Amelia Bennett jolted awake from a seemingly endless dream, drenched in sweat, her breathing ragged and uncontrollable.

“You believe me now, don’t you? I wasn’t lying—this is your future. You're the world’s ‘chosen one’ or whatever. Why would I ever hurt you?” The voice in her head—the so-called system—sounded a little smug.

She didn’t respond. Instead, she leaned weakly against the edge of the bed, eyes half-closed like she was trying to process everything.

After a long silence, she finally opened her eyes and was about to speak—when her gaze accidentally met the mirror at the bedside.

The woman staring back was stunning. Twenty years of pampering as a rich heiress had left her in her prime, perched perfectly between youthful charm and grown-up elegance. Those eyes looked like they carried galaxies, shining like shattered stars.

And yet... Amelia’s heart dropped.

She sucked in a sharp breath like she'd been punched in the gut. Her throat tightened, her stomach flipped, and bile clawed its way up.

In the next second, she stumbled into the bathroom and threw up like her world was ending.

The system panicked, its voice urgent. “Amelia?! Are you okay? I swear, I only gave you a peek into the future through a dream. It shouldn’t have hurt your body!”

Amelia clutched the sink with pale knuckles, her face ghost-white, forcing out a weak and shaky smile to let the system know she’d survive.

Physically, maybe she was fine. But mentally... she was falling apart.

Who wouldn’t be broken after seeing their own face—scarred, hollowed out, utterly destroyed?

That image of her emaciated frame in the dream flashed again, the horrid scar curling across her right cheek like a worm. Her whole body trembled.

She muttered, almost to herself, “I can’t believe the world I’ve been living in for twenty years... is fake.”

When the system first popped up in her head, Amelia seriously thought she’d gone crazy. But then the future dreams started happening, and they were way too real—too accurate—to ignore.

Turned out her entire life was actually a romance novel called *The Heiress, Unmasked*. And she? She was supposed to be the leading lady, set for a life of happiness and love.

But then came Serena Buttercup—the girl from another world who was now pretending to be the real heiress.

Amelia hadn’t done anything wrong. All she wanted was a quiet life in the Bennett family. But somehow, she became an uninvited guest in someone else’s script.

Sure, she’d lived in luxury, taken someone else’s place—but the one who really deserved justice was the real Amelia, the one who had originally belonged to this life.

In the original plotline, the two had made peace, called each other sisters, and both found their happy endings.

But this outsider—this Serena—messed everything up. As soon as she crossed over, the real heiress died. Just like that.

So if you really think about it, Serena was the one who had metaphorically killed the real Amelia.

Fueled by jealousy because of how much love Amelia got from the Bennetts, Serena pulled every underhanded trick in the book to ruin her life—isolated her, crushed her spirit, dragged her into hell.

The original story was twisted beyond recognition. Amelia wasn’t the lead anymore. She’d become the pitiful side character who was literally tortured to death.

That was when the world stepped in, sending the system to try and put her fate back together.

She whispered, “So, what exactly can you do to help me?”

The system spoke up like it had been waiting for this moment. “Help you take down the fake heiress, obviously! I’ve got tons of features. Trust me, there’s no way Serena can beat you.”

"Serena..." Amelia murmured.

If it were yesterday, she might’ve still just resented Serena for stealing her life, for flipping everything upside down.

But after that dream?

No. This was deeper now. The words the people said in that dream stuck to her like shadows. They’d become a scar she couldn't erase."Amelia, you have to believe me. I raised you for twenty years—you'll always be my most cherished daughter."

"Of course you're Dad's best girl."

"If anyone dares mess with you, come to me. I'm your brother, and I’ll always back you up."

"You're my fiancée, the future hostess of the Holden family, the one I want to spend my life with. You can always count on me."

Amelia let out a cold laugh. In her dream, she'd been foolish enough to believe all this fake affection. That’s what had got her crushed in the end.

It only took a few years for all of them to forget her and turn to Serena.

"No wonder you're not my real daughter. You've got that low-class blood from the Buttercups. No matter how I teach you, you’ll never be like Serena."

"The Bennetts have fed you for over twenty years. Now it's time to give back. If marrying into the Chen family can help us grow, what’s the problem? So what if the guy’s sixty? You'll be his heir. What more do you want?"

"You think you can talk trash about Serena? She’s my real sister. You’re just some imposter living a life that was never yours."

"You? As my fiancée? That was a mistake. Things are just going back to how they should’ve been. And marrying into the Chens? They’re one of the top families in the city. You should be grateful, really."

Every word was like a knife to the chest. Even now, just thinking about it made Amelia feel like she couldn’t breathe.

She forced herself to look into the mirror. After a while, her disgust faded, and her eyes grew resolute.

“System, since your goal is to change my tragic ending, can I choose not to follow the book anymore?”

Survival came first. She wasn't strong enough to go head-to-head with the Bennetts yet. Even if she stayed, beat Serena—so what? Eventually, she'd still be married off to Lionel like in the original story.

They had zero emotional connection. Honestly, just thinking about Lionel Holden made her want to throw up.

Serena wanted the Holden family? Fine. She could have it.

The System was stunned that Amelia wanted to throw everything away. But seeing how serious she was, it said:

[Hold up, Amelia. Let me check with the World Consciousness first.]

Changing a protagonist’s fate was a huge deal; the System didn't dare make that call alone.

Finally seeing a glimmer of hope, Amelia gave a genuine smile. "Thanks."

In the dream, the only people she truly wronged were her birth parents.

Back then, she couldn’t let go of the Bennetts—couldn’t walk away from her so-called parents and brother. She stayed, fell for their lies.

When the reunion happened, she found out her real parents had already died in a car crash—over a month ago. She missed her last chance to see them. Even the inn they left her was casually sold off by Serena.

Now, all she wanted was to return to that quiet village where her parents had raised her and run that inn, keeping their dreams alive.

"Ring ring ring~~~"

Mrs. May’s voice came through the phone, full of concern. “Miss, something happened at home. Sir and Madam want you back tonight.”

“Got it, Aunt May. I’ll be there.”

After hanging up, Amelia took a deep breath.

This was it—the first scene from her dream. The night Serena reunited with the real parents.

Good thing she knew it was coming. She wouldn't be caught off guard this time.

Back in the dream, it happened right after Serena got possessed by that other soul.

Amelia glanced at her closet and picked out a high-end custom-made blue and white short dress. The detailed embroidery at the hem added a touch of elegance with some playfulness.

This time, leaving the Bennett family was her choice. But she was never the type to let grudges slide. Even if she left, she wouldn't let Serena get too comfortable in their house.