03
In the middle of the night, my stomach pain was unbearable, and I tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
It felt like I was back in my previous life.
Every night, I’d curl up, eyes wide open until dawn.
room was empty. My throat was parched. I fumbled my way downstairs in the dark, desperate for a drink of water.
My room w
Instead, I ran into my second brother, Alex, in the living room.
Alex was a professional gamer, so it wasn’t unusual for him to be up at two or three in the morning.
He clearly noticed me too.
He looked at me with a spur expression.
Alex was the quietest member of the Richard family.
The original Elara had never seen him in a good mood in the six months since she came home.
1 ignored him. I figured her very presence was enough to irritate him…
I walked to the kitchen, hunched over.
But I didn’t realize Alex was startled by my m
by my appearance.
Under the dim nightlight in the living room.
learly saw me sweating profusely from the pain, my lips pale.
He clearly
Aside from the angry red scald mark on my cheek, the rest of my skin was shockingly pale, almost translucent.
1, however, was used to my sickly appearance, so I paid it no mind.
I leaned against the sink, trying to rest, but the next second, a wave of nausea hit me, and I threw up b
blood.
C
“Ugh.”
I choked, tears welling up from the pain.
A sound came from the kitchen doorway. Alex had followed me in.
I quickly turned on the faucet to rinse the blood from the sink, then cupped my hands and drank a few gulps of tap water.
Then I heard Alex’s deep voice. “If you’re going to drink water, drink warm water. Cold water can upset your stomach.”
I softly hummed in response, lowering my head, trying to walk past him.
The original Elara had barely exchanged words with Alex, and I certainly wasn’t eager to get tangled up with this family.
But Alex grabbed my wrist.
I turned my head to look at him, my voice hoarse. “Second brother, is something wrong?”
so close, Allex saw the wound on my y face more clearly.
Being so
He frowned, silent for a moment, then asked, “Why haven’t you treated the scald on your
I looked at his seemingly impatient expression.
I just assumed he thought it was some kind of attention–seeking stunt.
I pulled my wrist free, nodded vaguely. “Yeah, I’m heading back now.”
He was too close. Alex turned on the light, then walked closer to the sink, frowning.
Though the blood had mostly washed away.
He still keenly noticed the faint reddish stains lingering in the sink…
face?”
