Chapter 2
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Mom gently pulled me aside, “Sophia, your health isn’t great. You can have the suite on the first floor from now on.”
In the original plot, when Lily was first brought back, the family hadn’t had time to prepare her room yet. The original Sophia, wanting to show her family how considerate and generous she was, offered her own room to Lily, even though she planned to stay in the storage room to play the martyr and gain their sympathy.
But this time, instead of offering my room, Mom gave me the largest room, the suite, on the first floor, the one where they used to read and write. Lily could already feel the drama unfolding in her mind.
“She’s definitely going to refuse,” Lily thought. “She’ll insist she’s just an outsider and keep pretending to be the victim, staying in the storage
room.”
Hearing Lily’s thoughts, my parents and James all looked awkward, waiting for my reaction. I hugged Mom happily, acting like a spoiled child.
“Mom, you’re the best! I love you the most! I’ll take the suite downstairs. It’s more convenient, and it’ll be closer to James!”
My parents‘ and James‘ rooms were on the first floor, so now I was moving down too. Lily would be the only one left upstairs.
She seemed confused that I hadn’t followed the script. Grabbing my arm, she demanded, “You were supposed to refuse and insist on staying in the storage room. Why the sudden change of heart?”
She couldn’t understand why I wasn’t sticking to the expected lines. I had realized something too. When it came to crucial plot points, my actions would be uncontrollable and follow the script, but what I said was entirely under my control.
“Stay in the storage room?” I replied, leaning back. “Why would I want to stay there when I have a perfectly good suite?”
Everyone looked at Lily with confusion. Unable to handle the pressure, she angrily shoved me.
From Lily’s thoughts, I could tell my family was starting to get suspicious of me.
“This doesn’t make sense,” she thought. “You’re not even their real child. Why have you lived as me for the past ten years? I come back, and suddenly you get the suite? Are you trying to humiliate me? Why did you even bring me back?”
She lashed out at my parents and James, venting all the grievances she’d carried for years. But the fact that she went missing had nothing to do with me. I was just adopted later, after all.
James, feeling sorry for me, helped me up from the floor and snapped at Lily, “Don’t take it too far. You can’t just throw tantrums and push people around. Where’s your manners? I bet you did push Sophia just now.”
Lily, having grown up in a small town with poor manners, wasn’t about to let James‘ words slide. She started cursing him out in response.
It was all becoming too much for my parents, especially Dad.
“Enough!” he shouted. “The most important thing is that Sophia gets better. She’ll stay on the first floor. The entire second floor is yours, Lily. You can design it however you like. Is that fair now?”
James snorted in disbelief, and Mom wiped away her tears.
When Lily heard that the entire second floor, was hers, the space was several times bigger than my own, she had nothing left to say.
The house would soon be undergoing renovations, and my suite would just be rearranged as it was. But Lily’s second floor was going to be a huge project.
She insisted on a walk–in closet, a study, and a separate bathroom. The noise from the construction made the entire house uneasy. Aside from a few arguments with James, no one really called her out on it.
It took over half a month before the renovations were finally done.
