Danielle lifted Rain's sleeve and saw bruises all over his arm, making her eyes turn red.
There were marks from pinching and twisting, and patches of blue and purple that were hard to explain.
A tear dropped onto Rain's skinny little arm.
Rain smiled and reached up to wipe Danielle's tears. His small hands softly hugged her neck, and his little head leaned gently against hers.
"Mommy, don't cry. Rain doesn't feel any pain."
Zachary looked away, unable to bear the sight. "Danielle, do you even have a heart?"
The soft, warm body of the child leaning against her melted Danielle's heart completely.
How could the original Danielle be so cruel to such a sweet kid?
Fine, if you didn't care, if you didn't love him, I will.
Danielle hugged Rain tightly and cried while speaking.
"Mommy will never hit you again. Will you forgive Mommy?"
"Mommy, I don't blame you. I know you were just upset."
The more mature Rain acted, the more Danielle despised the original version of herself.
Growl.
Rain's stomach let out a loud sound. His little body shrank slightly, trying to hide it.
Danielle laughed softly and rubbed his small head, then looked at Zachary, whose expression was complicated.
"Is there no food left at home? Wait for me."
Both Zachary and Rain were wearing white clothes. Danielle remembered from the original's memory that these were synthetic clothes worn by poor people.
Wealthier people wore clothes made from various fabrics—those were expensive.
The blue dress Danielle was wearing felt like decent quality and could probably be sold for a good price.
Sadly, when she was kicked out by the Duan family, she hadn't brought anything else with her except for this dress.
Using her memory, Danielle found a set of white synthetic clothes in the closet and changed into them.
When she came out of the bathroom, Zachary's gaze became even more conflicted.
Had she really changed?
She used to avoid even touching clothes like these.
But now, she was actually wearing them?
A long-lost hope rose from deep inside Zachary.
His eyes flickered, but he quickly forced down that small glimmer of hope.
No, this woman must be up to something. She couldn't be trusted so easily.
Danielle noticed Zachary's guarded look but didn't understand it.
She handed him the dress. "Sell this and buy some food for Rain."
Zachary's dark eyes widened slightly. "You're really willing to do that?"
"There's no reason not to. You sell it. I'll stay home with Rain."
As she reached out to hold Rain again, Zachary pulled him away, a cold smirk on his face.
"Danielle, do you think I'm stupid? As soon as I leave, you'll sell Rain."
"Where are you planning to sell him this time? A circus? Or as someone's child bride?"
Danielle stayed silent.
She didn't want to explain anymore.
Pressing her lips together, she said, "I must've been crazy before to do those things. I'm better now. I really want to treat Rain well."
"If you don't believe me, that's fine. Take him with you. I'll stay home alone."
Zachary gave a cold snort and walked out the door with Rain in his arms.
Danielle took a deep breath. No rush. Step by step. It's just her luck to end up in this kind of role.
With the house empty, Danielle began walking around, trying to get familiar with the place.
The room, aside from being completely white and uncomfortable to look at, wasn't much different from a modern setup.
Actually, there was one major difference—there was no kitchen. Just a bedroom, a narrow living room, and a closed-off bathroom.
It felt more like a small hotel suite, around forty to fifty square meters in size.
Danielle glanced around and quickly took in the layout, then opened the door and stepped outside.
The sky was gray, the ground was gray too, and the whole world seemed to be covered in a light layer of fog.
People on the street walked by with numb expressions. The patches of white everywhere made the world feel cold and lifeless.
This was nothing like the memories of the original Danielle. Even in the wastelands, the lives of the wealthy were colorful and extravagant.
"Well, well, if it isn't Miss Danielle, dressed like a peasant now.
Hahaha, look at her—doesn't she look just like a stray dog?"
A silent hovercraft hung in the air, with a pink orchid carved onto its body, standing out sharply against the dull gray around it.
In an instant, the people nearby disappeared, leaving the street empty.
Danielle looked up without a word. Several men in black bodyguard uniforms stood on the ship, watching her with mocking eyes.
But Danielle didn't look at them—she looked deeper into the ship, at the man and woman inside.
Her "sweet sister" and "beloved fiancé."
"Shut up! She's my sister!"
Dora bit her lip and scolded the guards unhappily. But that tone—completely fake.
"But Miss Dora, the head of the family has already removed Danielle from the family. Even the family mark has been erased. She's just a commoner now. You shouldn't call her your sister anymore—your father wouldn't be pleased."
At the man's reminder, Dora glanced at Danielle with a troubled expression.
"I…"
Danielle let out a cold laugh and turned to head back into the building.
She wasn't about to stand around and play along with Dora's act. The original Danielle was hateful, sure—but this "good sister" wasn't clean either.
If their relationship had been so close, how could she have accepted her sister's fiancé?
After all that talk, if Dora actually cared, wouldn't she have stepped off that ship by now? Her butt looked glued to the seat.
"Danielle, what's with your attitude? Even now, you're still so stubborn."
Mu Qingfeng finally spoke, clearly annoyed by Danielle's cold reaction.
Dora had come with good intentions to visit and even brought her an identity bracelet. And Danielle showed no gratitude at all.
As expected, trash would always be trash.
Danielle turned and looked at the two standing above her, sarcasm filling her eyes.
"What kind of attitude do you want from me? I'm just a low-class peasant now. You're a noble Mu family heir, and she's the glorious savior girl. Would a bow and a thank-you be enough for you?"
Every word dripped with sarcasm.
Dora saw the tension building between Danielle and Mu Qingfeng and a flicker of satisfaction crossed her eyes.
But she quickly covered it with a worried and anxious expression.
Her delicate face frowned just a bit, and she finally stood up.
"Sis, don't talk like that about Qingfeng. He really was worried about you.
It was me—I wanted to see you. That's why I asked him to bring me here and give you this ID bracelet."
As she spoke, the hovercraft lowered to the ground. Dora rushed out and handed Danielle a box.
Before Danielle could even touch it, Dora opened the lid herself to reveal the white bracelet inside.
"Sis, I know it's all my fault. But keep this bracelet for now. When I get home, I'll beg Dad to upgrade it. Just endure it for a little while longer, okay?"
With her back to Mu Qingfeng, Dora's eyes filled with malice. Her right hand smoothed her collar, revealing the red mark on her neck…
Mouthing silent words: "Sis, look—your man is completely mine now."