Chapter 4I Was Slapped by the School Bully, Only to Swap Bodies with Her the Next Second

I Turned Away, Leaving Maya to Her Fate

I didn’t want to look at my old, pitiful face for another second. I gave Rainie a signal to handle the situation and turned to leave.

Behind me, I could hear Maya—now trapped in my body—screaming like a madwoman.

“Ashley! I don’t care what kind of witchcraft you used! You better watch your back!”

I paused mid-step, turned around, and crouched down beside her.

Grabbing her chin the same way she used to humiliate me, I leaned in close and whispered into her ear:

“From now on, you’re Ashley. And I’ll be taking your place, living as the Summers family’s precious little princess.”

The words felt like a release, like the weight of years of injustice was finally lifting off my chest.

For the first time in forever, I felt light. Even my steps were bouncier as I left the alley.

Outside, the Summers family’s chauffeur was waiting by a sleek black car.

The moment he saw me, he straightened up and opened the door with a respectful bow.

“Miss Summers.”

I didn’t immediately head to the Summers estate. Instead, I decided to make a detour.

Checking the time on my phone, I instructed the driver to take me back to my old home.

When we arrived, I stayed outside, peering through the window.

Maya, now stuck in my body, was kneeling on the floor in the middle of the room.

In front of her stood my mom, holding a broom in one hand and the $20 bill Maya had thrown at me yesterday in the other.

“What, stealing once wasn’t enough for you? Now you’re trying to do it again, huh?!”

Maya didn’t even get a chance to explain before my mom began beating her with the broom.

The blows rained down mercilessly as Maya screamed and cried, insisting the money was from a classmate.

But my mom didn’t believe her—she never did.

I watched through the window, feeling a strange mixture of satisfaction and pain.

I knew exactly how Maya felt. I’d been through the same thing countless times—falsely accused, beaten, silenced.

My body knew this routine all too well: flinching, twisting, trying to dodge the blows, knowing it was pointless to argue.

Suddenly, as if sensing my presence, Maya—still in my body—turned her head sharply and looked straight at me.

I snapped out of my thoughts and let a small, cold smile curl across my lips.

This is what you deserve, Maya. You wanted my life? Go ahead. Enjoy it.

With that, I turned back to the car and told the driver to take me to the Summers estate.

Living as Maya Summers

The Summers family estate was like something out of a movie—a sprawling mansion surrounded by perfectly manicured lawns and a fountain in the driveway.

It was the kind of place I never even dared to dream of setting foot in.

The moment I walked through the doors, a housekeeper rushed over to help me change my shoes.

I wasn’t used to this level of attention and waved her off, insisting I could do it myself.

But to my surprise, she immediately dropped to her knees, trembling.

“Miss Summers, I’m sorry! Please don’t fire me! I promise I’ll do better next time!”

Her panicked reaction caught me off guard. I quickly crouched down, helping her up as I asked, “What’s wrong? Why are you apologizing?”

It took a lot of reassurance before she stopped shaking. With her head lowered, she explained, “You always let me help you with your shoes. But now you won’t let me. I thought… I thought you were unhappy with me…”

I realized then just how spoiled and cruel Maya had been.

Even something as small as refusing help sent the staff into a panic.

Just as I was about to reassure her further, a voice from the living room cut through the air.

“Go to HR and collect your paycheck. You’re done here.”

It was Maya’s father.

He hadn’t even looked up from his newspaper as he delivered the cold dismissal.

I froze, unsure of how to respond.

Part of me wanted to plead for the housekeeper, but I quickly caught myself.

If I acted out of character, Mr. Summers might suspect something was wrong.

Swallowing my words, I gave the housekeeper an apologetic look as she quietly left, tears streaming down her face.

“Miss Summers, dinner is ready,” a young woman called out from the dining room.

I recognized her from school. She was Maya’s mom.

“Coming, Mom,” I said, trying to mimic Maya’s usual tone.

I dropped my school bag onto the couch and walked toward the dining room.

But as I entered, I froze.

The entire family was seated, their eyes all fixed on me.

Especially Mrs. Summers.

Her gaze was intense, almost as if she could see through me.

A chill ran down my spine, and cold sweat prickled at the back of my neck.

Had I done something wrong? Had they already noticed something was off?

Sitting at the Dinner Table

Mrs. Summers served me a bowl of rice as I nervously ate, my eyes darting around to gauge everyone’s expressions.

Mr. Summers seemed to be in a good mood. He even added some food to my plate a few times, telling me to eat more.

But Mrs. Summers… her gaze was different.

Throughout the meal, she kept staring at me, her expression unreadable, yet heavy with suspicion.

It made my skin crawl, like she could see straight through me—as though she knew that despite looking like Maya Summers, inside, I was Ashley.

After dinner, Mr. Summers left to work on some business matters, and I stayed behind to help Mrs. Summers clean up.

I was carefully carrying the last plate when she suddenly leaned in close, inspecting me from head to toe.