I Gave Him to Her

I found my birth parents ten years too late. All they left me was a house filled with my own baby pictures and mountains of missing-child flyers bearing my face. The grief and injustice I had swallowed for twenty years erupted in that single moment. I spun around and slapped my husband, Caleb, so hard the sound echoed in the empty room. “This is your fault! All of it!” “If you hadn’t pushed for Lila to take my adoption spot, I never would have been left to rot in that place for five more years!” “For her, you let our son die. For her, you let my parents die searching for me. I will never, ever forgive you. I’ll haunt you from my grave.” That was the day we finally shattered for good. I targeted his every weakness, and he went for my jugular. It was only at the very end, as his own life faded, that he showed a flicker of remorse. He left a note, promising to make it all up to me in the next life. But when I opened my eyes again, I was a child, staring at that same, coveted adoption slot. And this time, I gave it to Lila myself. 1 “Mom, Dad, if you’re going to get me a sister, pick her! She’s a hard worker, I can tell. That way, you’ll finally have a worthy heir.” The moment I heard those words, I knew. Caleb was back, too. I thought of the suicide note he’d left behind and let out a soft, humorless laugh. He was a man of his word, I’ll give him that. In my last life, I was consumed by ambition. I was sick of being poor, helpless, of screaming into a void that never answered back. All I wanted was to be adopted by a wealthy family. I schemed and fought and clawed my way into the Graysons’ line of sight, and it worked. They were impressed with me. I was one day away from escaping that hellhole when Caleb showed up, holding Lila’s hand. He believed every lie she spun. That I bullied her. That I was a promiscuous child who seduced the staff. That I was a master manipulator, an actress… My dream shattered that day. As Caleb led Lila away, he turned to the rest of the orphanage and announced, “Clara is a curse. She’ll bring you nothing but bad luck. I’d stay away from her if I were you.” In that instant, I fell from one hell into another, where I suffered for five more years. Lila, meanwhile, became the cherished daughter of the Grayson family, cradled in the palm of their hands. Now, standing before Mr. and Mrs. Grayson, I heard this new, regretful Caleb say to me, “This time, you’ll be my sister. I’ll be good to you, I promise. You won’t have to be jealous of anyone ever again… At the very least, I won’t let you suffer here for another five years.” I understood. He was trying to soothe the ghost of my past self. He had eventually learned the truth about Lila’s lies, and the guilt had eaten him alive for decades. My five lost years were a wound he could never close. Mr. and Mrs. Grayson nodded, just like before. They liked me instantly. But this time, I wanted nothing to do with Caleb Grayson. I certainly didn’t want his charity. I was about to refuse when the door burst open. A younger Lila stumbled in, crying, her dress torn. A cut on her arm was bleeding. “Lila! What happened? Are you okay?” Lila’s eyes darted toward me, full of suspicion, before she fell to her knees before the Graysons. “Sir, Ma’am, are you here to save me? Please, I don’t want to die! I really, really don’t want to die!” She was copying me. The orphanage director was a monster. I had used that exact performance to save myself once. Lila had always been lucky, one of fate’s favorites. She’d never truly suffered, so she’d never been one of his targets. In my past life, seeing her performance made my composure crack. I had grabbed her, demanding to know what she was doing, and in doing so, earned the Graysons’ disgust. This time, the reborn Caleb knew she was lying. He knew it was an act. And yet, I saw the flicker of pity in his eyes. He couldn’t help it. “Who did this to you? I’ll make them pay.” Lila wouldn’t risk it. She was afraid that if she wasn’t chosen, she’d be left to face the director’s wrath. I blinked, then stepped forward, my voice calm. “It was the director. He likes the pretty ones. Lila is the prettiest one here.” “What? That animal!” Mr. Grayson’s hand clenched into a fist. “Oh, you poor dear. Come here, dry your tears.” Mrs. Grayson’s heart went out to her. Caleb stood beside them, his lips pressed into a thin line, his gaze lowered. I knew him too well. He had changed his mind. “Mom, Dad, let’s adopt Lila.” “Mr. and Mrs. Grayson, you should adopt Lila.” Caleb and I spoke at the exact same time. 2 “Clara, you…” Caleb stared at me, dumbfounded. He knew how desperately I had wanted to be saved, to escape this nightmare. But now… I ignored the complex guilt in his eyes and put on a mask of cool rationality. “Sir, Ma’am, I’ve always wondered what it would be like to be an only child. I’m not sure I’d want to share my new family. So, thank you, but no.” The Graysons looked startled, then disappointed. As they were leaving, Lila made a point to walk over to me. She tilted her chin up, a smug, triumphant smile on her face. “I told you, Clara. You can’t compete with me. I’m going to be a rich man’s daughter now. And you? You can stay here and rot. If you have to blame someone, blame yourself for being too stupid to call out my bluff.” Lila walked away, laughing. After she was gone, a figure emerged from the shadows in the corner of the room. A pale, handsome boy looking completely lost. Caleb looked like his entire reality had been shaken. He never imagined that his pure, innocent little victim could be so… shameless. He looked at me, his expression a tangled mess of confusion and a silent plea for help. I knew that look. He was relying on me, wanting me to come over and explain it all, to make it make sense. I turned my back on him and walked away. “Clara.” I paused for a half-second. “You’re back, too, aren’t you?” I didn’t answer. “Clara, I’m sorry. You know how it is. Lila’s just a kid. She’ll learn. She’ll change.” “Oh. Okay.” I smiled. What did that have to do with me? I had no intention of ever being involved with them again. “Clara!” A note of panic entered his voice. He grabbed my arm, frantically digging through his pockets and pulling out a handful of crumpled bills. “Here, take this. I’m sorry about this. I owe you. Within half a month… no, five days. Three days, I swear, I’ll find a way to get you out of here.” “I don’t need it.” “Clara, I will save you! Just wait for me!” Caleb rushed off, not to deny me the chance to refuse, but because Lila had tripped and cried out in pain a short distance away. I smiled to myself. Of course. Thank God I hadn’t placed a single shred of hope in Caleb Grayson. After Lila left, I don’t know what she said to the director. But his cruelty escalated. His methods grew viler, his threats more immediate, and I almost buckled under the pressure. Three days passed. Then five. Half a month… then a whole month… Caleb never came. But I did it. At the cost of a broken arm, I managed to record a video of the director’s crimes and got it to the police and a local news reporter. As the police led the director away in handcuffs, the boys who had always been his favorites surrounded me. “It was you, wasn’t it, Clara? You little snitch.” “I’m gonna kill you. The director’s gone. What are we supposed to do now? Starve?” “Get her! Kill that loud-mouthed bitch!” “Get her!” I curled into a ball, trying to protect my injured arm and my head, the pain overwhelming. I had expected this. The five boys beating me were his sons. Of course, they would defend their father. Suddenly, the lead boy picked up a rock, raising it to bring down on my head. In a flash, someone was standing over me. The rock came down. “Ah!” A cry of pain. Caleb was hurt, shielding me. 3 My eyes widened. “Caleb! Are you okay?” Blood streamed down from his forehead, blurring his vision. He wiped the blood from his face with one hand. He looked weak, but he was smiling, a look of pure joy on his face. “This time… I finally saved you. Clara, I was on time. I finally saved you!” At his words, the flicker of concern and guilt in my heart vanished. In our last life, our son, so small, so full of love for us. Because of Lila’s lies, Caleb had abandoned me and our child in the freezing wilderness. I watched our son die in my arms and then wandered like a ghost through the mountains for three days. When the rescue team found me, I had lost my mind. I dedicated my life to destroying Lila, and Caleb, naturally, protected her. We became true enemies. I knew his deepest pains, and he knew my fatal flaws. Our lives were a tangled mess of revenge and resentment for decades, until the day he lost both his legs saving me. The proud, arrogant man was confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life. Overwhelmed with guilt, I had decided to let go of the past and truly be with him. But he used his sacrifice as a weapon. Pale and weak in his hospital bed, he had looked at me with red-rimmed eyes and begged, “Clara, for the sake of my legs… let Lila go.” In that moment, my soul evaporated. I remember the silent tears streaming down my face as I whispered, “Okay. I promise.” Now, in the orphanage yard, Caleb was ecstatic. Even with his head bleeding, he wouldn’t let go of my hand. “Clara, I told you I’d protect you.” The next second, I was shoved to the ground. Smack— Lila slapped me hard across the face, again and again. “You’re a curse! Stay away from my brother! He’s my brother!” She gently helped Caleb to his feet. “Lila, don’t do this. Apologize to Clara. Now.” At that, Lila burst into tears. Caleb could never stand to see her cry. He immediately started cooing, comforting her. I ignored the triumphant smirk on Lila’s face, dusted myself off, and turned to leave. “Stop! Who said you could go, you curse?” Lila’s spoiled nature was on full display. “Stay away from my brother. I won’t let you hurt him.” “Lila!” As I turned back, Caleb instinctively stepped in front of her, shielding her from me. He always thought I would hurt Lila. He always forgot that I was the one in the more precarious position. I rattled off a few names and a string of numbers. Lila was clueless. It meant nothing to her. Her glare only intensified. But Caleb understood. It was the beginning of his parents’ financial decline. In our past life, I was the one who managed the Grayson family business. It took me years of work, connections, and money to uncover that information. “Clara, you…” “Thank you for saving me today. But don’t do it again. Caleb, I don’t owe you anything. I hope you’ll keep your distance from me from now on.” “…” Caleb was speechless, as if his soul had been ripped out. He couldn’t process it. He probably never imagined that the woman who had loved him so deeply in one life would want nothing more than to be rid of him in this one. 4 Soon, the state took over the orphanage. They improved the facilities, hired new, professional staff. The old director was sentenced to five years, which meant all of us kids were spared five years of his abuse. The other children, the ones who had both bullied and protected me in our past life, now saw the benefits I had brought them. They started to flock around me, trying to win my favor. And the director’s five sons? They became the new targets of the bullying. I watched, satisfied. I’ve always been one to repay my debts. The next month, Caleb came to find me in a hurry. He said Lila had been sick, and he’d been too busy taking care of her to see me. He looked down, apologizing. He was always like this. Choosing Lila, abandoning me, and then offering a crumb of warmth… like dangling a carrot in front of a donkey. “Clara, I found a school for you. And a family that’s willing to adopt you.” “That’s not necessary. Thank you,” I said, my tone polite but distant. The state had already arranged for all of us to attend a local public school. And as luck would have it, Lila and I were in the same class. Within three days, the entire grade knew the rumor that I had “seduced the 40-year-old orphanage director.” Boys would tug on my bra strap in the hallway; girls would shoot me looks of disgust and ostracize me. Soon, they had a nickname for me: “The Group Home Slut.” The insults were constant. This was all Lila’s doing. I checked the time. My birth parents, whom I had painstakingly managed to contact, should be arriving in the country to get me any day now. Feeling emboldened, during a break between classes, Lila threw her pencil case at the back of my head. “Hey, Slut,” she yelled. “Nice new shirt. Which old man did you have to screw to get that?” The class erupted in laughter. “Yeah, what a whore.” “So trashy…” I stood up and walked directly to her desk. Under her smug, defiant gaze, I grabbed a handful of her hair and dragged her towards the janitor’s closet. “Ah! Ahhh! Let go of me! Let me go!” I gave her a vicious smile. “Your mouth is so filthy. Always making up names for me. Lila, you and I both came from that orphanage. The Graysons wanted to adopt me first. I’m the one who gave you my spot! The director was after you first. I’m the one who protected you. And this is how you repay me? With rumors and bullying? You ungrateful little snake.” “No! Ah! No—” The moment she opened her mouth, I shoved her head into the dirty mop bucket. I started talking faster, listing all of her two-faced deeds—how she’d turned friends against each other, spread rumors that forced our last teacher to quit… As I spoke, the other students stopped trying to intervene. Some even cheered. Others started whispering, confirming my stories among themselves. It was all true. “Clara, don’t you dare hurt Lila!” Someone charged at me from behind. I lost my balance and fell. My left arm, the one that had just healed, hit the ground hard. My face went white. I thought I heard the bone snap again. Caleb helped Lila up, then saw me on the floor, his face a mask of shock and regret. Lila clung to him, sobbing. “Brother, get her expelled! Clara bullied me! Make them expel her!” “Okay, brother promises.” A bitter laugh escaped my lips. “Of course. You’re as predictable as ever, Caleb.” Caleb looked down. “Clara, you were in the wrong first. Besides, I’ll make it up to you.” “You won’t have to. Because I…” Our teacher burst into the room, beaming, oblivious to the tension. “Clara!” she announced loudly. “Your birth parents are here to see you! They said they’re taking you abroad to live with them!”

? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "394359", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel