chapter 2
The next morning, as I went downstairs, I ran right into Elton near the staircase.
My third brother had the most hostility towards the original Harriet.
He and Renata were close in age, and their bond was the deepest.
Perhaps Elton was simply too young. All he knew was that the sister he had pampered and protected his entire life had suddenly been replaced.
This new girl, who had just been found, was going to steal everything from Renata.
He vented all his resentment on his biological sister.
He resented her for shattering their perfect life.
Little did he realize, the original Harriet was the true innocent one.
Elton looked at the obvious scald on my face, his eyes darting away.
He deliberately didn't speak to me, waiting for me to greet him.
But I didn't even glance at him, walking past him and away.
Bernal's face was cold. "You're a grown person, can't you even treat a small scald yourself? What kind of impression will you make walking around like that?"
Bernal was a traditional patriarch, his eyes always on profits rather than family.
He was probably just worried about me embarrassing him.
Besides, the original Harriet had only been home for half a year. She couldn't play any instruments, paint, or excel in academics. Her grades were abysmal. She had no real value to him.
Laurel also looked disapproving.
I scoffed internally.
If it had been Renata, she'd have probably been rushed to the emergency room the second it happened.
Yet last night, not a single person had bothered to ask if I'd been scalded.
Or if I was still hungry after eating so little.
Their favoritism truly knew no bounds.
"There's no first-aid kit in my room."
Silence fell over the Bernal family.
Of course, the master bedrooms in the Bernal family mansion were fully equipped.
But when they brought the original Harriet back, they made their biological daughter live in a guest room.
And a guest room's amenities were naturally sparse.
The original Harriet even used the public bathroom.
Not one person offered to give the original Harriet a different room.
Laurel looked at her daughter's face, so similar to her own, flushed with the scald, and a flicker of panic crossed her heart.
If it were Renata, even a small injury would have the whole family doting on her.
But when it came to me, there was no sound, no care.
I was nothing like Renata, not at all lovable.
Elton retorted, "You didn't say anything, how were we supposed to know it was that serious?"
A dull ache started in my upper abdomen, and I couldn't help but hunch over.
The taste of blood welled up in my throat.
I tugged at my backpack strap, my voice hoarse. "I'm going to school now."
Elton frowned.
It felt like his imagination, but Harriet's posture seemed... off.
After the original Harriet was found, she transferred to Elton and Renata's school.
But Renata didn't want the original Harriet to share the same car, afraid someone would discover she wasn't the Bernal family's true child.
So the original Harriet always went to school alone.
In those six months, due to Renata's subtle hints, she had suffered no small amount of bullying.
But that foolish girl endured it all in silence.
She probably knew that even if she spoke up, no one would care.
And her family would never believe Renata had instigated it.
I had just pulled my textbooks from my desk when I saw the fake cockroach glued to the cover.
The few kids waiting to see my reaction were already secretly covering their smirking mouths.
The original Harriet would have definitely just taken it.
But for me, dealing with such problems was just another Tuesday.
I just wanted to quietly wait to die here, but if they insisted on coming at me, I wasn't some pushover they could walk all over.
I snatched up the textbook with the fake roach still stuck to it and strode towards the girl who'd been openly enjoying the show.
I slapped the book right onto her face.
Before she could even shriek, I dumped all the books out of her desk and found an identical textbook.
The original Harriet had always been quiet and unassuming in class, never making a sound.
Today, with my flushed face, I drew the silent attention of many classmates.
Now, my once invisible self was causing such a commotion.
The classroom instantly fell silent.
The girl snapped back to reality and lunged at me like a maniac, trying to scratch me.
I grabbed her hair and said coldly, "I'm letting bygones be bygones for what happened before. Don't you dare mess with me again."
With that, I shoved her away and went back to my seat, slumping down.
Not only was my stomach burning, but I also felt faintly nauseous, like I was about to vomit.
The girl wouldn't let it go, raising her hand to slap my face.
Suddenly, her wrist was caught by Porter, who sat behind me.
His rebellious face darkened. "Too loud."
The girl's eyes widened when she saw it was Porter, and she instantly shut up.
Porter was the undisputed king of the school, a total bad boy.
His family had serious power and influence, so no one dared cross him.
She went back to her seat and exchanged knowing glances with the others who'd been enjoying the show.
A smirk played on their lips.
I was in so much pain I couldn't straighten up, cold sweat beaded on my forehead, and I bit my lip hard to suppress the nausea.
The frown etched on my face from the pain wouldn't ease.
This wasn't right.
It shouldn't have progressed this quickly.
This felt like late-stage.
The next moment, I was suddenly lifted into the air.
The jarring screech of a chair dragging across the floor made the whole class turn to look.
I struggled, trying to get out of Porter's arms, but I didn't have enough strength and he held me even tighter.
The tall, slender boy seemed to have endless energy.
"Don't move."
He seemed to see me like this for the first time:
"I thought you were just a meek little mouse, always letting people walk all over you. Guess even the quiet ones snap sometimes."
As we walked, Porter sighed lightly:
"How can you be so light?"
Before we even reached the infirmary, Elton lunged forward, blocking our path, fuming.
Elton's anger surged, and he sneered coldly.
"Harriet, are you serious right now? Class is about to start, and you're out here on a date with a guy!"
"Clearly, you have no upbringing at all. You're nothing like Renata."
My heart suddenly twisted with a sharp pain.
A wave of emotions, not entirely my own, surged through my chest, overwhelming me.
It was always like this...
No questions, just immediate blame.
The pain intensified, and the taste of blood flooded my mouth.
My eyes welled up with tears. I quickly ducked my head, refusing to acknowledge they were mine.
Through his thin summer shirt.
Porter seemed to feel the hot teardrops. His face was etched with confusion.
He had a hot temper, and he said impatiently,
"Who are you? Can't you see she's not feeling well? You just came up and started yelling? Go get some therapy if you're sick, don't throw a tantrum here!"
He started to pull my face away, but then he looked down and saw the angry, bright red scald on my cheek.
"Don't scare me. We'll be at the infirmary soon."
Even if only for a second, I saw Elton's gaze sweep over me.
He must have seen the blood at the corner of my mouth.
His face instantly panicked.
He wanted to follow, but Renata, who had caught up, pulled him back.
"Third brother, why didn't you wait for me! You ran so fast?"
Elton turned to look at her displeased expression, pushing down the unease in his heart, and stayed where he was.