Alicia Lawrence jolted awake. She nced at the half-finished sketch on her desk and the familiar room around her. With a smile touching her lips, she realized she had reallye back.


    Her eyes fell on the calendar. Today marked three months since Tiffany Lawrence had returned to the family. It was also the very day that the whole family gathered to celebrate Tiffany’s return. “The timing couldn’t be better, Alicia thought, just as a knock sounded at the door. <fnc461> ?? ??? ???? ?? ???? ???? ???????s, ????s? ??s?? find?novel</fnc461>


    Alicia opened the door to find her second-eldest brother, Andrew Lawrence, standing outside, frowning at her. “Alicia, what’s wrong with you? I knocked three times. I was starting to think you had died in there.”


    At his curse-like words, Alicia simply stared back coldly, saying nothing. Her silence only made Andrew more impatient. “Is that painting finished yet? Mr. West is arriving in Riverdale in a few days. Tiffany needs to bring it with her to ask him to be her mentor. Don’t you dare mess this up for her.”


    Alicia’s perfectly shaped brows furrowed. “I spent an entire week on that painting, barely sleeping or eating. Why should I just hand it over to Tiffany?”


    Hearing this, Andrew stared at Alicia in disbelief. “Are you running a fever? Is your brain fried? What nonsense are you


    lking about? Wasn’t that painting always meant for Tiffany?”


    He moved closer, voice sharp with impatience. “If it’s done, hand it over. Now. And have you finished anything elsetely? I’m not criticizing, but your output is too low. Tiffany hasn’t posted in a month. She’ll be forgotten if this goes on. From now on, eat less, sleep less, and draw more. For her.”


    Andrew said it like it was the most natural thing in the world. And Alicia knew it was her fault. She had spoiled them all in her past life, and now his entitlement was the price she had to pay.


    In Alicia’s past life, Tiffany was a famous online painter. Her works sold for high prices and won her many fans. Later, she even became a student of Edward West, a well-known painter. This helped her move from inte fame to real-world sess, and she became a famous artist.


    But no one knew the truth. Alicia had actually painted every piece Tiffany posted online as well as every painting Tiffany created as Edward West’s student.


    Alicia had been kept like a shadow by the Lawrence family, forced to paint endlessly, all to build Tiffany’s career and ensure her sess.


    In her previous life, Alicia had craved the affection from the family and the love from her mother. Hoping for even the smallest bit of warmth from the Lawrences, she agreed to almost everything they asked, doing whatever was demanded of


    her.


    But when Tiffany became famous, the family worried Alicia would cause trouble. So they locked Alicia in a dark room with chains. She could no longer tell day from night. Her life was reduced to eating, sleeping, and painting while chained. With no contact to the outside world, she could only paint from her mind, and her art became more and more abstract.


    Tiffany used Alicia of refusing to paint well on purpose. As punishment, she locked Alicia in the basement with dozens of starved rats and snakes. The hungry animals attacked and killed Alicia. Before she died, Alicia swore that if she ever had another chance, she would make the Lawrence family pay for what they did.


    But after she died, she didn’t go to the underworld. Instead, she met an old man with a white beard. He told her to finish nine tasks, and if she seeded, she could go back to life. So she traveled through nine different worlds, helping the main characters and others achieve their deepest wishes. And now, she had finally returned.


    This time, Alicia had no intention of putting up with the Lawrence family any longer. She would never let Tiffany be


    Edward West’s student. So she stared coldly at Andrew and said, “I painted it, and I won’t give it to Tiffany.”


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    Andrew flew into a rage. “Alicia, you owe everything to Tiffany. All these years, you’ve been living as her, enjoying thefort and privilege of our family. That life should have been hers, but she was the one suffering outside. Now we’re only asking you to paint a few pieces for her. What’s so hard about that? Do you really think you’ve been wronged?”


    That was true. Alicia wasn’t the Lawrence family’s real daughter. Twelve years ago, when she was just eight years old, the Lawrence family had forced her toe home with them.


    At that time, the Lawrences’ youngest daughter, Tiffany, had gone missing. Maria Lawrence was almost broken by grief. Then they found Alicia, who was about the same age as Tiffany. Missing her daughter terribly, Maria saw Tiffany in Alicia and insisted on bringing her home.


    Alicia had always had a natural gift for painting. Even as a child, she could paint anything she saw. But without any real training, her work was more about feeling than technical skill.


    Later, she met an old ragpicker named Richard Shaw. Richard was a skilled painter who noticed Alicia’s love for art and took her in as his student. After a year of learning from Richard, Alicia’s painting improved dramatically. She even began selling her work to earn money.


    ry day, she would paint and sell her work. Some pieces sold for just a few dors, others for a hundred or more. Together, she and Richard lived off what he made from collecting scraps and what she earned from her art.


    They weren’t greedy. The money they earned was enough to get by and even enough to help others. She remembered once even helping a boy in need. But then the Lawrence family came and took her away, forcing her to be their daughter.


    Alicia had tried to run away many times to look for Richard, but she could never find him. When she was heartbroken, Maria told her, “Richard doesn’t want you anymore. From now on, the Lawrence house is your home, and we are your family.”


    Back then, she was deeply touched. Having never had a family, and now left behind by Richard, she feltpletely alone and even began to doubt herself. The Lawrences showed up just when she longed for a ce to belong.


    After bing a Lawrence, Alicia did everything she was told and tried her best to behave. The Lawrences gave her a room, and she slowly settled into her new life.


    But three months ago, the Lawrence family suddenly found their biological daughter, Tiffany. But Maria said, “Alicia is also a child I raised with my own hands. I can’t just send her away. Besides, she has nowhere else to go. She is wee to stay with


    us,”


    At that time, Alicia felt grateful to the Lawrences. She also felt sorry for Tiffany, who had been lost and suffered so much as a child. Because of this, she always tried to be kind to Tiffany. She thought she was gaining a sister, and that they would get along well. But things did not turn out as she had hoped.


    From the day Tiffany returned, she was deeply hostile toward Alicia. When Alicia offered her food, she would secretly putxatives in it. Then she used Alicia of trying to poison her, iming Alicia was afraid that she would take everything.


    When Alicia gave her clothes, she hid needles inside, then pretended to cry and beg. “Alicia, I won’tpete with you. I just want to stay with Mom, Dad, and my brothers. Please, let me stay.”


    The Lawrences saw Tiffany’s pleading. They called Alicia cruel and showed even more sympathy toward Tiffany. They already believed Alicia had stolen Tiffany’s identity and made her suffer for years. Now they were more certain than ever that Alicia owed Tiffany everything.


    Whatever Tiffany wanted, the Lawrences would do anything to get it for her. And whatever Tiffany wanted was always something that belonged to Alicia. One by one, everything Alicia loved and cherished was robbed from her by Tiffany