Exchanged Fates, Twisted Souls

That night, I took advantage of the thunderstorm and climbed into Carmen's bed. When she came out of the bathroom after her shower and saw me lying there, her face instantly darkened. "Carmen, I'm scared! I just had a nightmare. Can I sleep with you? Please?"

Before she could lose her temper, I beat her to it and started crying. Her expression turned complicated, with anger, coldness and a deep sense of helplessness. Uh-oh. Did I push my luck too far?

I quickly got off her bed, sobbing and apologized, "I'm sorry, Carmen. When I was little, my mom always held me when there was a thunderstorm. I just … I miss her."

A flicker of hesitation flashed through her eyes. She muttered something under her breath and then, just as I was about to leave with my pillow, she grabbed me back. "You can sleep here. Just behave yourself, got it?"

I was shocked. Did it work? That night, I slept in the same bed as Carmen. A strange emotion enveloped me as I felt her gentle pats on my back. Though I wasn't by her side in my past life, I knew her well enough. She wasn't always this obsessive about Damian. She lost her mother young and her billionaire father was rarely around. She lacked love and desperately craved it.

But Damian, that idiot, became the wealthy heir and spent his days showing off, surrounding himself with useless friends. He saw Carmen as a rival, an obstacle to inheriting their father's fortune. Later, he even dared to try to have her kidnapped and assaulted, which led to Carmen breaking his legs and scarring his face."

I knew my role in this life: I would "heal" this broken, possessive woman with love and somehow, I had already started feeling a strange sense of belonging with her. "Sis, I'll become strong enough to protect you."

I meant every word. Carmen paused, then chuckled softly. "Mm, then grow up quickly."

Time flew by. In the blink of an eye, Carmen was now a college student and I had just turned eighteen and finished my college entrance exams. I saw Damian again at my coming-of-age party. He trailed behind a wealthy couple dressed in an expensive tailored suit, looking like a young celebrity. However, his face was pale and his expression lifeless. Life clearly hadn't been kind to him.

When he saw me appearing in my simple attire, he straightened his back and walked over, tilting his chin up as he scanned me from head to toe. "Looks like you haven't been living too well either. That psycho Carmen wouldn't even buy you a decent suit?"

Before I could respond, a cold voice rang out behind me. "Who are you calling a psycho?"

Damian's already pale face turned ghostly white the moment he saw her. In our past life, she had tormented him beyond recognition. Just one look from her, filled with disgust, was enough to make him tremble. "I-I'm sorry. I was talking nonsense!"

Carmen didn't spare him another glance. Instead, she turned to me and draped a wool shawl over my shoulders, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. My little brother, I made this for you myself. Happy birthday."

She pulled me into a tight hug, her voice slightly choked up. "You'll be leaving for university abroad soon. If you miss me, just call. I can always fly over to see you."

Then, she held me even tighter and whispered, "If you're uncomfortable there, I'll buy you an apartment near campus and hire a private chef from home to cook for you."