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.

Later, my parents came to visit me.

My mother, Laura Sherman, started reprimanding me the moment she saw me. "What in God's name were you thinking? Do you have any idea that you scared Cynthia so badly that she's having a mental breakdown?"

My father, Daniel Sherman, spat at me with disgust. "How did I end up with a daughter like you? I regret ever bringing you into this world."

They had apparently forgotten how the original Maddison used to be adored and treasured like a princess. Ever since they adopted Cynthia, they had given her everything and treated her well instead.

I actually felt sorry for the original Maddison. Her own brothers and biological parents all favored an outsider over her.

I yanked out the IV cannula from my hand and smashed the flower vase on the table.

"Since you care so much about Cynthia, go and keep her company. Why are you even here?"

My parents froze in shock, staring at me with terrified eyes as if they were looking at a lunatic. They immediately left without saying another word.

Charlie and Lucas came in afterward.

Lucas looked at the mess on the floor and stared at me with disdain.

"Maddison, we might be blood-related, but you're not even half as sensible as Cynthia. You're a grown adult, yet all you do is threaten us with suicide. How pathetic."

'Pathetic' was the word the original Maddison had heard most often. That was why she was eventually driven to suicide.

Honestly, I thought she was pitiful. She initially had a happy, wealthy family, yet the author still wrote her ending as suicide.

After Lucas left, Charlie stared at me for a long time.

Then, he suddenly said, "When we were kids, you always picked on me, and I thought you were annoying. Now that I've grown up, I thought you'd become more sensible. I even foolishly hoped our sibling bond would move you, but you still won't listen and keep threatening us with suicide.

"If you really want to die, then go somewhere no one can find you. Why do you always make sure we're the ones who catch you?"

I laughed. "Fine. Next time, I'll make sure you don't find me."

That shut him up. After a long silence, he got up to leave. The last look he gave me was filled with disappointment.

When I was preparing to attempt suicide again, Ashton appeared.

He looked at me with teary eyes and asked, "Didn't you promise me you wouldn't die? Didn't we agree to go to college together?"

My heart skipped a beat, and I suddenly felt uncomfortable. However, I knew clearly that those were not my emotions.

I thought it had to be the original Maddison's feelings bleeding through.

I looked at Ashton and whispered, "Ashton, you're a great guy, and you have such a bright future ahead of you. You don't need to waste your time on me. I'm worthless, and I'll die sooner or later anyway."

"You're not worthless."

He shook his head, crying, then pulled out a pink envelope with the word 'Love Letter' written across it.

He choked up as he said to me, "I've liked you for a very, very long time. I'm giving you this love letter first, because I'm afraid that one day you'll leave me and I won't get the chance to give it to you."

Suddenly, my heart trembled violently. I slowly opened the envelope.

[Maddison, I've never believed in a God, but meeting you made me believe. You're my divine light, and every time I see you, I can't help but be captivated...]

After reading this letter, tears fell uncontrollably from my eyes.

He suddenly hugged me and mumbled, "Please, don't die."

For a moment, I almost wanted to agree. However, those were just the original Maddison's emotions.

If I did not die, would I ever get the chance to return home?

I fell into deep thought. People were inherently selfish, and I definitely had to consider myself first.

That night, while I was reading a book, my hand suddenly moved beyond my control and wrote a sentence on the page.

[Please kill yourself.]