Chapter 3Reborn with a Cold Heart: Goodbye, Toxic Family

That "rude" boy had shrunk into the furthest corner of the dining table in my past life, enduring meal after meal of silent rejection.

And in the end, he died alone in agonizing pain.

How incredibly stupid.

In this life, I wouldn't be stupid anymore.

In this life, I wouldn't fight for anything. I wouldn't cry, I wouldn't throw tantrums, and most importantly, I would never love them again.

I let out a faint smile and pointed to the very end of the long dining table—the seat furthest away from Arthur.

"I'll sit there."

My parents froze. A wave of relief washed over their faces, but Eleanor still put on a show. "That's where the servants serve the food. Why would you sit there? Pick another spot."

"I like the edge. It feels more comfortable."

My voice carried a hint of self-deprecation.

My parents sighed and quickly agreed.

Just like that, they happily let their biological son—whom they had lost for ten years—sit at the absolute edge of the family table.

Julian, the adopted favorite, smoothly sat back down in his "exclusive" seat.

He glanced at me, his face blank.

He thought I didn't know. He had deliberately placed my favorite orange juice in front of his seat to lure me into a trap.

From my very first meal back home, I had fallen right into his trap.

He spent three years fighting me for our parents' attention, and in the end, he won a total victory.

But I had paid with my life to learn one simple truth:

If you want to be loved, you have to love yourself first.

I finished my dinner in silence and went up to the bedroom they had prepared for me.

Julian came up, holding the untouched glass of orange juice. "Logan, I had this juice made specifically for you. You should drink it."

"I'm not thirsty. Thanks," I replied through the closed door, pulling out my old, worn-out textbooks from the farm.

The moment I was reborn, I had a plan.

I was going to love myself.

And for me right now, the best way to do that was to study hard, get into a good college, and become independent.

"Does Logan hate me... I guess it makes sense. I'm the one who took over his life..." Julian whimpered softly outside my door.

He seemed to be talking to me, but I knew he was targeting our parents, who were walking by.

As expected, they were nearby.

Eleanor immediately comforted him, "Your brother is just shy, Julian. Don't overthink it."

Arthur added, "Julian, don't worry. In this family, you will always be our son."

But they forgot.

I was their actual son.