Chapter 1

I’m the real daughter of the Cooper family, the one who was maliciously swapped at birth.

She’s the fake—the girl who lived in my place for seventeen years, raised by the Coopers as their own.

She’s prettier, sweeter, more charming—at least, that’s what everyone says. And because of that, my so-called family has always favored her, the imposter.

Everyone’s waiting for me to lose it. They expect me to explode with jealousy, to break down in tears, to rage against the unfairness of it all.

But what they don’t realize is... I don’t care.

Not one bit.

Because being reborn into this peaceful, prosperous time—a world without war, without suffering—is already a blessing greater than I could’ve ever asked for in my last life.

The moment I woke up, I clutched my chest tightly.

I remembered it vividly—an arrow piercing my heart during my final battle, the force throwing me off my horse and straight to my death beneath a towering tree.

But now, everything around me was stark white. The furniture, the surroundings—none of it resembled anything from my homeland.

Fragments of unhappy memories flooded my mind.

They belonged to the original owner of this body. Her life had been nothing but pain, hardship, and humiliation.

I didn’t have time to process it all before voices from outside the room broke through my thoughts.

“She’s definitely faking it,” a sharp, mocking voice said. “Throwing herself into an icy lake in the middle of winter? What a pathetic attempt to gain sympathy. Lucas, don’t let her fool you.”

A steady, composed voice replied, “You may be my sister’s fiancé, but that doesn’t give you the right to make baseless accusations about someone you’ve never even met.”

The door creaked open, revealing the boy with the mocking tone. With a scoff, he said, “Fiancé or not, let me make one thing clear: only Stephanie will ever be the daughter-in-law of the Lewis family. Don’t even think about replacing her with this wild stray.”

“Enough,” the other voice cut him off. Then, noticing me stir, he added, “Amanda? You’re awake?”

Amanda. That’s my name now.

From the fragmented memories, I pieced together a miserable story: I’d been kidnapped as a baby and sold to a remote mountain village. My so-called adoptive parents beat me mercilessly, and I grew up enduring relentless abuse.

It wasn’t until the end of my previous life that my grandmother revealed the truth—I wasn’t their child. I’d been stolen.

I’d fought tooth and nail to escape that village, traveling far and wide to find my real family.

And I found them. My biological parents. My twin brother.

But instead of a warm embrace, I was met with cold indifference.

They already had a daughter—Stephanie, the girl who had taken my place for seventeen years. She was beautiful, graceful, and everything I wasn’t.

To them, I was nothing more than an unpolished embarrassment.

I didn’t know how to act like a proper lady. I lacked the poise and refinement of someone raised in privilege.

In the six months since I’d returned to the Cooper family, they had shown nothing but disdain for me. They humiliated me, rejected me, and made it clear they wished I’d disappear altogether.

What they didn’t know was that in my previous life, I’d been a warrior.

I was trained from a young age in horseback riding, archery, medicine, and poisons. I had climbed out of hell itself to fight on the battlefield, slaying countless enemies.

And yet, I’d been betrayed—killed by the man I loved.

Now, the memories of my past life and this one were merging, becoming clearer by the second.

The boy sneering at me was James, Stephanie’s fiancé.

The calm man was Lucas, my twin brother.

Lucas had already called for a doctor to check on me. Once the doctor confirmed it was just temporary memory loss and nothing serious, Lucas finally relaxed.

“She’s not sick—she’s just stirring up trouble,” James said with a smirk. “She’s jealous of Stephanie because Stephanie’s better at everything. That’s why she lured Stephanie to the lake, hoping to push her in. But instead, she slipped and fell in herself. Ha! Talk about karma.”

In the original Amanda’s memories, she had indeed felt insecure and jealous. Stephanie was her age but seemed perfect in every way.

But the truth? Stephanie had been the one to invite Amanda to the lake. And Stephanie had been the one to push her in.

“Stephanie is my sister, and so are you,” Lucas said firmly. “Mom and Dad will treat you both equally. They’ll arrange a good marriage for you and give you a share of the company.”

Marriage? Shares? I had no interest in any of that.

“Where are Mom and Dad?” I asked.

“They’re at Stephanie’s dance recital, of course,” James said with a shrug. Then, glancing at his watch, he added, “I’m running late—I need to go.”

He paused at the door and turned to Lucas. “Aren’t you coming?”

Lucas gave me a small nod. “Get some rest. We’ll check on you once we’re finished.”