When I opened my eyes again, I was in a hospital room.

Fortunately, I had called the police. Both Edith and I were rescued.

Evelyn's voice came. "Edith, you haven't eaten for a day. I've brought you food."

I looked up and saw her cutting fruit into different shapes, trying to feed Edith.

Edith was annoyed, but when she noticed that I was awake, she raised her eyebrows proudly and took a bite of the fruit.

Evelyn's face lit up with joy. "I've removed the pits from the cherries for you."

I opened my dry lips and hoarsely called out, "Mom."

Though Evelyn had her back to me, I could feel her smile freeze.

After a long silence, she spoke coldly. "Now that you're awake, you should go home. The hospital charges for the bed."

Stunned, I looked at the IV in Edith's hand, but I had nothing.

Evelyn put on a sweet smile and continued to please Edith, never even looking at me.

The harsh reality hit me hard. When Evelyn first had me, Edith's parents died in a car accident.

Evelyn had rushed to adopt Edith while she was still a baby. At that time, Evelyn hadn't fully recovered from giving birth to me.

To avoid making Edith feel inferior, she ignored my dad's objections and left me in my grandmother's care.

I grew up with my grandmother, who always told me that Evelyn had kept Edith by her side out of respect for her friend.

I was often called an orphan, but I never resented Evelyn. I even thought she was kind-hearted.

It wasn't until I died in my past life that I learned the truth. Edith's father had been Evelyn's lover for many years, but Edith's grandfather hadn't approved of Evelyn.

With no other choice, she had married my wealthy dad, hoping that he would later help Edith's father.

After Edith's father died, Evelyn poured all her feelings for him onto Edith. She had been overly indulgent with Edith since she was a child.

My birth, on the other hand, was considered a shame. If my dad hadn't begged her to keep me, I might never have been born.

I had tried to hold on to the hope that Edith was lying, but her slap shattered that hope, making me realize that I had always been the disfavored child.

And what I fought so hard to save wasn't even my mom. She was someone else's mom.

Evelyn called the school to ask for sick leave for Edith.

She asked the teacher repeatedly if missing school would affect Edith's studies and brought a flow of supplements to the hospital, worried Edith might fall behind in her senior year.

I belatedly realized there were always signs of Evelyn disliking me.

My grandma on my mother's side raised me for over ten years. Later, she told Evelyn she could no longer support me because high school was too expensive. She hoped Evelyn would take me to live in the city.

Evelyn simply told my grandma to send me off to work, claiming that girls didn't need much education. Turning around, she treated Edith completely differently.

Evelyn knew the importance of education for girls. Her lack of education was the very reason why Edith's grandfather had rejected her.

But when it came to me, she believed girls didn't need to study and should work to support the family.

My grandmother on my father's side, Melissa Newbury, had stepped in, claiming she would take me in. Only then had Evelyn reluctantly brought me to her house.

I had been overjoyed, thinking Evelyn still cared for me. But now, I understood why.

Melissa Newbury was wealthy. If I went to live with her, I would have had a better life than Edith.

Evelyn couldn't stand it, so she kept me close.

After I was taken back, I wasn't sent to the same high school as Edith. Instead, they sent me to a boarding school.

The school was run down. Its teaching quality was worse than my rural school. Still, I was grateful that Evelyn let me attend high school.

Then one day, someone cornered me in the bathroom. They pushed my head into a dirty pool.

I cried and called Evelyn. When she picked up and heard my voice, she hung up immediately.

When I called again, the line was busy. I had no choice but to call my dad for help. He was always busy with work and rarely had time for me.

When he got my call, he learned for the first time that I had been sent to a boarding school. He picked me up from school and had his first argument with Evelyn.

Conrad Newbury accused, "Do you know that's the worst high school in Cuidiff? Sending Opal there is like throwing her into a pit. You told me not to interfere. You said you'd arrange everything. Is this your arrangement?"

Evelyn, who was used to his mild temper, started crying and yelling, "I didn't know the school was so bad. Besides, Opal's grades are so poor. Which school would accept her?"

At that moment, there was still someone's filth in my hair. I stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to do.

Edith looked sad. She grabbed Conrad with one hand and Evelyn with the other.

She placed their hands together and sobbed, "Dad, Mom, don't fight. I'm scared."

Then she threw herself into Conrad's arms and pointed at me. "I don't want a sister. Every time she comes, you and Mom fight. You guys always get long. It's all her fault. I hate her."

Conrad softened, while Evelyn turned her anger on me. "It's all your fault. What's wrong with you? Can't you handle bullies? Edith would never be like you. You're so sensitive, always stirring up trouble. You can't stand seeing your dad and me happy."

Conrad pulled her into his arms and comforted her, "It's okay. Don't be mad."

The three of them hugged each other like a loving family. I stood awkwardly on the sidelines like an outsider.

That night, I curled up on my bed, blaming myself for not enduring it a little longer and disturbing the family's harmony.