The nurse said she fainted.
Hit her head during P.E., nothing too serious , just light bruising and "maybe stress," they said.
But Ami knew the truth.
She hadn't hit her head. She had died.
And now, she was back.
They let her rest in the nurse's office until someone came to pick her up.
First came her stepmother ,all forced concern and fake smiles.
Then Aron, her ever-so-perfect older brother, silently scrolling on his phone.
Not a single "Are you okay?" just—
"Let's go. Everyone's waiting."
[After reaching home]
The living room felt colder than she remembered.
Clean sofas. Framed family photos. A fireplace no one used unless guests were coming.
Everything looked perfect — but Ami knew better.
This house was just a stage.
And today, the performance had begun again.
"Careful, Alia!"
Everyone turned.
At the top of the staircase, Alia( her little stepsister) had stumbled, slipping on the edge of the step.
Ami didn't move.
But her stepmother rushed forward immediately, arms out like a protective shield.
"Baby, are you okay? Did you twist anything?"
Alia sniffled dramatically, tears welling in her big, pretty eyes.
"I almost fell…"
The room gasped.
"You should've been careful," Aron said, already beside her, checking her ankle. "You could've been hurt."
Ami watched quietly from the couch.
No one noticed the faint bruises on her knees.
No one asked why she had stumbled when she entered.
No one even looked her way.
"I'm the one who actually fell," she thought.
"Yet I still cared about them… worried about them… loved them."
She smiled faintly.
"How foolish I was."
Ami had once been the one to protect them.
She had run through rain just to bring Aron's forgotten books to school.
She had given her share of food to Alia when she was "picky."
She had been the shadow that kept them safe.
And still, no one ever caught her when she was falling.
"Ami," her father called suddenly, without looking up, "bring some ointment for Alia's ankle."
Of course, she thought. It's always me.
She stood slowly, walked past the crowd of love and concern surrounding the girl who didn't even fall.
Alia peeked at her from the couch, her lips curling in a smug smile.
Ami didn't flinch.
Instead, she handed the ointment with gentle fingers and a soft voice.
"Here, Alia. Be careful next time."
Everyone nodded approvingly.
Ami smiled sweetly.
*I can play this role too.
The sweet older sister. The invisible caretaker. The easy target.*
But her mind wandered elsewhere.
To the letters hidden in drawers.
To the documents she'd secretly found in her last life.
To the truth:
Everything they owned was hers.
The house. The business. The family name.
It was her mother's inheritance.
Everything was in Ami's name… until they planned to shift it quietly to her brother.
They thought she'd never know.
They thought she'd always love them too much to question it.
*Not this time.*
Ami looked over at them, all gathered around Alia, doting like she was the sun itself.
She smiled again.
"Don't worry," she said aloud, voice syrupy, "I'll always take care of my family."
And inside, she whispered,
"Until I take back everything that was mine."