In my previous life, I still felt a trace of pity for Lucy. It was not like she wanted to be this way. But in the end, my parents and I were all dragged into mud, turned into fuel for her emotions…

I turned and walked into what should've been my room, then suddenly realized something was off.

This was the smallest room in the house. There was only a tiny window, and there was practically no sunlight. It was barely livable.

Why should I be the one living in a room like that?

So, I stormed into my parents' bedroom and threw all their belongings out. "I'm taking your room. I don't want that crappy one. You can refuse, of course. Then, I'll just make do and share a room with Lucy. After all, hers is the biggest and nicest. It even has a floor-to-ceiling window…"

I looked at Lucy, tilted my head with a cold smile, and clenched my fists until they cracked.

Mom immediately gave in. "Fine, you can take it…"

That evening, when Dad got home, he was furious. He went into a frenzy, pounding on the door like he'd lost his mind. "Get out here, you little brat! How dare you bully your mother and your sister?"

I shoved a wardrobe against the door, put on noise-cancelling earphones, and continued going through my assignments indifferently.

It wasn't until the next morning, when I was about to leave for school, that I realized the door had been locked from the outside with a chain.

My parents hadn't gone to work. They just sat in the living room and told me coldly, "Since you won't listen, we're going to have to teach you a proper lesson."

They thought I'd be scared and would beg for mercy. They even said, "Don't you like causing a scene? Don't you like solving problems with violence? Let's see how you solve anything when you're locked in here."

I simply closed the door. Then, I started calling everyone—my teachers, my classmates, and my relatives. I said, "My parents locked me in my room. They're trying to starve me. Please, come help me."

I had always known what kind of people my parents were. When it came to Lucy, they were gentle and caring. But they were still human. Of course, they had their own emotions. And I, the "normal one," was their outlet.

Every time I made Lucy cry, they would "discipline" me in every way imaginable until I learned my lesson and didn't dare make the same mistake again.

I used to think they had no choice and that Lucy drove them to do it. But only after I died in my previous life did I hear their desperate complaints.

"Why is Penny so weak under pressure? She's completely useless."

"We were trying to train her properly so that when we're old, she could take care of Lucy. Now, she's gone before us."

Everything they did to me was just to mold me into someone who could take care of Lucy when they were old…

My relatives were the first to arrive. The moment they saw the chain on the door, they immediately started criticizing my parents. "We're not trying to be harsh, but Lucy is already not well, and now you're abusing Penny too?"

Next came my teachers and classmates.

My parents were surrounded and bombarded with moral and legal warnings.

In front of outsiders, they couldn't even lift their heads. They had no choice but to quickly remove the chain. Even though Lucy was crying nonstop beside them, they didn't have the energy to comfort her.

I stepped out of the room, covering my face, looking aggrieved. "Lucy is terrifying. She doesn't sleep at night. She just cries. And Dad acts like a lunatic, always yelling and screaming…"

With my dramatic retelling, everyone became convinced that I came from a "crazy family". Lucy clearly showed signs of mental illness, while my parents weren't emotionally stable either.

My parents, who cared deeply about their reputation, were shattered. They didn't dare to leave the house for quite a while.

At first, Dad still wanted to hit me, just like in my previous life.

But this time, I snapped. I grabbed a chair nearby and swung it straight at him. Maybe I wasn't stronger than a grown man, but I could use tools.

The fight ended with chairs and tables completely smashed to pieces.

When I hit Dad's arm, he clutched it and glared at me viciously.

I leaned my face in closer and said, "Go on. Hit me. If you do, I'll call the police."

I went all out, making a scene. And instead, they didn't dare touch me.

I even fought with Lucy over clothes, fruit, and anything I could take. She cried from morning to night until her eyes swelled and she had no tears left.

Even then, all they could think about was keeping us apart.

Finally, Dad took the initiative to say, "You should move into the school dorm. This family can't go on like this anymore."

I knew what I had to prioritize. There was no way I could spend my entire life tangled up with someone who was mentally unstable. So, I took the money, packed my things, and moved straight into the school dorm.

At last, the endless crying and furious arguments were gone from my ears.

My grades improved remarkably. During the interschool mock exam, I even ranked first.

Back in my previous life, my grades were at best good enough to barely make it into a vocational school. But in this life, without Lucy dragging me down, who knew I could actually be this capable?

But soon, what followed after was Dad cutting off my living expenses.

I called him. "What's the meaning of this?"

Did he want me to come back home to cause another scene?

But after a moment of silence, he responded, "The prize from your exam…"

I frowned as I listened to him force out the rest of his sentence.

"Lucy wants it. Give it to her, then I'll transfer your living expenses right away."

In the background, I could hear Lucy's pitiful sobbing. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I just really like that fountain pen. But it's okay. I don't have to have it. I'm just a little sad."

I erupted with rage, hurling every insult I could think of. "What does your crazy daughter have to do with me? If she wants to cry, then let her cry. If you can't take it, tape her mouth shut. Why should I care? What does it have to do with me? Leave me alone!"

I practically went mad as I screamed into the phone. But no matter how much I cursed or vented, it wasn't enough to calm me down.

I hated this. Why did they have to drag me down? Why should she have my things? Why couldn't that psycho just die instead of making the entire family suffer?

The person on the other end switched to Mom. Unlike Dad, she wasn't forceful. She used tears instead. "What can I do? Lucy's already here. We can't just kill her. She really isn't mentally ill. She just can't control her emotions… She's suffering too, you know!"

I was so furious that I could barely breathe.

Beside me, my classmate slid over a note that read, "We won the same prize. Just give her mine."

I shook my head.

No. If I gave in once, they would only keep coming back for more, and they would drag me down with them.

I hung up and ran straight home from school.

It had been too long since I had put them in their place. That was why they thought they could push me around again.

Besides, they had no shame. But I did.

The second I walked through the door, I grabbed Lucy, twisting, scratching, pinching, and hitting her.

Mom, who stayed home full-time to care for her, screamed in panic. "No! Stop!"

I ignored her and kept hitting. "She's highly sensitive, huh? Well, I've got anger issues. If someone pisses me off, I'll beat them up. If she keeps crying, I'll beat her. I'll beat her to death if I have to. Worst comes to worst, we'll both die!"

Even after Dad got home and came at me with his belt, I still refused to let go of Lucy's hair.

In the end, my parents reluctantly gave in. They transferred all of my tuition fees, living expenses, and dorm fees in one lump sum.

They only had one condition—I was never allowed to come home again.

I took the money, then blocked every single one of them. Even in the future, I never wanted to set foot in that miserable house again.

I thought that would finally free me. But it didn't.

Not long afterward, I received the news that my parents had been killed in a car accident.

And now, I was Lucy's only legal guardian.