- 5.
Summer vacation arrived, and my brother,
David, who usually studied abroad, came
home, primarily to meet his new sister, Lily.
Just like in my past life, David was instantly
smitten upon their first encounter. Lily, with a
cloth covering her eyes like a blind person,
had “accidentally” stumbled into David’s
arms.
く
Blushing, she murmured, “I don’t know when
I’ll lose my sight completely, so I want to
learn to live in darkness. That way, I won’t be
a burden to Mom, Dad, and… brother.”
Lily truly knew how to manipulate words,
subtly excluding me while implying I was
unkind to her.
David, young and impressionable, was
speechless. The girl before him, as delicate
and vulnerable as a K–drama heroine,
captured his heart. He vowed then and there
to protect her for the rest of his life.
My parents suggested a family outing to
celebrate David’s return. I had no desire to
- go. What did I, the difficult, unloved daughter, have to do with their happy little family of
four?
く
But Lily wouldn’t let me have even that small
peace. She retreated to a corner, tears
silently streaming down her face. “Mom…
Dad… You should take David and Ashley. It’ll
just be… awkward for me to be there…”
David rushed to her side, gently wiping her
tears. “Don’t say that! We’re family now.”
Lily pretended to shy away from his touch,
casting a timid glance at me, as if silently
accusing me of something. David immediately
glared at me.
“Ashley! Why are you bullying Lily?! What’s
wrong with you? You weren’t like this
before!”
What was wrong with me? They were the
ones who had changed! My mother, who used
<
to prioritize me, my strict but loving father,
and David, my protective older brother, had
all become strangers.
I simply smirked, meeting David’s gaze. “Why
don’t you ask Lily how I’m bullying her? I gave
her my room. What more does she want?”
Lily averted her gaze, guilt flashing across her
face. Her apparent fear only fueled David’s
protective instincts. He shouted, “It’s your
condescending attitude that’s hurting her!
She’s new to the family! It’s your duty to
make her feel welcome!”
Suddenly, I was the villain, and David was the
knight in shining armor.
My parents, predictably, took Lily’s side.
“Ashley,” they said, “David’s only home for a
<
short time. Don’t upset him. Apologize to your
brother and Lily.”
I looked at my biased family and said firmly,
“I’ll give Lily anything she wants because I
don’t care. But an apology? Never.”
I locked myself in my room, shutting out
David’s furious yells. The four of them went
out and had a fun day, forgetting to call or
bring me back any dinner.
My past self would have been heartbroken,
resorting to dramatic measures like refusing
to eat or running away. But now, I knew it
was pointless, only hurting myself. I made
myself some instant noodles and cracked
open my textbooks. Since my rebirth, I had
dedicated myself to my studies, not wasting a
single day. This time. I would build my own.
