My Secret Sister, My Twisted Fate

My sister, Cruz, wasn't my biological sister. I knew that since I was a kid.

Mom told me that my real biological sister, Bruna, was living as the fake heiress of a billionaire family.

As long as our family kept this secret, we would live comfortably for the rest of our lives.

In my previous life, I secretly told Cruz the truth.

After Cruz returned to her elite family, Mom and Dad favored her, and my brother ignored me. Heartbroken and enraged, she set me on fire and burned me to death.

Amidst the flames, covered in burns, I cried and asked her why.

Cruz's face was twisted with resentment.

"If you hadn't told me the truth, I would still be Mom and Dad's beloved daughter, the one they doted on. I wouldn't have had to run so far and endure their torment!"

I remember, the day Cruz left, Mom and Dad gave me the worst punishment of my life. They were furious I'd made them lose their precious daughter.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back to the moment Cruz asked me what secret our family was hiding.

This time, I just shook my head and said nothing.

Every time I came home from school, Mom would always pull me aside privately.

Today was no exception.

But just as she started to lecture me, Cruz suddenly emerged from behind the door.

Mom's face instantly went pale, then she put on a fawning smile and hurried into the kitchen.

"Cruz, you must be hungry. I'll make dinner right away. Tonight, we'll have your favorite."

It was always like this.

When I was little, I couldn't understand why Mom and Dad were so good to Cruz.

Anything delicious, new clothes, or fun toys, it was all for Cruz.

So, I always went against Cruz, never wanting her to get her way.

Mom would punish me, she'd scold me, but the next time, I'd still find a way to mess with her.

There was nothing else Mom could do, so she finally told me the truth.

She said Cruz was supposed to have a glamorous life in an elite family.

Our family was the one who swapped her with my biological sister, Bruna.

Now, our entire family owed her. Wasn't it only right to treat her well?

Cruz grabbed my arm, her grip tightening and digging into my flesh.

"Navas, what secret were Mom and you whispering about just now? Are you two hiding something from me?"

"Don't even think about lying to me. If you don't tell me, I'll tell Mom and Dad that you've been messing with me again. They'll punish you until you wish you were never born!"

At that moment, Cruz's furious expression overlapped with the distorted face from my previous life.

It was as if I was back in the flames.

I felt the automatic pang of pain in my body, reminding myself again and again.

This time, I wouldn't repeat the same mistakes.

Mom also saw Cruz questioning me. Afraid I'd spill the beans, she waved us over.

"Cruz, come eat dinner."

At the dinner table, all the good food was placed to Cruz's right.

As I reached for something with my fork, Dad smacked my hand away, just like always.

"Eat, eat, eat! All you know is eating! This is for Cruz to nourish her body. What if you finish it all?!"

Mom saw this and picked the smallest piece from the platter.

"Navas, you can have this."

Such scenes were my daily routine for over a decade.

But ever since I told Cruz the truth in my previous life, I couldn't even get a potato pie.

Perhaps my talking was annoying Cruz.

She frowned deeply and swept the plate next to her off the table without a second thought.

The sharp clatter made Mom and Dad fall silent immediately.

"All you do is chatter, chatter, chatter all day! It's so annoying!"

"I'm asking you, is our family hiding a secret from me?"

Cruz didn't get an answer from me and finally couldn't hold back, asking it directly.

Mom and Dad's faces went pale simultaneously.

Dad, though, was calmer than Mom and quickly regained his composure.

He smiled and said, "Silly girl, if our family had a secret, it'd be hidden from Navas, not from you."

Mom also caught on and quickly agreed.

"Cruz, did someone upset you? Was it Navas, or do you not have enough money?"

Seeing their concerned expressions, much of Cruz's doubt subsided.

She confirmed again, "You two really aren't hiding anything from me?"

Dad chuckled, "Cruz must be out of money. She's just trying to butter us up for more allowance!"

"Juliet, from today on, double Cruz's monthly allowance!"

I lowered my head, stuffing rice into my mouth to suppress the bitterness swelling in my heart.

Cruz's allowance was already double mine.

But they never once asked if I had enough money.

But it didn't matter.

This life, I would get into that top-tier university again. Without the truth coming from me, there would be no fire.

In the future, I would work hard to earn my own money and never envy anyone again.

Hearing Dad's words, Cruz finally cheered up.

She figured it out. These were the parents who had loved her most since childhood. How could they possibly hide anything from her?

After Cruz went out to play with her friends, Dad's smile instantly vanished, replaced by a dark, menacing frown.

Mom, remembering Cruz lurking behind the door earlier, was afraid Dad would blame her.

Now all the blame landed on me.

"Navas, if you dare to tell her any nonsense again because you're jealous of Cruz, we won't let you get away with it!"

The moment Dad raised his hand to strike, I dodged immediately.

I clarified, "Mom, be fair."

"You're the one who keeps repeating that secret to me every time Cruz and I come home for break."

"I told you several times that Cruz kept asking me. I told you to be more careful, but you wouldn't listen."

This time, I wasn't going to be a pushover.

Mom stiffened, glared at by Dad.

I ignored them, quickly grabbed some food from the table.

I turned and went back to my room.

No one else cared, so I had to care for myself.

Studying required brainpower. I needed to eat well. Only by getting into my dream university could I truly escape them.

Cruz returned after dark.

Just as I was about to wash up, I ran into Cruz right by the door.

I instantly covered my eyes, not looking at her.

"Don't ask me. I don't know anything. I can't say anything."

"I really can't say anything."

My ambiguous words made Cruz's doubts, which she'd suppressed, resurface.

She reached out and grabbed me.

I recoiled as if she had the plague, practically fleeing, leaving her behind.

At nine in the evening, the aroma wafted in from the kitchen window.

I glanced beside me, and sure enough, Cruz wasn't there.

Mom and Dad must have been cooking a special meal just for her since she hadn't eaten dinner.

My parents were simple folks.

The only truly devious thing they'd ever done was swap Bruna and Cruz.

Their immense guilt and regret made them shower all their affection on Cruz.

When I was little and didn't understand, I thought, if we were both their daughters, why was Cruz the special one?

So, in the years after I learned the truth, I did indeed have the idea of letting Cruz find her biological parents.

On one hand, I wanted Cruz to return to the life she was supposed to have.

On the other hand, I wondered, if Cruz left, would I then be Mom and Dad's only beloved daughter?

In my previous life, the day Cruz actually went to find her biological parents, the thick stick fell mercilessly on me.

Only then did I realize how ridiculous that thought was.

In a daze, my bedroom door was pushed open.

A stronger aroma gradually approached, and before long, it reached my nose.

"Navas, do you want some? It smells so good!"

Any hesitation for even half a second would be disrespectful to the delicious aroma before me.

Cruz watched me devour the food, a soft smile on her face.

I knew her purpose.

She couldn't get any answers from Mom and Dad, so she had to find a way to get it from me.

Actually, I didn't plan to hide it from her.

In this life, the burning pain still lingered.

I hated Cruz.

So, I still intended to send her to her biological parents to suffer their torment.

But this time, the truth, buried for over a decade, wouldn't come from my mouth.

Cruz was genuinely generous this time, leaving most of the good food for me.

In the past, even the food she disliked wasn't for me to smell.

After I finished everything, Cruz gently wiped my mouth with a tissue, expecting praise.

"Navas, I'm the one who's good to you, right!"

"You should know, those scraps you just ate? I promised them to Mary's dog."

"If I hadn't stopped them, Mom and Dad would've surely beaten you up."

I gasped. My status in this house was lower than the neighbor's dog.

No, I had to make something of myself, fast.

But I still put on a wronged expression, my eyes tearing up.

"Cruz, all these years, thank goodness you protected me."

Cruz's smile deepened. She leaned in, whispering in my ear:

"Navas, just tell me what secret our family is hiding, and I'll protect you from now on."

I lowered my head, fiddling with my fingers, my face a mix of hesitation and fear.

"No, I can't. Mom and Dad will kill me."

I met Cruz's gaze, very, very seriously saying, "It's the kind you can't protect me from."

Seeing the fear unconsciously showing in my eyes, Cruz's interest grew even stronger.

She patted my back, comforting me.

"Don't be afraid, Navas. You know how much Mom and Dad love me, right?"

"With me here, how could I not protect you?"

"Even if they blame someone, just put it on me. Say I forced you, that you had no choice but to listen."

Seeing me waver, Cruz upped the ante.

She pulled several bills from her school uniform pocket and counted out two.

Then, seeing me staring at them unblinkingly, she gritted her teeth.

She crumpled them all up and shoved them into my hand.

"This is all the allowance Mom and Dad just gave me. It's all yours. Now, can you tell me?"

I fumbled with the billsthere were ten of them.

It was more than half a year of my allowance. They really had secretly doubled Cruz's money.

When I kept stammering, unwilling to talk, Cruz got angry.

"If you still don't tell me, I'll tell Mom and Dad you stole my money."

"And if Mom and Dad get mad and decide to stop sending you to school, you'll just have to get married!"

I grabbed Cruz's hand as she pulled away, looking anxious.

"I'll tell you, I'll tell you, okay?"