By the time I was headed downstairs with my bags, I ran into Audrey, hobbling through the door.

Her clothes were ripped, as if someone had yanked them apart. Bruises covered her arms and legs.

But her face was practically glowing.

"Mom, Dad," she said proudly, "Michael wore me out. But I think it's done. We're good now."

I could tell by her smirk that she had no idea what really happened after she got knocked out. She thought she'd had some kind of steamy, hot lovemaking session with Michael.

Well, I couldn't wait to see the grin being wiped from her face when the truth came crashing down.

-

Audrey glanced at me with that same smug look, then noticed the suitcase in my hand. Her lips curled into a cold little smile.

"Are you leaving?" she asked, her voice dripping with fake sweetness. "My wedding's pretty much set. But you're not getting any younger, and there's still no ring on your finger. I don't want you spending the rest of your life alone."

Her eyes lit up suddenly, and she clapped her hands together. "How about this? I'll introduce you to someone!"

"No, thanks," I said flatly.

Her eyes filled with fake tears instantly. She turned to our parents, whining as if she'd been wronged.

"Even though Mr. Strickland and I have done the deed, I hope we'll organize a grand wedding, so people won't look down on me.

"I found Aurora a match. The guy's willing to give us 200 thousand dollars as a wedding gift!"

The moment my mother heard that number, her eyes lit up. But when she saw I wasn't excited, she slapped me across the face hard, then she jabbed a finger in my face.

"Since when do you get to talk back in this house?" she snapped.

"This marriage is perfect for you! As your parents, we get to decide. You'll meet him, marry him, and bring that money home so your sister's wedding doesn't look shabby!"

I laughed, but there was no humor in it, just pure anger bubbling up. I couldn't believe they were forcing me to marry a stranger for this.

I snapped, "She wants to marry rich—what's that got to do with me?

"Do you even know who the guy is? It's Mr. Meyer, a 60-year-old man! If you're that desperate for the money, why don't you divorce Dad and marry him yourself? Oh, wait—you don't want to? Then don't shove me into hell just because you're too scared to go!"

My father's face turned red, and before I knew it, he slapped me twice. My cheek burned like fire.

"Aurora! How dare you talk to us like that!" he roared.

"What's so bad about Mr. Meyer? He's a small business owner! You'd be living in comfort. Do you actually think we'd hurt you?

"You're the one who couldn't catch a rich man. And now you've got the nerve to argue with your mother? Look at yourself! You're worthless. You don't bring a damn thing to this family.

"This house isn't a charity. If you don't want Mr. Meyer, fine. Go find some other man willing to give away 200 grand for you. Otherwise, shut up and do as you're told."

My cheek was swollen, stinging with every breath. I stared at my parents, baffled by how shamelessly biased and selfish they were.

Even though I'd already lost hope in this family long ago, I still wanted an explanation.

"Why?" My voice cracked, heavy with pain. "Why is Audrey the chosen one, and I'm just the one you want to sell off? We're identical twins. I'm your daughter, too. Why do you hate me so much that you'd marry me off to a 60-year-old man just so you could organize a grand wedding for her?"

My voice shook, but I forced the words out. "If you only wanted one child, if you only ever wanted her… then why keep me at all? Why didn't you get rid of me back then?"

They didn't even flinch. They showed no regret or shame. They just looked at me with cold eyes and said…

"The tarot reader back then was right. You bring us bad luck! You're nothing like your sister who is sweet and obedient. She came into this world to bring good luck to our family."

So all the pain I'd gone through over the years… all because of a few empty sentences from some tarot reader.

I couldn't help but laugh. Whatever scraps of hope and love I still held for this family were shattered completely.

Fine. I'd take today's humiliation as paying them back for raising me.

"I'm not marrying that old man. If you need money, figure it out yourselves. Since you've never liked me, I'll leave. I don't care about your stupid marry-rich dreams."

I grabbed my suitcase and turned to go.

Audrey's cold voice stopped me.

"You don't wanna get married? Fine. But if you move out, you'd better not be wandering around too much. And make sure your phone's on 24/7. If I call, you have to pick up within three seconds.

"I'm about to become Mrs. Strickland. He'll propose to me and marry me soon. But I don't know much about how to take care of him. When he asks, you'll have to feed me the answers. Got it?"

I turned my head and looked at her. Audrey tossed her hair back and pulled out her phone, snapping a picture of the bruises on her skin.

To her, they weren't shameful but her golden ticket into high society.

My parents were all smiles, fussing over her proudly, as if she were already some rich man's wife.

They chimed in, "Do your best to help Audrey. Once she marries Mr. Strickland, maybe she'll help you, too. She can introduce you to a driver or a bodyguard who works for wealthy families. That's the only way you'll find someone."

I almost laughed. They had no idea what really happened that night. They had no clue what it meant to cross Michael.

The Stricklands weren't just old money—they were powerful and untouchable. Anyone who tried to scheme against them would get destroyed, not rewarded.

The only smart thing to do was to cut ties and walk away.

"We're not that close, so don't bother trying to set me up with someone. You live your lives, and I'll live mine."

-

Audrey and I had switched places completely.

For the next few days, everything stayed quiet. There was not a single word about the most wanted rich heir of Jezelton being tricked.

Then came the day Michael had to go for a checkup, and Audrey told me to wait near the hospital in case she needed me.

I went. Not just because she told me to, but because I wanted to see how he was doing.

That night, he'd knocked Audrey out. He'd been furious at her throwing herself at him.

Even though I had accidentally run into him and ended up helping with his condition, he should've been plotting his revenge against her. But instead, he did nothing.

I hid behind my sunglasses and mask, watching them carefully.

What I saw made no sense.

They were laughing together, looking into each other's eyes like something out of a movie. To anyone else, they looked like the perfect couple, completely in love.

I couldn't wrap my head around it. What was Michael planning? Why wasn't he furious with her? Why was he suddenly acting so close to her?

I stood there for so long, lost in my thoughts, that I didn't even notice when they walked in my direction.

When they passed me, Michael paused for just a second. My heart jumped into my throat.

Did he recognize me?

But then he kept walking, as if nothing had happened.

I let out a shaky breath, relieved… but at the same time, a little disappointed.

That night, he had ripped off my mask. I'd switched the lights off right away, but I still didn't know if he'd seen my face.

It seemed that Michael really hadn't recognized me.

When I got home, Audrey called. She was satisfied I hadn't shown my face, but she still sounded irritated.

"Other than being blind before, does Michael have any other problems?"

I paused for a moment before answering, "No."

She let out a sharp little laugh. "Seriously? By now, since we already spent the night together, shouldn't he be all over me like that night? Instead, he's acting like some saint who won't even touch me!

"But whatever. I heard from his assistant that he's planning to propose to me at the company's annual party this year."

Propose? Michael was actually dating Audrey now?

Had he forgotten he had walked out of the room that night? Or was he setting up some huge revenge plot?

The thought had me quiet for a long time, curiosity eating at me.

"Sounds like a dream come true," I said.

"Dream come true, my foot! What kind of woman can stand a man who won't even lay a finger on her?" Audrey snapped.

"That's why I was thinking I should just get pregnant first. With our family background, it's not exactly easy to marry into money unless you've already got a baby on the way."

My parents jumped right in with advice, suggesting Audrey should get Michael drunk again. Or maybe I could approach him as his nurse and slip him more pills.

They wanted to make sure Audrey slept with him enough times to guarantee a pregnancy.

I was stunned.

They really wanted to keep using dirty tricks like that. Worse, they wanted to drag me into it, too. If I kept being tied to them, one day, they'd pull me straight down with them.

I refused to help. That, of course, set my parents off.

"You coward! If you won't help now, don't think you'll get to enjoy the good life once Audrey makes it big!"

Audrey sneered as well, "First, she wouldn't marry Mr. Meyer to get me 200 thousand dollars for my wedding, and now, she won't even help me get pregnant. A stupid and timid person like her doesn't even deserve to be part of our family."

Her voice grew sharper and sharper.

"You really shouldn't turn me down. Even though I haven't gotten pregnant yet, Michael's already planning to propose. I'm gonna be living the good life. Sure, it's hard for someone like me to marry into money, but it's not impossible. And I'm gonna pull it off.

"You don't wanna help? Fine. But listen to me—when I've got money and power, you won't even get the chance to butter me up. Starting today, you're not allowed to come home again. Get out, and stay out!"

I hung up without a word.

She didn't need to tell me twice. I wasn't going back to that house, not when all I'd ever gotten there was hate.

Two lifetimes of favoritism from my parents had burned away whatever hope I'd ever had for them.

In my last life, after I died at Audrey's hands, my parents still chose to protect her and tried to bury my body without anyone finding out. At that time, all I felt was a despair worse than death itself.

But Audrey's words about Michael proposing at the annual party? That I had to see for myself.

I just couldn't believe Michael would let her off so easily instead of coming after her for scheming against him. I couldn't believe he'd suddenly fall for her and want to marry her.

No. He had to be playing his own game.

-

Finally, the day of Strickland Enterprise's annual party came.

After putting on a disguise, I slipped into the event.