21
“Sylvia, you’re the apple of our eyes. Return to the Fowler mansion. You belong there. Let’s live like we did before.”
How dare he assume I’d ever crawl back to that gilded prison.
Years ago, their parents had hinted at wanting me as their daughter–in–law. Between two perfect sons, I’d pick one.
For fifteen years, I’d loved them–quietly, desperately. On my twentieth birthday, I’d mustered courage to confess. But for Charlotte, they’d doused me with ice water.
I wouldn’t make that mistake again.
I shook my head firmly.“No. I won’t choose either of you.”
“Adam, Noah, if I forgive you, I would be betraying the old me who suffered sleepless nights.”
“I would be betraying the pain I endured.”
“If you truly regret it, don’t disturb my peaceful life again.”
I turned to leave. Noah wanted to follow, but Adam stopped him.
They’d always assumed wealth could erase wounds. That Sylvia would forgive any cruelty for silk sheets and chauffeurs. They never imagined She’d prefer a cramped apartment where laughter echoed over mahogany silence.
They had truly broken her heart.
At home, I found my parents and brother sitting on the sofa. They all stood when I entered. “Sylvia, are you alright?” my brother asked anxiously.
I shook my head silently. I knew I couldn’t hide it any longer.
“Well, actually… I’m not your biological daughter.”
I didn’t hide anything, recounting my life with the Fowlers, what Adam and Noah had done to me, and
my
rebirth into this body. I didn’t know if they could accept such a fantastical story, but I felt they had a right to know the truth.
An awkward silence fell over the living room. No one spoke.
I realized this was too much for them–too radical, and no one could inhabited their loved one’s body.
My voice trembled.“I’m sorry. I’ll move out for a while.”
accept that a stranger’s soul
As I was about to go upstairs, my mother grabbed my arm. Her eyes, though not bright, were full of compassion. “No, Sylvia, we’re not chasing you away. We feel sorry for you. We don’t know what
you have encountered, but you must have been through a painful time. Your father and I noticed it before. Our daughter never treated us this well. She yelled at us, you… you’re the child we prayed for.”
hated our
poverty. But
15.16
< 21
“Perhaps it is fate. If you don’t mind, please stay,” my father said with compassion.
Menu
“No matter what you’ve been through, I swear that we will treat you well,” my brother promised solemnly.
Over the past two weeks, I had felt their genuine kindness. My parents died in a car accident when I was young; I had no other family. My new parents and brother gave me a home, filling the void left by the loss of my family.
My eyes welled up with tears. I sniffed.“You guys are the best thing that has ever happened to me. This home is nice and warm. I’m really lucky that I can be your daughter. Thank you for taking
me in.”
My parents and brother also burst into tears. We hugged, weeping together.
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