The Rest Is Light

Calvin then tenderly lifted Rebecca. Halfway up the stairs, he paused, turning to give me a look loaded with unspoken words.

As his silhouette vanished, I closed my eyes, inhaled deeply, and pushed down the ache in my heart.

I turned to Nash with a steady gaze. "Dad, I'm thinking of getting some experience at the branch office. Isn't the new company in Zephyr City understaffed?"

Dad's attention finally snapped back to me, and he swiftly nodded. "Sure, I'll have Mr. Wallace arrange everything necessary."

...

"Jo," Dad's voice was tinged with a weariness he tried to soften, "I'm sorry for being useless, for the hardships you've faced. Your sister has always been delicate. You're her younger sister… Could you maybe be a little more patient with her?"

He paused before adding, "I promise I'll make it up to you."

I kept my eyes downcast, concealing the scorn that flickered within them.

Make it up?

Such a hollow word.

I took his words to heart in my previous life, always stepping aside for Rebecca, always putting her first. I had believed that everything I had was thanks to her. Sadly for me, that only led to a grim end.

"Dad, I'm beat. If there's nothing else, I'm heading to my room," I said, my voice flat, giving away no hint of how I felt.

Dad looked like he wanted to add something, but he just waved me off. "Go on."

When I pushed open my door, there was Rebecca, lounging in my room, toying with the ceramic doll Mom and I had made.

It was not a masterpiece, kind of wonky, really, but it was the last piece of Mom I had.

Rebecca's face was twisted with undisguised contempt.

"Well, look who's here. Checking out this pathetic toy, just like your doomed-to-die-early mom, not worth showing off."

She laughed derisively. "Joanna, your mom was nothing but a homewrecker, and you've got the same cheap blood running through your veins. You and your mom have no business stepping foot in the Smith family's home."

Her words cut deep.

The truth was, it was Nash, the ultimate player, who had promised to marry Yessenia Lloyd for her family's clout.

However, he sweet-talked my naive mom, turning her into the joke of Cascade City's elite.

Mom passed away heartbroken, and I was branded 'the mistress's daughter', the Smith family's dirty little secret.

In my previous life, I clung to Mom's last words when she said, "Be patient, Jo. Be gentle on your sister. I'm the one who's failed you..."

I did just that, and what did it get me? A downfall with no coming back.

Thinking about that past life, the secrets I stumbled upon, I could not help but crack a wry smile.

I did not lose it right then and there. Instead, I took my time, closing in on her with each calculated step.

I leaned in, my voice a hushed whisper by her ear, "Imagine, sis, if Cascade City woke up to headlines screaming that the Smiths' precious Rebecca, the jewel they've doted on for over two decades, isn't actually a Smith by blood. What then?"

Rebecca froze, her body going rigid as the words sank in.

I stepped back, cocking my head to the side, taking in the sight of her pale, color-drained face.

With eyes wide in shock, she barely managed to stammer, "You... how did you find out?"

I reclaimed the ceramic doll from her grasp.

Cradling the doll, I gave my head a little tilt, my tone icy, "From now on, stay out of my room, and don't mess with me. Otherwise, I won't think twice about broadcasting your little secret to all of Cascade City."