Part 1I Gave Him to Her

I found my birth parents ten years too late.

All they left me was a house filled with my own baby pictures and mountains of missing-child flyers bearing my face.

The grief and injustice I had swallowed for twenty years erupted in that single moment.

I spun around and slapped my husband, Caleb, so hard the sound echoed in the empty room.

“This is your fault! All of it!”

“If you hadn’t pushed for Lila to take my adoption spot, I never would have been left to rot in that place for five more years!”

“For her, you let our son die. For her, you let my parents die searching for me. I will never, ever forgive you. I’ll haunt you from my grave.”

That was the day we finally shattered for good.

I targeted his every weakness, and he went for my jugular.

It was only at the very end, as his own life faded, that he showed a flicker of remorse. He left a note, promising to make it all up to me in the next life.

But when I opened my eyes again, I was a child, staring at that same, coveted adoption slot.

And this time, I gave it to Lila myself.

* * *

“Mom, Dad, if you’re going to get me a sister, pick her! She’s a hard worker, I can tell. That way, you’ll finally have a worthy heir.”

The moment I heard those words, I knew. Caleb was back, too.

I thought of the suicide note he’d left behind and let out a soft, humorless laugh. He was a man of his word, I’ll give him that.

In my last life, I was consumed by ambition. I was sick of being poor, helpless, of screaming into a void that never answered back. All I wanted was to be adopted by a wealthy family. I schemed and fought and clawed my way into the Graysons’ line of sight, and it worked.

They were impressed with me. I was one day away from escaping that hellhole when Caleb showed up, holding Lila’s hand.

He believed every lie she spun. That I bullied her. That I was a promiscuous child who seduced the staff. That I was a master manipulator, an actress…

My dream shattered that day. As Caleb led Lila away, he turned to the rest of the orphanage and announced, “Clara is a curse. She’ll bring you nothing but bad luck. I’d stay away from her if I were you.”

In that instant, I fell from one hell into another, where I suffered for five more years.

Lila, meanwhile, became the cherished daughter of the Grayson family, cradled in the palm of their hands.

Now, standing before Mr. and Mrs. Grayson, I heard this new, regretful Caleb say to me, “This time, you’ll be my sister. I’ll be good to you, I promise. You won’t have to be jealous of anyone ever again… At the very least, I won’t let you suffer here for another five years.”

I understood. He was trying to soothe the ghost of my past self.

He had eventually learned the truth about Lila’s lies, and the guilt had eaten him alive for decades. My five lost years were a wound he could never close.

Mr. and Mrs. Grayson nodded, just like before. They liked me instantly.

But this time, I wanted nothing to do with Caleb Grayson. I certainly didn’t want his charity. I was about to refuse when the door burst open.

A younger Lila stumbled in, crying, her dress torn. A cut on her arm was bleeding.

“Lila! What happened? Are you okay?”

Lila’s eyes darted toward me, full of suspicion, before she fell to her knees before the Graysons. “Sir, Ma’am, are you here to save me? Please, I don’t want to die! I really, really don’t want to die!”

She was copying me.

The orphanage director was a monster. I had used that exact performance to save myself once. Lila had always been lucky, one of fate’s favorites. She’d never truly suffered, so she’d never been one of his targets.

In my past life, seeing her performance made my composure crack. I had grabbed her, demanding to know what she was doing, and in doing so, earned the Graysons’ disgust.

This time, the reborn Caleb knew she was lying. He knew it was an act. And yet, I saw the flicker of pity in his eyes. He couldn’t help it.

“Who did this to you? I’ll make them pay.”

Lila wouldn’t risk it. She was afraid that if she wasn’t chosen, she’d be left to face the director’s wrath.

I blinked, then stepped forward, my voice calm. “It was the director. He likes the pretty ones. Lila is the prettiest one here.”

“What? That animal!” Mr. Grayson’s hand clenched into a fist.

“Oh, you poor dear. Come here, dry your tears.” Mrs. Grayson’s heart went out to her.

Caleb stood beside them, his lips pressed into a thin line, his gaze lowered. I knew him too well. He had changed his mind.

“Mom, Dad, let’s adopt Lila.”

“Mr. and Mrs. Grayson, you should adopt Lila.”

Caleb and I spoke at the exact same time.