After our parents' divorce, my sister Serena—playing the saint—discovered our father was dating a Manhattan socialite. Desperate to become an heiress, she came to me with crocodile tears. "Aria," she whispered, "Dad gets violent when drunk. Let me take the hardship for you." With that, she left our mother’s arms and dramatically joined our father. In my past life, Serena had stolen Mom’s secrets, learning our grandmother was a Boston elite matriarch. She stayed with Mom, expecting a lavish life—but Mom worked as a cleaner and hot dog vendor, barely affording rent. Resentment festered in her. Meanwhile, as the daughter of a social-climbing tycoon, I lived in luxury—acing the SATs, racing professionally, and winning figure skating titles. Serena’s jealousy turned deadly. After a race, she stabbed me seven times in public. Reborn on divorce day, I watched her make the opposite choice—a six-year-old "martyr" smirking in triumph. But she didn’t know—she’d just chosen a fate worse than a dog’s. 1 I lowered my head, hiding the inferno of hatred in my eyes. I heard our father, Steven, ask, "Serena, you want to come with me?" He was actually more interested in me. Like Serena, he had pursued my mother for her status as a Boston heiress, dreaming of marrying into a dynasty. But my grandmother, with her sharp intuition, saw the rot in his character and forbade the marriage. Just as my mother hesitated between love and family, Steven got her pregnant and convinced her to run away with him, assuming my grandmother would eventually relent. He was wrong. Once it was clear Grandmother wouldn't acknowledge my mother, Steven began cheating. He posed as a bohemian artist, charming his way into the beds of powerful, wealthy young women. The reason for this divorce was that he’d finally caught his big fish: Victoria Sterling, the woman who became my stepmother in my last life. As a Manhattan socialite, Victoria was adored and untethered, but she couldn't escape her one duty: a strategic marriage. When it was discovered she was barren, her family cast her out. Shunned and ignored, she appeared to waste her time with a parade of male models, but in secret, she was meticulously, ruthlessly devouring the family business from the inside out. Now in her thirties, her empire was taking shape, and she wanted to marry a man who already had a daughter. Steven didn't hesitate to pit Serena and me against each other. After a screening by Victoria's team of "experts," I was deemed the more suitable candidate to be her heiress. In my last life, ignorant of Steven’s scheme, I dutifully went with him. The moment we arrived at the Sterling mansion, Victoria threw me into the crocodile pit. “Aria,” she’d said, her voice a silken thread, “if you want to be my daughter, you must first learn to survive. The gators will be released in three hours. Prepare yourself.” “No!” I thrashed in the water, screaming in terror. “Don’t let them eat me! Please!” The elegant woman’s voice remained impossibly gentle. “You have to save yourself, little bird.” 2 I cried, pleading with Steven, who was hiding behind Victoria. “Daddy! Help me! Please, save me!” He ignored my terror, echoing her words. “Aria, your mother is right. You need to listen. For Daddy’s sake, you have to survive!” “She’s not my mother!” I shrieked. Victoria bent down slightly, tilting my face up. “Aria. If you want a mother’s love from me, you must forget Clara completely. Be a good girl, pass this test, and you can take my name.” I didn’t answer. Instead, instinct took over, and I sank my teeth into her wrist, hard. Steven scrambled down, prying at my jaw. “Aria! You little wolf! Let go!” Victoria was unruffled. “You can bite through my hand, Aria, but the crocodiles will still be behind you in exactly one hundred and sixty minutes.” Her words hit me like a physical blow. I was powerless. I released her and swam to the iron bars of the enclosure, forcing down my fear, studying the dark shapes gliding beneath the surface and the layout of my prison. I had to live. After three days of a brutal battle of wits with the crocodiles, Victoria had them killed. Without giving me a moment to breathe, she locked me in a dog cage and fed me raw meat. Her "training" never stopped. As I grew up, I became exceptional. In public, when she needed me to be her showpiece, she was the epitome of a loving, gentle mother. But any time I faltered, any time I failed to meet her impossible standards, she would devise new ways to punish and torture me. So, while the world knew me as the "All-Around Genius," my soul was a warped, twisted thing. If Serena hadn't killed me, it was only a matter of time before I took Victoria down with me. Since I was reborn, I would, of course, grant Serena her wish. Let her go be Victoria's dog. I would stay with my mother and heal myself. 3 Terrified of missing her chance to change her destiny, Serena hugged Steven’s leg and nodded vigorously. “Daddy! I want to go with you! I’ll stay with you and take care of you!” Steven hesitated. Just then, my mother knelt down to my eye level, her voice soft. “Aria, what about you? Do you want to be with Mommy or Daddy?” “Mommy,” I said, without a second’s thought. Though Mom was heartbroken to lose Serena, she wouldn't force me. My decisive choice moved her deeply. She pulled me into a hug, her voice thick with emotion as she made a solemn promise. “Aria, I will make sure you grow up healthy and happy.” I answered with all the sincerity I could muster. “I’ll always stay with you, Mommy.” Last time, Mom gave all her love to Serena, who threw it away. This time, I would cherish it. Steven suddenly shouted, “Clara, I haven’t agreed! What gives you the right to take Aria?” Mom ignored him, whispering for me to take Serena to our room to pack our things. I nodded obediently. Then I walked to Serena, took her hand, and forced my voice into the innocent tone of a seven-year-old. “Come on, Serena. Let’s go upstairs.” A flash of unchildlike malice crossed her six-year-old face. She quickly masked it, giving me a dismissive nod. I hid my own seething hatred, leading her up the stairs while my mind raced, searching for an escape. We’d only taken a few steps when she shoved me from behind. In that split second, an idea sparked. I let her momentum carry me backward, intentionally letting my forehead slam into the sharp corner of the banister. Unfortunately, my seven-year-old body wasn’t as tough as my mind. When I hit the ground, a wave of real, agonizing pain washed over me, and a genuine scream of pain tore from my lips. Serena rushed to my side, rubbing her eyes and fake-crying. “Aria, what happened! Oh, no, I’m so scared…” Mom’s first instinct was to call 911. Steven, however, stormed over and roared at me. “Aria! How dare you fall like that! What if it leaves a scar!” Victoria was an extreme perfectionist. She treated her adopted daughter as a masterpiece to be displayed to the world, and scars were unacceptable defects. Seeing Steven’s panic, I knew my plan had worked. I was safe, for now. 4 Mom whirled on Steven. “What are you yelling about! Get out! Aria is staying with me, so don’t you dare raise your voice at her!” Steven couldn’t reveal his scheme, terrified he might lose Serena too. All he could do was stall. “Since Aria’s hurt, let’s get her treated first! We can talk about who gets which child after she’s out of the hospital.” Mom, too worried about me to argue, snapped, “Fine.” Steven used the excuse of needing a cigarette to slip outside and call Victoria. Knowing the outcome was sealed, Serena tugged on Mom’s sleeve, her voice cloyingly innocent. “Mommy, Aria was dancing around on the stairs and fell all by herself. She almost tripped me, too. When she gets better, you have to…” Mom cut her off. “Go sit over there for a minute.” A moment later, Steven returned, his face transformed. He had his orders from Victoria. “Clara, I’ve decided. I’m taking Serena. You can have Aria. From now on, let’s not contact each other unless it’s absolutely necessary.” “Good,” Mom said, her voice clipped and final. Just like last time, they decided to sell the house, and Mom took her half—eight hundred thousand dollars in cash—upfront. With Victoria backing him, Steven was surprisingly quick to pay. While I was in the hospital, Steven couldn't wait. He flew with Serena to New York to present her to Victoria for inspection. I eagerly awaited their fate. When I was discharged, Mom and I left that painful city and started a new life in Philadelphia. She still worked as a cleaner by day and sold food from a cart at night to put me through school and raise me. I was never ashamed of her work. Instead, I found every way I could to help. The one good thing that came from Victoria’s "training" was that it had made me brilliant. Healed by my mother’s love, I slowly went from repressing those memories to letting my true intelligence shine. When I became the city’s top scorer in the middle school championships and won a ten-thousand-dollar prize, Mom cried. She asked me carefully, “Aria, is my job… not respectable enough? If you become a top scorer in high school, with all the reporters… will you have to tell them your mother is a cleaner?” I hugged her tight. “Of course I will! I’ll tell the whole world how hard you worked to raise me. Without you, there would be no me.” Her voice broke. “Aria, you are my pride and joy.” 5 With some savings in the bank, and at my suggestion, Mom decided to open a small roast duck bistro. It was my summer break, so I was there to help. For the first three days, we offered a massive discount, and the place was packed. On the fourth day, with prices back to normal, things were much quieter. I had just finished prepping vegetables when Steven and Serena walked in. Steven, in a sharp suit, and Serena, in a flowing designer dress, looked utterly out of place. I rushed over to block them. “What are you doing here?” Serena smoothed her skirt, looking at me with disdain. “Still playing the saint, Aria? Do you have any idea that the brooch I’m wearing is worth more than your mother will make in a lifetime of running this pathetic little restaurant?” She had clearly adapted to and was reveling in her life of obscene wealth. Given her intellect, I couldn't imagine how she’d passed Victoria’s twisted tests, even with the advantage of rebirth. How did she do it? Just then, Steven whispered a warning to her. “Don’t forget why we’re here. Don’t upset your mother.” Then he turned to me with a greasy smile. “Aria, it’s me, Daddy. I heard your mom opened a shop, so I brought Serena to show some support. It’s been so many years…” “My mother and I are doing just fine,” I cut him off. “We don’t want to see you. Please leave.” Serena exploded. “Don’t you fucking pretend with me, Aria!” “Get out!” I roared back. Steven stepped between us. “Aria, don’t mind Serena. Look, your… Auntie Victoria invited you to come visit. She likes you very much.” So, Victoria was willing to tolerate a scar on my forehead. She still wanted to lure me to her mansion. Just how useless was Serena? And why did she keep her around? “What are you thinking about!” Serena snapped. “It’s an honor that Mother wants to see you!” “I only have one mother,” I said coldly. “Her name is Clara. And I don’t have a father or a sister.” Steven’s smile faltered. “Aria, just think about it, okay? Your Auntie Vic… she really admires you.” “No,” I refused. “Not interested.” Steven’s composure finally shattered. “Don’t think you’re so great just because you were a middle school champion! The Sterling family is richer than God! This is your only chance to climb up in the world!” I was unmoved. “It’s a climb I’m not interested in making.” Serena erupted in a fury. “Dad, forget it! Let’s not take her back! So what if she was a top scorer? The country is full of them! Mother can sponsor any number of smarter, more cooperative girls! Look at her, working in this dump. She can’t even focus on her studies. She’s so arrogant. In three years, she’ll never beat me on the SATs!” Steven spat in my direction. “Ungrateful little wolf.” He turned to Serena. “Let’s go ask your mother first.” After they left, I turned and saw my mother sitting on a stool, staring blankly, tears streaming down her face. “Aria,” she began, her voice trembling, “it’s all my fault. The truth is…”
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "393490", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel