Rebirth of a Betrayed Daughter: Seeking My Own Light

When I was on the brink of death, my parents were holding the hand of their adopted daughter, Lizzie Padilla, as they walked towards the wedding altar.

My fiancé and younger brother stood on the stage, their faces beaming with joy.

This was supposed to be my wedding.

I had personally chosen that wedding dress.

I had spent most of my life fighting against Lizzie. Yet every time something went wrong, I was the one who took the blame. If I shed a single tear, our parents would scold me for being dramatic. But the moment Lizzie's eyes turned red, they felt unbearably sorry for her.

Yet, I was their biological daughter.

After I was reborn, I swore I would no longer crave that biased love.

1.

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself back on the day Lizzie moved into our home.

Lizzie was my uncle's daughter. After my uncle's family died in an accident, she became an orphan with no one to care for her.

My mother, who adored my uncle, her brother, insisted on adopting Lizzie, and my father agreed. Lizzie became the third child in our family.

Lizzie was held in my mom's arms, her eyes slightly reddened from holding back tears.

"Can I... can I sleep in the big bed? I'm used to it and it makes me feel safe. Is this request too much?"

My mother looked at her gently. "Not at all. Susanna's room has a big bed. You can sleep there. I'll clear out the guest room for her later."

I stood right behind them, watching it all with a cold gaze.

Dominick Padilla, my brother, glanced at me and pointed, shouting, "Susanna, what's with that look? Don't even think about bullying Lizzie."

My father scowled at me.

"Susanna, don't cause trouble. Lizzie is your sister now. You can't bully her, understand? You can sleep elsewhere. Lizzie just wants a big bed. Don't be so petty."

Everyone's behavior was just as biased and so unbearable as in my previous life.

Lizzie was my sister, and as the older sister, I was expected to yield and pamper her.

Those words, after hearing them for two lifetimes, still felt painfully fresh in my memory.

In my past life, after Lizzie entered our home, I was no longer the apple of their eye. The whole family revolved around Lizzie.

Just because she lost her parents and was ill, I had to pamper her, soothe her, and put her on a pedestal.

But who remembered that I was only half a month older than Lizzie?

Most importantly, Lizzie wasn't even my parents' biological child. She was just my uncle's daughter. Why did my family spoil her?

Was it because I didn't cry in front of them?

I could never forget that in my past life, when I threatened suicide, my mother still insisted I give my fiancé to Lizzie.

"Don't think you can threaten Lizzie with suicide. They're truly in love. Would it kill you to let them be together?"

At that moment, she seemed to have forgotten that I was her biological daughter.

Snapping out of my memories, I looked at my mother. At this moment, she seemed to remember that she had a daughter like me.

"Susanna, I love you both equally. I will be fair and not show favoritism."

Because of this statement, my heart sank again.

She didn't realize that as a mother, comparing her biological daughter to her niece was already the greatest injustice to her own child.

A hint of triumph flashed in Lizzie's eyes. If I hadn't lived through my past life, I might not have noticed it this time around.

After all, her true nature remained undiscovered until my death in my previous life.

I hadn't yet responded to my mother when Lizzie suddenly grabbed my hand and cautiously said, " Susanna, it's okay. I can sleep in the small bed. Don't be upset."

I didn't want to engage with her, so I pulled my hand away and turned to leave indifferently.

My mother tried to call me back, but my father stopped her.

"Why call her? I don't believe sleeping in the guest room will be the end of her. See, Lizzie is the well-behaved one. She knows her place and never makes a fuss. Life will be so much easier for us with her around."

I bit my lip and slammed the door to my room.

After realizing I had been reborn, I told myself that the Susanna who longed for family love was dead. I needed to focus on my studies and break away from this family.

But hearing those harsh words from my family still hurt.

2.

I locked myself in my room, studying and organizing internship materials.

I didn't want to face Lizzie's innocent facade or her attempts to win favor at my expense.

I was so engrossed in my work that I didn't notice the door quietly opening. Lizzie entered with a glass of milk.

"Mom said you should take a break and drink some milk."

I looked at her coldly and asked flatly, "Who let you in?"

Lizzie, on the verge of tears, asked, "Do you not like milk? What would you like to drink? I'll get it for you."

I didn't want to play along with her act, so I didn't respond.

Soon, my parents and brother came up. Seeing Lizzie in tears, Dominick rushed forward, "Did she scold you?"

Lizzie looked aggrieved. "No."

My father glared at me, "Lizzie kindly brought you milk, and this is your attitude? Apologize to her."

My mother chimed in, "Susanna, don't be unreasonable. The guest room isn't small. Moving there isn't a loss."

I looked at them and said coldly, "Fine, I'll move. But I hope no one disturbs my studies again. Also, I've been lactose intolerant since I was four, so I'm unable to enjoy this milk."

The expressions on their faces were priceless, especially my parents and Dominick, who looked both embarrassed and uneasy.

Only Lizzie remained unfazed, trying to explain.

"Mom and Dad didn't tell me any of this. It was my fault. Please don't be mad. I shouldn't be here. I'm sorry."

Dominick held her hand and snapped at me, "If you didn't want the milk, you could have said so. You didn't have to make a scene. You're just targeting Lizzie because you can't stand her being sensible and gentle. You're jealous."

"Right, you're getting more unreasonable as you grow up. We're all family. Why is Lizzie more sensible than you?" my father nodded.

My mother agreed with them and lectured me. "Susanna, you should learn from Lizzie. She didn't hold it against you for not apologizing."

I gripped my pen tightly, my nails digging into my palm.

"What should she hold against me? I've slept in this room for over ten years. Now that she's here, I have to give it up. Who's apologizing to me?"

My father, furious, smashed a cup, spilling milk on my foot. "Lizzie is your sister now. She's not well and has psychological issues. Do you want to drive her crazy to be satisfied? Would apologizing cost you anything?"

Dominick held Lizzie's hand, reassuring her not to be afraid, while my parents stood by her, comforting her. This scene pierced my heart.

I was supposed to be the one closest to them. But in this moment, Lizzie had taken my place, and they looked more like a family with her than with me.

How ironic. My parents scolded and blamed me without discerning right from wrong, all for an adopted daughter. Even my brother, who grew up clinging to me, had become Lizzie's brother.

Lizzie's lips curled slightly, but I ignored her smugness and walked downstairs to leave.

My father's stern voice followed me, "If you leave, don't come back."

Standing outside, I held back my tears. Even though I had experienced this once before, it still felt unfair.

In my past life, Lizzie acted pitifully to perfection. As soon as her eyes reddened, it was my fault.

In this life, even when I did nothing, I was still at fault.

In my parents' eyes, I could never compare to Lizzie.

3.

My birthday arrived in the blink of an eye.

My parents had promised to get me a new phone. I had my eye on the latest model. As I tested its feel, Lizzie stood beside me, smiling.

"Susanna, can I have a look at it?"

I ignored her. My father approached and cleared his throat, "Susanna, your mother and I love you the most. You wanted a phone, and we brought you to buy it right away. No favoritism, okay?"

My mother hugged my shoulders, "Susanna, I carried you for ten months. How could I not love you? Lizzie is your sister now. She's not well. As her older sister, you need to take care of her, understand?"

I fiddled with the phone, neither nodding nor responding.

Seeing Lizzie standing silently with red eyes, my parents panicked.

My mother let go of me and hugged Lizzie, "Why are you crying again? Did she bully you?"

Lizzie shook her head, "No, I just envy Susanna for having a new phone. I've never used such a high-end brand. We couldn't afford it before. Susanna, I really just wanted to have a look at it. I won't fight you for it. I know Mom and Dad don't have enough money to buy two," Susanna said.

My father immediately snatched it from my hand and placed it in Lizzie's, reassuring her, "Use it. You deserve the best. We'll buy it right now."

My mother's words were exactly the same as in my past life.

She said, "Lizzie likes this phone. Why don't you let her have it and pick a cheaper one for yourself? Or we can give you a small cash gift, which is also meaningful."

Then I received 200 dollars as my birthday gift.

The scenario was identical to my past life, except back then, I had thrown a tantrum in the store, causing a commotion and argued with Lizzie, which only made my parents dislike me more.

Now, I didn't make a scene, but that didn't mean I would swallow my pride.

I snatched the phone back and told Lizzie, "This is my birthday gift."

My mother was about to get angry when Lizzie tugged at her sleeve, showing a brave smile. "Mom, Susanna is right. It's her birthday gift. I shouldn't have been so presumptuous. It's my fault. Don't blame her."

This only made my parents angrier.

"Give it back," My father shouted at me, while comforting Lizzie. "Don't be afraid, Lizzie. I will get it back for you."

My mother scolded me, "From childhood to now, is there anything you wanted that we didn't buy for you? Today, we asked you to let Lizzie have the phone first, and you refused. How could I have raised someone so petty?"

I gave a bitter laugh and, with tears welling up in my eyes, put the phone down. "Fine," I said.

As I turned to leave the store, I caught a glimpse of Lizzie's eyes, which flashed with a hint of triumphant satisfaction.

Behind me, my parents were excitedly paying for the phone and accompanying Lizzie as she checked its features, with a few words of blame for me mixed in.

"Susanna always has that sour face."

"Ignore her. Does she think our money grows on trees?"

Back home, Dominick had even prepared a birthday gift for Lizzie.

I, the actual birthday girl, got nothing.

And when Lizzie's birthday came around not long after, my usually frugal parents booked a table at a grand hotel, inviting many relatives and friends to introduce her to everyone. They even ordered a massive cake, rumored to be five or six layers high.

It was a grand affair. Lizzie simply said I should be busy studying, and my parents told me to stay home.

That was fine by me. I enjoyed the peace and focused on studying, determined to leave this house by becoming stronger.

4.

With my hard work and the advantage of an adult's memory, my grades improved rapidly.

I came first in the school competition again.

When I got home, I saw Lizzie crying in my mother's arms.

"Mom, what if I'm too stupid? I can't be your pride anymore. Susanna is so smart. I envy her. I want to be as capable as she is."

Even Dominick was home, patting Lizzie's back to comfort her. "She's smart, but she's also cunning. Lizzie, don't learn from her. It's not good."

My mother comforted her, "Don't envy Susanna. You are smart too. The most important thing is that you're dutiful. You don't need to work so hard. We can take care of you."

My father nodded with a smile, "Yes, don't learn from her. You might pick up bad habits. Your health is just getting better, so don't stress yourself out, okay?"

The trophy in my hand was warm, but my heart felt cold.

I didn't understand why they had to hurt me with harsh words just to appease Lizzie.

If these weren't my biological parents, I would have suspected I was switched at birth with Lizzie.

The next day, I received a bouquet at school from Chris.

Chris was the future boss of the company where I would intern. He was five years older than me and had previously visited the school to recruit talent. I had helped him find his lost grandmother, so we had a slight connection.

But I never expected him to be the first to congratulate me on my award.

When I got home, I told my parents that there would be a parent-teacher conference at school.

I thought at least one of them would attend for me.

Instead, they said they promised to attend Lizzie's.

"Does her parent-teacher conference require a whole entourage?" I asked sarcastically.

My father suddenly got angry, "What kind of attitude is that? Can't you discuss things with us properly?"

My mother's voice carried a hint of apology. "Lizzie already told her teacher we'd all be there, so I'll inform your teacher too."

I smirked sarcastically, "Got it."

"Got what? Who are you trying to show with that deadpan look? Why do you always have to compete for attention? You know Lizzie's not in good health. Of course we have to take care of her first." My father was visibly agitated.

My mother sighed, "Susanna, she is only half a month younger than you, but she's so considerate it breaks our hearts. If you can't learn from her, at least don't make us worry so much, okay?"

These words were exactly the same as in my past life. Why did I still hold out hope?

My eyes stung, and my heart ached. I shouldn't have expected anything.

On the day of the parent-teacher conference, my seat was empty, and people around me whispered.

I was ready to be ridiculed.

But then Chris showed up, looking dashing in a suit, and sat in my place, saying, "I'm Susanna's boss. I'm here for the conference."

At that moment, I felt a strange urge to cry.

The kindness of others seemed more reliable than that of my own parents.

When I got home, my parents demanded I kneel.

I asked, "Why?"

"Why? You still have the nerve to ask why? What's your relationship with Mr. Lambert? Susanna, you're promised to someone, yet you're flirting around. Aren't you ashamed?" My mother was so angry she was pounding her chest.

Lizzie tried to calm her, "Mom, don't be so upset. Maybe I misunderstood. Even though it's all over school, I believe Susanna isn't that kind of person."

In my past life, Lizzie had also stirred up this trouble.

I had to make a scene, threatening drastic measures to prove my innocence, so my parents didn't pursue it.

But in doing so, I lost the little affection I had.

My father saw my silence as an admission and slammed the table, "Confess honestly. Have you been doing inappropriate things at school?"

I looked at Lizzie and let out a cold laugh, "Satisfied?"

Lizzie opened her mouth, and tears started falling like raindrops. "Susanna, don't be mad. I didn't expect Mom and Dad to care so much. It's my fault. I shouldn't have said anything."

My father immediately comforted her, "You're not wrong, Lizzie. The one at fault is Susanna."

My mother also said, "Don't take all the blame on yourself. Susanna should explain this matter. Please don't cry."

From beginning to end, my biological parents never once said they believed me.

I looked at them coldly, choosing silence as despair gradually took hold of my heart.

5.

On the day of my twenty-second birthday, Lizzie went missing. My parents and my brother rushed out in a panic to look for her, leaving me alone at home in the cold and silence.

I didn't go out to look for her and was bombarded with a phone call from Dominick, accusing me of being cold-hearted.

In my previous life, I was too compassionate, which was why I fell for Lizzie's tricks. She disappeared on purpose, just to prevent my parents from celebrating my birthday.

When they found her near my uncle's house, she cried, saying she missed home and wanted to come back.

She claimed she didn't want to ruin my happy family and that she had to leave because I disliked her.

When my parents returned, they scolded me for a long time and cut off my allowance.

They ignored me for a whole month, and during that time, I struggled to make ends meet.

After being reborn, I certainly wouldn't fall for it again. Instead, I received a call from Chris.

"Want to hang out? I'll celebrate your birthday with you."

So I went out. Chris, being as generous as ever, rented out an amusement park so I could play to my heart's content.

During this time, my parents found Lizzie and returned home, only to discover I was missing.

They called me.

Before I could explain, they started yelling at me.

"Susanna, you never learn the good things, only the bad. Disappearing on purpose, is that it? Are you trying to scare your mom and me to death?

"Susanna, you're an adult now. Can't you call when you go somewhere? Even Lizzie knows to miss home, but you just keep running around."

"Susanna, even if you hate being in the same house with me, I still like you. Can you come back, please?"

"Susanna, can't you be a little more sensible like Lizzie? I'm really fed up with you."

Each of them had something to say, not giving me a chance to speak.

Chris noticed my frustration and took the phone, speaking coldly to them, "This is Chris. She's with me. Is there a problem?"

"Oh, it's Mr. Lambert. If she's with you, we're certainly relieved, but she didn't even bother to tell us. We were just worried," my mother said tactfully.

Lizzie whispered, "But she has a fiancé. Is it really okay for them to be together?"

Chris retorted in a deep voice, "Susanna is like a sister to me. What's the problem?"

Lizzie, probably not used to being rebuked, started crying, "I was just worried about her reputation. I didn't expect you to get so angry. I'm sorry."

My parents comforted her on the other end, telling her not to worry about me.

I took back the phone and said indifferently, "Lizzie, your acting is overdone. It looks too fake."

With that, I hung up.

When I returned, Chris dropped me off at my doorstep and left.

As I entered, my parents were sitting on the sofa with serious expressions.

I knew what they wanted to say, but I spoke first, "I'm tired. I don't want to argue with you."

They opened their mouths but eventually let it go.

Perhaps they realized that they had grown distant from me.

6.

After this birthday, I applied to live on campus.

The school required a living expense payment, and I didn't want to go home and see Lizzie's disgusting face, so I called my mother.

Her response left me cold, "Susanna, tell your teacher to wait a bit. We are financially stretched right now."

In my previous life, when she said they were financially stretched, it was because they had spent it all on Lizzie's educational exchange program.

So during this time, I rarely saw Lizzie at school.

I was foolish enough to still have expectations.

"Never mind." I hung up and took leave to go home and get my own savings.

When I got home, the living room was empty. I went upstairs and saw the guest room door slightly ajar.

Inside, I heard Dominick's laughter and my parents' applause.

I pushed the door open and was stunned. My small room had been converted into Lizzie's personal study, with pink walls and curtains, and the window seat was piled with stuffed animals.

My belongings were thrown into a corner, gathering dust.

"Susanna, why are you back?" my mother asked with guilty in her eyes.

Dominick, seeing my cold expression, instinctively shielded Lizzie, holding my small piggy bank in his hands.

In my previous life, I didn't live on campus, so this never happened.

Now that I did, my parents couldn't wait to turn my little guest room into Lizzie's personal study.

They loved her so much.

Suppressing my anger, I stepped forward, grabbed the piggy bank, and smashed it.

"Ah!" Lizzie covered her ears in fright.

My parents and brother were also startled.

My father scolded me, "Susanna, are you crazy? What if you hurt Lizzie?"

My mother also blamed me, "Lizzie said the study is only temporary. If you want to come back, we'll restore it for you. But if you're not coming back, we can't just let the room gather dust, can we?"

My eyes were red with anger as I gritted my teeth and asked Dominick, "Where's the money?"

Dominick didn't dare look me in the eye but stubbornly said, "We bought Lizzie a suitcase. She's going abroad in a few days. So what? It's just a few bucks. What's the big deal?"

Just as I was about to lose my temper, Lizzie started crying.

"Please don't be mad. It's my fault. I shouldn't have joined the educational exchange program. We're all family. Let's not hurt our relationship over money, especially not because of me. Susanna, you must have come back because you missed Mom and Dad, right? I'll pay you back as soon as possible. If you're still angry, I can leave this house right away."

As she spoke, Lizzie suddenly had an asthma attack, her face turning pale.

Dominick hurriedly took out medicine from her bag, mocking me.

"Susanna, are you happy now? You come back and cause chaos, and now Lizzie's having an attack. You might as well not have come back."

Furious, I raised my hand to hit him, but Lizzie stepped in front of him, guiding my hand to her face.

"Hit me instead. Don't hit him. It's all my fault." She cried until her eyes were swollen.

Her frail appearance made my parents' hearts ache.

"Enough! Susanna, all you care about is money. Is that how we raised you?" my father spat angrily.

My mother looked at me with a pained expression, "Susanna, have you forgotten how good your uncle was to you? Instead of being grateful, you keep bullying Lizzie. You need to stop this nonsense."

"Susanna, you crazy person! If you dare lay a hand on Lizzie, I won't let this go!" Dominick charged at me.