To invite good fortune into their lives, the Bennetts, the wealthiest family in the city, took me in from the orphanage. Sure enough, during my second year with them, my adoptive mother gave birth to their biological daughter, Mona. Everyone whispered that my golden days were over, but Mona never treated me like an outsider. When I was five, we both made it to the National Youth Dance Championship. Just before we were set to perform, our dance instructor, Teri Diamond, noticed that Mona’s silver tiara was crooked and offered to take her backstage for a quick touch-up. Instead, Mona was separated from the crowd and taken by kidnappers. Over the next three years, the endless ransom calls drove my parents to the brink of insanity. The kidnappers fed them a lie, claiming that I, consumed by jealousy over Mona being their flesh and blood, had intentionally handed her over. My parents believed them. In the end, they locked me in the dark basement and beat me to death. When I opened my eyes again, I was five years old once more. The blaring music of the backstage area filled my ears. Teri Diamond was kneeling right in front of us, her smile sweet and gentle. “Mona, sweetie, come with me to touch up your lipstick. Your tiara is a bit crooked, and it’s almost time for you to go on stage.” She reached out her hand toward my little sister. Trembling violently, I threw my arms around Mona and held her tight. “Don’t touch her!” I screamed. “You’re going to steal my sister away!” 1 Teri was the most popular instructor at our academy. She smoothed out the tulle of Mona’s dress and tapped her nose playfully. “Mona looks so beautiful today. You’re going to shine brighter than anyone else out there.” Mona shyly hid behind my back. “Rebecca is beautiful too.” Teri smiled, turning her gaze toward my mother. “Mrs. Bennett, Mona’s lipstick is fading a bit, and her tiara is slipping. I’ll take her to the vanity for a quick fix and bring her right back.” My mother was about to nod. My heart seized as if gripped by an icy fist. In my past life, this was exactly how she had lured Mona away. I gripped my sister even tighter, screaming, “No! Don’t go!” The bustling backstage fell dead silent for a moment. Teri’s hand froze in midair, her smile faltering slightly. “Are you just nervous about the competition, Rebecca? I’m only taking Mona to touch up her makeup.” I held onto Mona like my life depended on it. “You’re a liar! You’re a bad teacher! You’re going to steal my sister!” Terrified by my sudden outburst, Mona wrapped her tiny arms around my neck, whispering, “Rebecca…” People around us started to stare. Some parents frowned, muttering to one another. “What’s wrong with that child? Why is she making things up?” “Miss Teri has been teaching here for years. She’s so dedicated.” “Is the adopted girl afraid the real daughter will outshine her?” Adopted girl. Real daughter. Those words Diamondd my mind like needles. They had said the exact same things in my past life. They claimed I was wicked because I wasn’t a real Bennett. They said Mona was the true princess, and I couldn’t stand her success. But I had never envied Mona. She was my sister. She was the very first person in that house who hugged me and told me, “You’re a baby too, Rebecca.” I sobbed, gasping for air. “Daddy, Mommy, please don’t let her take Mona. Please, I beg you.” My father, Arthur, had been speaking with the event coordinator. Hearing my hysterical cries, he strode over, his brow furrowed deeply. “What’s going on here?” Mommy knelt beside me, wrapping her arms around us. “Rebecca, talk to me. What’s wrong? Are you hurting somewhere?” I couldn’t explain. I only had the body of a five-year-old. I couldn’t tell them about the kidnappers, the ransom demands, the audio recordings, and the bloody end of my past life. Even if I did, no one would believe me. I could only cling to Mona, crying out over and over, “Don’t let Mona go! No one can take my sister alone!” Teri’s eyes welled with tears. “Mr. Bennett, Mrs. Bennett, I have no idea why Rebecca is suddenly so terrified of me. I only wanted Mona to look her best for the judges. If I’ve done something wrong, I’m truly sorry.” 2 She looked so incredibly wronged. Naturally, bystanders immediately jumped to her defense. “Poor Miss Teri.” “How can a child be allowed to slander a teacher like that?” Daddy looked down at me, his eyes filled with confusion, but also with deep concern. Shaking with sobs, I clutched his sleeve. “Daddy, please don’t let Mona out of your sight. Please.” He was quiet for two agonizing seconds. When he looked up, his voice was cold. “We can do the touch-up here. Bring the makeup artist over.” Teri’s face paled slightly. “But the waiting area is so crowded, and the lighting is poor…” Daddy cut her off. “Then bring over some extra lights. My daughter is frightened. Today, no one takes either of them away alone.” Mommy held Mona tight, her voice soft but firm. “Please understand, Miss Teri. The girls are clearly overwhelmed.” Teri’s fingers clenched into her palms. But she quickly forced another smile. “Of course. The children’s comfort comes first.” She turned to call the makeup artist. I stared at her retreating figure. For a brief second, I thought I had rewritten our fate. But I had forgotten one crucial detail. Since she dared to execute this plot at a national championship, she wouldn’t have relied on just one plan. The makeup artist arrived and touched up Mona’s lipstick right there, fixing her tiara under the watchful eyes of my parents. Throughout it all, Mommy kept her arms around Mona, while I sat beside them, my hands squeezing the hem of Mona’s sparkly dress. Four-year-old Mona whispered to me, “Rebecca, are you scared of the teacher?” Looking into her innocent eyes, my nose stung. “Yes.” “Then I’m scared too.” She shook her wrist, making her silver bells ring softly. “Listen, Rebecca. The bells are here, and so am I.” I nearly burst into tears. In my past life, in her final voice recording, her voice had been completely hoarse. She had begged over and over, “Mommy, I want to go home. Rebecca, I want some cake.” But we could never reach her. This time, I would never let go. The event proceeded rapidly. The speakers began calling our dance group’s name. Our director, Mrs. Gable, was sweating profusely. She was usually kind, but she cared deeply about the competition. This was the first time her troupe had reached the national finals, and since the Bennett family was their primary sponsor, she needed everything to be flawless. She hurried over, lowering her voice. “Mr. Bennett, the girls need to move to the wings now. It’s almost their turn.” Daddy looked at me. I immediately gripped Mona’s hand. “I’m going too.” Standing a short distance away, Teri offered a gentle smile. “Of course. Rebecca and Mona are performing together, so they must walk over together.” She seemed absolutely harmless. But her calm only made my blood run cold. In the end, Daddy instructed two of our personal bodyguards to follow the line of children. That was something that had never happened in my past life. I breathed a sigh of relief. But just as we entered the dim backstage corridor, the overhead lights suddenly went dead with a loud click. Darkness draped over us like a heavy shroud. The children began to scream. Makeup cases crashed to the floor. Kids cried out for their mothers. My first instinct was to reach for Mona. Her hand was still in my palm, small and soft. “Rebecca…” she whimpered. But before I could pull her closer, someone shoved me hard from behind. I slammed onto the concrete floor, my elbows scraping painfully. A hand clamped over my mouth in the pitch black. I smelled the sharp, chemical scent of fresh paint, mixed with the sweet fragrance of gardenias, Teri’s signature perfume. I thrashed wildly, but I was only five years old. A hand came out of the dark and violently ripped my sister from my grasp. The silver bells jingled frantically for a second, then they faded into the distance. “Sissy!” My sister only screamed once before she went completely silent. When the emergency lights flickered on, everything was in total chaos. I lay on the floor, skin scraped raw. My hands were empty. My sister was gone. 3 My brain went numb, like I was falling from a great height. “Mona!” I shrieked, scrambling to my feet. Mommy spun around, her face turning paper-white. “Where is Mona? Where is my baby?” Daddy rushed over, his voice tight with panic. “Where did she go?” The bodyguards looked terrified. They had been blocked by panicking parents and equipment carts. It had only been a matter of seconds, but in those seconds, my sister had vanished. The nightmare of my past life rushed back with suffocating force. Fury and dread warred in Daddy’s eyes. The crowd erupted into confusion. “Did she wander off?” “It’s so crowded, she must be hiding somewhere.” “Don’t call the police yet. The competition is streaming live.” Mrs. Gable, pale and trembling, still tried to downplay the situation. “Mr. Bennett, I’m sure she just got scared and hid. We will find her immediately.” I looked up. In my past life, it had been exactly like this. Everyone urged us not to make a scene, suggesting she was just lost and that the show must go on. That wasted time was what allowed them to smuggle Mona out of the venue. I lunged forward, grabbing Daddy’s trousers, sobbing hysterically. “Call the police! Lock the doors! Miss Teri is taking her out through the side exit!” Teri stood near the edge of the crowd, her hair slightly messy, her eyes red as if she too were terrified. “Rebecca, stop making things up. When the lights went out, I was right here. Mona must have just gotten separated in the rush.” Several other instructors nodded in agreement. “Yes, Miss Teri was right next to us, trying to calm the kids.” “We all saw her. She didn’t leave.” They were all testifying for her. I knew she had planned this meticulously. But I couldn’t back down. Mona was gone, and this time, I had to bring her back. Daddy didn’t hesitate. He ordered his security team to seal every single exit in the backstage area. Then he dialed the police himself. “My daughter has been abducted from the backstage of the arena. This is a kidnapping. Send units immediately.” Mrs. Gable gasped. “Mr. Bennett, please, don’t say kidnapping! The reputation of the event…” Daddy glared at her, his eyes cold enough to kill. “My daughter is missing, and you are talking about reputation?” She fell silent, terrified. Mommy was losing her mind, screaming Mona’s name and trying to push through the crowd. Daddy held her close. “Eleanor, stay with me. She is still in this building. I will find her.” Mommy clutched his coat, weeping. “What if we don’t?” Those words felt like a knife. In my past life, we didn’t find her. And that was when everything fell apart. Ignoring the pain in my knees, I ran up to Teri and pointed a shaking finger at her. “It’s her! She took my sister!” Tears streamed down Teri’s face. “Rebecca, why do you hate me so much? I wasn’t even near Mona when the power went out. All these teachers can prove it.” One female instructor muttered, “That’s true. She was right beside me.” A parent added, “I saw her helping a child who fell.” Teri looked incredibly victimized. “Mr. Bennett, I know your family is wealthy and influential, but I am an innocent woman. Rebecca has been calling me a bad teacher all day, and now that Mona is lost, she blames me again. Is it because I’m strict during rehearsals? Does she dislike me that much?” 4 Whispers began to ripple through the onlookers. “Why is that adopted girl pointing fingers at the teacher?” “Her sister is missing, and she’s busy framing people.” “Maybe she’s the one with issues. Did you see how she refused to let her sister perform earlier?” Those whispers mirrored the anonymous letters from my past life. My blood ran cold. Teri was the monster who had stolen Mona, yet a few tears from her had everyone doubting me. Hearing the word “adopted,” Mommy’s face paled further. She looked down at me. My heart stopped. Would she suspect me too? Would she think I had harmed Mona, just like before? I choked on my tears. “Mommy, I didn’t do it. I didn’t hurt her.” Mommy stared at me for a fraction of a second, then she knelt and pulled me into a fierce embrace. “I know, sweetie. I know. You’re scared too. Don’t listen to them.” I froze in her arms, my tears flowing faster. She believed me. Even though Mona was gone, she still chose to believe me. Daddy strode over, lifting me into his arms. “Rebecca, look at Daddy. You said Teri did this. Did you see anything else?” I sniffled, forcing my panicked mind to think. Before the lights went out, the red string on Teri’s wrist. The scent of fresh paint on the culprit. The fragrance of gardenias in the dark. And when Mona was dragged away, the sound of her bells moving to the right. The right side. The prop corridor. In my past life, the police eventually discovered that a massive peacock prop box had left the venue early. By the time they found it, it had been burned to ashes. But right now, Mona was likely trapped inside that very box. I pointed toward the right corridor. “The big bird box! Mona is inside the big bird box! Go to the side exit!” Teri’s expression stiffened for a split second. She quickly chimed in, “Rebecca, there are hundreds of props backstage. You’re just making wild guesses. Finding Mona is what matters, not playing games because you’re angry with me.” Daddy ignored her completely. Holding me tight, he sprinted toward the right corridor, with Mommy close behind. Teri tried to block our path. “Mr. Bennett, the organizers said the right corridor is blocked with equipment. It’s off-limits.” Daddy glared at her. “Get out of my way.” “But…” “Stand down, or I will have you arrested as an accomplice to kidnapping.” Teri went pale and stepped back. We rushed into the right corridor. The air was thick with dust and the sharp smell of wet paint. On the floor lay a tiny silver sequin from Mona’s dress. I wriggled out of Daddy’s arms, picked up the sequin, and sobbed, “She was here.” Mommy gasped, nearly collapsing. Daddy caught her, his eyes bloodshot. “Search. Open every single box.” The bodyguards immediately began tearing through the crates. Just then, from the far end of the corridor, we heard the squeak of rolling wheels. Someone was pushing a heavy object toward the exit. I pointed. “She’s in there!” 5 At the end of the hall, a man in a black stage crew uniform was pushing a massive peacock prop box. The prop was towering, covered in blue and green feathers, rolling on heavy casters. Hearing our footsteps, the man glanced back. There was a faint scar across his cheek. I recognized him. In the ransom videos from my past life, a man’s scarred hand had handed water to Mona. Seeing us, he started to push the cart faster. “Stop right there!” Daddy roared. Two bodyguards dashed forward. The man shoved the heavy box toward them and turned to flee. The peacock box slammed into the wall with a loud thud. From inside came a muffled, trembling whimper. Mommy froze. “Mona!” She lunged toward the box. Daddy pinned the lock mechanism. The bodyguards tackled the man to the ground. He struggled wildly, shouting, “What are you doing? This is just a prop! Let me go!” Daddy stepped on his wrist, pinning him to the floor. “Open it.” The man screamed in pain but gritted his teeth. “I don’t have the key!” One of the bodyguards used a metal tool to force the lock open. As the heavy lid swung wide, Mommy let out a gut-wrenching cry. Mona was inside. She was strapped to the bottom of the box with a wide nylon belt, heavy tape sealing her mouth shut, her face drenched in tears. Beside her lay a small oxygen tank, rolls of duct tape, a wig cap, a change of clothes, and a camera. The silver bell bracelet lay broken on the padding next to her. Seeing Mommy, Mona wept harder, but she could only make muffled, desperate sounds. Mommy’s hands shook so violently she couldn’t peel off the tape. Daddy tried to help, but his fingers were trembling just as much. Finally, our family doctor, who had run after us, stepped in. He carefully removed the tape and unbuckled the straps. “Mommy!” Mona wailed, throwing herself into Mommy’s arms. “Rebecca!” I threw my arms around her too, burying my face in her neck. Feeling her warm skin, I finally let out the breath I had been holding. I had made it in time. Daddy knelt beside us, wrapping his arms around the three of us. His voice was cracked and hoarse. “You’re safe now, Mona. Daddy’s here. Rebecca is here.” Mommy held Mona tight, sobbing uncontrollably. “I’m so sorry, sweetie. I’m so sorry I let go of your hand.” Mona whimpered, “It was dark. The bad man… I was so scared.” The medical team quickly examined her. Aside from being terrified, she only had a slight red mark on her face from the tape and faint bruising on her wrists from the straps. Since she had been rescued quickly, she hadn’t suffered from oxygen deprivation. Meanwhile, the man who had pushed the cart was pinned to the floor. His name was Matthew Doyle, a temporary stagehand hired for the event. Daddy stared down at him, his gaze lethal. “Who put you up to this?” Matthew spat, “I didn’t know there was a kid in there! I was just moving a prop!” I pointed at him. “You’re lying! You have a scar on your face! You’re the bad man!” Matthew sneered, “What does a kid know?” Teri rushed into the corridor just then. Seeing Mona safe, a flash of pure resentment crossed her face, though she quickly masked it with tears. “Thank goodness she’s safe. I was worried sick.” She marched up to Matthew, acting utterly shocked. “Matthew? How could you do this? Why would you put a child in a prop box?” Matthew glared up at her. “Teri, don’t you dare pin this all on me!”
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