Yes, I jumped from that rooftop. Wind screaming in my ears as I fell, thinking it might finally earn me one fucking tear from them. Instead, all I got was "she's so dramatic."
Now I'm staring at fifteen-year-old skin in the mirror. Downstairs, their fake voices call my name—identical to that "welcome home" afternoon three years ago.
Yvette rushes to hug me, sugar-sweet venom dripping from her lips: "Remember who the princess is." I give her the same plastic smile right back.
I hear the voice in my head crystal clear: This time, I'm not fighting for their love—I'm taking back the life that was always mine.

Reborn: My Second Shot to Burn It All

Emma's POV
The calendar on my desk stared back at me like an accusation. March 15th - tomorrow. My eighteenth birthday.
Two years had passed since I'd started this new life, two years of grinding through community college courses and part-time jobs while building my algorithm portfolio.
The studi...

Chapter 7