“Lila Landon, are you going to admit your mistake or not?”
Lila’s nose and mouth were submerged underwater, choking her until her throat burned with pain.
She opened her eyes from the brink of death to see her second brother Max Landon standing at the pool’s edge, and her fourth brother Easton Landon holding Sylvia Quinn.
A flash of bewilderment crossed her eyes. This scene felt so familiar.
Hadn’t she died?
Had she been reborn to three years ago, the day Sylvia Quinn was officially adopted by the Landon family?
At the party, Sylvia had deliberately schemed against her, making everyone believe she had intentionally pushed Sylvia into the pool.
Her fourth brother Easton was the first to discover them, but he only rescued Sylvia, abandoning her to struggle in the water despite knowing she couldn’t swim either.
Max was still demanding whether she would admit her mistake.
The implication was clear-if she didn’t admit fault, he wouldn’t help her out of the water.
She struggled desperately in the water, apologizing and begging her brothers to save her.
Only when she was at death’s door was she finally rescued.
After that day, she never dared to provoke Sylvia again, carefully trying to please her brothers, but what did that get her in the end?
Sylvia stole her graduation thesis, and Max testified on Sylvia’s behalf, making Lila out to be the plagiarist who was then expelled.
When Sylvia’s body weakened and needed a kidney transplant, her third brother Westley personally delivered Lila to the operating room to donate a kidney to Sylvia.
When Sylvia needed international competition results to boost her reputation, her fourth brother Easton, fifth brother Zachary, and sixth brother Finn kicked Lila off the team without hesitation.
When Lila discovered evidence of Sylvia plagiarizing her thesis and falsifying medical records, she brought it to her eldest brother hoping to expose Sylvia’s true nature.
But she only fumed their anger. No one believed what she said; they didn’t even bother to examine the evidence closely.
Her eldest brother Blake Landon threw her out of the house to “reflect” on her actions.
Homeless and penniless, she endured untold hardships.
As memories surfaced, Lila stopped struggling and sank straight to the bottom of the pool.
She opened her eyes wide, expressionless, as if already dead.
She watched her brothers gathered around Sylvia on the shore, and even seeing it again, her heart still ached with piercing pain.
How laughable.
She, their own sister by blood, couldn’t compare to an outsider.
On the shore, Max had been focused on Sylvia until he noticed Lila’s struggles had gone silent. Only then did he turn toward the pool-Lila had already sunk to the bottom.
The moment he saw this, Max’s face turned pale. “Lila!”
With a splash, Max jumped in without hesitation.
When Sylvia saw Lila sink down, a gleam flashed in her eyes. It would be better if Lila died.
Feigning weakness, she tugged at Easton’s sleeve and said feebly, “I want to save Lila too. She fell into the water because of me.”
Easton had been concerned, but hearing these words, he quickly comforted Sylvia. “Don’t be silly. Max can save her alone. Lila is reaping what she sowed-she won’t die!”
Easton turned his head toward the pool, his expression complicated.
In the water, Lila watched Max swimming toward her, the concern on his face not entirely genuine.
Just moments ago, he had been the one pressuring her to apologize, coldly observing as she struggled to stay afloat.
This time, she didn’t want his rescue.
A mocking look appeared in Lila’s eyes as she turned and swam to the surface.
In her previous life, after the drowning incident, Max had forced her to learn swimming with Sylvia.
Though traumatized, she overcame her fear and learned to swim to please Max. But in the end, Max only praised Sylvia for being brave and overcoming her psychological fears.
Little did they know that the minute they deliberately left her in the water had caused severe aftereffects.
But no one cared how she was doing; Max only had eyes for Sylvia.
“Lila Landon, what are you playing at now? Do you think pretending to drown will erase your mistake?”
Max blocked her path, feeling that Lila seemed different somehow. When had she learned to swim?
Lila looked up at her second brother Max. Before, she had loved him the most, since her eldest brother Blake was very strict, only Max had shown her some affection.
But now Max’s eyes held only disgust and impatience.
Sylvia’s delicate voice drifted over. “Max, this isn’t Lila’s fault. I know she’s never liked me becoming part of the Landon family. I’m too greedy, wanting to have a family. Please don’t argue because of me. Sob You’re all so important to me.”
Easton looked up angrily at Lila. “Now are you satisfied? If her father hadn’t died saving you, she wouldn’t be an orphan. We should never have saved an ingrate like you! It would have been better to let you die!”
Max frowned. “Lila, you need to have a conscience. We should treat Sylvia as family. This is what our family owes her, and especially what you owe her. Understand?”
“Max, a person as ungrateful as her-if she understood, she wouldn’t have pushed Sylvia into the pool. Quinn would have been better off saving a dog than saving her!”
Lila felt as if she were standing in a desolate wilderness, chilled to the bone.
If possible, she would rather not have been rescued at all.
Enduring the searing pain in her lungs, she responded hoarsely, “It was indeed my fault. It won’t happen again.”
Because she wouldn’t make such a foolish mistake again.
If they preferred Sylvia as their sister, she would step aside.
“Lila, so you really did it on purpose? Don’t you know Sylvia can’t swim? Someone could have died!”
Max was deeply disappointed. He had thought it was just an accident, but now it seemed Lila had deliberately put Sylvia in danger.
When had Lila become so malicious?
At that moment, the family doctor rushed over. Easton turned and scolded Lila harshly. “You’d better pray Sylvia is all right. Otherwise, when Blake returns, you’ll have hell to pay.”
Max took a few steps to follow, then looked back to see Lila standing there, soaking wet with a pale face. Suddenly, his heart softened a bit.
He spoke up, “Go back to your room and change. The party is about to start.”
Lila remained silent. Soon she was left all alone.
She waited until everyone had gone before doubling over in violent coughs, as if her lungs might come out.
She swallowed the taste of blood in her throat and dragged herself back to her room.
Lying in the bathtub, she closed her eyes and recalled how in her previous life, after becoming homeless, she had turned ruthless, wanting to kill Sylvia.
But she had failed.
Blake had her committed to a mental institution, where she was tortured to death by an orderly arranged by Sylvia.
She covered her face and laughed, her voice eerie. How wonderful.
When Lila opened her eyes again, her gaze was utterly cold.
After changing clothes, she looked at her bedroom, still feeling somewhat unfamiliar.
In her previous life, this bedroom had eventually been given to Sylvia, and she had been moved to Sylvia’s smaller room.
Lila saw the family portrait on the table-a young couple holding a baby, with six little boys standing beside them.
Unfortunately, just a few years after her birth, her parents died in a car accident.
The driver had rescued her first, but when he went back to save her parents, the fuel tank exploded, killing the driver as well.
Sylvia was the driver’s only daughter, sickly since childhood.
After the accident, Blake brought Sylvia to the Landon house and raised her alongside Lila.
Ever since Sylvia appeared, everything changed.
The brothers she adored all favored Sylvia.
“Sylvia’s health is poor, so I’ve hired a special chef to prepare suitable meals for her. Lila, make sure Sylvia eats properly.”
“Lila, Sylvia wants to learn painting too. You’ve learned enough already, so let her have your teacher.”
“Lila, withdraw from this competition and let Sylvia, who placed second, represent the school. She’s been preparing for a long time.”
“Lila, Sylvia’s scores are low. Apply to the same university as her so you can look after her in the future.”
…
Lila clutched her head as pain spread through her heart like a spider web.
She took small, measured breaths until she swallowed the pain back down.
In this life, she never wanted to have anything to do with the Landon family again!
She put away the photo and began packing her things.
Before long, a servant knocked on the door. “Miss Landon, the party has started. Mr. Max asks that you change and come downstairs.”
“I know.”
Lila opened the door and walked straight toward the noisy venue outside.
The servant’s eyes widened as she murmured, “What is Miss Landon wearing? Has the shock driven her mad?”
Outside at the party, Sylvia wore a white evening gown, her black hair falling over her shoulders, the image of a pure, kind girl-next-door.
Max and Easton stood beside her, looking at Sylvia with gentle indulgence.
The scene looked utterly harmonious.
Max couldn’t help thinking of Lila, wishing she could be this obedient and sensible.
In recent years, Lila’s temperament had become increasingly arrogant and overbearing.
“Lila is here!”