The liquid splashed onto my face, igniting a searing, all-consuming pain that seemed to fuse with my skin.

My vision blurred and never returned.

In an instant, I plummeted from heaven to hell.

…

Snapping back to reality, I loosened my grip and watched as Linda collapsed weakly to the floor, her innocent, doe-eyed face now smeared with filth.

I couldn’t hold back a laugh.

“Go ahead! Cry, scream! Show the world that face and tell them I bullied you. Do it!”

My voice rose sharply at the end.

The memory of the acid burning away my features in my previous life flashed through my mind.

Overwhelmed with rage, I stomped on her face twice before finally turning to leave.

…

Downstairs by the school building, my desk mate, Rachel Summers, was waiting for me.

“PE class started ages ago. What were you doing up there?”

I replied casually, “Oh, just bullying the new girl.”

She turned to me in shock. “What?!”

I smirked. “As the saying goes, if the whole world thinks you’re a bully, you might as well become one.”

“Who even said that…?”

“That’s not the point.”

As we reached the edge of the sports field, we ran straight into Alec.

He wasn’t in my class, but everyone in school knew he was my childhood sweetheart and boyfriend.

Alec’s gaze flicked from my face to something behind me, lingering briefly.

“Sierra, why are you so late? Oh, by the way, I heard there’s a new transfer student in your class?”

In my previous life, every time Linda smeared my reputation, Alec would always make me apologize to her, brushing the matter aside.

He seemed to be on my side, but with just a few words, he cemented the accusation that I was a bully.

The thought sent a surge of anger through me, and without warning, I raised my hand and slapped him.

“Oh my god!”

Rachel stood frozen in shock once again.

Alec’s expression didn’t change.

His gaze cooled for a moment, but it was fleeting as if the slap hadn’t even happened.

Instead, he leaned in close, his cheek brushing lightly against mine as he whispered, “What’s wrong, Sierra? Feeling upset?”

…

In my previous life, it wasn’t until much later that I learned the truth.

As a child, Alec’s mother abandoned him at an amusement park. He spent some time in an orphanage, where he met a bright, cheerful little girl.

She shared a bed with him and gave him a piece of candy.

She became the only light in his otherwise dark life.

That light was Linda.

And on her very first day as a transfer student, Alec recognized her immediately.

He believed every word Linda said about me bullying her, harboring a deep hatred for me ever since.

But because of his status as an illegitimate child, Alec had no choice but to swallow his pride and curry favor with me.

He needed our marriage to solidify his position in the family.

Thinking of this, I said coldly, “Let’s break up.”

His eyes widened suddenly. “Why? Give me a reason, Sierra.”

I pulled out a tissue and carefully wiped the part of my cheek where his touch lingered.

“I don’t want to date the son of a mistress. It feels dirty. Is that reason good enough?”

…

After leaving, Rachel nervously asked if I had been possessed.

I wasn’t surprised by her question.

After all, back in high school, I was so openly and passionately in love with Alec.

I’d wait for him after school every day so we could walk home together.

I’d bake cookies for him until my hands were covered in burns, still smiling as I handed them over.

My affection for him was so obvious that the whole world knew.

But things were different now.

The Sierra Wood who had just started her senior year of high school was already dead.

Standing here now was a reborn Sierra Wood, stronger and sharper.

…

For the rest of the day, Linda didn’t show her face again.

I knew her well enough. Her greatest pride was that flawless face of hers. If she couldn’t make full use of it, she wouldn’t act so easily.

I had all the patience in the world to wait.

Soon, Saturday arrived, marking my eighteenth birthday.

My parents mentioned long ago that they wanted to host a grand banquet to celebrate my coming of age.

However, unexpected work issues delayed their arrival.

The crystal chandelier cast a dazzling light over the room.

Dressed in a tailored cocktail dress, I descended the spiral staircase into the living room.

From a distance, I spotted my brother, Shawn Wood. He was dressed sharply in a suit, his expression cold and detached as he called out to me, “Sierra, come here.”

I walked over, deliberately ignoring Alec’s piercing gaze and Linda’s tearful, pitiful display behind him.

Smiling sweetly, I asked, “What’s up, Shawn? Did you prepare a gift for me?”

Shawn’s icy stare lingered on me for a moment before he spoke.

“Bullying your classmates and insulting your friends—Sierra Wood, is this the kind of behavior the Wood family taught you?”

His voice was loud and unyielding, drawing the attention of every guest in the room.

“What are you talking about, Shawn? I don’t understand.”

I turned to Linda, tilting my head innocently.

“Who did I insult? When did I bully a classmate? I don’t even know her.”

“Denying it now won’t help you. When you make a mistake, you pay the price.”

Shawn’s voice was stern as he continued, “With Mom and Dad away, it’s my responsibility to discipline you.”

He reached for a ruler from the antique shelf nearby, turning to face me with a harsh command.

“Kneel down.”

…

In the grand banquet hall, countless guests turned to watch, their faces a mix of curiosity and barely concealed amusement.

“What? Bullying a classmate? Even the Wood family’s heiress does things like this?”

“Well, she’s been spoiled her whole life. It’s not surprising she’d lash out at someone better than her.”

“Good thing her brother is stepping in. At least he’s not covering for her.”

Under Linda’s triumphant and provocative gaze, I stood tall, refusing to bow.

I smiled, letting venom drip from my words.

"What nonsense are you spouting, Shawn? People who know you might recognize you as Shawn Wood, but those who don’t might just think you’re an outdated, overly dramatic lunatic”

I tilted my head, feigning thought before continuing with a mocking grin.

"I only kneel for the dead. Tell you what, go take a dive off a building, and I’ll happily bow three times to send you on your way."

Shawn’s face darkened instantly.

Behind him, Linda put on her usual act, speaking in a soft, tearful voice.

"Shawn, I know Sierra doesn’t like me, and it’s fine if she bullies me. But how could she say something like that to her own brother?"

She widened her eyes, letting tears glisten as she deliberately assumed an innocent and childlike expression.

Alec, standing nearby, caught sight of her performance.

A shadow of something dark and unreadable flickered in his gaze before he spoke quietly.

"Sierra, if you’ve done something wrong, just admit it and apologize. There’s no need to—"

I cut him off, my own eyes widening in mock distress.

"Sorry, I don’t understand whatever nonsense you’re saying. Care to try again in plain English?"

"Enough!" Shawn barked sharply.

"Sierra, you’re a young woman! Have you no sense of shame? Who taught you to speak so crudely and behave so disgracefully?"

As always, he didn’t believe a word I said.

No matter what came out of my mouth, it was useless.

Instead, he always judged me with intense bias, nailing me to the pillar of shame time and time again.

I curled my lips into a smirk, mimicking his cold expression as I replied, "Mom and Dad are too busy to bother with me. So, guess who taught me?

"Of course, it was you, my dear brother."

…

In my previous life, I had always felt a mix of fear and admiration for Shawn.

He was several years older than me, and in my eyes, he had always been an imposing figure.

When we were younger, Mom and Dad were often tied up with work at the company, leaving him in charge of me.

Whenever I made a mistake, even a small one, he’d strike my palms with a ruler or punish me by withholding meals.

When I brought home a curly-haired stray puppy, Shawn wouldn’t let the housekeeper open the door for me.

“It’s filthy. We don’t welcome things like that in this house.”

So, I sat on the steps outside, clutching the little dog in my arms, all night long.

I was still young back then and thought that was just his nature—incapable of the gentle affection other brothers showed their sisters until Linda came along.

That was when I realized Shawn wasn’t incapable of being affectionate. He simply chose not to show me such affection.

I’d seen him sitting in his car, handing Linda a cup of warm milk while ruffling her hair, saying, "Make sure you eat three proper meals a day. If you ever need money, you know I’ve got you."

I’d seen her pick up a frail stray cat on a rainy day, with him standing beside her, holding an umbrella and gently asking, “Do you want to keep it?”

Even when Linda got drunk and clung to his shirt, rambling nonsense, he listened patiently, his eyes filled with nothing but tenderness.

In my previous life, I was trapped in a delusion of love.

I kept wondering why my brother didn’t love me, why my fiancé never sided with me.

Given a second chance at life, I finally saw things clearly.

I was my own person.

I didn’t need someone’s love to survive.

…

The birthday banquet didn’t end on a high note after all.

Just as Shawn and I stood locked in confrontation, my parents finally returned.

They thanked the guests politely and saw everyone out of the hall.

Linda tried to pull the same pity act in front of my mom, but she shut her down with a simple smile.

“Sorry, Miss Lowe, but we will handle our own family affairs. Please leave.”

Linda froze, her face stiffening as she cast a tearful glance at Shawn before reluctantly turning to leave.

Once the guests left and it was just Shawn and me in the house, my dad finally spoke, his expression stern.

“Enough. Now, explain what happened.”

Before Shawn could say a word, I cut in.

“A new transfer student arrived at school recently. On her first day, she suddenly poured water over her own head and accused me of doing it, claiming I was bullying her.”

I paused for a moment, then continued, “Later, I found out she’s the same girl Shawn has been secretly sponsoring, a poor student named Linda Lowe.”

Shawn, seated on the couch, snapped his head up to look at me, his eyes filled with shock.

“Surprised, aren’t you, Shawn? You didn’t think I’d find out so soon about the little connection between you two, did you?” I thought.

I pressed the corner of my reddened eye and said in a choked voice, “Honestly, I don’t blame her. It’s just a birthday party. I can let it go.

“But what hurts is... why doesn’t my own brother believe me?”

After all, Linda wasn’t the only one who knew how to play the innocent victim.

As my voice broke slightly, laced with tears, my dad brought the matter to a decisive end.

“Enough. I don’t care who bullied whom. None of you are to stir up trouble again. If this gets out, it won’t look good for anyone. This ends here.”

…

When I returned to school, I started bullying Linda openly and without remorse.

I poured ink into her desk drawer, loudly mocked her accented English as she recited passages in class, and tore her physics test paper to shreds, scattering the pieces over her head.

"Go on, report me again," I said with a smile. "Isn’t that what you’re best at?"

A piece of torn paper drifted lazily from her hair to the ground.

She stared at me, a flash of deep-seated hatred glinting in her eyes.

But in the end, she still trembled and cried as she apologized.

"I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, Sierra. If I’ve done anything to upset you, I’ll apologize now. I’ll change, okay?"

"Your existence upset me."

I raised an eyebrow, feigning curiosity. "How do you plan to fix that? By dying right here and now?"