In the book, I was the kind-hearted adoptive mother who took in two orphaned sisters and nurtured the older one into a master pianist. Once she achieved fame and fortune, she publicly claimed that being adopted by me robbed her of her childhood, leaving her with nothing but endless piano practice. Overnight, I became the most despised "monster mother" on the internet. After I died in a car crash, those two sisters drove my biological daughter to suicide and stole my entire fortune. The day I transmigrated into this book, I was at the orphanage looking for a playmate for my daughter. The "prodigy" girl stared at me stubbornly. "Ma'am, if you don't adopt my sister too, I won't go with you." "Then stay here," I said coldly. 01 After I rejected her, Bella clenched her little sister Mia's hand, staring at me with pleading eyes. I glanced at Mia, then looked back at Bella. "Your last name is Smith, and hers is Jones. You aren't real sisters, are you?" Bella immediately took a half-step forward, shielding Mia completely. "Ma'am, Mia looks up to me like a big sister." Losing her earlier defiance, she softened her voice, "Please, adopt both of us!" "Mommy." Mia ran out from behind Bella and hugged my waist. "Please! Take us with you!" I didn't respond. Bella's eyes darted around, then landed on my biological daughter, Melody, standing beside me. "Melody, didn't you want a friend to play with?" "Mia and I can play with you. Wouldn't that be fun?" Melody clutched the hem of my shirt tightly, her lips pressed together. In the book, Melody was obedient and quiet. As she grew up, she was bullied and driven to a mental breakdown by these "good sisters," eventually fleeing the state. It wasn't until my husband and I died in a car crash that Melody rushed back for one last look. But she was blocked at the funeral home by Bella's people. Mia pointed her finger at Melody's nose and screamed in front of everyone: "You never came back while Mom and Dad were alive!" "Now you come back pretending to be a dutiful daughter? You just want to fight for the inheritance!" Right now, they were acting sweet and innocent, but the moment I adopted them, they would team up to target Melody. I looked at the two kids and remained silent. The director hurriedly told the staff to take them outside. "Mrs. Miller, these two are very close. They just don't want to be separated." The director smiled apologetically at me. "I'll go talk to them. Bella is a sensible girl. She'll go with you." I wasn't the original host of this body; I could see right through Bella's manipulation. All she had to do was flap her lips, and boom—she'd drag Mia along with her, securing a loyal henchwoman in my house. Even better, by making the director "persuade" her, she would look like she was forced to accept the adoption, earning a reputation as a selfless, devoted sister. "Director, forget it!" I glanced at Bella, who was hiding outside the door. "I originally came here to find a companion for my daughter. "If we forcibly separate those two, the one I adopt will harbor resentment. She'll just end up bullying my daughter in the future." The director's face changed slightly. "How could that be!" "The fact that Bella made that request proves she's a deeply loyal child! If you're good to her, I'm sure she'll repay you when she grows up!" "Repay?" I patted Melody's head. "I have my own child. I didn't come here looking for a return on investment." In the book, I threw endless money and resources at Bella, turning her into a master pianist. I also set Mia up with a glamorous corporate job. And the result? Once they became successful, they completely forgot about me, their adoptive mother. We lived in the same city, yet they never visited or even called. During an interview, Bella publicly declared that her childhood under my supervision was nothing but endless, joyless piano practice. Overnight, I became the internet's most hated "monster mother." To clear our heads, my husband and I drove out to see Melody, but we got into a car accident and both died. After our deaths, Bella and Mia immediately returned to fight Melody for the estate, teaming up to drive her to suicide. Thinking of this, I didn't want to stay another second. I took Melody's hand and left. I really wanted to see how high those two sisters could climb without my resources. 02 When we got home, my husband, Arthur Miller, looked past Melody and me, searching behind us. "Where is she?" "Weren't you going to pick up that girl? Why is it just you two?" I bent down to take off my shoes. "She didn't want to come." "Impossible!" Arthur blurted out. "I had an agreement with her." I looked up at him. Arthur was a renowned pianist. He was obsessed with finding a prodigy to inherit his legacy. He had forced Melody onto a piano bench before she was even three years old. Now ten, the tips of her fingers were covered in thick calluses, but all she ever got from him was a dismissive, "You have no soul." This trip to the orphanage was supposedly to find a playmate for Melody, but it was actually to adopt Bella, whom Arthur had his eye on. Last week, he had performed at a charity event at the orphanage. After he finished a piece, Bella, who had been standing in the corner, stepped forward and played it back almost perfectly. She only missed three notes. Arthur's eyes lit up instantly. "Do you want to be my student?" Bella nodded eagerly, but then nervously mentioned that kids at the orphanage weren't allowed to just leave whenever they wanted. That night, Arthur came home and said to me, "Melody is too lonely. Let's adopt a kid to keep her company." When I read the book, I didn't understand why he didn't just say he wanted an apprentice. Instead, he used Melody as a constant foil for Bella, comparing them until Melody was so bitterly disappointed in this family that she left. Since he was still lying to me, I played dumb. "The girl said so herself." "Unless we take her 'sister' from the orphanage too, she absolutely refuses to come with us." Arthur froze. I looked displeased. "I originally agreed to adopt a child because I thought you were too strict with Melody, and I wanted her to have a friend. "But if that girl insists on bringing someone else, what happens when they team up to bully Melody?" "Don't assume the worst of people." Arthur brushed it off. "It's just an extra kid! Taking them both back is no big deal. It's just another mouth to feed." "Adopting a child isn't like shopping at a buy-one-get-one-free sale!" I glared at him. "Arthur, I do not agree to adopting those two girls." Arthur stared at me like I was a stranger. At that moment, a cold little hand gently grabbed mine. Melody was trembling slightly. I squeezed her hand tightly and turned to lead her upstairs. 03 The next day, I was wearing an apron, cooking in the kitchen. Arthur came home, followed by a skinny little figure. It was Bella. She peeked at me timidly and whispered, "Auntie." I didn't respond, staring straight at Arthur. He patted her shoulder and said gently, "Bella, this is your home from now on." Only then did he look at me. "This kid has a gift for music. It would be a tragedy not to nurture it, so I brought her home." "So, saying you wanted to find a playmate for Melody was a lie?" I slammed my kitchen knife onto the counter. "Is it really that hard to just admit you wanted an apprentice?" "What did you want me to say?" Arthur's face darkened. "Did you want me to tell you that your biological daughter has zero talent? You would have just thrown a fit." "Why would I throw a fit?" I scoffed. "You didn't pass your musical genes down to your daughter. Shouldn't you reflect on yourself first?" In the book, Arthur always blamed me for Melody's lack of musical talent. If he wanted to gaslight me now, I was going to throw it right back in his face. Arthur's eyes widened in shock. "What are you looking at? Did I make this kid by myself?" I rolled my eyes at him. "Since you look down on Melody so much, starting today, she doesn't need to practice piano anymore." "Nonsense! She's been practicing for years. How can she just quit?!" "Didn't you say she had no soul?" I picked up the knife and aggressively smashed a clove of garlic. "Now that you have a star pupil, do you just want my daughter sitting there as a prop to make her look better?" Arthur's face turned pale. "What the hell are you talking about?! I would never use Melody as a prop." "Auntie, I don't have to learn piano from Mr. Miller." Bella quickly chimed in from the side. "I just want a place to eat in this house. That's all." Before Arthur could promise her anything, I stared him down. "If you force Melody to keep practicing piano, this kid is not stepping foot in this house." "Choose." 04 Arthur chose to keep Bella. When Melody came home from school and found out she didn't have to practice piano anymore, her eyes lit up. Then, she looked at Bella. "Are you going to change your last name to Miller?" Bella immediately shook her head. "I'm keeping my mom's last name. It's the only thing I have left of her." "Keeping your mother's maiden name, huh." I glanced at Arthur. The book mentioned that his first love was also a Smith. "It's just a last name. It doesn't matter," Arthur interjected smoothly. Bella looked up at him and smiled. "Thank you, Dad." I studied them. Their facial features weren't particularly similar. But just in case, I took hair samples from both of them and secretly sent them for a paternity test. The results came back exactly as I suspected: they were not biologically related. I put the report in my bag and went home. As soon as I opened the door, I heard Mia's shrill voice from the living room. "I'll hit you, you hear me?!" I didn't alert them. I stood in the entryway and watched Mia point aggressively at Melody. "If it wasn't for putting Bella in a tough spot, I would've ripped your face off!" "You broke my stuff, and now you're trying to hit me?" Melody was shaking with anger. "What 'your stuff'? Since Mr. Miller adopted Bella, this is her house too!" "Alright, stop arguing." Bella intervened softly, turning to Melody. "Sister, I didn't know that doll was yours. I saw Mia liked it, so I let her play with it." "Before you guys came here, I was the only child in this house." Melody fought back tears. "If the doll isn't mine, whose could it be?" "You're just jealous that Mr. Miller is teaching Bella piano." Mia suddenly shoved Melody hard. "Who cares about your stupid doll! It's your fault you don't have any talent!" With that, she threw the doll on the floor and aggressively stomped on it with her shoe. Melody fell to the floor. Red-eyed, she tried to scramble up to hit Mia, but Mia kicked her leg, tripping her again. I rushed over and pulled Melody up. Seeing me, she threw herself into my arms and burst into tears. In the book, because she was afraid of causing arguments between Arthur and me, she always swallowed the abuse silently. The two "sisters" purposely bullied her when I wasn't looking, and even set up traps to make it look like Melody was the one bullying them. Mia panicked when she saw me. When she realized what was happening, she tried to hug me. "Mom! You're back!" "Don't call me that." I shoved her away. "Since when do I have a daughter like you?" Mia stumbled and hit the living room wall, bursting into loud, obnoxious tears. 05 Arthur came out of his study and looked at Melody. "What's all this noise?" I sneered. "So you are home!" "Those two teamed up to bully Melody, and you're deaf?!" Arthur's face darkened. "Watch your tone." "Melody is an only child; she doesn't know how to share. Both of these kids are younger than her. What's wrong with letting them have their way?" I walked over and slapped him hard across the face. Then, I raised my leg and kicked him to the floor. He groaned in pain, unable to get up for a long moment. The three kids were stunned. Bella and Mia covered their mouths in terror. Melody snapped out of it and tried to go help him. "Don't." I stopped Melody. "Save yourself the trouble before your confused dad takes his anger out on you." I pulled the paternity test report out of my bag and threw it at Arthur. "Anyone else would think Bella was your biological daughter." "Your actual daughter gets bullied by two orphans right in front of you, and you take their side?" Arthur looked down and flipped open the report. A few seconds later, his head snapped up, his face even more furious. "Avery! Have you lost your mind?!" "This paper says Bella and I have no biological relation!" "You did this behind my back? Do you have any respect for me?!" "Respect? I didn't agree to adopt Bella, but you brought her home anyway." I pointed at the terrified Mia. "And while I was out, you brought another one back." "She pointed right at Melody's face and called her talentless, saying she deserved to be ignored by you! And you hid in your study." "Arthur, since the day I married you, what have I ever done to cause you stress?" "But you? Besides calling your daughter stupid and useless, what have you ever done?" "If it wasn't for you constantly belittling her, do you think these two orphaned girls, who haven't even been in this house for a minute, would dare to trample all over her?!" Arthur's pupils shrank. Bella's face turned pale, and she bit her lip, terrified to make a sound. Melody stood beside me, trembling at first. But as she listened to my words, she slowly straightened her back, looking at her father with a quiet, almost unfamiliar gaze. I pulled out the divorce papers I had drafted earlier and placed them on the coffee table. "Sign it." "There's no place for my daughter and me in this house anymore." "Keep your precious prodigy and your pitiful orphan. I'm taking my daughter." I grabbed the luggage I had packed earlier and led Melody toward the door. Arthur scrambled up from the floor, roaring, "Avery! Are you using divorce to force me to send Bella away?" "Mia is just here as a guest! I haven't filed any adoption papers for her!" Seeing that I didn't stop, he raised his voice. "It's easy for you to take Melody now, but it won't be so easy to support her on your own!" I looked back at him. "Arthur, I'm not asking for a divorce to force you to send anyone away." "I actually want a divorce." He froze, looking like he didn't understand. I didn't explain further. I held Melody's hand and walked out the door. 06 I walked away from the Miller house with Melody, never looking back. She was very quiet the whole way, her small hand tightly gripping the hem of my shirt. It wasn't until I brought her into the apartment I had rented that she looked up and gently hugged me. "Mom." She sounded anxious. "Did you really divorce Dad just for me?" I knelt down and looked into her eyes. "Not just for you. For both of us." "A home shouldn't make you feel like you have to hold your breath." I smoothed her hair. "Mom just wants to watch you grow up happily. You can become whatever you want. If you don't like something, that's perfectly fine." She buried her face in my chest and softly called me "Mom." In the book, Arthur was also a pawn. He exhausted all his energy turning Bella into a star, only to be stabbed in the back. After transmigrating, I had considered changing his fate. But he stubbornly insisted on adopting Bella, and today, he sat in the house while those girls bullied Melody. It made me realize that not all storylines can be completely overturned. I didn't consider telling Arthur the original plot. If he thought I was crazy and threw me in a psych ward, my transmigration would be pointless. Leaving that house—even though my bank account was low—I knew that my knowledge of the plot would allow me to give Melody a great life. 07 A few days later, Melody came home from school, her eyes shining as she looked at me. "Mom." Her voice carried a rare chirp of excitement. "My music teacher said I sing really well." "She also said she wants to recommend me for the city vocal competition." "What do we need to prepare?" I asked with a smile. She instinctively pressed her lips together and gripped her shirt—her nervous habit. "But." Her voice dropped. "Dad always said I didn't inherit his musical talent." "What if I don't win an award?" I patted her head. "It's about participating!" "Besides, you already passed your Level 10 piano certification this year." "Melody, it's not that you don't have musical talent." "It's that your dad's standards are too narrow. If your music teacher wants to recommend you for a competition, she definitely sees your strengths." She looked at me, her eyes slowly turning red, and nodded firmly. That night, after watching TV, I walked past Melody's room and heard singing. I leaned against the wall outside, not going in to disturb her. Even if a child truly has talent, if they are never seen or validated by the people closest to them, they will be like a dusty crystal, slowly losing their light. That light might be hidden in a hesitant, cautious attempt, or in a warm, encouraging smile. A parent's eyes shouldn't be those of a judge. They should be the first ones clapping for their child. 08 Five years after my divorce from Arthur, my stock investments paid off. Not only did I buy a luxury condo, but I also opened a flower shop. Melody won the city vocal competition championship back then and got into a top-tier high school. Afraid of Bella's "main character" plot armor bouncing back, I enrolled Melody in MMA classes. She grew taller, more confident, and vibrant. She was no longer the little girl who shrank back when her father called her useless. I occasionally thought about the insecure Melody from the book. She wasn't untalented; her father was just too eager for her to succeed, and her mother blindly followed his lead. Add in the two "sisters" trying to steal her adoptive parents, and they constantly smothered her light. I never planned on seeing Bella again. Until she pushed open the door of my flower shop and walked in timidly. The fifteen-year-old girl actually looked more haggard than Melody, who was currently a high school senior. She was swimming in an old, oversized coat I had left behind years ago. The cuffs were frayed. "Auntie." She approached me cautiously. "Mr. Miller misses you and Melody a lot. When are you going to come home and visit him?" "Does he not have a mouth, or does he not have legs?" I snipped a flower stem. "You're the one who wants me to come back, aren't you? After all, living with a man who only cares about music can't be easy." "Auntie, I admit I was greedy back then. I wanted Mia to have a home too. "I figured adopting two of us was just adding an extra plate to the table for you. I never expected you to divorce him." "Did you come here today to criticize me?" I put down the shears and looked at her. "No." Bella shook her head frantically. "It's been five years, and Mr. Miller still can't get used to my cooking." I stared at the cracked shoes on her feet, realizing that Arthur only cared about having a talented prodigy; he completely neglected their actual care. In the book, whenever I bought something for Melody, I bought the exact same thing for Bella. I also gave her an allowance every month. But after I left, Arthur's world fell apart. After the divorce, he threw himself entirely into his music and didn't care about the household at all. Forget about food and clothes—he didn't even know how to pay the utility bills. Five years ago, when I left with Melody, he was certain I'd come crawling back begging him. Instead, I bought a house, opened a business, and thrived. He had tried to reconcile with a condescending attitude, but I rejected him. I heard later that he dumped all the household chores onto Bella, who was only eight at the time. But what did her miserable life have to do with me? I definitely didn't want that mess back. "Didn't Arthur adopt Mia?" I rejected her directly. "You got your wish. And now you want to guilt-trip me into coming back to take care of you?" "No, I just..." "Don't come back." I pointed at the door. "My divorce has nothing to do with him adopting you." Bella looked at me, full of grievance. "But you came to the orphanage to adopt me back then. "Are you saying you hate me just because I suggested adopting Mia too?" She looked down. "When I said that back then, I just wanted to look like a kind-hearted kid." Even now, Bella was still trying to guilt-trip me. "A truly kind kid doesn't put others in a difficult position." I smiled and patted her head. "Go back. Don't let Arthur worry about you."
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