Becoming the real heiress with cancer

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I was linked to a Sickness Transmigration System.
It dumped me into the body of the true heiress, despised by everyone.
Everyone adored the fake heiress, who'd been carefully cherished by the family for sixteen years.
My three brothers feared I'd try to claim what belonged to the fake heiress, so they constantly mocked and taunted me.
My biological parents were terrified my presence would upset the fake heiress, so they went all out to make it up to her.
They never once considered my feelings.
They saw my desperate yearning for love as a threat, as sheer jealousy.
Later, I was dying.
Even later, my second brother found the diary hidden under my pillow.
They fell apart.
*****
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I was linked to a Sickness Transmigration System.
It dropped me into the body of Harriet Bernal, the true heiress, half a year after she'd been found by the wealthy Bernal family.
On my very first day here.
Someone splashed a whole plate of food right onto me.
Hot curry sauce ran down my face and neck, and fish balls rolled off my clothes onto the floor.
The heat stung.
I stared at the boy in front of me, my face blank.
My gaze was blank, devoid of any emotion.
Everyone else was startled by his actions too.
Laurel, my mother, gasped, "Elton, what are you doing!"
Elton's face flickered with a hint of regret, but the words that burst out were nothing but blame.
"It's just that she always has that deadpan face! Renata talked to her, didn't she hear?"
Renata looked guilty at his words.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't know it was because of me..."
She looked at me apologetically.
"My third brother didn't mean it. Harriet, can I apologize to you for him?"
Elton instantly bristled.
"Who is she, anyway? Why would you even apologize to her? Renata, why do you even bother with her?!"
I gave a faint, bitter smile.
I wondered, too, what the original Harriet meant to them.
Renata stood, surrounded by my three brothers, dressed in a pristine white dress, her hair perfectly styled.
Meanwhile, my clothes were stained yellow with curry, and the smell of food clung to me, even without looking down.
Renata.
The family's precious darling.
This name shouldn't have been hers.
I ignored Renata.
I picked up the last remaining fish ball that had landed on my lap, swallowing it along with the curry still clinging to my lips.
It wasn't the taste I remembered.
I got up and left.
"I'm full. I'll head back to my room now, thank you."
As I turned, I met Mrs. Ward's worried gaze. I managed a small smile for her.
Silence fell over the dining table.
Bernal and Laurel looked displeased.
Brian, my eldest brother, said in a low, stern voice, "Elton, you genuinely crossed a line this time. Harriet didn't do a thing."
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My original self in the previous world was already dead.
Late-stage stomach cancer, died at eighteen.
I had died a slow, agonizing death from the pain.
There was no one by my side.
Aside from that single fish ball just now, I hadn't eaten anything solid for nearly three months.
Perhaps the System, taking pity on my miserable existence, brought me to this world.
This body also had stomach cancer.
But it hadn't progressed to a terminal stage yet.
The System said the original girl had taken sleeping pills and committed suicide today.
Frequent abdominal pain accompanied by coughing up blood had made her aware of her body's problems.
But she was afraid that speaking up would cause trouble for the Bernal family.
Making the family, who already disliked her, despise her even more.
So she chose to simply leave this world.
How foolish she was. The Bernal family had vast resources; with proper treatment, she could have definitely gotten better.
This family was truly ironic.
They'd brought their biological daughter back half a year ago and still hadn't noticed she was gravely ill.
"Why am I here?"
A girl who shared my unfortunate fate.
Both orphans since childhood.
Both afflicted with stomach cancer.
Perhaps she was luckier than I.
At sixteen, she was welcomed home by her biological parents.
Perhaps she was unluckier than I.
She never received a single shred of unconditional love before she left this world, becoming an angel.
The System remained silent.
"Has my arrival worsened this body's symptoms?" I asked the System, feeling the metallic taste of blood in my throat.
The System replied, "Yes. Just like your original self, you might... by eighteen."
"But if you cooperate with treatment..."
I spoke calmly, "No treatment."
It didn't matter. I was going to die anyway, so what did it matter? Besides, I didn't want to live.
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In the middle of the night, my stomach pain was unbearable, and I tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
It felt like I was back in my previous life.
Every night, I'd curl up, eyes wide open until dawn.
My room was empty. My throat was parched. I fumbled my way downstairs in the dark, desperate for a drink of water.
Instead, I ran into my second brother, Jeremy, in the living room.
Jeremy was a professional gamer, so it wasn't unusual for him to be up at two or three in the morning.
He clearly noticed me too.
He looked at me with a sour expression.
Jeremy was the quietest member of the Bernal family.
The original Harriet had never seen him in a good mood in the six months since she came home.
I ignored him. I figured her very presence was enough to irritate him.
I walked to the kitchen, hunched over.
But I didn't realize Jeremy was startled by my appearance.
Under the dim nightlight in the living room.
He clearly saw me sweating profusely from the pain, my lips pale.
Aside from the angry red scald mark on my cheek, the rest of my skin was shockingly pale, almost translucent.
I, however, was used to my sickly appearance, so I paid it no mind.
I leaned against the sink, trying to rest, but the next second, a wave of nausea hit me, and I threw up blood.
"Ugh."
I choked, tears welling up from the pain.
A sound came from the kitchen doorway. Jeremy had followed me in.
I quickly turned on the faucet to rinse the blood from the sink, then cupped my hands and drank a few gulps of tap water.
Then I heard Jeremy's deep voice. "If you're going to drink water, drink warm water. Cold water can upset your stomach."
I softly hummed in response, lowering my head, trying to walk past him.
The original Harriet had barely exchanged words with Jeremy, and I certainly wasn't eager to get tangled up with this family.
But Jeremy grabbed my wrist.
I turned my head to look at him, my voice hoarse. "Second brother, is something wrong?"
Being so close, Jeremy saw the wound on my face more clearly.
He frowned, silent for a moment, then asked, "Why haven't you treated the scald on your face?"
I looked at his seemingly impatient expression.
I just assumed he thought it was some kind of attention-seeking stunt.
I pulled my wrist free, nodded vaguely. "Yeah, I'm heading back now."
He was too close. Jeremy turned on the light, then walked closer to the sink, frowning.
Though the blood had mostly washed away.
He still keenly noticed the faint reddish stains lingering in the sink...


?
The next morning, as I went downstairs, I ran right into Elton near the staircase.
My third brother had the most hostility towards the original Harriet.
He and Renata were close in age, and their bond was the deepest.
Perhaps Elton was simply too young. All he knew was that the sister he had pampered and protected his entire life had suddenly been replaced.
This new girl, who had just been found, was going to steal everything from Renata.
He vented all his resentment on his biological sister.
He resented her for shattering their perfect life.
Little did he realize, the original Harriet was the true innocent one.
Elton looked at the obvious scald on my face, his eyes darting away.
He deliberately didn't speak to me, waiting for me to greet him.
But I didn't even glance at him, walking past him and away.
Bernal's face was cold. "You're a grown person, can't you even treat a small scald yourself? What kind of impression will you make walking around like that?"
Bernal was a traditional patriarch, his eyes always on profits rather than family.
He was probably just worried about me embarrassing him.
Besides, the original Harriet had only been home for half a year. She couldn't play any instruments, paint, or excel in academics. Her grades were abysmal. She had no real value to him.
Laurel also looked disapproving.
I scoffed internally.
If it had been Renata, she'd have probably been rushed to the emergency room the second it happened.
Yet last night, not a single person had bothered to ask if I'd been scalded.
Or if I was still hungry after eating so little.
Their favoritism truly knew no bounds.
"There's no first-aid kit in my room."
Silence fell over the Bernal family.
Of course, the master bedrooms in the Bernal family mansion were fully equipped.
But when they brought the original Harriet back, they made their biological daughter live in a guest room.
And a guest room's amenities were naturally sparse.
The original Harriet even used the public bathroom.
Not one person offered to give the original Harriet a different room.
Laurel looked at her daughter's face, so similar to her own, flushed with the scald, and a flicker of panic crossed her heart.
If it were Renata, even a small injury would have the whole family doting on her.
But when it came to me, there was no sound, no care.
I was nothing like Renata, not at all lovable.
Elton retorted, "You didn't say anything, how were we supposed to know it was that serious?"
A dull ache started in my upper abdomen, and I couldn't help but hunch over.
The taste of blood welled up in my throat.
I tugged at my backpack strap, my voice hoarse. "I'm going to school now."
Elton frowned.
It felt like his imagination, but Harriet's posture seemed... off.
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After the original Harriet was found, she transferred to Elton and Renata's school.
But Renata didn't want the original Harriet to share the same car, afraid someone would discover she wasn't the Bernal family's true child.
So the original Harriet always went to school alone.
In those six months, due to Renata's subtle hints, she had suffered no small amount of bullying.
But that foolish girl endured it all in silence.
She probably knew that even if she spoke up, no one would care.
And her family would never believe Renata had instigated it.
I had just pulled my textbooks from my desk when I saw the fake cockroach glued to the cover.
The few kids waiting to see my reaction were already secretly covering their smirking mouths.
The original Harriet would have definitely just taken it.
But for me, dealing with such problems was just another Tuesday.
I just wanted to quietly wait to die here, but if they insisted on coming at me, I wasn't some pushover they could walk all over.
I snatched up the textbook with the fake roach still stuck to it and strode towards the girl who'd been openly enjoying the show.
I slapped the book right onto her face.
Before she could even shriek, I dumped all the books out of her desk and found an identical textbook.
The original Harriet had always been quiet and unassuming in class, never making a sound.
Today, with my flushed face, I drew the silent attention of many classmates.
Now, my once invisible self was causing such a commotion.
The classroom instantly fell silent.
The girl snapped back to reality and lunged at me like a maniac, trying to scratch me.
I grabbed her hair and said coldly, "I'm letting bygones be bygones for what happened before. Don't you dare mess with me again."
With that, I shoved her away and went back to my seat, slumping down.
Not only was my stomach burning, but I also felt faintly nauseous, like I was about to vomit.
The girl wouldn't let it go, raising her hand to slap my face.
Suddenly, her wrist was caught by Porter, who sat behind me.
His rebellious face darkened. "Too loud."
The girl's eyes widened when she saw it was Porter, and she instantly shut up.
Porter was the undisputed king of the school, a total bad boy.
His family had serious power and influence, so no one dared cross him.
She went back to her seat and exchanged knowing glances with the others who'd been enjoying the show.
A smirk played on their lips.
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I was in so much pain I couldn't straighten up, cold sweat beaded on my forehead, and I bit my lip hard to suppress the nausea.
The frown etched on my face from the pain wouldn't ease.
This wasn't right.
It shouldn't have progressed this quickly.
This felt like late-stage.
The next moment, I was suddenly lifted into the air.
The jarring screech of a chair dragging across the floor made the whole class turn to look.
I struggled, trying to get out of Porter's arms, but I didn't have enough strength and he held me even tighter.
The tall, slender boy seemed to have endless energy.
"Don't move."
He seemed to see me like this for the first time:
"I thought you were just a meek little mouse, always letting people walk all over you. Guess even the quiet ones snap sometimes."
As we walked, Porter sighed lightly:
"How can you be so light?"
Before we even reached the infirmary, Elton lunged forward, blocking our path, fuming.
Elton's anger surged, and he sneered coldly.
"Harriet, are you serious right now? Class is about to start, and you're out here on a date with a guy!"
"Clearly, you have no upbringing at all. You're nothing like Renata."
My heart suddenly twisted with a sharp pain.
A wave of emotions, not entirely my own, surged through my chest, overwhelming me.
It was always like this...
No questions, just immediate blame.
The pain intensified, and the taste of blood flooded my mouth.
My eyes welled up with tears. I quickly ducked my head, refusing to acknowledge they were mine.
Through his thin summer shirt.
Porter seemed to feel the hot teardrops. His face was etched with confusion.
He had a hot temper, and he said impatiently,
"Who are you? Can't you see she's not feeling well? You just came up and started yelling? Go get some therapy if you're sick, don't throw a tantrum here!"
He started to pull my face away, but then he looked down and saw the angry, bright red scald on my cheek.
"Don't scare me. We'll be at the infirmary soon."
Even if only for a second, I saw Elton's gaze sweep over me.
He must have seen the blood at the corner of my mouth.
His face instantly panicked.
He wanted to follow, but Renata, who had caught up, pulled him back.
"Third brother, why didn't you wait for me! You ran so fast?"
Elton turned to look at her displeased expression, pushing down the unease in his heart, and stayed where he was.


Porter jostling me made me feel even more nauseous.
I pushed at him, struggling to speak. "Want... to throw up..."
Porter only heard a weak mumble. "What did you sa—?"
Before he could even finish asking, I wretched, spewing everything out.
I hadn't eaten anything all morning, so what came out was just acidic water mixed with blood from my stomach.
I tried my best to avoid it, but it still got on Porter's clothes.
I gripped his shirt, weakly apologizing.
Porter's face darkened, but he gently laid me on the infirmary bed, letting the school nurse take over.
He silently went out to get a mop and rag to clean up my vomit.
The school nurse applied medicine to my face and put me on an IV drip of glucose.
"Young lady, why are you throwing up blood? Do you have any medical history?"
The school nurse advised me to go to the hospital for a thorough check-up, just for peace of mind.
I thanked him and explained that it was just because I hadn't eaten breakfast.
I didn't need a check-up; I already knew this body's condition.
I silently asked the System why this was happening.
The System's mechanical voice quietly responded.
"Because the original owner's consciousness is fading faster."
Meaning she wanted to leave this world faster, right?
The System remained silent.
I gave a knowing, bitter smile.
Harriet. Her name, given by her grandma, held a hidden meaning: "to retain," "to keep."
When Grandma Rose found the baby girl, still bundled in swaddling, she was stiff and purple, frozen in the bitter snow.
Grandma Rose thought the original Harriet had already frozen to death, but then her tiny finger moved.
Grandma Rose took the original Harriet home and named the little girl Harriet.
Grandma Rose was a woman of deep faith.
She always said that saving Harriet, retaining her, was fate's decree, and her own heartfelt wish.
At five years old, Grandma Rose passed away.
The original Harriet was sent to an orphanage by the neighbors.
Later, the Bernal family took her back and wanted to change Harriet's name.
But she stubbornly refused; it was the only thing her grandma had left her.
But now, Harriet no longer wanted to follow fate's decree. She just wanted to find the only person who had ever truly loved her: Grandma Rose...
Perhaps it was the pain, or perhaps it was because of the girl.
My eyes welled up, and I stared blankly at the ceiling.
We were two souls adrift, bound by the same tragic fate. No need for introductions; we understood each other instantly.
In that moment.
I wanted to hold that girl deep within my soul, tightly.
?
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I noticed Porter was still there and quickly wiped my eyes.
I pursed my lips. "Thank you for bringing me here."
In my past life, I faced too much malice and always fought alone.
Now, facing Porter, who had helped me, I felt a little lost.
And I'd just thrown up on him...
Porter raised an eyebrow. "Then, as repayment, how about you get me breakfast every day?"
I hesitated.
I didn't want to get too involved with anyone.
Porter saw my worn, faded canvas shoes and quickly added,
"My meal card's yours. What? Your thanks aren't just empty words, are they?"
I sighed, helpless, and could only nod in agreement.
After school, I planned to go to the hospital.
My body's condition would only worsen.
I needed to get some painkillers.
The original Harriet had a card; it was compensation given to her by Brian, the Bernal family heir, when she first returned.
If ordinary painkillers worked, I wouldn't even want to go to the hospital.
Gastroenterology department.
Dr. Todd was very young. Perhaps seeing that his patient was a young girl, he spoke softly, asking me where I felt unwell.
For a moment, I actually felt like crying.
Such concern was something I had never received in both my lives.
I smiled at him. "Could you please prescribe me some morphine?"
The doctor froze, unable to believe his ears.
The young girl in front of him, barely old enough to be in school, was asking for morphine.
I continued, "If not, then OxyContin, Fentanyl, just anything will do."
Dr. Todd choked, looking reproving.
"What illness does this young lady have? Have you been checked? You can't just take any medicine."
"I have stomach cancer, mid-stage," I answered calmly and seriously.
His expression instantly stiffened, and he even seemed agitated.
"How is that possible? How old are you? Which hospital? Which quack diagnosed you?! Believe it or not, I'll report them!"
The doctor's expression was a little amusing. I couldn't help but chuckle.
"I've already been checked. It's just been hurting more and more recently. Could you please prescribe me some painkillers?"
Dr. Todd looked at the girl's genuine expression, and his heart sank.
"Do your family know?"
"You're so young. Why aren't you fighting for treatment?"
I sighed. This was one reason I didn't want to come to the hospital.
I had to play the victim.
"My family knows. It's just... we don't have the money at home, and I have several older brothers, so I won't get treatment."
Dr. Todd looked like he wanted to say more but eventually said nothing.
I left the hospital with my medication.
Unaware that Porter had followed me the whole way.
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Porter hid behind the door, feeling a chill run through him.
After school, Porter had watched the girl wobble out of the school gate, worried she might faint halfway.
After all, they'd shared a bond from half a year of him copying her homework. He inexplicably followed her.
Unconsciously, he'd followed her to the hospital.
He had planned to leave, but a strong emotion held him back.
And then he overheard that the girl had stomach cancer.
No wonder... she was coughing up blood.
Porter felt a knot in his stomach, even wanting to slap himself.
He had bullied the girl for half a year.
He was a terrible person!
But beyond that, a dense wave of heartache washed over him...
When I got home, I intended to pack a few changes of clothes, preparing to move into the school dorms.
But then I found my things had been moved.
Mrs. Ward said, "Harriet, Mrs. Bernal gave you a new room."
"It's on the same floor as Renata, the one on the far east side. She said it's so you and Renata can bond better."
Mrs. Ward looked at me with pity. The Bernal family's favoritism was truly boundless.
Almost the entire third floor belonged to Renata, yet they'd given me only one room on the far east side.
Ha.
I felt a pathetic amusement on behalf of the original girl.
Were they arranging this to warn me that my status in this family would never compare to Renata's?
But it didn't matter anymore.
I was moving into the dorms anyway, and in just another half a year or so, I wouldn't be in this world anymore.
The daily, agonizing pain told me so.
The girl's desire to break free from this family, and from this world, was incredibly strong.
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At the dinner table.
I informed Bernal and Laurel that I wanted to live at school.
The family, who had been chatting and laughing, instantly fell silent.
Laurel frowned. "Why do you suddenly want to live at school? Don't you like the room your mother arranged for you today?"
She suddenly remembered Mrs. Ward's words from this morning: "Harriet and Renata's rooms are quite different, I'm afraid Harriet might overthink it."
She then had a sudden realization, thinking Harriet had complained to Mrs. Ward, and said impatiently,
"Don't be so jealous. Renata's room has been hers for sixteen years."
"You've only just moved in. Don't compare everything to Renata. If you really want it, we can get an interior designer to renovate your room in a while."
Bernal's face was even fouler.
"Why aren't you as sensible as Renata? What will people think if they find out that I, a prominent Bernal, let my daughter live at school? It'll just be a joke."
Elton suddenly thought of the boy who had held me today and became annoyed, speaking without thinking.
"Could it be for the convenience of flirting with some wild guy?"

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