Rebirth: My Sister Won't Steal My Life

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I waited three years for that company-sponsored scholarship letter from the steel mill.

But when I ran home to share the news, my adoptive sister Lexie told the whole neighborhood I'd slept with the mill owner's son to get it.

My parents didn't just believe her; they reported me to the board of directors.

I lost my chance at college, was publicly shamed, and got fired from the mill. Even the owner and his son lost their positions because of the scandal.

Meanwhile, Lexie was hailed as a hero for exposing me and took my spot at the university.

I became the laughingstock of the county. The constant harassment broke me, and I fell deathly ill.

Lexie even swapped my heart medication for sugar pills, leaving me to die in the dead of winter.

My parents buried me in a shallow grave without a single word of prayer.

That's when I finally realized that blood meant nothing to them compared to Lexie's manipulative sweet-talk.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back at the exact moment the mill owner handed me that recommendation letter.

Right in front of him, I crossed out my name and wrote in the daughter of the floor supervisor.

In this life, I'm going to see how far Lexie gets without using me as her stepping stone.

I was just outside my front door when I heard my father's voice, thick with rage.

"What are you all here to congratulate us for? Are you here to laugh at the Miller family?"

The neighbors looked confused. "Rainie got the scholarship to the state university. Why would we be laughing?"

Lexie, my adoptive sister, wiped away a fake tear, looking like a wounded bird.

"You don't understand. My sister didn't earn that spot. She slept with Hayden Brooks, the owner's son, to get it"

My mother, Sarah, chimed in immediately.

"It's a curse! We raised such a shameless girl who would use her body for a shortcut!"

I stood at the door, watching this familiar scene with a cold heart.

But this time, I didn't rush in to argue. Instead, I pushed through the crowd, looking terrified.

"I didn't do it! Lexie, stop lying. The letter isn't even official until tomorrow. If you keep talking like this, they'll take it away!"

"Still lying!"

My mother screamed, shoving me hard.

I let myself fall, hitting the dirt as tears spilled over.

"Your sister even found witnesses!"

Right on cue, a few young men from the mill stepped forward.

The leader was Lexie's biggest simp, Leo Sterling.

"I saw it with my own eyes! My boys and I were down by the creek when we saw her and Hayden Brooks getting dirty in the grass. The way she was moving it was disgusting!"

The other guys started catcalling and making lewd comments.

The neighbors immediately turned on me, their looks full of disgust.

Someone even spat near my feet.

"How trashy. I've been married twenty years and I've never heard anything so scandalous!"

I didn't defend myself. I just sobbed and purposely pulled up my sleeve. It revealed the dark bruises from when they had beaten me the night before for Lexie's sake.

Someone gasped. "Rainie, what happened to your arm?"

I shot a fearful look at my parents and pulled my sleeve back down quickly. "I I just fell."

My mother's eyes flickered with panic. She reached out to grab me.

"Get inside! Stop embarrassing us!"

I instinctively blocked my face with my arms. "Mom, please don't hit me again. I swear I didn't do anything"

The crowd saw everything.

Suddenly, people started shouting at my parents.

"You can't just beat the girl like that. You two always seemed so respectable."

Lexie tried to fix the situation.

"Everyone, we're talking about my sister's loose behavior. Don't blame my parents."

The next second, I dropped to my knees and started banging my forehead against the ground.

"Fine! If you want to say I'm a slut, then I'm a slut! I'll admit to anything! Just please stop hitting me. It hurts so much. I don't have a single inch of skin that isn't bruised anymore."

My father's temper hit the ceiling.

He grabbed a loose brick from the garden path and swung it at my head.

"Shut your mouth! Stop ruining my reputation!"

I let out a muffled groan and collapsed, blood streaming down my face.

Just then, a siren wailed. A voice boomed from the street. "Stop right there! What is going on?"

Everyone went silent. My parents froze, their faces turning pale with terror.

I struggled to prop myself up, crawling toward the police officer's boots. "Officer, please don't arrest my parents. They didn't mean it. They're just stressed"

The officer quickly helped me up.

"Why did he hit you?"

I wiped the blood from my eyes and let out a shaky sigh.

"The mill is sending someone to university on a full scholarship. My parents probably wanted Lexie to go, but they didn't know how to tell me. They got frustrated and things got heated."

The crowd erupted.

My parents and Lexie looked like they had swallowed coals.

They didn't expect me to voice their secret motives so clearly.

Lexie frantically signaled to Leo.

Leo stepped up, acting tough. "Officer, don't listen to her! She sold her body for that scholarship. She's the one who should be locked up for public indecency!"

My father tried to act like a righteous citizen.

"Officer, I'm so sorry. Even if she is my daughter, I won't cover for her! She needs to be punished for her crimes!"

The officer looked at me, his expression grim. "Is what they're saying true?"

Suddenly, Hayden Brooks pushed through the crowd.

"That's total bullshit! Rainie and I have a strictly professional relationship!"

He glared at the men who had testified against me.

"You saw us? Tell the officer exactly when. What time? What location? Lying to the police carries a prison sentence, you know."

The witnesses immediately started backing away.

"We we didn't see anything. Leo told us to say that. We have nothing to do with this!"

They turned tail and ran.

Leo lowered his head, not daring to make a sound.

I felt a cold smile forming inside.

In my last life, I lost because I was too afraid to involve the police. I thought a criminal record would ruin my future.

I thought I could just leave this town and start over.

But my parents had taken Lexie to the county governor the very next day. They made such a scene that the governor gave the spot to Lexie just to shut them up.

This time, I didn't care about the scholarship. I wasn't afraid of the police.

Before leaving the mill, I had paid a kid to call the cops and another to find Hayden.

The officer saw through the lies instantly. "This is defamation. All of you, come to the station for questioning!"

I grabbed the officer's sleeve, crying. "Please don't take them. Lexie just wants to go to college. If she has a record, the mill won't let me transfer the scholarship to her."

Hayden looked at me with pure frustration. "You can't just give away a scholarship like that!"

I looked up at him shyly. "The letter is just sitting on your father's desk. It's just a matter of changing a name"

Hayden was so angry he just turned and walked away.

While the police took my parents, Lexie, and Leo to the station, I ran home. I trashed the cabinets and made the place look like it had been burgled.

Then, I reached under the bed and pulled out the metal box where my mother hid her savings and ledger. I stuffed every cent into my pocket.

After finishing, I held my bleeding forehead and walked back out, sobbing.

I ran into my neighbor, Mrs. Jenkins.

"Mrs. Jenkins, I'm going to the clinic. If my parents come back, please let them know"

Mrs. Jenkins looked heartbroken.

"Oh, you poor girl! Go on! Don't let that wound scar!"

The other neighborhood women gathered around, whispering about how my parents were absolute monsters.

I thanked them and stumbled away.

As soon as I was out of their sight, I sprinted toward the outskirts of town where the drifters stayed.

I didn't get home until midnight.

The yard was full of people. My mother was sitting on the ground, wailing. "My money! My savings! We've been robbed!"

My father saw me and immediately slapped me across the face.

"You useless brat! Where were you while our house was being cleaned out?"

I fell to the ground, clutching my cheek as tears fell.

My mother lunged at me, hitting me repeatedly.

"How dare you show your face!"

The neighbors couldn't take it anymore. Mrs. Jenkins stepped in, shielding me.

"Stop it! She was at the clinic getting stitches! Why do you think she was there? Because you hit her!"

"Exactly!" another woman shouted. "You treat your adoptive daughter like a princess and your own flesh and blood like trash. You're blind!"

My mother was so angry she started scratching at the neighbors. "Mind your own business!"

The yard turned into a chaotic brawl.

I was pushed to the edge of the crowd, watching the drama with cold eyes.

Lexie walked over to me, looking disgusted. "Stop it! This is embarrassing!"

She looked like she was in a great mood. I knew she had already made her move.

She leaned in and whispered, "Tomorrow, when the mill owner says the scholarship letter is missing from his desk, you tell him you took it."

My mother's eyes lit up. "Lexie, did you steal the letter?"

Lexie nodded proudly. "Leo helped me. He knows a guy who can forge documents. We're going to put my name on it. No one will ever know!"

My father started laughing. "That's my girl! You're so smart!"

A weight lifted off my chest.

The letter they stole was a voided copy.

And changing a recipient requires updating the mill's official files. You can't just white-out a name.

They were so incredibly stupid.

I didn't say a word. I just went to my tiny room and laid down.

The next day, I followed Lexie to the mill.

As soon as we walked in, workers were whispering in small groups.

No one was talking about a missing letter. Instead, everyone was buzzing about a ton of high-grade steel that had vanished from the warehouse overnight.

Lexie didn't notice. She pinched my arm hard.

"Remember what I said. Tell them you took the letter, or I'll make your life hell!"

I nodded like a scared puppy.

At lunch, I was about to sit down when Beatrice Vance, the floor supervisor, pulled me to her table.

Beatrice was known as the Dragon Lady of the mill. This was the first time she had ever smiled at me.

She put a large piece of roast beef on my tray. "You're giving your college spot to my daughter, June. I won't forget this. I'll make sure you're taken care of at the mill."

I let a single tear fall into my tray.

Then I peeked over at Lexie and Leo, who were sitting nearby.

Beatrice followed my gaze and frowned.

"Is she bothering you? I'll handle her."

I shook my head frantically.

"No, Mrs. Vance. Lexie really wants to go to college in my place. She has Leo Sterling backing her. You know Leo is a thug. I'm just afraid they might try something illegal to steal June's spot."

I left the rest unsaid.

The look in Beatrice and June's eyes shifted instantly.

After work, I purposely waited to walk home with Beatrice and her daughter.

As we entered our neighborhood, we saw Lexie and Leo bragging to everyone.

"The scholarship is mine! I'm moving to the city to be a college girl!"

Someone whispered, "I heard the spot went to Beatrice's daughter, June. They're posting the official notice tomorrow"

The yard went dead silent. All eyes were on Lexie.

Lexie's face stiffened, then turned red with fury.

"That's a lie! Why would June get it? She's as dumb as a rock and ugly to boot. She'd be a beggar in the city!"

Leo spat on the ground. "Exactly! The Dragon Lady's daughter in college? That's a joke!"

Someone else asked, "Lexie, did your sister really give you the spot?"

My parents pushed to the front, beaming with pride.

"Of course! Rainie is too soft for the big city. Our Lexie is the one with the brains. She deserves it!"

"We're throwing a huge party this weekend! Everyone's invited!"

Someone scoffed. "I don't believe it. You're just trying to trick us into giving you gift money."

Lexie lost it. she pulled out the forged letter and held it high.

"Look! My name is right here! Rainie told the owner herself to give it to me! You think this is fake?"

As soon as she finished, a cold, furious voice echoed from behind her.

"I'd like to know when that scholarship became yours. Because that paper is a fake, and the one in my hand is the real deal!"