Cara Preston offered a few more words of persuasion before Zachary Preston came upstairs. After sweetly calling him "Dad," Cara went back downstairs. Thanks to her coaxing, Rona Langdon's tone had softened considerably. Zachary didn't have to say much before Rona agreed to let Vera Xavier return to school.
As Cara Preston came out, she glanced at the light coming from Vera Xavier's room. A smirk played on her lips, her eyes filled with disdain.
'In her opinion, Vera Xavier's escape from the wedding wasn't such a bad thing. The whole affair had blown up into such a scandal that Vera's reputation was completely ruined. She'd definitely never find anyone better than Wesley Kane now.'
'As for Vera's academics, Cara was even more dismissive. She knew Vera always ranked dead last in school because of her words, but she also believed there was no way a rural education could compare to one in the city. After all, how could a girl from the countryside possibly get good grades?'
'She could practically envision Vera's miserable future.'
She returned to her room in an excellent mood.
Vera Xavier was sitting in her room, the smallest in the entire Preston residence. It was just large enough to fit a small bed, and with a little nightstand beside it, the furniture was pressed right against the wall.
Aside from that, there was a dilapidated wardrobe at the foot of the bed, which held only a few old pieces of clothing.
Her room had only one small window, just big enough for a single person to squeeze through, wedged near the low wall. It was late spring and heading into early summer, so it wasn't too hot yet. When summer arrived, however, it would surely be as stifling as a steamer inside.
They said she and Cara Preston had been switched at birth. But upon returning to the Preston family, to the home that was supposed to be hers, she was ostracized at every turn. In the end, she was still an outsider.
In this household, only Zachary Preston was genuinely good to her.
So much had happened today. She needed a moment of quiet to sort out her thoughts.
She pulled open a drawer. It was empty. Her books used to be inside, but Rona Langdon had taken them all and sold them for scrap paper.
Thinking back on everything she had endured with the Preston family in her past life, a faint smile touched her lips. 'Whatever the future holds, at least I'm alive and well. And as long as I'm alive, the possibilities are endless.'
She stared blankly at the wall, and then she saw Cara Preston on the other side of it.
At that moment, Cara Preston was stabbing a cloth doll, which had the name "Vera Xavier" written on it, with a needle. The gentle expression she wore in public was gone, replaced by a terrifyingly dark look. Her eyes were filled with venom. As she stabbed the doll, she muttered something under her breath.
Cara Preston's room was much better than hers. A queen-size bed was covered with a floral-print sheet and duvet. Even with a large wardrobe to the side, the room still felt spacious. It also contained a vanity, a desk, and a radio on the desk.
Vera was stunned for a moment. She reached out and touched the wall. It was real. Her eyes felt a little sore. When she looked again, she couldn't see Cara Preston anymore, only the solid wall.
She rubbed her eyes in confusion and stared blankly at the wall again. Then she saw Cara Preston once more. Cara had put down the doll and was starting to undress for bed.
She instantly understood: her rebirth had granted her the Superpower of X-ray vision. The idea sounded far-fetched, but considering rebirth itself had already happened to her, gaining the ability to see through walls didn't seem quite so hard to accept.
Vera recalled the events of her past life and thought of Nathaniel Nathan, who had protected her until his dying breath. Her nose began to sting. 'I've been reborn,' she resolved. 'I won't make the same mistakes again. I'm going to live my life to the fullest!'
PS: Today, 5/20, is a wonderful day for confessions of love! So I want to take this chance to say it loud and clear: I love you all, my dears!