, but I don't blame her."

Inside, she was cursing me over and over. And I let every venomous thought of hers pour out for everyone to hear.

'Why isn't Valerie dead yet? That witch. I'll ruin her face! And this old hag, clinging to me with her useless tears. She sickens me! Just wait. I'll drive Valerie out of this house. The Coopers can only have one daughter—me!'

Mom, who had been cradling Hilda and weeping, froze. Her gaze fixed on Hilda, disbelief written plain on her face.

"Why is this wrinkled old hag staring at me? She terrifies me!"

A muscle jumped in Mom's face. She shoved Hilda away.

Hilda's eyes darted, then slid toward Dad, whose expression flickered from one emotion to another.

"This old geezer is good for nothing but smashing mugs. Why won't he just give me a few million as compensation? Better yet, he should hand over the company shares to me."

The shock on Dad's face quickly stiffened into a look of displeasure. No parent wanted a "devoted child" who, before even being officially taken in, was already scheming after the family's fortune.

Both Mom's and Dad's faces darkened, their gazes on Hilda turning strangely distant.

Mom and Dad never imagined that Hilda, who'd always seemed gentle, calm, and harmless, could harbor such venom beneath her quiet exterior.

The uneasy silence was shattered when Alex strode in from outside.

The instant his eyes landed on Hilda's swollen cheek, a blaze of fury lit his face. Without a word, he came at me and drove his foot forward with brutal force.

"Hilda is your sister! How could you treat her like this?"

Had that kick struck true, it might have torn me apart inside. I slipped aside swiftly and swept my leg out, sending Alex crashing to the floor in a graceless sprawl.

Scarlet with rage, he scrambled back to his feet. He was ready to lunge again until Mom and Dad's sharp command froze him in place.

In the end, we barely touched our food before scattering from the table.

I thought back to the way Alex had always treated me, and a knot of suspicion tightened in my chest.

He'd kept me at arm's length since childhood. I once thought it was nothing more than his cold nature. However, with Hilda, he was unfailingly tender and patient.

It was as if she were his real family, and I was nothing more than an intruder. He was the one who'd urged us to bring Hilda into our home and to adopt her.

The thought gnawed at me, burrowing deeper, until I found myself dialing a number.

I was just about to step outside when I caught sight of Hilda at the bend of the staircase. She glared at me, her eyes burning with malice. The swelling in her cheek was already fading.

"Val, did you bewitch Mom and Dad somehow?"

She stepped back until her heel caught the edge of the staircase, teetering as if a breath might send her tumbling.

In my last life, that was exactly how it had happened. Hilda went crashing down the stairs, and in my panic, I reached out to grab her, only for Mom and Dad to walk in that very instant. They thought I'd pushed her.

From that moment on, the whole family despised and ignored me.

When I still didn't move closer, Hilda's patience snapped. Venom laced her words as she hissed, "Once I'm a Cooper, I'll have Mom and Dad throw you out of this house. How about moving back into the school restroom? You managed well enough there before, didn't you?"

I stood perfectly still, watching her in silence.

A flicker of confusion passed through Hilda's eyes.

In the past, my bipolar episodes had flared at the slightest spark. A few cruel words from her were enough to set me off, to drive me into a shouting match. She hadn't expected this silence.

Then came the sound of Mom's and Dad's footsteps.

Jaw clenched, Hilda hurled herself down the stairs. Her scream tore through the house.

Mom and Dad dropped everything and rushed over, scrambling to lift her, blood already glistening at the corner of her mouth.

"Hilda, are you alright? Call the ambulance!"

Hilda gave a bitter laugh, then whispered carefully, "I don't blame Val. It was my own carelessness—"

Mom stabbed a finger toward me, her voice raw with fury. "Valerie! You pushed Hilda, didn't you?"

I kept my face impassive and laid bare Hilda's true thoughts to Mom and Dad.

'So, my little trick paid off. Now these two must be utterly disgusted with Valerie, aren't they?'

Mom's shout died in her throat. She looked down at Hilda, and her face set like iron.

'Keep your hands off me, you old geezer. You're nothing but a pile of rotting flesh. Disgusting! If it weren't for the show, who'd ever stomach your touch?'

Dad shot to his feet.

Hilda's head hit the floor with a sickening thud.

'You old thing! When you're nothing but a cripple in a bed, I'll torture you to death. And why did Valerie suddenly stop flipping out? Maybe the dose wasn't enough. Has she built up a tolerance?'

Mom and Dad froze, their faces draining of color.