"Get out!" I exclaimed.

Lucas suddenly stormed in and rushed over to slap me across the face. "What are you doing?! Why the heck did you shove Charlie?"

Lucas was the original Maddison's eldest brother. He had always been the quiet type who barely acknowledged her existence since childhood.

It was not until they grew up that he started treating me slightly better. However, that kindness did not last long before it disappeared with Cynthia's arrival.

Cynthia was the daughter our parents had adopted. Ever since she came, the entire family adored her. It was probably because she had that female lead aura.

Lucas glared at me furiously. "Maddison, you just caused Cynthia to lose her SAT opportunity, and now, you're abusing Charlie. You're completely hopeless!"

When I looked at him, I felt angry on behalf of the original Maddison. She had worked so hard for his approval, making him breakfast every day, washing his clothes, and polishing his shoes.

However, he would make her kneel and accept beatings at the drop of a hat.

With a loud bang, I shoved him hard against the door. I yelled, "Who do you think you are, talking to me like that?!"

"Maddie, how can you treat Lucas that way? He's your older brother!" Cynthia suddenly appeared at the doorway.

The sight of her fake, pitiful face annoyed me. I could not understand how someone like her became the female lead.

I got out of bed and slapped Cynthia hard across the face. "You're just an outsider. What gives you the right to speak here?"

Terry, the pesticide seller, stood frozen in shock before breaking into applause.

"That was amazing."

I let out a laugh and left directly, too tired to be bothered with them anymore. All I wanted was to end my life.

I had to hurry up and die, so I went to the rooftop. It was 20 stories high, and jumping would guarantee death.

I closed my eyes and was about to jump when a force pulled me back. I fell to the ground, and when I opened my eyes, I saw a guy standing in front of me.

He was handsome, and his eyes were bright and clear. With a voice full of concern, he said, "Maddison, don't do this."

I racked my brain trying to remember who he was, and then, it hit me. He was just a classmate, Ashton Harper.

Ashton was even less than a side character, a complete background extra. He had only ever shown up once in the plot, asking the original Maddison to bring him breakfast.

Ashton gripped my hand tightly, afraid I might try to jump again. "The world is still beautiful. We just finished our SATs, and we're about to start college. Life will definitely be better then, so you have to stay alive."

Although I wanted to say that my life had nothing to do with him, some force in my body seemed to stop me. Eventually, I replied, "Okay."

His face lit up with a relieved smile. "Good, then remember what I said. I heard you weren't feeling well today, and I'm glad I came. Otherwise, you might've really jumped."

He added, "Don't let your brothers get to you. They're not the only ones in this world who care about you."

I nodded faintly, not sure what to make of it.

Then, Ashton took my hand and led me downstairs step by step. We went to eat spaghetti and meatballs, and he even got me a double serving of meatballs.

He said, "Life is about eating good food and having fun. That's what makes it truly wonderful."

I held the steaming bowl of pasta, ready to answer him. Suddenly, a figure rushed over and knocked the plate out of my hands.

The piping hot pasta sauce immediately soaked my pants.

I looked up and saw Lucas' furious expression.

"I knew it! You only pretended to drink that pesticide. It's way too convenient that it just happened to be watered down.

"Maddison, did you really think a cheap trick like that would make Charlie and I feel sorry for you? It'll only make me hate you more!"

Ashton stepped in front of me protectively and exclaimed, "Don't you dare pick on Maddison!"

I looked down at the mess on my pants. Then, I slowly pushed Ashton aside and stared at Lucas. With a loud smack, I hurled the pasta right at his handsome face.

"Didn't your mother ever teach you not to bother people while they're eating?"

Another loud splat sounded as a meatball hit Lucas square in the face. He staggered back a step, staring at me in disbelief.

I continued coldly, "Lucas, if you mess with me again, I'll throw acid in your face!"

"Maddison!" he shouted, shaking with rage.

I chuckled and shoved a meatball right into his mouth. "What's the matter? Even a meatball can't shut that mouth of yours?"

He was so furious his teeth were clenched tight, and I almost burst out laughing.

Back when I read the trashy novel, I had already despised the aloof Lucas. After all, he constantly treated the original Maddison badly because of Cynthia, making her give way in everything.

Even the scholarship fund that the original Maddison had worked so hard to earn was taken by him to buy Cynthia a guitar.

On the way home after seeing Ashton off, he suddenly asked me, "Remember to change out of your wet clothes when you get home."

I nodded and said, "Alright. Don't worry about me."

Even if I was slow, I could already guess what kind of relationship he had with the original Maddison.

"Maddison, I feel like you've changed somehow," Ashton said suddenly, his eyes showing curiosity.

"You would never have treated Lucas that way before."

I smiled. "People have to grow up eventually."

The original Maddison was supposed to die, yet I had kept living for her. As long as I was still breathing, I would make sure she never suffered again.

After saying goodbye to Ashton, I returned home and saw Charlie sitting on the couch. It was as if he had been waiting for me.

I thought he wanted to berate me, so I ignored him and headed straight for my room. I was already planning how to end my life.

Suddenly, he called out, "Maddie, I want to talk to you."

I turned around in surprise, caught off guard by his unusually gentle tone.

I composed myself and asked, "What is it about?"

He replied, "I bought that pesticide, so there's no way you could have gotten the seller to fake it. I know you really wanted to kill yourself today, and I want to know why."

Finally, there was one normal person in that trashy novel. Then again, it did not matter. In the plot, he had already driven the original Maddison to suicide long ago.

I laughed. "That's funny. Why else would anyone kill themselves? Don't you know the reason better than I do?"

They had sided with Cynthia again and again, stealing everything that belonged to the original Maddison.

It was not surprising that she chose to end her life.

"I..."

When Charlie was about to continue, I turned and left the room. Since I was going to die anyway, I did not want to hear these meaningless words. After all, apologies were useless by then.

At that moment, I suddenly thought of using gas to commit suicide. It was a good method that could take the whole family with me.

In the middle of the night, I quietly went downstairs. Just as I was about to switch on the stove, Cynthia suddenly opened the door and came out, startling me.

She walked over and looked at me, then sneered, "Are you trying to fake another suicide attempt to make Lucas and Charlie feel sorry for you? Maddison, I've been watching you all day, just waiting for you to pull this stunt again."

As she spoke, she turned on the light and picked up a kitchen knife, waving it in front of me. "Guess what Lucas and Charlie will think when they see me cut by this knife in a little while?"

I let out a scoff. I had read too many of these manipulative little drama tricks in melodramatic novels.

Every time, it would always make me grind my teeth in anger.

I could finally fight back. I snatched the kitchen knife from Cynthia and slashed it across my own arm.

"Here. One cut each, how about it?"

"What..."

Cynthia stared at me in shock, like she was staring at a lunatic.

"Some people are afraid of dying, but I'm not," I said while turning the stove knob to ignite the burner.

Then, I immediately doused the flame with water. "Why don't we just go down together tonight?"

She screamed in terror. "Lucas, Charlie... Help me! Maddison is trying to kill me!"

"Pathetic," I said with disdain, glancing at her before continuing to close the windows.

Since my arm was wounded, bright red blood was flowing everywhere. So, when Charlie and Lucas arrived, they saw a kitchen covered in blood and the wound on my hand.

Meanwhile, Cynthia was sitting on the floor crying.

Charlie quickly turned off the gas burner. "Quick, Lucas, Maddie's hurt. We need to get her to the hospital."

Lucas hesitated. However, he did not come over, helping Cynthia to her feet instead.

He hissed, "She was about to turn on the gas to kill us all, and you still want to save her!"

Charlie was furious. "Lucas! It's because we've been mistreating Maddie that she's acting this way. Think carefully about how we've treated her all these years."

I was getting dizzy from blood loss, and my vision was blurry. Even so, I thought Charlie was making a lot of sense, and I almost wanted to praise him.

I actually survived again.

When I woke up, I was back in the hospital, and the wound on my arm had been bandaged.

Charlie looked at me with concern. "Maddie, don't do anything foolish again. If something's wrong, you can tell me."

However, Lucas rushed over and slapped me hard across the face. "If Cynthia hadn't shouted for us, were you planning to murder us all? Maddison, how could you be so vicious?"

The slap made my ears ring and my vision blur.

With a loud smack, I slapped him back. I believed in settling scores on the spot. Otherwise, I would not be worthy of calling myself a woman.

Lucas' cheek swelled up from my slap, and his face darkened with rage. "Charlie, open your eyes. This is the sister you're protecting. She dares to hit her own brother."

Charlie looked at me with a conflicted expression. "Maddie, you've gone too far. I've been defending you all along, yet you remain so stubborn."

I silently scoffed. I thought Charlie would actually be the sane one, but he turned out to be an idiot too.

I laughed and asked, "Did I ask you to defend me?"

Charlie raised his voice and yelled, "Maddison Sherman!"

I shouted back, "Charlie Sherman!" Are we competing to see who can yell louder? Come on, let's compete."

Back in my real world, I had been crushed under work pressure, almost breaking down under my manager's demands. Since I ended up in a fictional story, I finally had the chance to go crazy.

I picked up a fruit knife from nearby and drew it across my throat. "Want to see who's more insane?"

Warm blood flowed down my neck, dripping onto the white bedsheet and staining it red.

Both men in front of me turned pale with fright.

"Call a doctor quickly!" Charlie called out in panic.

Lucas rushed over to cover my neck, his voice trembling. "Maddison, you really are insane!"

I suddenly remembered the original Maddison's childhood from the story.

Back then, Charlie and Lucas had both been quite fond of her. They would take her to have burgers on weekends and teach her to play the piano.

She must have been very happy back then, but when they grew up, her brothers spoke to her with nothing but harsh words.

I used to think death was easy, just finding a quiet corner and letting it all end.

However, it was far from that. I tried to end my life over and over again, only to fail.

I was saved again, lying on a hospital bed.