Chapter 1

After I died of kidney failure, my parents finally found a justification to donate my heart to the adopted son they cherished most.

Caspian.

With my heart beating in his chest, Caspian stood on the track at the world sprint championship that should have been mine. My fiancee cheered for him from the stands, her voice filled with excitement, while my parents watched with tears of pride and relief in their eyes. No one remembered me anymore—their biological son, the one who had been better than him in every way.

In that moment, I finally understood that everything I had given to this family had been nothing more than wishful thinking on my part. A lie I told myself because I had loved the wrong people too deeply. No matter what I did, there had only ever been one person in their eyes: Caspian.

If I were given another chance, I would never again fight him for their biased, one-sided love.

Chapter 1 The Day He Replaced Me

I had been reborn, back to the very day my life had taken a sharp turn for the worse. The day Caspian Holmes became the adopted son of our family and took everything that had once been mine. Every bit of closeness. Every ounce of affection.

From the moment he entered my home, I had fallen from heaven straight into hell.

Caspian was the son of my dad's former comrade in the military. Our families had been close for years, and he and I had once been inseparable. We were best friends in every sense.

But after his parents died in an accident, he was left alone. A frail, sickly child with no one left to depend on.

Out of respect for their past friendship, my parents barely hesitated before taking him in as their adopted son.

"Eli, from now on, Caspian is your younger brother. You've gone from best friends to family. Aren't you happy?"

"I'll be a good brother, Eli!" Caspian held my dad's hand in one of his, my mom's in the other, looking at me with a shy yet hopeful expression.

In my previous life, I had been overjoyed at that moment. After all, what kid wouldn't want to spend every day with their best friend? But back then, I had not known that the moment Caspian became part of our family, he would change completely.

He became sensitive. Jealous. Cunning. A liar who stole everything from me piece by piece.

By the time I finally realized the truth, it was already too late. He had latched onto my life like a parasite. I still carried the title of biological son, but no one in the family cared about me anymore. Even my fiancee, who had been promised to me since childhood, had eventually been taken by him.

"Eli," my dad said, his tone turning serious, "I need to be upfront with you. Even though you and Caspian are both my sons, he is weak in health, so your mom and I will naturally give him more attention. As the older brother, you should learn to give in to him."

I had heard those exact words a hundred times in my previous life.

They always used Caspian's weak health to morally pressure me, reminding me that I was the older brother, forcing me to hand over what was rightfully mine—piece by piece.

Even my heart. My future. My life.

At the thought, I could not stop myself from looking at them coldly. "Caspian was born a day earlier than me. So why am I the older brother, and why is he the younger one?"

My dad frowned immediately, disappointment written all over his face. "We're all family now. Do you really have to be so petty?"

My mom gently patted Caspian's head, her voice soft and coaxing, leaving me no room to argue. "Eli, you're taller and stronger. Caspian is so thin and weak. It's only natural that you should be the older brother."

Caspian's lips trembled, and he threw himself into my mom's arms, bursting into tears. "Eli doesn't like me, does he? I'm a child no one wants… Mom, Dad, why didn't you take me with you…"

My parents immediately pulled him close, flustered as they wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes.

"Cas, don't say that. From now on, we're your parents. If Elias dares to object, we'll kick him out." My dad shot me a cold glance as he spoke. His tone made it clear that he was not joking.

My heart sank even further. Caspian really was something. With just a few words, he had completely won them over.

Hearing that, Caspian stopped crying at once, and he put on a bright smile, looking up at them sweetly. "Mr. and Mrs. Holt, can I call you Dad and Mom?"

My parents nodded fervently, visibly moved. "Of course you can!"

The three of them embraced excitedly. Caspian even kissed each of them on the cheek. They looked like a perfect, happy family—so harmonious that it almost felt as though I were the outsider.

Caspian's room was not ready yet, so I offered him mine. Not because I was considerate. But because I knew exactly what kind of person Caspian was. If he did not take something from me, he would never let things go.

My dad patted my head approvingly. "That's more like it. It's Caspian's first day here. You should give in to him."

Behind his back, I rolled my eyes.

It would not just be this day. From now on, every single day, they would use the same excuse to make me yield to Caspian.

Chapter 2 The First Accusation

As expected, even after taking my room, Caspian still was not satisfied.

That night, I lay tossing and turning on the living room sofa, thinking about what path I should take next.

After living through that nightmare of a past life, I understood one thing clearly—there was no place for me left in my family. Whether it was my parents, my sister, or my childhood sweetheart and fiancee, Caroline Sutton, all of them would stand firmly on Caspian's side.

They would be deceived by him, manipulated by him, and look at me with nothing but hatred.

Lost in thought, I suddenly felt a chill crawl up my spine. Startled, I sat up. Then I saw Caspian crouching near the doorway, staring at me with eyes full of malice.

I could not help asking, "Why are you looking at me like that, Caspian? I haven't done anything to you, have I?"

His gaze was dark with resentment. "You're inferior to me in every way. Why is my life so miserable, while you get to have such a happy family and even be with Caroline?"

His twisted logic made me laugh in disbelief. "Your miserable life has nothing to do with me. Are you sick?"

Caspian grinned, his pearly whites flashing eerily in the dark, sending a chill through me. "I am sick. That's exactly why your parents will love me and defend me. Just wait. Everything you have will be mine."

Before I could respond, he suddenly shoved past me and ran toward my parents' room. Clutching his chest, he collapsed at the foot of their bed. "Ugh… Mom, Dad… I feel awful…"

My parents were instantly alarmed by his sudden episode. They scrambled out of bed, hurriedly getting dressed to take him to the hospital. My mom cupped his face anxiously. "You were fine just now. What triggered it?"

Caspian lowered his head, his voice trembling with soft sobs. "It's all my fault… I've caused trouble for you again. Eli was right. I should've died along with my parents…"

The accusation hit me out of nowhere. And before I could even defend myself, my dad's slap landed hard across my face. "You wretched bastard! You knew Caspian had poor health, yet you still said something like that to him! How can you be so vicious? Wasn't Caspian your best friend?"

Caspian pretended to hold my dad back, though he was grinning triumphantly. "Mom, Dad, don't blame Eli. He must be afraid I'll take away your love. Your family is so happy… Who would want to share it with someone else?"

What a perfect performance. So pitiful. So understanding. My parents were so moved by his "thoughtfulness" that tears welled in their eyes. When they looked at me again, their disgust had only deepened.

My dad shoved me aside impatiently and barked, "Stand outside and reflect on yourself! You're not going to sleep until Caspian is fine!"

With that, they hurried out, carrying him with them.

No one wanted to hear my explanation. No one cared about the truth.

In this family, I had already become someone disposable.

In my previous life, I had been just like them, fooled by Caspian's tragic background and his harmless, innocent facade. By the time I realized the truth, it was far too late. In everyone's eyes, I had gone from a well-behaved, sensible child to someone vicious, jealous, and ruthless.

So when I fell gravely ill and lay on the brink of death, not a single member of my family reached out to help me. They had even wished for my early death so they could take my heart and secure Caspian's bright future.

After I died, nothing of me remained in that house.

Chapter 3 Breaking Free from Them

Thinking back to the final days before my death, days that had felt worse than hell itself, I shut my eyes in pain. Only for a moment.

Then I steadied myself again.

Whatever feelings I had once held for my family had already been worn down to nothing by their repeated betrayals in my previous life. Everything Caspian had schemed so hard to take from me had long since become worthless in my eyes.

Since fate had given me a second chance, I would live a brilliant life that truly belonged to me.

…

My parents and Caspian did not return until dawn. When they came back and saw me sleeping comfortably on the sofa, they were furious and dragged me out from under the blanket.

My dad glared at me. Gritting his teeth, he growled, "You made Caspian so upset he had an episode in the middle of the night, and here you are sleeping as if nothing happened? Do you even have a heart?"

My mom stood off to the side, shaking her head with a sigh, her disappointment in me plain to see.

The parents who had once been gentle and easygoing seemed to have changed completely after adopting Caspian, as if they had been put under some spell. Their entire world revolved around him now, and everything about me annoyed them. No doubt, when I was not around, Caspian had been feeding them plenty of lies about me.

Clutching his chest, Caspian tugged lightly at my dad's sleeve, his voice weak and careful. "Dad, don't scold Eli. It's all my fault…"

"You child, how could this be your fault?"

"Oh, if only Elias were half as considerate as you."

They gathered around him, wiping away his tears with tender concern.

"Don't cry anymore," my mom coaxed. "I bought you new clothes. We'll go take photos and handle your school transfer together!"

Then my dad turned and shot me a sharp look. "You're not coming. Don't ruin things for him!"

With that, the three of them left hand in hand to take care of the transfer procedures, and did not return until the evening.

From social media, I saw that they had taken Caspian to an amusement park and then to the most expensive restaurant in the city. They posted countless happy photos together. In the comments, my dad replied to everyone the same way—'This is my son, Caspian Holt. Thanks for liking our family photo!'

Meanwhile, I sat alone in the pitch-dark living room, staring at a cold, empty kitchen. They did not even call to check on me. They did not ask whether I had eaten.

If I were still that child from my previous life, I might have cried from grievance and refused to eat out of spite. But now, I did not care about their blatant favoritism anymore. If no one would treat me well, I would treat myself well.

Using the pocket money I had saved up, I ordered a lavish takeout meal and started thinking seriously about my future. In this life, I wanted to hold on to my dream of sprinting. Of course, I wouldn't neglect my studies either.

My changes shocked all my teachers and classmates. I had once simply been a good student. Now, I had become something of a prodigy.

Elementary school coursework was far too easy for me. I did not even need to look at the textbooks to answer the teachers' questions. Before long, all my teachers quietly allowed me to study middle and high school material during class.

After just a week of review, I approached my homeroom teacher and asked to skip a grade.

Since our school combined elementary, middle, and high school levels, she casually pulled a test paper from the middle school section and handed it to me.

She had intended to show me that middle school material was vastly different from elementary school. She wanted me to understand the difficulty and back down. Instead, I finished an eighth-grade math exam in under twenty minutes. Her jaw nearly dropped.

Soon, curious teachers gathered around me, throwing all kinds of questions my way to test me.

To their surprise, not only could I handle middle school problems with ease, I even had clear approaches to some high school math and physics questions. Even my foreign language pronunciation was better than that of some senior students.

The teachers were ecstatic. They surrounded me and practically marched me into the principal's office, declaring that our school had finally produced a genius.

The news spread quickly, and I became an overnight sensation. During every break, students from different grades and classes would gather outside our classroom, sneaking glances at the so-called prodigy, Elias Holt.

My sudden brilliance was so overwhelming that the transfer student, Caspian Holt, was completely overshadowed. Unable to stay quietly in my shadow, Caspian began stirring up trouble in class every day.

One afternoon during break, Caroline led a group of classmates straight to my desk and shouted, "Elias, why are you bullying Caspian?"

I frowned, catching sight of Caspian hiding behind her, sticking his tongue out at me.

He really was pathetic. At home, he hid behind my parents. At school, he hid behind a girl. Did he have no pride at all?

Seeing that I did not respond, Caroline pressed on, unwilling to let it go. "Caspian told us everything. You look down on him for being adopted and bully him behind his back. How could you?"

"Bully him?" I let out a short laugh. "Right. I gave him my room, my desk, and all my toys. That's how I bully people."

Caroline choked on her words, then snapped angrily, "He's already so pitiful. Isn't it only natural that you give in to him? You're so selfish. I don't want a fiance like you!"

I rolled my eyes and cut her off without hesitation before she could continue her self-righteous speech. "Let's call off the engagement then. Since you care about him so much, you can look after him yourself. And stop trying to guilt-trip me."

In my previous life, she had been just like my parents, completely fooled by Caspian. Her prejudice against me grew little by little until it eventually turned into outright hatred.

On my 16th birthday, she had shown up at my party arm in arm with him and publicly called off our engagement. Right there and then, my parents arranged a new engagement between their families.

With that, my birthday party turned into their engagement party, and I had gone from the star of the night to a complete joke.

Since they were so perfectly suited to each other, I might as well step aside early and let them have what they wanted.

News of the class beauty having her engagement called off spread quickly through the grade. Greatly embarrassed, Caroline later stopped trying to get my attention and even started blaming Caspian, loudly declaring she wanted to cut ties with him.

Just as I thought—there were no true saints in this world. Most people were only generous when it cost them nothing.

Chapter 4 When Everything Is Taken

After the midterm exams, I ranked first in the entire grade, just as expected. I scored full marks in every subject. So, finally, the teachers allowed me to skip three grades in one go, placing me directly into the final year of middle school.

They placed high hopes on me, expecting me to take first place in the National High School Entrance Exam this year and bring honor to the school.

At school, I was the golden boy.

At home, I was invisible.

Caspian always had an excuse for his poor grades. Sometimes it was his heart condition acting up, sometimes it was nerves getting the better of him.

My parents turned a blind eye to the stacks of certificates I brought home, but if Caspian improved by even a few ranks, they would be delighted for days. Even so, they still told the neighbors that they treated both children equally.

All I could do was sneer.

…

After the midterms came the school sports meet. Caspian played up his tragic background and, with a flood of sympathy votes, snatched the class flag-bearer position from others.

My parents bought him a brand-new shirt and dress pants, praising him endlessly for being so promising.

Caspian shot me a smug look, as if expecting jealousy or resentment. I simply met his gaze calmly, as though I were looking at a ridiculous clown.

He clenched his jaw in response, and soon enough, another scheme took shape.

He lowered his head, rubbing his worn sneakers against the floor, his hands twisting together as he spoke timidly, "Mom, Dad, thank you… but I don't deserve such nice clothes. My shoes are so worn out. If I wear them, people will just laugh at me."

My dad glanced around, then pointed at a brand-new shoebox on the cabinet. "Isn't there a perfectly good pair right there?"

Caspian had achieved his goal, yet he still put on a flustered act. "No, no… How could I take Eli's things?"

My dad waved his hand grandly. "What's his is yours. We're family. There's no such thing as taking between family."

Then he turned to me, his tone edged with reproach. "What are you standing there for? Go get Caspian the shoes."

I did not move. Instead, I looked at him calmly. "Dad, do you know why those shoes were bought?"

My mom had already taken off Caspian's old shoes, coaxing him gently, though she did not spare me even a glance. "Those shoes were for your sprint competition, yes. But given the circumstances, can't you let Caspian wear them first?"

"Exactly! You can always buy another pair!" Seeing that I refused to budge, my dad grumbled and personally brought the shoes over to Caspian.

So it had never been a request. It was an order.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, trying to suppress the surge of emotion rising in my chest. Even after being completely disillusioned with my family, I still could not stop the sting in my heart right then.

"You're right. I can buy shoes whenever, but my birthday only comes once every four years."

My birthday was February 29th. Yet my parents had forgotten it because of the adopted son who had arrived just the day before. They were even asking me to hand over my birthday gift.

Their expressions froze, guilt flickering across their faces.

Caspian's brows knit together. He could not let them remember their love for me.

His lips trembled, and large tears fell onto my mom's hand. "I'm so envious of Eli… I want to join the sprint competition too. Running freely like him has always been my dream. But I know I'll never be able to stand at the starting line. Eli, those shoes belong to you. I don't deserve them."

Even as he said that, he clutched my running shoes tightly, refusing to let go.

Pain, despair, and a faint glimmer of hope shimmered in his eyes, as if he were the tragic hero of some inspirational film.

I could see through his hypocrisy. My parents, however, fell for it completely, their eyes filling with tears.

"Caspian, everyone has the right to chase their dreams." My father grasped his hand, his voice thick with emotion.

"Your mom and I will make sure yours comes true!" For a moment, it was as though he was seeing in Caspian the days when he had once chased dreams alongside his comrades.

But when he turned to me, his expression changed entirely. His tone was firm, leaving no room for argument. "Elias, give your sprint spot to Caspian."