After Dad went bankrupt, Mom immediately started fighting for a divorce. I did not fight or argue, just watched coldly as my sister, Jessica Shaw, shoved me aside and threw herself at Dad.

She cried out, "Dad, don't be sad! I'll stay with you!"

In my past life, after our parents divorced, Jessica went with our wealthy Mom while I ended up with bankrupt Dad.

However, what no one expected was that Mom's remarriage turned into a disaster when she married a scumbag who not only drained her assets but left her with nothing in the divorce. Jessica suffered right along with her.

Meanwhile, Dad made a comeback and became wildly successful, eventually turning into a wealthy tycoon.

Jessica grew bitter seeing me live well. Under the guise of catching up, she orchestrated a car accident that killed me.

When I opened my eyes again, we had both traveled back to the day our parents filed a divorce.

This time, Jessica shot me a smug smile and declared first, "I love Dad, so I want to stay with him."

Little did she know, I could not have been happier with this arrangement. After all, I refused to spend another lifetime hiding and scraping by.

Jessica Shaw wrapped her arms around Dad's arm and acted all sweet. "Dad, please let me stay with you! I love you so much, and I'm not afraid of struggling at all."

Since Jessica grew up spoiled and reckless, Dad was deeply moved by her words. He did not notice Mom standing beside him with a dark, stormy expression.

Mom stepped forward and said, "No. Jessica will suffer if she goes with you, so I have to take her."

She was concerned that Jessica would suffer if she went with Dad, but she never considered my well-being. The two of them fought fiercely over Jessica's custody, acting as if I were invisible.

No one cared whether I existed.

In the end, Jessica insisted on staying with Dad, and no amount of persuasion could change her mind.

Mom reluctantly took me since she had no other choice. I followed her and got into my soon-to-be stepfather Richard Wagner's luxury car.

Jessica skipped away hand in hand with Dad. She even shot me a smug, provoking look before leaving. However, I was completely unbothered.

After all, Mom was extremely wealthy, while Dad's life was a complete mess.

In my previous life, Dad was constantly on the run from creditors and dragged me along with him. As a result, I never had a chance to focus on school. The bankruptcy and the divorce crushed him, and he completely gave up on himself, drinking all day in a cheap rental and neglecting everything else.

I used to be a top student, but I could not afford tuition and had to take care of him. Eventually, I dropped out early just to make a living.

Even though we shared the same parents, Jessica was always the lucky one. She was pretty and knew how to charm our parents–and they adored her.

Since she was my younger sister, they always said I should act like the older sister and let her have her way in everything. Even during the divorce, both parents only wanted her.

In this life, however, she ultimately chose Dad. He finally had a moment to hold his head high in front of Mom.

As soon as we got in the car, Mom started criticizing me. "You've been ugly since you were little, and you're not likable at all. Now that we're going to live with Richard, don't you dare embarrass me."

I thought it was ridiculous, wondering what kind of mother would talk about her own daughter like that in front of someone else.

Nonetheless, I did not react.

Before long, the car had pulled into an upscale neighborhood filled with mansions. I had known from my past life that Richard was wealthy, but I had not realized he was this wealthy.

Later, Richard enrolled me in the city's best private school, and a driver would pick me up every day. To make up for dropping out in my past life, I studied incredibly hard.

My efforts paid off, and I consistently ranked in the top three at school year after year. Mom, who had barely paid attention to me before, suddenly loved attending my parent-teacher conferences.

She enjoyed being admired by other parents and praised by the teachers as an excellent mother. Since Richard did not have children of his own, life in that house was incredibly comfortable for me.

Gradually, I started having my own goals and wanted to study abroad.

Before Richard could even say a word, Mom jumped in and snapped, "You're just a kid, so what's this nonsense about going overseas? Don't think a few good grades mean you can do whatever you want."

Later on, I realized that when someone truly disliked a person, they did not need a reason. Even a biological mother could be that way to their own child.

Richard was not anything like how Mom and Jessica described him in my past life. He was not moody, controlling, or violent at all. Instead, I found him incredibly smart, though proud and with a high ego.

The tension between him and Mom surfaced shortly after we moved in.

Mom was a complete trophy wife: all looks and no brains. Honestly, she and Dad were actually a perfect match. Dad had always been a textbook rich kid with more muscles than brains. He only managed to marry Mom thanks to his family's money and his reckless confidence.

When my grandparents were still alive, they kept things stable. After they passed away, Dad's sketchy friends dragged him into investment after investment. He burned through his entire fortune and everything my grandparents left him. Mom immediately found her next target and divorced him.

My study abroad plans got shut down because Mom fought against them. Still, with my current grades, getting into a top university in the country would be a piece of cake.

...

"It's nice to see you again, Jessica!"

"Grace, is Mom home?" asked Jessica.

The housekeeper, Grace Cooke, replied, "She went shopping, but Natalie's upstairs studying."

Soon, I heard Jessica's footsteps heading toward my room. Then, she barged through my door without asking permission.

"Natalie, quit the act! No one is home, so who are you trying to impress by studying so hard?"

She marched over and snatched my books.

Even though Dad was the one raising Jessica, she still showed up almost every month to get money from Mom, along with clothes and jewelry. She always left with the entire trunk stuffed full. By the next month, she would show up wearing tattered, worn-out clothes again.

All the nice things got pawned off by our gambling-addicted Dad, turned into cash for him to blow.

In this life, Dad was not just an alcoholic but was a gambling addict, too. Truth was, Mom hated seeing Jessica struggle at Dad's place. She even discussed with Richard about bringing Jessica here to raise together.

Richard agreed, but surprisingly, Dad refused to let her go. After all, he depended on Jessica to keep squeezing money out of Mom.

Jessica said, "All that studying made you stupid. What's the point? You're not as pretty as I am, and Dad and Mom never liked you anyway. This easy life you're living is only happening because I gave it up, so enjoy it while you can. It won't last long."

Later, she rummaged through my things like she owned the place. I thought it made sense since in my previous life, this had been her bedroom.

She looked through everything and clicked her tongue, grumbling, "Seriously? You don't even know how to enjoy life. What kind of useless stuff are these? All you do is cling to these dumb books."

I ignored her and let her make a mess.

Then, a familiar voice called out from the hallway, "Jessica? Is that my sweet girl Jessica I hear?"

I watched coldly as they put on their touching mother-daughter performance.

Mom glanced at my ransacked room and said, "You won't find anything good in her room. Come to mine; I have new clothes and jewelry I just bought. Take whatever you want."

She was already dragging Jessica out, not sparing me a single glance or even a word of concern.

Grace came upstairs carrying a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. She stepped into my room and started cleaning without needing to ask.

"I've never seen a mom this biased," she muttered.

I did not mind, since Mom's good days were numbered anyway.

A few days later, I heard a loud fight break out downstairs.

Richard shouted, "Unbelievable! I pay for everything you eat and wear, and you're keeping a boy toy on the side!"

He slapped Mom across the face, and Jessica rushed in to shield her. However, he was furious and shoved her straight to the ground.

He growled, "And don't even get me started on your precious daughter! Wasn't the deal that we'd only take one kid? Then why does she keep running to my house? Every time she comes, half of our things disappear!"

Mom stubbornly shot back, "Jessica only takes what's mine, so it's none of your business."

"Yours? Look at yourself. I paid for every single thing you're wearing now. And now I'm supposed to support your whole damn family?"

"Richard, you've got some nerve! If you weren't infertile, would I be doing any of this?"

Mom's words completely set Richard off. He lost all control and started hurling her belongings out of the house. When she tried to stop him, he shoved her to the ground, too.

Nobody in the household dared to intervene. Jessica cowered in the corner, not moving an inch.

Originally, Richard married Mom because she was beautiful and came with two kids. After the marriage, he had invested in me as if I were his successor. However, in my past life, Mom took advantage of this and recklessly spent Richard's money.

Jessica might have been pretty, but she was completely empty-headed. That alone could have been tolerable, but these two were both greedy and foolish.

Mom kept a lover on the side, and Jessica went around bragging that everything Richard owned would one day be hers.

It did not take long for her words to reach Richard. Anyone would be uncomfortable knowing someone was eyeing their fortune before they were even dead.

Since none of us were his biological children, there was no real bond. He brought his nephew in to train as an heir and kicked both Mom and Jessica out.

In this life, Mom still got kicked out, but Richard did not make me leave.

He had said, "Natalie, you're better off with me than with that clueless mother of yours."

Every effort I had made so far finally paid off. Richard knew I was sharp, driven, and had a good eye for things. I always put him first and consulted him before making any big decisions. I even told him privately that I wanted to take his last name.

Mom never knew any of this because the only thing she cared about was shopping. She refused to leave, saying she would rather die in the house than walk out. However, she underestimated Richard, who was nothing like my weak and incompetent, born-into-wealth father.

A self-made man was not going to fall for her cheap tricks.

"Grace, pack a few of her things," he ordered before calling security.

Just like that, Mom and Jessica were thrown out.

As Richard walked past my room, he patted my shoulder. "Natalie, focus on your studies. Adult problems aren't for you to worry about."

I nodded quietly.

Fools stayed fools, no matter how many lifetimes they lived.

...

My daily life barely changed, and Richard valued me even more.

Mom secretly begged me to put in a good word for her with Richard, but I obviously refused. After that, she started calling every single day to hurl the most vicious insults at me.

Grace overheard one of these calls and actually questioned whether I was really Mom's biological daughter.

To Mom, the only child who mattered was Jessica.

Without Mom's financial support, Jessica's life got even harder. Her grades were terrible, and she hated school. Seeing this, Dad stopped making her go, though he was still drowning in debt and his life was a complete disaster.

I focused entirely on preparing for my college entrance exams, and Richard was so busy during this period that he was barely home.

Not long after, I got ambushed by a group of thugs on my way to school. That day, our car happened to be in the shop, so I was walking home alone.

I had just stepped outside the school gates when a man blocked my path. "So you're Natalie Shaw?"

Before I could answer, someone grabbed me from behind, covering my mouth and dragging me to an abandoned warehouse. The moment they ripped off the blindfold, someone kicked me to the ground.

"Enjoying the luxury life, Natalie?" Jessica stepped in front of me, staring down with a smug smile.