Born Twice, Broken Once

Mother called me and Evelyn Tran over, her eyes bright with excitement. "Madam says the young master is the same age as one of you. She wants to know who’d like to be his classmate. Tuition, living costs, everything’s covered—and you’ll even get a monthly allowance." The offer sounded too good to be true. No need to study hard, just stick close to the young master and you could graduate from an elite high school, study abroad, maybe even join his company later. After laying out all the benefits, she finally asked, “Evelyn, Eliza, which one of you wants to go?” Eliza suddenly fell unusually quiet. She was the fun-loving, lazy type who hated discipline. Being a companion to the young master was practically a tailor-made job for her. In our past life, the moment she heard the offer, she shouted without hesitation, “I’ll go! Pick me!” Then she looked at me with pleading eyes. "Come on, Evelyn, you’re the older twin, and you’re smart too. Don’t take this from me." I also liked the sound of a prestigious school, but I knew this chance would suit Eliza better. So I smiled and nodded. “Don’t worry, I won’t fight you for it.” But this time… she kept her head down. Even Mom was surprised. “Eliza, what’s wrong? I thought you’d jump at this.” Eliza forced a smile. “I’m too lazy. And I can’t watch my mouth. I’d make a terrible servant. Let Evelyn go instead.” I knew in that moment—she’d been reborn too. Mom looked thoughtful, then turned to me. “Evelyn, do you want to go?” I nodded calmly. “This time, I’ll go.” Eliza looked up at me, her eyes flashing with something strange. “I knew it. You’ve always loved me most.” The school transfer was processed almost instantly. Madam arranged for me to move into the mansion and live under the same roof as Lucas Heng. Fifteen years old and already oozing aristocratic arrogance, Lucas eyed me, the new arrival, with thinly veiled contempt. "Did you even shower?" he asked bluntly. I understood immediately. He was mocking my tanned skin. In the last life, Eliza had endured the same treatment. It had wounded her deeply. She became obsessed with whitening her skin. The photos I got later barely resembled her—she looked like a lifeless porcelain doll. I replied with the same cold tone, “There was a water outage last night. I didn’t get a chance.” Lucas grimaced. “Gross. Don’t come near me if you’re not clean.” “Got it. I’ll go shower now.” I passed him without pause and followed the butler upstairs. "The young master is particular about cleanliness," he warned. “Please remember to shower daily.” "Thanks for the reminder, Mr. Zhang. I will." After cleaning up, I joined Lucas for dinner. His parents were rarely home, which is why they wanted someone to keep him company. He was clearly unimpressed with me. Every time he looked up from his plate, he glared. I pretended not to notice and kept eating. With a loud clatter, Lucas threw his chopsticks on the table. The butler looked nervous. I continued eating like nothing had happened. Lucas had been pampered all his life. He wasn’t used to being ignored, especially not by someone like me. "What are you, a pig? All you do is eat!" I calmly swallowed my last bite, dabbed my lips with a napkin, and replied, “We’re at a growing age. Eating well helps with height. You’re... not quite six feet yet, are you?” "Get out! Get out of my sight!" I wasn’t about to budge. I strolled upstairs as if I owned the place. I knew provoking Lucas would bring trouble. He had people to handle things for him—he wouldn’t get his hands dirty. That night, I pulled out a diary. The handwriting was messy, written in haste, yet full of emotion. I flipped through most of it before putting it away carefully. The next morning, I rode to school with Lucas. His class was full of elite heirs—kids with wealth, connections, and polished appearances. Lucas’s group stood out, not just for money, but for their looks. When the teacher introduced me to the class, laughter erupted. "Crawled in from a swamp, did she?" "God, she looks like she time-traveled from a village." "Hope she doesn’t smell. Don’t sit near me!" I imagined Eliza standing here in the last life, overwhelmed and out of place. At our old school, she was beloved—kind, cheerful, always helping others. I stared them all down, and slowly, the laughter faded. "My name is Evelyn Tran. Nice to meet you all." The teacher gestured to an empty seat. “Evelyn, you’ll sit next to Zachary Cole.” Zachary Cole—the coldest, most volatile student in school. Worse than Lucas. As I walked over, Zachary cracked one eye open and glared. "Who said you could sit here?" "The teacher." I began unpacking. He stood suddenly and kicked my desk across the room. Everyone went silent. Even the teacher didn’t dare intervene. I looked up and smiled, patient yet tired. “Anger issues, huh? But hey—you didn’t hit me. That’s progress.” I dragged the desk back into place and asked, “Want to kick it again? Feel free. But desks only. Not me.” I was making a point—for everyone, including Zachary—that he had a violent streak. Zachary, clearly unaccustomed to being outmaneuvered, grabbed my collar. I shrieked dramatically, “Lucas, save me!” Lucas scoffed. “Zach, even dogs need to know who their owner is.” Zachary let go. I clutched my chest in mock relief. "Lucas, you really are the kindest young master." Zachary still looked like he wanted to hit someone, but he restrained himself. As I tidied my things, I caught Lucas’s amused smirk—and Zachary’s calculating gaze. Everything was starting to drift from how it went in our last life. I knew my role well and never slacked off. I handled Lucas’s errands, fetched drinks, did whatever was needed. Some students sneered, “Housemaid girl’s got talent, huh?” I acted like I didn’t hear. Eventually, they stopped bothering. The semester passed peacefully. When the final exam results came out, I ranked third. First was a quiet girl named Lily Thompson. Second was Zachary Cole. When he saw my name below his, he gave me a rare glance, as if to say, “Didn’t expect you to be that smart.” I smiled. “Next time, I’ll be second.” He smirked but said nothing. Winter break finally came, and I returned home. Eliza’s eyes lit up when she saw me. “You look amazing now.” The Hengs treated me well—skincare, designer clothes. It showed. "You’re still pretty too," I said, brushing her long ponytail. In our past life, she came home with her hair chopped short. She’d always loved long hair. I never understood why she cut it—until now. I handed her a new phone and an envelope with 5 million dong. She opened it and scoffed lightly. “You really are living the dream now.” Then, resting her chin on her hand, she asked, “Next semester’s going to be tough. Think you can handle it?” "I’ll be fine. How about you? Adjusting well?" "Not really," she muttered, fiddling with her phone. “The homework’s hard, the hot water’s always broken, the cafeteria food’s trash, and Mom won’t stop nagging…” I listened in silence until she said quietly, “Evelyn, you’ll thrive anywhere. I won’t.” I hugged her from behind. “But we’re twins. Our fates are always linked.” "Yeah," she whispered. “You’re right.” After the break, she gave me a new diary. “This road’s yours now. Walk it well.” In the last life, two months after winter break, Mom moved back to the countryside to care for Grandma. I had to transfer schools too. Eliza and I only stayed in touch by phone after that. Eventually, all I got were money transfers and silence. I smiled, holding the diary. “Let’s meet again someday.” Back at the mansion, Lucas frowned. "Break’s not even over, and you're already back?" I smiled. “Just trying to stay ahead. You planning to beat me in grades this time?”