I jump off the seventh floor on my wedding day. Why? Because everyone has abandoned me to pick up a fake heiress from the airport, my fiancé included.

I expect to see them riddled with heartbreak and regret after my death. However, my father merely shakes his head stoically and looks at my body while saying I was too willful. My mother bites her lip and sighs in relief.

My fiancé, Magnus Gilmore, shields the fake heiress. He's afraid she'll see the horrible state of my body.

The fake heiress is scared to tears at this, and everyone crowds around her to console her.

No one cares whether I'm still breathing while lying in a pool of blood.

I'm stunned when I see this, but I soon laugh self-deprecatingly.

When I open my eyes again, I've been brought back seven years in the past. It's the day I've just stepped foot at home.

I was reborn to the day when Mom and Dad brought me back to the Jagger residence.

Their eyes were swollen from crying as they told me, through their tears, how much they had missed me and how guilty they felt for all the lost years.

It had been a decade since we'd been apart, and they'd never stopped thinking about me.

In my previous life, I was so moved by their words that I broke down in tears and threw myself into their arms, foolishly thinking I'd finally found a place where I belonged.

I thought I'd finally found someone who truly loved me!

Yet seven years later, I tore at my wedding dress in despair and threw myself from the Jagger residence, foolishly hoping that such a drastic move would make them finally care about me.

But the truth was, no one ever loved me.

Now, I felt nothing as if I were made of stone.

"Sweetheart, I've prepared so many gifts for you! They're all in the living room. Take whatever you want!" Mom said.

I didn't answer, so she took my hand and led me there.

Dad followed closely, smiling as he called Magnus Gilmore—the man I was promised to—and urged him to hurry back.

Magnus' response was curt. "I'm busy."

Dad's face clouded over.

Mom, clearly uneasy, explained, "Magnus has a lot on his plate. We've entrusted him with running the company. So you'll only see him on weekends."

I used to believe it before, but after being reborn, my heart remained indifferent, and I merely played along.

As I walked into the expansive living room, my eyes immediately fell on a series of carefully chosen gifts, each one wrapped so elegantly it almost seemed too good to open.

"These are all surprises for you, Cora! Pick whichever one you like!" Dad said with a grin.

My gaze settled on the biggest gift in the far corner. It was a huge, white plush bear, wearing a pink bow.

In my past life, I was drawn to it instantly. I believed Mom and Dad genuinely loved me, so I chose the bear without a second thought. But then, they seemed uneasy.

After a quick exchange of glances, they said, "Cora, that bear is actually Rosa's birthday gift. But she's thoughtful and said you could have her favorite one. Still, why not take a look at the others?"

I blinked, moved by their words. "Rosa wants me to have it? She's so kind."

I was still drawn to the plush bear and couldn't resist wanting it.

Mom and Dad exchanged another look as if there was something they weren't saying, but they held their tongues.

Overcome by excitement, I rushed over and grabbed the bear, pulling it into my arms.

Just then, Rosa Jagger walked in, carrying her schoolbag.

We were both 15, but she carried herself with a maturity that made me seem so naïve by comparison. When she saw me holding her plush bear, she pursed her lips and put on a strained smile.

"I heard you were back, Cora, so I hurried home from school. You can have that gift if you like it," Rosa said, biting her lip as she turned away.

Mom and Dad caught every change in her expression.

Mom quickly approached me. "Why not check out the other gifts, Cora? This one might not be the best for you."

"Why not?" I asked, feeling puzzled.

The air grew thick with an unspoken tension, but I was too naïve to understand what was going on.

Didn't Mom and Dad cry out of love when they saw me? Didn't Rosa place that cuddly bear where I'd be sure to see it? Wasn't I Mom and Dad's real daughter?

So what was wrong with picking what I liked? I couldn't make sense of it.

Mom's expression faltered as though she wanted to explain something but couldn't. Dad's face was grim, and he said nothing.

Rosa handed me the plush bear. "This is my favorite toy, Cora. You can have it if you like it. It should be yours anyway."

I took it from her.

Back in the countryside by the sea, seashells were the only toys I had. I'd never come across anything as lovely as this bear.

Now that I was back in the city, it felt like I was still only worthy of those cheap little shells. But here, not even a seashell could be found. I couldn't understand how it had all gone wrong.

I hadn't even held the bear for a minute when Magnus appeared out of nowhere, seething with rage.

He dragged me to the doorway and yelled, "Do you have no manners? This is Rosa's favorite toy! You can't just take it like that!"

I froze—partly because it was the first time I'd seen him, and partly because I couldn't understand what I'd done wrong.

Terrified, I called out for Mom and Dad. They hurried over right away.

Magnus quickly turned to them. "What's going on, Mr. and Mrs. Jagger? This is Rosa's favorite toy. Isn't it unfair to just give it away like that?"

"Well…" Mom and Dad looked uneasy and couldn't find the right words.

I caught the brief flash of anger in Mom's eyes. Her glare shot through me, leaving me rattled. That look, filled with disgust, reminded me of the foster dad I'd lost.

So, Mom didn't like me either. It was clear now—I was nothing more than an outsider in this house.

In my previous life, I was like a wounded bird, desperately trying to survive in this cold city for seven years, only to end it all by jumping off a building.

How ridiculous.

I wasn't about to make the same mistakes in this life. I would learn to stand on my own, without seeking affection or pouring my heart out.

I chuckled and pointed to the most unassuming thing in the corner—a necklace made from plain seashells.

"I'll take that one," I said.

Mom and Dad paused, their faces softening in relief. But they quickly put on a disapproving front and said, "It's just a trinket. Why that one? Pick something else."

"I'm used to having seashells around," I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

They sighed and gave in, allowing me—the daughter they had lost for ten years—to wear the cheapest trinket.

Rosa arrived just then, her eyes widening in surprise when she saw I had picked the seashell necklace.

I gave her a blank look. She probably thought I didn't realize she had purposely placed that plush bear in the most noticeable spot to tempt me into choosing it.

I had fallen right into her trap from the moment I set foot back here. For the next seven years, she would fight for Mom's and Dad's love, and in the end, she would win.

It took my death for me to understand a simple fact—I had to love myself first before anyone else would.

In the following week, unlike my previous life, I didn't compete with Rosa for Mom's and Dad's affection. Instead, I moved into the housekeeper's room, tucked away in the most secluded part of the house.

The moment I closed the door, Rosa appeared with the plush bear in hand. "Cora, I'm sure you'll love this bear."

"I'm not really into plush toys, thanks," I replied through the door, pulling out the books I'd brought from the countryside.

Life had given me a second chance, and I was determined to make the most of it. My top priority was to get stronger and stop depending on anyone else's love. I wanted to be able to love myself.

There were countless ways to practice self-love. At this moment, the best way to do that was by becoming accomplished and self-sufficient.

"Do you hate me, Cora?" Rosa's voice came through the door. "I know I shouldn't have taken your place. I'm just an outsider…"

I could tell she was saying this as Mom and Dad walked by.

As expected, Mom rushed to comfort her. "Don't think that way. Cora just needs time to get used to everything."

"Exactly. There's no such thing as being an outsider. You're both my daughters," Dad said.

I scoffed. Lies. I was the outsider here.

After everything quieted down, I checked the money my relatives had given me to mark my return to the family. To my surprise, it was over 100 thousand dollars.

That amount meant a lot to me. I needed to keep it for a rainy day. So, I headed to the nearest bank to take care of it.

As soon as I stepped into the lobby, I spotted a man in a perfectly tailored suit talking to the bank manager. It was Magnus. It was the first time I'd seen him since coming back to life.

He recognized me instantly and eyed me coldly. "Cora Jagger?"

I nodded.

The bank manager scurried over, eager to please. "Oh, Mr. Gilmore, so this is your—"

"Mind your own business," Magnus interrupted sharply.

The manager retreated awkwardly.

"What are you doing here?" Magnus asked.

"Making a deposit," I replied, walking straight to the teller.

"For that tiny amount?" He scoffed. "Whenever Rosa needs to save, she just gives it to Mr. and Mrs. Jagger. You're really something else."

I stayed quiet.

Magnus sneered. "I never thought someone your age could be so calculating. Here's some advice—save your money however you want, but don't even think about touching anything in your house."

He was exactly the same as he had been in my previous life. Back then, I had barely been home for a week when someone's diamond bracelet went missing.

Magnus accused me of stealing it. He believed I had no morals, was driven only by money, and was a walking disaster.

I never expected that even though the bracelet hadn't gone missing yet in this life, he'd already judged me guilty. But I couldn't care less to argue. All I wanted was to save my money.

Magnus snorted and walked away.

That night, the whole family gathered in the living room. They were trying to help me decide on a school, scrolling through brochures from different private academies on the tablet.

"I want to go to Lucentdale High School," I said bluntly.

It was a regular, unremarkable public school.

My plan was simple—graduate high school, get into university, and leave this house for good. I had no desire to live the life of a high-society heiress.

Mom and Dad both looked surprised.

Rosa's eyes glinted with a trace of smugness. "Cora, we don't have to settle for a regular high school. We can apply directly to top foreign schools."

"That's right, Cora," Mom said, gently patting my hand. "You should go with Rosa to Greenlake International School. We've taken care of everything."

Dad opened his mouth as if to speak, but then hesitated, his expression torn.

I knew exactly what was on his mind. In my previous life, I went to Greenlake International School and quickly became the butt of everyone's jokes.

It wasn't because I was exceptional, but because I—someone from the countryside—stood out like a sore thumb among the privileged crowd. And once they found out I was a Jagger, the buzz only grew.

Students crowded around, eager to catch a glimpse of the Jagger heiress, only to be disappointed when they saw a scrawny, sunburned girl from the countryside.

Unsurprisingly, their mockery came fast and cruel.