The Substitute's Escape: Rewriting My Destiny Chapter 2

In my past life, the reason Julian chose me out of all the girls was also because I looked a bit like his deceased younger sister.

Back then, when I found out I was chosen, I thought the heavens were finally blessing me.

I was taken to the Sterling estate and renamed Luna Sterling.

I was given my very own room in their massive, luxurious mansion.

Even though I knew that room didn't truly belong to me, I was still incredibly content.

Mrs. Sterling told me, "Children from orphanages naturally have a certain... lower-class demeanor. The way they speak and act simply isn't presentable."

So, I worked tirelessly to erase all my old habits, becoming less and less like my true self.

Mrs. Sterling was incredibly strict with me.

I was forced to practice the piano for over twelve hours every single day.

Even when my instructor explicitly told her I had absolutely no natural talent for it, Mrs. Sterling still stood over me, forcing me to practice daily.

But some things just can't be forced.

"I'm sorry, Mom. I still can't play it right."

Every time I apologized, Mrs. Sterling would look at me with even more affection and comfort me.

"It's okay. As long as my Luna keeps trying, you'll definitely be able to play it perfectly one day."

I only found out later that playing the piano was her deceased daughter's favorite hobby.

Mrs. Sterling wasn't nurturing me; she was just using me to find the shadow of someone else.

But I didn't care about any of that.

A dying fish doesn't care if the water it's given is clean; it just wants to survive.

Water to a fish was like love to me.

As long as I had it, I was happy.

I practiced the piano even harder. I tried even harder to please Mrs. Sterling.

We began to look more and more like a real mother and daughter.

Until the night of Julian's engagement party. He was drugged, and I just happened to accidentally walk into his room.

When Mr. Sterling saw Julian and me, he was so furious he passed out.

Mrs. Sterling slapped me hard across the face. "I never should have brought you into this family."

Julian stared at me in silence. I couldn't read the emotion in his eyes.

But I assumed he was regretting it too.

Regretting that he had ever chosen me to be his sister.

"I don't know what happened. I didn't drug my brother."

I tried desperately to defend myself, but no one believed me.

So much so that later, when Julian cheated on me and betrayed our marriage countless times, he would always say: "You were willing to use drugs just to force your own brother to marry you. Everything happening now is just your karma."

Julian hated me.

That's why, after we got married, he loved humiliating me in public.

Many people in our social circle took bets on how long our marriage would last.

"A year, tops. Once she has the kid, Julian will kick her to the curb."

Unfortunately, the outcome shocked everyone.

Julian and I were entangled in a toxic, agonizing marriage for nineteen years.

Even after I died, the words Wife of Julian Sterling were carved into my tombstone.

"Luna, tell me the truth. Why don't you want to be adopted by the Sterling family?"

After Julian and his parents left, the director called me into her office.

I stayed silent for a long time before throwing out a random excuse: "I don't want to leave you and everyone else."

The director sighed and urged me to reconsider.

I knew she meant well. She just wanted me to have a better life.

But I refused to repeat the nightmare of my past life. I didn't want anything to do with Julian ever again.

However, a massive fire that night destroyed all my plans.