Reborn Without the Will to Love

I arrived at the rumored Soul Shop.

I sold my ability to love in exchange for a chance to be reborn.

When I saw my parents bring my adopted sister through the door again, I didn't fall apart like I did in my past life.

In this life, my parents' indifference, my brother's disgust, my fianc's betrayal.

I don't care about any of it anymore.

But why are they holding me and crying like their hearts are broken?

Anna's POV

I arrived at the rumored Soul Shop.

I sold my ability to love in exchange for a chance to be reborn.

When I saw my parents bring my adopted sister through the door again, I didn't fall apart like I did in my past life.

In this life, my parents' indifference, my brother's disgust, my fianc's betrayal.

I don't care about any of it anymore.

But why are they holding me and crying so heartbroken again?

"Anna, what are you daydreaming about? Our new sister is about to arrive, let's go downstairs to meet her!"

Hearing that name again, I was stunned for a moment.

I hadn't been called "Anna" for six or seven years.

I turned to look at Jackson beside me and found that he had indeed returned to his twelve-year-old self.

The young boy wore a well-fitted suit, his face full of anticipation as he stared at the staircase.

One hand was still clutching my arm.

I looked at his slender, clean hand.

But all I could think of was the handprint he'd leave on my face when he was older.

I frowned and immediately shook him off.

Jackson's expression froze. He looked at me in confusion.

"Anna, what's wrong?"

The next moment, the mansion's front door slowly opened.

My parents' voices carried over.

"Jackson, Anna, come down quickly! We've brought your sister home!"

Jackson's eyes lit up, and he immediately left me behind and ran downstairs alone.

I stood at the top of the stairs, watching the harmonious family of four below.

I pressed my hand against my heart.

How strange.

It tingled.

But there was no longer that knife-like pain.

Jackson and I are twins.

For the first twelve years, the family only had the two of us.

Our parents and elders treasured us like pearls.

Jackson was only two hours older than me. He still acted like a real big brother, always letting me have my way.

They spoiled me into a true little princess.

Someone once joked with my dad.

"With your daughter's temper, it's lucky you arranged her engagement with Ethan early. Otherwise, when she grows up, no one would dare marry her."

My dad's face immediately darkened.

"My daughter wasn't born to be married off to anyone. If no one will marry her, she'll stay home for life! I can afford to support her!"

Mom and Jackson said nothing, just kept piling good things beside me.

They spoiled me until I was completely out of control.

A bracelet worth over three million dollars was the most ordinary birthday gift I received back then.

It was also the last birthday gift I ever received.

When I was twelve, one of my father's old comrades-in-arms passed away from illness.

On his deathbed, he entrusted his only daughter to him.

That girl named Chloe became my nominal sister.

From then on, my family's affection, trust, and attention gradually slipped away from me.

I admit it. I hated her.

I was jealous of her!

I was jealous that she could shed two tears and have the whole family rushing around like ants on a hot pan.

Jealous that she stole everything I had, bit by bit.

I became increasingly paranoid.

I grew more volatile and withdrawn.

Finally, at my eighteenth birthday party, I caught her kissing my fianc Ethan in the garden.

I completely lost my mind.

I questioned my parents, my brother, my lover...

"Why are you doing this to me?"

But they just looked at me with almost identical eyes of disappointment.

"Do you know what you look like right now? You're absolutely insane!"

I laughed until tears came out.

The pain in my chest made my whole body tremble.

I grabbed a knife and lunged at Chloe, but Jackson kicked me into a rose bush full of thorns.

Everyone nervously protected Chloe, comforting and coaxing her not to cry.

No one cared that what I held in my hand was just a plastic cake knife...

My parents locked me in a psychiatric hospital, claiming I had mental problems.

Jackson must have injured me with that kick.

I coughed up blood day and night.

Over and over, I begged the doctors to call my parents.

But they never answered. Not once.

Finally, after yet another electroshock treatment, I took my last breath.

And that's when I saw it, the rumored Soul Shop.

With all my emotions, my ability to love, I bought a chance to be reborn.

Anna's POV

"Anna, come here! Haven't you been looking forward to having a sister?"

My mom held Chloe's hand, standing at the door and waving at me with a smile.

Chloe lifted her pale little face and greeted me obediently.

But I had no reaction.

I turned and went back to my room.

Leaving everyone in the living room looking at each other.

My dad sighed helplessly.

"What's gotten into that child? Who upset her now?"

My mom sounded awkward.

"Maybe she's just not used to having a sister in the house yet. It's fine, I'll go coax her in a bit."

Chloe's voice carried a sob.

"Mom, Dad, does Anna not like me?"

Before my parents could respond, Jackson eagerly spoke up.

"No, no, Anna just has a big temper, but her heart isn't bad. Don't cry, don't be sad. I'll go talk to her for you later!"

My parents beamed.

"Jackson is so sensible. You must take good care of Chloe!"

Their laughter kept drifting into my room.

Once again, I thought the soundproofing in this mansion was really terrible.

I didn't like it.

It was annoyingly loud.

I simply stood up and started taking inventory of my belongings.

Too much time had passed. I couldn't remember what I owned at age twelve.

Looking carefully now, I was truly wealthy to a staggering degree.

No wonder Chloe loved stealing my things so much.

Even my grown-up self... couldn't help feeling a bit jealous.

I picked up the jewelry on my vanity and stuffed it all into my backpack.

I had to take it now, or Chloe would find various excuses to take it away soon enough.

I looked at the bracelet in my hand and remembered the scene from my previous life when Chloe smashed it.

That was the first time I slapped her.

The red-eyed little girl cowered behind the door, her voice sounding as aggrieved as if I had broken her possession.

"Anna, I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to... I've never had things like these. I just wanted to look at it, I... I didn't hold it steady..."

She burst into tears, drawing my parents and Jackson.

That was the first time I went crazy and hit someone, and the first time my dad locked me up.

Chloe clung to my mom's leg, crying so hard she nearly passed out, yet she still had time to look up and make faces at me...

I pointed at her accusingly, and the next second, Jackson shoved me hard into my room.

"Anna! Can't you have some sympathy? Chloe is so pitiful! How can you bully her? It's just a bracelet. You have countless others! What's wrong with giving it to her?"

I bit my lip, desperately swallowing the sob that rose to my throat.

Just a bracelet?

No!

That was the birthday gift Jackson bought me with his first prize money from a creative competition!

But he had forgotten...

Starting that year, I never received another birthday gift. Even the stream of dolls, clothes, and jewelry that used to flow into my room all got redirected to Chloe's room instead.

Just because she said, "The kids at school all laugh at me, saying I'm skinny and have no taste, not bright and beautiful like Anna. I look like a little monkey..."

She was lying!

It was clearly Jackson who led the whole class to isolate me!

He knew everything.

But he didn't defend me.

He watched as my parents grew more and more disappointed in me.

More and more partial to their adopted daughter with her tragic background...

By the time I finished packing all my belongings.

Someone finally knocked gently on my door.

"Anna? Sweetheart, come out for dinner."

My mom was patient, her voice impossibly gentle.

I didn't respond.

I just opened the door and let her lead me to the living room.

Chloe sat in my usual spot, looking uncomfortable.

My dad and Jackson were both helping arrange her place setting.

I turned to look at my mom.

"Am I eating on the floor?"

Everyone froze.

My mom's hand holding mine unconsciously tightened.

"How could that be? Its my fault. I forgot to set up a chair for you. Where's the maid? Get Anna a chair quickly."

Chloe hesitantly stood up, her big innocent eyes instantly filling with tears.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know this was your seat. I... I'll give it to you!"

Jackson quickly stood and pressed her back down, looking at me reproachfully.

"Anna, it's the same wherever you sit. Chloe just got here. Don't scare her! At worst, you can sit on my left! I'll sit between you two, okay?"

My parents said nothing, instead watching for my reaction.

Wasn't this just tacit approval?

I sneered inwardly.

Really, so childish.

The whole family was putting on a performance, but their acting was extraordinarily terrible.

It was enough to kill my appetite.

I took the chair from the maid and pulled it to the very corner of the dining table, far away from all of them.

Jackson paused mid-pour as he filled Chloe's water glass. He looked at me several times, seeming to want to say something, but ultimately said nothing.

We finished the meal in this bizarre atmosphere.

As I got up to go upstairs, my dad stopped me.

He looked somewhat uncomfortable, clearing his throat before speaking with a smile.

"Anna, Chloe is a year younger than you and Jackson. You're the older siblings, so you need to look after her more. She just lost her birth parents and is very traumatized. We're her family now. We should take care of her."

My mom chimed in.

"That's right. Mom knows you might not be used to having a sister yet, but look how sweet Chloe is. If you spend more time together, you'll definitely grow closer."

The two of them kept making eye signals across the table.

Clearly, neither wanted to be the first to broach whatever came next.

I was getting impatient.

My voice was cold.

"So?"

My mom looked stunned by my question.

Perhaps she'd never heard me speak to her in such an icy tone before and didn't know how to respond for a moment.

My dad took a sip of water and spoke with a smile.

"Anna, Chloe just transferred here. Her physical and mental state aren't good, and we're really worried. How about you and Jackson both repeat a grade to go to school with Chloe? Sound good?"

As if to make it more convincing, he quickly added.

"Jackson already agreed. We're just waiting for you."

I looked at Jackson.

He kept his head down, not daring to meet my eyes.

Anna's POV

Here we go again.

It was the same in my previous life.

They made Jackson and me, who were already in seventh grade, go back to sixth grade to accompany her.

A year later, Ethan, who had grown close to Chloe, also transferred into our class under the pretext of wanting to take care of me...

From then on, the three of them performed various little dramas in class every day.

They framed me for bullying Chloe, getting me ostracized by the entire class.

How wonderful.

Too bad I didn't want to play such boring games with elementary schoolers anymore.

It was a complete waste of life.

I tilted my head.

"Does she need two servants just to attend school?"

My dad was so shocked he dropped his fork.

"A-Anna, what did you say?"

"I said, since Jackson is already willing to serve her, there's no need to force me too, right?"

My mom grabbed my arm, her face full of shock.

"Anna, what are you talking about? What do you mean serve? Mom and Dad just want you to spend more time together and get close sooner!"

"I have no obligation to get close to her. Whoever wants to get close to her can go serve her."

I stared at Jackson, who had been stunned silent since earlier, and delivered my final words.

"So it's settled. From now on, you two go to elementary school, and I'll continue in middle school. We won't interfere with each other."

I turned and went upstairs.

Leaving them all to comfort the sobbing Chloe.

Around nine that night, Jackson knocked on my door.

"Anna, are you asleep?"

"What do you want?"

"Can you open the door?"

"No."

Silence outside for a long time.

Just when I thought he'd left, Jackson's voice came again.

"Anna, you're upset, aren't you?"

I paused while organizing my clothes.

I frowned, my voice indifferent.

"No."

"You are! Anna, is it because I only paid attention to Chloe today and ignored you?"

I was somewhat speechless.

I really wasn't upset.

I just didn't care.

I found interacting with them so boring it made me want to vomit.

That Anna who would be heartbroken to severe depression from being ignored had already died alone in a psychiatric hospital.

I sighed.

"Really, I'm not. Jackson, you can do whatever you want, get close to whoever you want. It's your freedom. Just don't bother me."

Silence outside again.

After a while, his voice carried a hint of helplessness.

"Anna, Chloe is really pitiful. Look how small and frail she is. She has such a gentle nature and a soft heart. I'm really afraid she'll get bullied. Anna, I'll go back and stay with her for a year first. Once she's settled, I'll transfer to your school, okay?"

Fine.

Your family invested in the school. You can do whatever you want.

I rolled my eyes, packed my last piece of clothing.

I put in noise-canceling earplugs and lay down on the bed.

The next morning.

I walked into the living room with my suitcase and backpack.

Everyone froze again.

I looked up and saw Ethan sitting next to Chloe.

The boy my age was already quite tall, even half a head taller than Jackson.

The moment he saw me, he quickly stood up. His gentle eyes curved slightly, his voice excited.

"Anna! I came to pick you up for school!"

I lowered my eyes and saw Chloe's hand gripping his arm.

"You don't need to pick me up anymore."

"Of course, if you want to pick up someone else, be my guest."

The smile froze on Ethan's face.

"Why?"

I gestured with my chin toward the suitcase behind me.

The sound of chairs scraping against the floor rang out one after another.

Not just Ethan. My parents and Jackson all looked confused.

"Anna? What's this?"

Jackson stared at my suitcase with bloodshot eyes from staying up all night.

"Clothes and some daily necessities."

And my jewelry.

"I forgot to tell you all. Starting today, I'm moving into the dorms."

"What?!"

They all spoke in unison.

My dad walked over with a cold expression and crouched down to look at me.

"Anna? You want to live in the dorms."

"Yes."

"Why? Isn't it good at home? Did Mom and Dad make you unhappy?"

I remained silent, my eyes showing no emotion.

My dad's hand on my hair trembled slightly.

He hesitated and looked back at Chloe.

"Is it because of... Chloe?"

At those words, before I could react, Chloe was already biting her lip and letting out a suppressed sob.

My mom quickly stepped forward and pulled her into an embrace, looking at my dad reproachfully.

"What are you saying? How could that be? Anna, you tell us. Why do you want to live in the dorms? It definitely can't be because of Chloe. You like her, right?"

Everyone looked at me expectantly, waiting for my answer.

They were waiting for me to say: Yes, I like her. Wanting to live in the dorms is just me being willful. I haven't been wronged.

But I was best at disappointing people.

"Wrong. I don't like her. I hate her. And I don't just hate her."

"I also hate Mom and Dad, hate Jackson, hate Ethan! I hate all of you!"

In an instant, my parents' and Jackson's faces turned deathly pale.

Ethan didn't react much.

He seemed to think I was throwing a tantrum, his eyes full of tolerance and helplessness.

As I passed him with my suitcase, he even reached out to help me take it.

I dodged.

He wasn't annoyed, still shamelessly following behind me.

My parents wanted to chase after me, but Chloe's crying interrupted them.

She cried more and more pitifully, burying her small face in my mom's arms, trembling all over.

"Mom, Dad, just send me to an orphanage. Anna doesn't like me... I don't deserve to stay in this house!"

My parents naturally launched into kind words of comfort, but strangely, Jackson didn't speak up for once.

Ethan was still following me closely.

He forced his way into the car I was taking.

"Go take your own car."

"Why? I don't want to! I want to be with you!"

He tilted his head to look at me, showing his two small canine teeth, looking adorable.

My fingertips trembled slightly.

I suddenly remembered. It was the same in my previous life.

When everyone was ostracizing me.

The only person who didn't side with Chloe was Ethan.

He would stand firmly behind me when Chloe framed me.

Talk back to Jackson when he cursed at me.

Hold me and comfort me softly when my parents grew more and more disappointed in me.

"Anna, don't be afraid. You still have me. I'll stay with you. If they like Chloe more, that's their business. I'll only ever like my Anna!"

Like a drowning person grasping the only piece of driftwood available, I relied on him and trusted him even more completely.

Until the day Jackson and I turned fourteen.

Chloe suddenly fainted for no reason.

Ethan's body stiffened. Before anyone else could react, he shoved me aside and caught her firmly.

That "priest" he personally brought to the birthday party stood up in front of everyone. He told them I was bewitched by demons and had been bullying her constantly, which was why her health had gotten so bad.

What a conveniently timed "priest."

What a clumsy excuse!

The shock and embarrassment on the faces of all our relatives and friends. I still remember it to this day.

Everyone could see it was orchestrated bullying and humiliation aimed at me.

But my parents still took me to change my name without a second thought.

From that day on, the name that had been mine for fourteen years, Anna, became a forbidden word in the house.

They called me, Luna.

Luna.

A name changed for Chloe's sake.

It was a beautiful name, but I didn't like it.

I didn't like it until the day I died.