After handing the items to Jeremy, I watched as he drank the water and gleefully wore the bracelet. Only then did I go and buy another bottle of water as well as an amethyst bracelet similar to the one Thomas had gifted me.

Then, I returned home.

When Mom and Thomas saw that I'd nearly finished the water, they sighed in relief.

In the next few days, Adelia no longer looked sick like before. She seemed healthy and was more active and energized than she'd been before.

I curled up on the couch and faked a cough.

Adelia quickly walked up to me. With a smug and taunting look, she asked, "Are you feeling unwell, Rosalie? You look so pale. You're not very sick, are you? Poor thing…"

Adelia then waved her medical report in my face as if she were showing it off.

"Oh yeah, you haven't heard, have you? I went to the hospital earlier today, and the doctor said I've fully recovered! Don't you think I've been blessed, Rosalie? It looks like all your luck has come to me," she said.

Hatred welled up in me as I watched her chatter gleefully. I still swallowed my anger and forced a smile. "Congratulations, Addy. Still, I'm sure my luck will return to me soon."

Mom had just come home when she heard of Adelia's recovery. She grinned happily and held Adelia's hand, her eyes full of love and concern.

"Oh, my sweet child. Thank the heavens you've recovered!" Mom exclaimed, eyes watery with tears of joy.

When she turned to me, her gaze became sharp as she snapped, "Unlike someone who is a burden to others, acting all sick and mopey!"

Tears filled my eyes when I heard Mom's words.

In my past life, she had treated me the same way, chiding and beating me. It had only worsened after I fell sick, as though she wished I would die right away.

However, I was Mom's biological daughter, while Adelia was just a child she'd adopted.

Soon, it was the day to fill out our university application forms. Adelia was confident that my exam results had been swapped with hers, so she didn't even check hers before she started filling in the forms.

I coughed vigorously and pretended to care as I asked, "Are you sure you don't want to check your final exam marks first?"

"Why do you care?" Adelia scoffed. "I know very well what my marks are. So what if you have high marks? If your health continues declining, you're just going to end up dead! It'll just benefit me in the end!"

Twisted delight crept across her face as she spoke. A strong sense of disgust flooded my chest as I watched.

"Is that so? You have to be careful, then, Addy. Don't let all those blessings overwhelm you when that happens," I warned.

Adelia grew angry when I said that. She was about to retort when Thomas entered the room.

"Thom!" Adelia threw herself into his arms as soon as she saw him. Her voice trembled as she said, "Rosalie is coughing so violently. I'm so scared it's contagious…"

Adelia even nuzzled into his arms when she spoke.

Thomas held her close and looked at me with a frown.

"You should go and rest in bed if you're feeling unwell, Rose," Thomas said in his usual gentle manner.

I'd been blinded by Thomas' false tenderness in my previous life, thinking he'd been sincere toward me.

Only in death did I find out that he'd been in cahoots with Adelia behind my back. They'd even planned for my death.

Now that I was back again, I was going to make them pay.

I chuckled and said in a sarcastic tone, "It's just a cough, Addy. There's nothing to be afraid of. But you have to be careful, Thomas. It'd be a great pity if you contract any other diseases due to your lifestyle."

Thomas' expression changed instantly. He had no idea what I was implying, of course. He assumed I was jealous of Adelia and was mocking her.

Though he was displeased, he still appeared calm and said gently, "Don't overthink it, Rose. I'm just concerned about you."

I quickly cut him off, not wanting to listen to his lies. "We'll be filling in our application forms these few days. Have you two decided which university to enroll in?"

Adelia looked happy as she cooed, "Of course I have. I'm going to Dalton University! I want to study at the same university as Thom. After all, only a university as prestigious as that one is fitting for me."

"As for some other useless pieces of work…" Adelia shot me a look before she sneered. "There's no use applying for any proper universities at all. Who knows, they might not even get the chance to start studying when the time comes."

I gently caressed the bracelet on my wrist and smiled softly. "Dalton University? That's a good university. But are you sure you'll be able to get in, Addy? Their minimum required score is 1200 points."

Adelia's expression shifted. She was about to snap at me when Mom suddenly cut in, saying, "What nonsense! Adelia's already recovered and even got terrific grades. She'll definitely get accepted into Dalton University!

"You'll be eating her dust when the time comes! Now move aside!"

Mom then pulled Adelia to her before I could speak. Then Mom said gently, "Ignore Rosalie, Addy. I'll host a celebration for your enrollment when you finish filling your forms. We'll see what else Rosalie has to say once you get your offer letter."

I quietly listened from the side, feeling cold and distraught.

Mom had done the same in my previous life. She'd happily declared Adelia's high grades to everyone right after the swap, ignoring me entirely.

I pretended to nod my head obediently before returning to my room.

For the next few days, I continued pretending to be sick while secretly observing everyone.

Sure enough, Adelia had applied to Dalton University. Mom had swiftly started preparing for Adelia's celebration, calling all our relatives throughout the day to announce the news.

She'd even used her private savings to buy a gown for Adelia, which was worth thousands of dollars.

All our relatives quickly came over to butter up Mom and Adelia after hearing that Adelia was going to a prestigious university.

Aunt Irina went up to Mom, admiration oozing from her as she said, "You're so blessed for having such a wonderful daughter, Agnes! She's made us all proud by getting into Dalton University!"

Mom was giggling happily. "Yes! Addy has made me so proud!"

Aunt Sarah had even brought Adelia expensive gifts, which Adelia gleefully accepted.

I received a text message from my best friend, Yvonne Kingsley, one day.

"Rose, I think Jeremy is sick. I saw him vomiting blood yesterday."

My grip tightened around my phone. I shot Mom and Adelia a look before smiling quietly.

Jeremy's symptoms had started a week earlier compared to mine in my previous life. It seemed like the effect of the amethyst bracelet had taken hold more quickly.

I was eager to watch everything unfold now. I wanted to see how Mom and Thomas would react when they found out that the exam results and health they'd stolen from me were nothing but a farce.

As we approached the day of Adelia's enrollment celebration, I grew more and more ill. I coughed violently every single day and was unable to walk steadily. I even applied makeup on my face to appear ashen and weak.

Adelia and Thomas would look disgusted whenever they saw how I looked. It was as if I were some terribly filthy thing to them.

Mom would snap at me or insult me here and there, too. She'd call me a good-for-nothing and sickly burden that only dragged everyone down.

After days of careful acting on my end, it was finally the day of Adelia's celebration.

It was held at the grandest and most luxurious hotel in the country. There was a large banner with the words "Congratulations, my beloved Adelia, for getting into Dalton University!" printed on it.

Mom was wearing a luxurious gown while holding Adelia close, laughing happily. Thomas watched Adelia with a tender gaze from the side.

Meanwhile, I stood ashen in a corner in plain clothes. It was as if I were a mere outsider.

The guests soon arrived, and everyone quickly congratulated Adelia. Adelia beamed as she received praise and adoration from the crowd.

Just then, the mailman who was in charge of sending the university's offer letter arrived.

"Adelia, look! Your offer letter is here!" Mom nudged Adelia excitedly.

Adelia quickly went up to the mailman, grinning from ear to ear.

All the guests immediately raised their phones, using their cameras to capture this merry moment.

"Is Rosalie Quentin here? Please take your offer letter from Dalton University and sign here!" the mailman called out all of a sudden.

Tension filled the air in an instant. Adelia's smile froze on her face while Mom paled. Thomas shot me an incredulous look, swiftly retracting his hand from Adelia's.

All the guests were also stunned with their phones in the air.

I walked out from the corner in front of everyone and went to accept the offer letter. "I'm Rosalie Quentin. Thank you so much."

"No! That's mine!" Adelia screeched and quickly ran over to snatch the letter from my hand.

Mom's eyes were wide with disbelief.

"What nonsense is this, Rose? That letter belongs to Addy. Give it back to her!" Mom snapped.

I smiled softly, tightening my grip around the letter. "I'm afraid you're wrong, Mom. This letter has my name on it."

One of the guests mentioned the possibility that both Adelia and I had been accepted into Dalton University.

But the mailman swiftly cut them off and said, "That's impossible. The university's entry requirements are so high. There's only been one successful intake in the entire region."

All the guests then turned to Mom and Adelia.

Adelia was still in denial. She shakily checked her results online, only to be stunned by her low marks. "This is impossible! Where's my score of 1250? I've already recovered from my illness, so the points should've…"

Aunt Irina pursed her lips together. "Tch. I told you that it's impossible for Adelia to get accepted into Dalton University. She has such terrible grades!"

"So her grades were that low? She sure did put up an act!" Aunt Sarah added loudly.

All the guests began discussing amongst themselves.

Jeremy, who was sitting by the buffet table, peered up to look at the commotion, too. He was in the middle of eating an orange slice.

Adelia happened to glance at him just then. Her face paled when she saw the amethyst bracelet on his wrist.

"Jeremy Trainor, w-where did you get that bracelet?" Adelia asked.