Chapter three

"Wait until they fall to my wicked schemes," Serena said with a wicked smile on her face.

She had returned home and was getting ready for her party. She had confirmed that she was indeed alive and had been reborn back five years before her death.

She vowed to become a nightmare for her enemies. To give them sleepless nights thinking about what her next plan would be and when she would strike. She smiled with glee thinking of how much fun she was going to have.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

"Come in," she let out.

The door opened revealing none other than Sophia Delarosa. The girl walked into the room with a sweet smile adorning her like and her hands being her back.

"Happy birthday sister," she uttered cheerfully.

"Let's toast," Serena recalled her voice from the resort. She held the hem of her dress tightly. She looked up in the mirror and saw her sister's reflection in the mirror.

Back then she was naive and stupid enough to fall for Sofia's sweet lies and cute smiles. She had believed it each time the wolf in sheep's clothing told her that she loved her. She wanted to laugh at herself for being so blind to the enemy that disguised herself as her friend.

"Guess what gift I got for you?" Sophia asked her.

'A box of backstabbing, betrayal, and murder,' Serena said in her mind. Her heart ached to recall how happy her sister was when she heard that she was dead. The conspiracy that they all hatched to get rid of her.

"You know that I am not good at guesses so just tell me," she spoke coldly. She didn't dare fake a smile.

She was done pleasing people and now that she knew their true colors, she wasn't going to just sit back and act as if nothing happened.

No way she was ending up on that deserted road ever again. "I bought you some beautiful glass bangles," she let out happily. She showed Serena the gift with the brightest smile on her face.

Serena stood up from her seat. She pulled Sophia and had her sit down on the bed. She took a seat next to her and grabbed the bangles.

"You are my favorite sister, why not you try them on," she said nicely. She picked the bangles one by one and helped the girl to put them on. Sophia was happy and allowed her to dress her.

When Serena was done helping her, she praised the girl to no end. She held the bangles and eyed Sophia in the eye. "There is something that I never want you to forget," she started to say and pressed her hands tightly around the bangles that they broke piercing through Sophia's skin.

"Arghh," Sophia screamed at the pain. She tried to retrieve her hands from Serena's hold but her attempts were futile. Serena held her hand so hard that she could slip away and her attempts only made her wounds hurt more.

"I can see through your fake smile and fake words," she stated. "Don't forget that you are only a Delarosa by name and not blood. Or I will be forced to remind you," she added before roughly pushing the girl off her bed and to the floor.

"I wonder what mistake my parents did in their past life for them to be punished by having to adopt you as their daughter," Serena spoke casually unbothered by the girl who shot a hurt look at her.

"What is your problem..."

"I am fine thanks," Serena cut her off. "But you won't be as long as I am alive," she threatened and went back to her dressing table to finish her makeup.

Her mother arrived in the room with her jewelry. Her heart fell seeing the state Sophia was in. Sophia on seeing their mother started crying even louder. She held her injured hands and cried so loudly to get her to feel bad.

Ivy dropped the jewelry to the ground and rushed to Sophia. She picked her up from the ground and helped her onto the bed.

"What happened?" she asked scared.

"Mo..mom, Serena hurt me," she cried to her mother. Ivy turned her attention to Serena. She noticed the tears in Serena's eyes and was confused about what was truly happening.

She was torn between her adopted child and biological child. She didn't know who to pacify now that both of them were crying.

"Why did you hurt your sister dear?" she inquired to understand the matter better.

"Is it true mother?" Serena asked her. "Is it true that you wish I wasn't born? Is it true that you wish that Sophia was your real daughter? Is it true that you are ashamed to have given birth to me?" Serena asked.

She threw question after question to her mother that Ivy had no idea which one to answer. The answer to all the questions was no, she would never wish such a thing on any of her children. She loved all of them, no matter how they were.

"Why would you say that dear?"

"Sophia just said that it is how you and father feel. She told me to do you all a favor and just go away because you are tired of me," she cried out.

Sophia and Ivy were both shocked by what she said. Sophia most of all had said no such thing to her, she felt that way but didn't dare say it out loud. She had been nothing but nice to the undeserving girl and was being framed for nothing.

"Seeing as you are only worried about her, it must be true right? Her wounds are physical and will heal soon but the wound in my heart will never heal mom," Serena let out in a pained voice. Her tears flowed carefree down her cheeks.

Ivy's arms that had hugged Sophia dropped. She took a step closer to Serena, the pang in her heart was beyond words. She never thought that her daughter would ever say such things to her.

She didn't differentiate in her love for her children and it made her heartache in pain that Sophia would say such words to her sister.

"I said no such words to her mom," Sophia defended herself.

"Because I am the bad sheep of the family. I am mean and a liar too. Just blame it on me," Serena spoke before her mother could put a word in and rushed out of the room.

Pap!

She halted as she heard the sound of a slap. Her mother in anger landed a harsh slap on Sophia for everything that she assumed the girl had said to her daughter.

"I love all my children equally so don't you ever put such ideas in your sister's mind again," Ivy scolded Sophia.

"This is just the start, I will throw you out of my house you leech," Serena uttered from outside the room and walked away wiping her tears.