Chapter 1: Cutting Ties After Rebirth
“Eliza Simpson, are you going to admit your mistake or not?”
Eliza Simpson’s nose and mouth were submerged in water, her throat burning from the choking sensation.
She opened her eyes, gasping for air, and saw Erick Simpson standing by the poolside, along with Jose Simpson, who was holding Shayna Compton.
A flash of confusion crossed her eyes—this scene felt eerily familiar.
Hadn’t she died?
Was she reborn three years ago, on the very day Shayna Compton was officially adopted into the Simpson family?
At the party, Shayna had deliberately set her up, making everyone believe that Eliza had pushed her into the water.
Jose was the first to notice, but he only saved Shayna, leaving Eliza, who couldn’t swim, to struggle in the water.
Erick was now demanding that she admit her mistake, as if he wouldn’t save her unless she did.
Desperate, Eliza pleaded for help, but it wasn’t until she was on the brink of drowning that she was finally pulled out.
From that day on, she lived in fear of Shayna, carefully trying to please her brothers, but what did it get her in the end?
Shayna stole her thesis, and Erick testified against her, branding her a plagiarist and getting her expelled.
When Shayna needed a kidney transplant, Brady Simpson personally escorted Eliza to the operating room to donate hers.
When Shayna needed international competition accolades to boost her reputation, Jose, Ryder, and Greyson Simpson didn’t hesitate to kick Eliza off the team.
Eliza had even uncovered evidence of Shayna’s plagiarism and forged medical records, presenting it to Austin to expose her.
But no one believed her. They didn’t even bother to look at the evidence.
Austin Simpson banished her from the family, leaving her to fend for herself on the streets, penniless and broken.
As the memories flooded back, Eliza stopped struggling and let herself sink to the bottom of the pool.
She opened her eyes, expressionless, as if she were already dead.
She watched her brothers gathered around Shayna on the poolside, and even now, her heart ached with the same piercing pain.
How laughable.
Her own brothers cared more for an outsider than their own sister.
Erick Simpson had been focused on Shayna until he noticed the absence of Eliza’s splashing. He turned to the pool and saw Eliza lying motionless at the bottom.
His face turned pale. “Eliza!”
Without hesitation, he jumped into the water.
Shayna, seeing Eliza sink, couldn’t hide the gleam of satisfaction in her eyes. She feigned weakness, tugging at Jose’s sleeve.
“Jose, I should go help Eliza. It’s my fault she fell in.”
Jose, already concerned, quickly reassured her. “Don’t be silly. Erick’s got it covered. Eliza brought this on herself. She’ll be fine.”
He glanced at the pool, his expression conflicted.
Eliza, still underwater, watched Erick swim toward her, his face filled with genuine worry.
But she didn’t care anymore.
She didn’t need his rescue.
With a cold smirk, she turned and swam to the surface.
After the drowning incident in her past life, Erick had forced her to learn how to swim alongside Shayna.
Despite her trauma, she pushed through her fear to please him, but in the end, he only praised Shayna for overcoming her own fears.
No one cared about the lasting scars Eliza carried from that day.
Erick’s eyes were always on Shayna.
“Eliza Simpson, what are you playing at now? Do you think pretending to drown will erase what you’ve done?”
Erick blocked her path, his tone laced with irritation.
Eliza looked up at him, her heart heavy.
She used to adore Erick—he was the only one who showed her any kindness in a family dominated by Austin’s strictness.
But now, all she saw in his eyes was disdain.
Shayna’s soft voice broke the tension. “Erick, it’s not Eliza’s fault. I know she’s never accepted me as part of the family. I shouldn’t have expected so much. Please don’t fight because of me. You’re all so important to me.”
Jose glared at Eliza. “Are you happy now? If it weren’t for her father saving your life, she wouldn’t be an orphan. We should’ve let you drown back then!”
Erick frowned. “Eliza, you need to understand. Shayna is family now. This is what we owe her—what you owe her.”
“Erick, she’s ungrateful. If she had any sense, she wouldn’t have pushed Shayna into the water. Darren would’ve been better off saving a dog than her!”
Eliza felt as if she were standing in a desolate wasteland, cold to her core.
If she could, she’d wish she’d never been saved.
Gritting her teeth against the burning pain in her lungs, she rasped, “You’re right. It’s my fault. It won’t happen again.”
Because she wouldn’t make the same mistakes.
If they wanted Shayna as their sister, she’d step aside.
“Eliza, you did it on purpose? Do you realize Shayna could’ve died?”
Erick’s disappointment was palpable.
Eliza didn’t respond. She just stood there, shivering and pale, as the family doctor arrived.
Jose snapped at her, “You’d better pray Shayna’s okay, or Austin will make you regret this.”
Erick hesitated, glancing back at Eliza’s drenched, trembling figure.
“Go change your clothes. The party’s about to start.”
Eliza waited until they were gone before doubling over in a fit of coughing, her lungs on fire.
She swallowed the metallic taste in her mouth and dragged herself back to her room.
Sinking into the bathtub, she closed her eyes, recalling her past life—how she’d been driven to the brink, how she’d tried to kill Shayna but failed.
Austin had locked her in a mental institution, where Shayna’s hired caretakers had tortured her to death.
Eliza laughed, a hollow, chilling sound.
She opened her eyes, her gaze cold and resolute.
After changing, Eliza looked around her room, feeling a strange detachment.
In her past life, this room had eventually been given to Shayna, while she was relegated to a smaller space.
Her eyes fell on a family photo on the desk—a young couple holding a baby, surrounded by six boys.
Her parents had died in a car accident when she was young, and the driver, Shayna’s father, had died trying to save them.
Austin had taken Shayna in, raising her alongside Eliza.
But everything had changed since Shayna’s arrival.
Her brothers had all turned their attention to Shayna.
“Shayna’s health is fragile. I’ve hired a chef to prepare meals tailored to her needs. Eliza, make sure she eats properly.”
“Eliza Simpson, Shayna wants to learn painting. Since you’ve already mastered it, let her take your lessons.”
“Eliza Simpson, step down from the competition. Let Shayna represent the school—she’s been preparing for this.”
“Eliza Simpson, Shayna’s grades are low. Apply to the same university as her so you can look out for her.”
Eliza clutched her head, the memories flooding back, each one a sharp stab to her heart.
She took shallow breaths, forcing the pain down.
This time, she wanted nothing to do with the Simpson family.
She packed her belongings, her resolve hardening.
A knock came at the door. “Mr. Simpson, the party’s starting. The second young master asked you to come down.”
“Got it.”
Eliza opened the door and strode toward the bustling venue.
The servant stared after her, muttering, “What is Mr. Simpson wearing? Has she lost her mind?”
At the party, Shayna stood in a white evening gown, her black hair cascading over her shoulders, the picture of innocence.
Erick and Jose stood beside her, their gazes warm and affectionate.
The scene was picture-perfect.
Erick couldn’t help but think of Eliza, wishing she could be as gentle and obedient as Shayna.
But Eliza had grown increasingly rebellious over the years.
“Eliza Simpson is here!”
