The Stolen Identity Chapter 1

Since childhood, I've been sickly and weak, prone to coughing and dizziness. The day my wealthy parents brought me home, the imposter who stole my identity tried to frame me by faking a fall down the stairs.

At that exact moment, my blood sugar crashed. I collapsed, tumbled down, and stopped breathing. My terrified parents rushed me to the hospital.

Barely revived, my brother stormed in, grabbed my collar, and threatened me. His rage triggered a heart attack, and the monitor flatlined. Panicked, he fled for a doctor.

That evening, the imposter pretended to jump from the hospital roof, crying that my return left her no place. Without a word, my brother dragged me to the edge. My severe acrophobia struck—my legs gave way, and I fell.

My parents arrived with food just in time to see it. The air froze, then their eyes turned red with fury as they screamed. My brother and the imposter stood there, stunned and terrified.

* * *

A frantic team of doctors worked through the night, and finally, my heartbeat returned. Seeing Mom and Dad's ashen faces, Scarlett’s voice was laced with a desperate cry.

"Mom, Dad, I really didn't push her. She just fell somehow…"

Mom finally looked up, eyeing her suspiciously. "Then tell me, why would Luna, a patient just out of critical care who can barely walk, inexplicably find herself on a thirty-story rooftop?"

Scarlett was choked into silence, unable to utter a single word for a long time.

"I dragged her up there!" My brother, Conor, quickly stepped in front of Scarlett, adopting a protective stance. "Ever since she came back, you've all been ignoring Scarlett more and more, which is why Scarlett almost did something desperate today. So, it's all Luna's fault, shouldn't Luna apologize to Scarlett?"

"If you ask me, she's incredibly manipulative! She knew there were safety barriers below the rooftop today, that's why she deliberately put on this whole act, just to gain sympathy and frame Scarlett!"

I had just opened my eyes from a dizzying haze, and hearing those words, my heart clenched violently. Not only was my body fragile, but my psychological resilience was even weaker. So, the next second, my legs gave out, and I knelt directly onto the floor from the bed, trembling uncontrollably.

"Mom and Dad, Conor is right. It was all me, trying to gain sympathy and frame Scarlett, that I deliberately climbed onto the rooftop and fell."

"No one dragged me up there by force, and no one forced me to apologize without understanding the situation. All of this was voluntary. Please don't blame Conor and Scarlett."

"Conor, don't be angry anymore. I'll apologize to Scarlett right now."

As I spoke, I timidly tugged at Scarlett's sleeve, trying to force a smile at her. "Scarlett, I'm sorry…"

Before I finished speaking, two streaks of blood unexpectedly trickled from the corners of my mouth. I casually wiped them away, smearing blood all over my face, and could only helplessly stretch my lips into a wider smile.

Scarlett screamed, backing away several steps as if she had seen a ghost. Mom’s eyes rolled back, and she rushed forward to gently press me back onto the bed, her hands shaking as she wiped my face. Dad’s face darkened completely, and with a thump, he slammed the table, making it hum.

"Look at what you've done! What have you pushed Luna to do?! Her health is already so fragile!"

At these words, Scarlett’s eyes immediately turned red with injustice.

Conor widened his eyes in disbelief. "Mom and Dad! You actually believe Luna?"

"I looked into her past. She's begged on the streets, acted as an extra in film sets. Playing the victim and acting comes naturally to her, doesn't it?"

"Otherwise, have you ever seen a normal person like her, spitting blood after a few words, or fainting after a few steps?"

"She's clearly putting on an act!"

Seeing Mom and Dad's expressions soften, Conor's eyes lit up, as if he'd just thought of something. With decisive action, he yanked me off the hospital bed without a word, pulling out my oxygen tube.

"Mom and Dad, look, I've pulled out her oxygen tube, but her heart monitor is still beeping perfectly fine, isn't it?"

"If you ask me, her heart condition is probably faked too. If she were truly unwell, something would have happened by now."

"So, she must have bribed the doctors to falsify her medical records…"

I instinctively shook my head, wanting to tell them it wasn't true. I had just been terribly tormented by human traffickers years ago. Even though I was lucky enough to escape and survive, my body suffered lasting sequelae.

But I couldn’t speak anymore. The familiar suffocating sensation surged, my face turned purple, and large gushes of blood poured from my mouth. Conor was still rattling on, while my heart monitor, amidst its "beep-beep" alarm, once again flatlined. They turned back halfway through their words, only to see this scene.

The air froze for a moment.

The next second, the hospital room erupted in chaos—screams, shouts, utter pandemonium.

"Luna!!" Mom and Dad pushed Conor away, frantically catching my collapsing body.

"Doctor! Go call the doctor now!!!"

Conor froze for a second, looking at his blood-soaked hands. He then gasped, scrambling out to call the doctor. Scarlett, ignored by everyone for the first time, stood stunned, stamping her feet in anger.

But at that moment, no one could pay attention to her. Amidst all the shouts, my world slowly plunged into darkness.