Reborn Together: Stepsister’s Swap Sealed Her Own Downfall

When I saw my stepsister Olivia crying and begging our stepmother not to marry her off to Lucas Grant, I knew she had also gone back in time, just like me.

In our previous life, she was arranged to marry into the Grant family. Although it was a business marriage, Lucas was a genuine piano prodigy, the ideal man for many in their social circle.

“Aria, let me tell you, your mom is dead. No one in this family cares about you anymore,” Olivia had said cruelly. “You only deserve to marry a dropout loser!”

Now, having relived her life, she was still just as despicable.

“I’ve taken so much from you, Aria. You must feel so wronged!” she said with false sympathy. “So I’ll be generous and switch the arranged marriage partner with you!”

Our stepmother questioned why Olivia would pity a motherless child like me. I stood by silently, watching the scene unfold.

“Olivia, what are you trying to do?” our stepmother asked suspiciously.

Olivia whispered something in our stepmother’s ear, and her expression softened slightly.

“Are you sure?” she asked. “I’ve heard that the Thompson boy isn’t a good person. What if he mistreats you after you’re married?”

Our stepmother seemed genuinely concerned, hesitant to agree to Olivia’s request.

“It won’t happen, Mom!” Olivia insisted.

That was a lie. Derek Thompson had been suspended multiple times for fighting when he was in school. After dropping out, he’d gotten involved in all sorts of vices.

“You love me the most. You wouldn’t refuse me this small favor, would you?” Olivia coaxed, snuggling up to our stepmother.

Unable to resist Olivia’s pleading, our stepmother finally agreed, but not without taking a jab at me.

“Lucas is only available because Olivia doesn’t want him. You should be grateful!”

I didn’t care what they thought. The truth was, I didn’t deserve the talented pianist Lucas. As for the dropout troublemaker Derek…

Let’s see how my dear stepsister handles that kind of marriage!

In my previous life, it had been the same - Olivia and I were both pushed into arranged marriages. The difference was that she married a genius while I married a loser.

Even though Olivia and her mother were the ones who had destroyed our family, I ended up feeling like an outsider.

Olivia had been overjoyed to marry Lucas. But soon after the wedding, Lucas left for an overseas performance.

The next news I heard about her was that Olivia had become a lonely wife. Lucas had gotten into a car accident on his way to the airport and ended up in a vegetative state due to an attempted murder.

Olivia cried and threw tantrums, wanting to divorce Lucas. Our stepmother felt sorry for her, but our father wouldn’t allow it.

A businessman’s daughter was meant to be traded for benefits. Even though our father favored Olivia far more than me, he wouldn’t take her back home and lose the business connections and shares from the Grant family dowry.

Unable to bear the loneliness, Olivia chose to have an affair.

The Hayes and Grant families were both prominent in business circles. Her scandal became widely known.

The controversy subjected Olivia to intense online harassment. At the same time, my husband Derek Thompson unexpectedly gained popularity.

Derek went from being a widely-shunned troublemaker to a wildly popular social media star, which Olivia couldn’t believe.

She became depressed due to the online attacks. When she learned about Derek’s success, she suddenly said she wanted to see me.

I couldn’t understand what she was unsatisfied with. Living alone in a mansion, driving sports cars, not having to worry about trivial matters - wasn’t that a good life?

Out of family obligation, I went to visit her.

To my surprise, she had murderous intentions towards me.

Even though she should have been living better than me, she was resentful.

She hugged me and crashed through the floor-to-ceiling window. We both fell.

So after reliving her life, she immediately chose to marry Derek instead.

Well then, let me enjoy all that fortune instead!

In early June, Olivia and I had our weddings one after another.

In my previous life, Olivia and our stepmother had intentionally scheduled our weddings on the same day to overshadow me.

But this time was different. They couldn’t disregard the Grant family’s reputation so easily.

Even though they were unwilling, they still attended my wedding with sour expressions.

The wedding banquet was lively. It was the first big gathering I had attended since my mother’s death.

Before, according to my father’s wishes, I wasn’t supposed to appear in public after my mother died.

But soon after her death, his mistress and illegitimate daughter had moved into the Hayes home.

“Nervous?” a voice asked beside me.

I turned to see Lucas standing next to me. We were the only two outside the doors, quietly waiting to enter the hall and begin our married life.

Lucas was incredibly handsome, even more striking in person than the young pianist I had seen in videos.

“I…” I started to reply, but before I could find the right words, Lucas had already taken my hand.

The doors decorated with flowers opened wide. I felt a bit flustered, but the warmth of his hand in mine was reassuring.

After an exhausting day, I lay on the large bed in our new home, trying to relax.

“Tired?” Lucas asked. “Want to come eat something?”

If I wasn’t mistaken, Lucas was wearing a pink apron.

“I’m not hungry,” I said, not wanting to impose on my first day living with him.

But my traitorous stomach immediately growled, betraying me.

“Have a bite,” he urged gently.

His voice was so kind, and I was genuinely hungry after not eating all day.

I ended up sitting at the dining table with him, eating the meal my new husband had prepared.

I was surprised to discover those hands meant for playing piano could also cook.

“I’m sorry,” he suddenly apologized during the meal.

I wasn’t shocked. News of his upcoming music festival performance in France was already trending on Twitter.

“I have to leave for France tomorrow. It’s such short notice, and it might affect your reputation too,” he explained.

“It’s fine, go ahead with your work,” I said.

Realizing that might sound too cold given our relationship, I added, “Your cooking is really good!”

Lucas’s apologetic expression was replaced with a smile.

“Thank you,” he said warmly.

That night, Lucas naturally slept in the guest room.

I tossed and turned in bed, my mind replaying memories from my previous life.

Recalling the tragic news of Lucas’s death and thinking of his kind gestures today, I found myself not wanting him to die.

I could have ignored it, but my mother always said good people deserve good things in return.

In my book, Lucas counted as a good person.

Someone so kind shouldn’t die!

I rushed out of my room and knocked urgently on the guest room door.

“What’s wrong?” Lucas asked, opening the door quickly. He probably hadn’t been asleep yet.

“Lucas—” I panted, out of breath from jumping out of bed so suddenly.

“Do you need to come in to talk?” he asked with concern, noticing I was barefoot.

“No need!” I refused hastily, realizing how revealing my nightgown was.

“Be careful tomorrow!” I blurted out. “Remember to check the car your assistant arranged for you.”

Lucas looked puzzled, which was understandable. No one would believe such a strange warning.

But if Lucas didn’t believe me, he could lose his life!

I grabbed his sleeve rather rudely, almost begging, “Don’t take that car, whatever you do!”

Seeing how agitated I was, Lucas reluctantly agreed.

Back in my room, I caught sight of myself in the mirror and realized how disheveled I looked.

The next morning, I woke to find breakfast on the table.

The food was cold - Lucas must have left a while ago.

I opened my phone to see Lucas had sent me several messages.

“Breakfast is on the table. Remember to eat.”

“Cold food isn’t good for digestion. The microwave is on the off-white cabinet in the kitchen.”

After 7 AM, he sent a few more messages:

“There was a problem with the car. I’ve reported it to the police and am waiting for them to handle it.”

“Safely boarded the plane. Don’t worry!”

He must have explained so thoroughly because I had been so worked up last night and he didn’t want me to worry.

As for the earlier messages about breakfast, I suppose that counts as being considerate between a married couple.

I thought about replying with a simple “OK”, but worried that might sound too curt. I decided to send a nodding emoji instead.

By accident, my finger slipped and I sent a “Love you” sticker.

Before I could unsend it, I saw Lucas had already replied with “Mm-hmm”.

I closed my eyes in mortification, wishing I could disappear on the spot.

While Lucas was abroad, I kept busy.

In college, I had started a clothing design studio with a friend. It was doing quite well now.

I took the design sketches I had brought from the Hayes house and took a cab to the office.

“Well done!” my boss exclaimed. “Aria, I knew I was right about you from the start!”

The studio owner was a senior I had met in college. She had discovered my talent at a design competition.

She said I was born for this work and mentored me in design.

Over time, we became friends and now ran this clothing design studio together.

“Nicole, stop teasing me,” I laughed. “If you hadn’t picked me out of the crowd back then, who knows where I’d be struggling now!”

It’s not that the Hayes family couldn’t afford to support me.

The key was, did anyone in the Hayes family want to support me?

As Olivia had said, no one in the Hayes family cared about me.

Fortunately, I maintained my passion for design and had some talent for it. I could easily support myself.

In my previous life, Nicole and I had also been running the Artistry Studio.

But Derek and his father thought I was embarrassing and believed that marrying into their family meant I should serve them.

To make me more docile, my in-laws had suppressed Artistry.

The studio ran out of funding and completely collapsed. Nicole was left with a huge debt as a result.

Thankfully, Lucas’s grandmother didn’t have such prejudices.

Lucas’s parents had been living abroad for years. Apart from the wedding, even his grandmother hadn’t seen much of them recently.

When I visited the family home, I brought a cheongsam I had designed and made myself. Grandma loved it, praising my good taste.

When she learned I had made it myself, she was even more delighted.

“Aria dear, you’re too good for our Lucas!” Grandma said, stroking my hand sympathetically.

“How can you say that, Grandma? I’m the one who married above my station into the Grant family,” I demurred.

Grandma frowned and lightly smacked the back of my hand.

“Nonsense! I’m very fond of you as my granddaughter-in-law!” she declared. “You’re beautiful and have such a gentle nature. It’s Lucas who’s always busy and can’t take proper care of you.”

He was indeed very busy, but he wasn’t neglectful of me.

Every day he would send me messages - simple greetings and reminders about meals.

For work, I was doing market research in a brand-name clothing store.

Running into Olivia there was the last thing I expected.

“Aria, don’t the Grants think you’re trashy?” she sneered. “Being Mrs. Grant isn’t good enough for you? You have to work as a sales clerk?”

When we lived in the Hayes house, all of Olivia’s clothes had been custom-made for each season.

I was surprised to see her out shopping for clothes at all.

She probably mistook me for a sales associate because I was wearing our studio’s staff uniform.

I changed my startled expression to a smile as I looked at her.

“What’s wrong? Spending the Hayes family money makes you feel superior?” I asked coolly. “Did you eat too much salt? Why are you so nosy?”

I wasn’t her mother - I didn’t have to indulge her.

“Aria Hayes! How dare you mock me!” Olivia glared at me hatefully, like she wanted to devour me whole.

Her mood suddenly shifted, her eyes gleaming with smug satisfaction.

“Don’t get cocky, Aria. You’ll be a widow soon enough!” she taunted.

Without hesitation, I slapped her across the face.

“Who do you think you are? How dare you curse a member of the Grant family!” I snapped.

The commotion had drawn attention from others in the store. Olivia didn’t dare make a bigger scene in front of all these wealthy elites. She ran off with her tail between her legs.

Did she really think I was some kind of saint?

“Aria, Derek isn’t just handsome - he has an eight-pack too. Bet you’re regretting your choice now!” Olivia messaged me on SnapChat.

I had to admit, Derek’s looks were undeniable. He did have the kind of body that looked good both in and out of clothes.

But some people are all style and no substance. His lack of morals and decency…

I didn’t plan to tell her about Derek’s future circumstances. I was betting she would lose spectacularly.

She couldn’t blame me - after all, it was her own choice, wasn’t it?

I turned off my screen, ignoring her completely.

For the next while, I tuned out Olivia’s boasting and threats.

Besides going to work at the studio, I visited Grandma at the family home. The rest of my limited free time was spent at home.

Grandma said she had taught Lucas piano herself. In her youth, she had been a renowned pianist too.

I only excelled at violin, when my mother was still alive.

As for piano, I only knew the basics.

I asked Grandma to teach me, partly out of interest and wanting to understand more about Lucas’s world.

It was also because I worried about Grandma being lonely. The elderly often become nostalgic.

In my previous life married to Derek, his family were all country folk. They couldn’t teach me anything useful.

All they knew were scheming and some backwards feudal ideas like “men are superior to women.”

Grandma was delighted by my initiative. She held my hand and talked for a long while.

“It’s wonderful that you have this interest!” she exclaimed.

Grandma taught me very patiently. After a few weeks, I could play the pieces Lucas had composed.

“You play beautifully. Lucas would be so happy to see you at the piano,” Grandma smiled, gifting me a book of sheet music with Lucas’s name on it.

“Aria dear, how are things between you and Lucas lately?” she asked.

How could things be between us when Lucas wasn’t even in the country?

“Lucas is doing well, Grandma. We get along very harmoniously,” I said diplomatically.

But Grandma’s expression still held eager anticipation.

“Is that so?” she sighed heavily, unable to hide her disappointment.

Could it be that Grandma was hoping for a great-grandchild?

That was highly unlikely to happen.

“Also, I…” I hesitated. “I’ve grown quite fond of Lucas.”

Hearing that, Grandma’s bright smile returned.

“I knew it! Lucas told me to take good care of you and make sure you’re happy in your new family,” she said.

“I just knew my grandson was smitten with his sweet wife!”

Was that true?

He really was so thoughtful. And Grandma was wonderful too.

“Thank you, Grandma. I’m happier here than I ever was with the Hayes,” I said sincerely.

Lying in bed, I habitually opened SnapChat to check for work notifications in our studio group chat.

The red dot next to Lucas’s cat avatar caught my eye. He had messaged me again.

“It’s been resolved, don’t worry. I’m fine!”

He forwarded me a news article. The headline “Famous Pianist Targeted” stood out starkly.

These gossip accounts just love stirring up drama. They’ll fabricate all sorts of baseless stories just for views and clicks.

They use misleading details to trick people into following the story.

“OK, I understand,” I replied. “Come home soon.”

A few minutes after sending it, I vaguely felt like I had overstepped. But it was too late to unsend.

I exited the chat, trying to reassure myself. It’s fine, I’ve already embarrassed myself worse. What’s one little message?

“Alright, I’ll be home soon,” came Lucas’s reply.