Rebirth Of The Lost Heiress

Chapter3

BRIELLE

The house looked exactly the same.

I took in the stone walls which were covered in ivy, the large windows that let in warm afternoon light, and the garden my mother loved so much. Warm lights glowed from inside, and I could hear the soft laughter coming from the living room.

But as I approached the front door, I could hear voices from inside. Familiar voices that made my stomach clench.

I pushed open the door and found them in the living room. My mother sat on the couch with Lucy curled up beside her like a cat. They were looking through photo albums, and Mom was stroking Lucy's hair like she was her own daughter.

"Oh, you were such a beautiful baby," Mom cooed at Lucy. "Look at those chubby cheeks!"

Lucy giggled. "Aunt, you're embarrassing me."

"Nonsense. You're family."

Family. Hearing the word twisted something in my chest.

In my past life, I'd walked into scenes like this a hundred times and felt nothing but warmth. Lucy was my cousin, my closest friend, practically my sister. Seeing her bond with my mother had made me happy.

Now it made me sick.

"Brielle!" Mom called out, looking up as I entered. Immediately, I could see the concern on her face. "Sweetheart, what happened to you? You look terrible."

I glanced down at myself. I hadn’t realized how bad I looked until now. My clothes were wrinkled and dirty from the forest, blades of grass were stuck to my hair, and I probably looked like I'd been through hell. Which, in a way, I had.

The heat might have died down, but it left me looking like I had been dragged through hell.

"I'm fine, Mom,” I replied quietly.

Lucy stood and walked over to where I was with fake concern all over her fake face. “Did something happen at school?” she asked sweetly. “You look so upset. Was it Adrian again?”

I clenched my jaw.

She knew exactly what happened.

In my past life, she was the one who told me to confess my feelings to him publicly. She had told me it would impress him, and said boys liked it when girls were bold. I believed her like a fool. She had acted like my sister. She had listened to my secrets, given me advice, and pretended to care.

And every time I took her advice, Adrian only grew colder, like she was slowly poisoning me against him.

In the end, I lost his respect… and so much more.

Now, standing here, all I saw was a snake in human skin.

Lucy moved toward me with her arms stretched out like she wanted to hug me. I stepped back.

"Don't touch me,” I snapped.

Lucy's face scrunched up like I'd just slapped her, but she recovered quickly. “I really wish you would stop chasing after him, Brielle,” she said gently. “You always end up getting hurt.”

I turned to face her. “And whose idea was that in the first place?”

She blinked, playing dumb.

I didn’t give her time to act.

“You told me to confess to him. You gave me the idea. Just like how you drugged me.”

That wiped the smile off her face instantly.

My mother gasped. “Brielle!”

Lucy let out a nervous laugh, while still trying to look innocent. “I don’t know what you’re talking about—”

“Stop pretending.” I cut her off sharply. “You’ve been playing everyone for too long. But this ends now.”

Lucy's eyes filled with tears. "How can you say that? I've done everything I could to help you. I love you, Brielle. You're just like a sister to me."

"If I'm like a sister to you, then you and your family should go home to your own house instead of living here and leeching off us like parasites."

Lucy’s lips opened and closed, then her eyes moved toward my mother as if she was searching for help. “Aunt, don’t pay any mind to Brielle. She’s just upset. Something happened at school and she’s taking it out on me—”

“Your family has been living here long enough,” I said, cutting off her lie. “It’s time you left.”

The room went silent immediately.

Lucy burst into tears. "Brielle, please! I don't understand why you're being so mean to me!"

The words came out harsher than I had intended, but I didn't take them back. In my past life, Lucy's family had slowly wormed their way into our house, our pack, and our lives. They had stayed as guests for months, then years, until they practically owned the place.

Just then, the front door opened, and my father walked in. Behind him were Lucy’s parents, carrying large shopping bags and chatting casually.

But immediately they heard what I said, all eyes turned to me.

“You want us to leave?” Lucy’s mother snapped. Her voice was sharp. “After everything we’ve done for this family?”

Her father’s face was red with anger. "What did I just hear? Did you just tell us to leave?"

"You heard correctly,” I retorted.

Lucy’s mother looked like she might explode. "How dare you!" She rushed to Lucy's side and pulled her crying daughter into her arms. "You disrespectful little brat! We're your elders! We're family!"

"No, you’re not. You're just guests who have overstayed your welcome."

"Brielle!" My father frowned as his voice boomed through the room. "That's enough! That’s no way to speak to your family.”

Family…. That word stung.

But I turned to him slowly.

And my heart broke all over again.

In my past life, my Dad had died due to my foolishness. But as I gazed at him in this moment, he looked strong, proud, and alive!

"Dad," I whispered, and suddenly all the sadness, the pain, the regret, and the grief from my past life hit me at once.

I couldn't hold back my tears anymore.

"Dad!" I threw myself into his arms, buried my face in his chest, and cried like a child.