Chapter 2

The System was silent for a long time.

"Can't you do it? Chloe didn't actually die, did she?" I asked.

"Clara, are you sure about this?" the System's mechanical voice sounded almost sad.

I exhaled slowly, my voice cold and resolute. "I'm absolutely sure."

I was done begging for their fleeting affection and love.

The living can never compete with the dead.

Even if that "dead" person was actually alive and hiding somewhere.

In my past life, I was worked to death at a young age, tortured and exploited by my adoptive parents.

After my death, my soul lingered. I heard my adoptive mother, Mrs. Miller, sighing with relief, saying that I was finally dead and could no longer pose a threat to her real daughter’s future.

That was when I discovered the truth. I was the Sterlings' real daughter.

My biological mother had gone into premature labor while vacationing in our small town, sharing a hospital room with Mrs. Miller.

Seeing how incredibly wealthy my mother was, Mrs. Miller secretly swapped our baby tags.

My spirit drifted to the Sterling mansion. I watched the fake heiress living a life of luxury I couldn't even dream of.

Her bedroom was larger than my entire childhood home. Her walk-in closet was overflowing with designer clothes.

She wore beautiful gowns, carried herself with elegant grace, and had a private chauffeur to take her everywhere.

And my biological parents and brother absolutely adored her.

I couldn't help but think: *If only I had grown up in that house. They would have loved me just as much.*

That was when the System bound with me.

It offered to let me start over, but with one condition.

I had five years to make my family and my husband truly love me. If I succeeded, I could stay in this world. If I failed, I would die permanently.

I accepted the deal without hesitation. How could such a warm, loving family not love their own biological daughter?

So, after being reborn, I took the initiative to find them. When my mother saw my face—so strikingly similar to hers—she broke down in tears of joy.

But during my grand welcoming gala, Chloe left a tragic note and threw herself off a cliff into the ocean.

"I wish Clara all the happiness. Let me, the one who stole her eighteen years of luxury, pay for my sins with my life."

From that day on, everyone blamed me for Chloe's death.

My parents grew cold and distant. Julian hated me for murdering his beloved sister.

But I hadn't done a single thing wrong.

Later, my father forced me into an arranged marriage with the Vance family. Every fiber of my being wanted to refuse because Tristan Vance was originally Chloe's fiancé.

But I had spent years walking on eggshells, too terrified to speak up. To my surprise, Tristan agreed to the marriage without a fight.

It had been five years since my rebirth, and I had been married to Tristan for two.

Yet, in those two years, he had never given me a single warm look.

My time was running out. If I couldn't get my family or my husband to love me, I would disappear forever.

I grabbed Tristan's sleeve just as he was about to walk out the door. "Can you just say you love me? Just once."

His dark eyes stared down at me, turning icy cold before he violently shook my hand off.

"Clara, you are truly disgusting."

"You know today is the anniversary of Chloe’s death, yet you stand here demanding I say I love you? Have you forgotten I was supposed to marry her?"

"The woman I wanted to marry was never you. You stole her place and took things that never belonged to you. Don't push your luck."

But I didn't force him to marry me. The marriage was a business merger between the Sterling Group and the Vance Group. It was purely for profit.

He married me for money, so why was I the one carrying all the blame?

I was his wife. I just wanted to hear him say he loved me. Was that really such a crime?

"I just want to see what kind of magic Chloe has that makes my family and my husband hate me so much. So, bring her back."

I wanted to see if they would feel even a shred of guilt when their precious Chloe appeared before them, perfectly fine.

"Very well. I will grant your wish," the System replied.

I lay lazily on the lounge chair, trying to rest, when my mother called. She immediately started yelling at me, demanding to know why I hadn't gone to Chloe’s grave to pay my respects. She said I owed her this.

For the past five years, this day had felt like a public execution. I would be dragged out like a criminal while they wept over their memories of Chloe.

"I have things to do today. I'm not coming," I said coldly.

The line went dead silent for a few seconds. She couldn't believe that I, who had spent years desperately trying to please them, had actually rejected her.

I didn't have many days left to live. Why should I go back and let them treat me like garbage?

Besides, their beloved Chloe was coming back anyway.