I Cut Off My Family, Now They Regret It Novel – Chapter 1 Traveling Back To The Past : In Ashborn City, Brimwick, a group of maids of the Barone family was whispering among themselves. “What the hell is wrong with Gianna? She pushed Nicole down the stairs at a time like this? Now we’re all stuck here dealing with the mess.” “Today is Nicole’s big party. Huge deal. I heard a lot of big names showed up.” “They said Nicole’s arm was broken, and she still has to greet guests with it in a cast. That’s honestly sad. You think Gianna did it out of jealousy?” “Jealous? That’s way past jealousy. That was cruel. They’re sisters. Nicole just got back into the family. How could Gianna do something like that?” “If Gianna had even half of Nicole’s kindness, none of this would’ve happened.” ***** In the dark basement, a girl of about seventeen lay curled up in the corner. She hadn’t eaten or had any water all day. Her hair was messy, and five clear finger marks were still stamped across her face.
Her eyes were shut tight, her brows drawn together. Her long lashes trembled from time to time, as if she were trapped in an uneasy dream. Suddenly, she jolted awake. Her eyes were filled with fear, which slowly turned into confusion. ‘Wasn’t I dead?’ Gianna Barone wondered. Her hand instinctively went to her neck. She could still remember the cold blade piercing her skin, the sharp pain, and the indifferent looks from her family. Slowly, she scanned her surroundings. She only saw a dim, cramped room and a tightly shut door. From outside came faint voices of the maids complaining, music drifting down from upstairs, and the constant shuffle of footsteps. A familiar anger surged up from deep inside her. Mixed with fear and hunger, it made her body tremble uncontrollably. Then she remembered. This was the basement of their house. And today was a party her family held for her twin sister, Nicole Barone, for finally reuniting with them. ‘Wait, did I… travel back?’ Gianna wondered. If nothing had happened yesterday, she should have been upstairs right now, standing with them at the event. But yesterday afternoon, the moment she Gianna into Nicole on the stairs, Nicole had suddenly fallen down. It was deliberate and ruthless. To stop Gianna from showing up and stealing attention, Nicole didn’t hesitate to hurt herself. And with so many guests today, it was the perfect chance to completely ruin Gianna’s reputation.
In her previous life, before turning seventeen, Gianna had been sheltered and naive, raised in comfort. She had never seen how ugly people could be. She had trusted too easily. She had even treated Nicole like a real sister. Someone like Gianna surely could never stand a chance against someone so scheming. Back then, Nicole’s scream had thrown the whole house into chaos. And right after that came the accusations. Gianna tried to explain, “I didn’t do it. It wasn’t me.” Nicole had fallen on her own when Gianna had still been a few feet away. But no one in the family listened to Gianna, except her eldest brother, Aaron Barone, who hadn’t even come home yet. Sara Barone, her mother, snapped, “If I’d known you’d turn out this way, I would’ve sent you away long ago. Now, you’re only going to embarrass us at tomorrow’s party.” Her third brother, Adam Barone, frowned, “She’s always been this spoiled and hard to control. With so many guests tomorrow, what if she causes a scene?” As a public figure, image and reputation meant everything to him.
Her second brother, Dylan Barone, spoke calmly, “If she acts up again tomorrow, give her a shot and put her to sleep.” As a doctor, he had plenty of ways to keep someone quiet. Her fourth brother, Jeremy Barone, was even harsher. “We’ve all been too nice to her. Why not send her to a juvenile facility? Let her suffer a bit. Maybe then she’ll learn her lesson.” “Come on, she’s your own sister. You really mean to ruin her future?” Sara said, her voice tightening. In the end, she still couldn’t bring herself to go that far. “M-Mom… actually… sending her there… won’t ruin her future,” Nicole said between sobs. “It’s a place to educate troubled teens. After some correction, she might stay on the right path later.” Sara insisted, “No, I don’t agree.” Thankfully, at that time, Nicole had only been back for two months, and Sara hadn’t completely lost her conscience. In the end, their father, Paul Barone, slapped Gianna hard across the face and ordered, “Lock her in the basement for three days. Don’t give him any food or water.” Before being dragged down, Gianna had looked at her family with pleading eyes. Not one of them helped her. All she caught was that so-called sister’s faint, satisfied smile. In Gianna’s previous life, Nicole had gotten exactly what she wanted. But this time, Gianna was determined to make them pay back double. Suddenly, footsteps sounded outside the door. Then came the click of it opening. Just before the dizziness hit, Gianna dug her nails hard into her palm. The sharp pain cleared her mind instantly, and a mocking smile slowly formed on her lips. ‘I’ve already died once. What is there left to be afraid of?’ she thought. Before she turned seventeen, Gianna had been the only daughter in the family.
She was smart and beautiful. Her parents had told her she was a gift from heaven, their precious treasure, and that would never change. Her four brothers had said she was the apple of their eye and that they would protect her forever. Those words still echoed in her ears. But everything that came after proved one thing that she had been the only one who believed them. In her past life, she had thought she wasn’t good enough. She had tried to please them and win back the love they once gave her. In the end, she had been abandoned, torn apart, and killed. By then, whatever she owed them for raising her had been repaid. Whatever bond of family remained was completely gone. In this life, she would not hold back for anyone. She would live only for herself. As for the one who caused all of this, Nicole, Gianna would make sure she paid her price. Suddenly, she heard a set of deliberate footsteps approaching from a distance. Gianna looked up and saw a tall figure standing before her, looking composed and imposing. He spoke up, “Gianna, have you realized your mistake?” The man’s gaze was deep and steady. He was good-looking, calm, and controlled. He was Gianna’s eldest brother, Aaron, now the CEO of the Barone Group. Gianna’s eyes rested on his face as she studied him carefully.
At this point, they had not yet turned against each other because of Nicole. In his eyes, she could still catch a trace of concern and worry, subtle but real. It was something she had longed for in her previous life, yet she never truly had it. But now, she didn’t care anymore. Seeing that Gianna remained silent, Aaron frowned. He said, “Do you even understand how serious this is? Nicole almost ended up disabled. Even today, at the very first party for her, she had to meet guests with her arm in a cast. “Nicole is kind. She doesn’t hold it against you. Admit your mistake, and I’ll talk to Dad and have you let out early.” Gianna let out a cold laugh, thinking, ‘In a cast? Wasn’t that exactly what Nicole wanted? So every guest could see just how cruel I am.’ Gianna had always hated Nicole, in both her previous life and this one. Back then, Gianna had been the only girl in the family and the youngest. Naturally, she had been favored. Even Dylan, who was usually serious and buried in his medical work, would only show a bit of warmth when he was with Gianna. But everything had changed the moment Nicole appeared.
One day, their parents told her that her long-lost twin sister had been found. When Gianna first heard she had a sister, she had been overjoyed. She finally had someone her age. She had even carefully prepared a gift for Nicole. Nicole had grown up in a backward village with her adoptive parents and had been in poor health since she was young. When they first met, Nicole had been dark-skinned and frail-looking. She was dressed in plain clothes, looking quiet and timid, a little slow to respond. Yet no one in our family looked down on her. Instead, they were full of pity and eager to make it up to her. Their parents transferred Nicole into Gianna’s school and even placed them in the same class, hoping Gianna would help Nicole adapt to the new life. Nicole struggled with her studies, so Gianna often took time to tutor her. When some classmates looked down on Nicole and made snide remarks, Gianna would step in and shut them down. Gianna even introduced Nicole to her own friends and shared many of her favorite things with her. But it didn’t take long before Gianna began to sense that something was off. Chapter 2 Admitting Her Mistake Once, Nicole and Gianna were doing homework at home.
Nicole got stuck on a math problem, while Gianna was in the middle of looking something up and asked Nicole to wait a bit. But instead of waiting, Nicole came to Aaron, who was working from home, eyes red, holding her notebook. She looked as if Gianna had given her a hard time. Gianna ended up getting scolded. Gianna also noticed that Nicole would look at her in a strange way from time to time. It was only later that she understood what that look meant. It was jealousy. Nicole couldn’t keep up with school, while Gianna was at the top of the class. They were twins, but because of their different growing environments, to their classmates, they were worlds apart. No matter how expensive Nicole’s clothes were, no matter how fine her jewelry was, when Nicole stood next to Gianna in simple everyday wear, Gianna was always the one who stood out. That kind of presence, built over years, along with her confidence, wasn’t something Nicole could compare. After that, Nicole’s little tricks only grew more frequent. She’d always play innocent and play the victim. In front of others, she was always obedient, soft-spoken, and pitiful. Her performance actually worked.
Their parents and all four brothers started paying attention to Nicole all the time. In just two months, Gianna had somehow become known as spoiled, difficult, and even cruel. As someone who had grown up like a little princess, always cherished and protected by her family, Gianna couldn’t help but feel bitter seeing their attention shift to someone else. To win that attention back, she had done a lot of things. But she could swear that she had never once tried to hurt Nicole. As for pushing Nicole down the stairs, that had been nothing more than a carefully staged act by Nicole right before the party. Memories played through Gianna’s mind like a movie. Then she snapped back to reality and made her decision immediately. “I was wrong,” she spoke, lowering her eyes, each word slow and clear.