Chapter 1437

Anastasia suspected her aunt had instructed Rhea to question her about the prescription, so she nodded and lied to avoid trouble. The medication, however, was ineffective; Lily deemed it unsuitable for Anastasia's condition. Anastasia therefore followed Lily's instructions and didn't take Austin's prescription, but she couldn't let her aunt discover this, lest Maria launch into another tirade.

Rhea squinted. "Liar! She wouldn't be like this if she'd taken Austin's prescription. Even with potential weight loss, she'd still be depressed and groggy. She clearly didn't take it, yet she lies so casually. She's grown up!"

Anastasia approached with two glasses of water, handing one to Rhea. "Oh, why are you so free today? Aunt Maria said you've been incredibly busy. Working in a lab, perhaps?"

As Rhea accepted the glass, Anastasia couldn't tell if Rhea had briefly touched her wrist before grasping the glass. The gesture startled her; she nearly dropped the glass.

"Yes, I'm part of a project, conducting experiments," Rhea replied lightly. After a sip, she watched Anastasia gulp hers down. "I recall you hating plain water. You always added sugar. What changed?"

"I can't always indulge my bad habits," Anastasia answered emotionally. She’d previously favored sugary juices and sodas, but had avoided them while dieting, despite cravings. Lily had helped her gradually adapt to plain water, even suggesting lemon if needed.

"What kind of experiment are you doing?" Anastasia asked curiously. "I remember you studying biomedicine in college."

"I did." A meaningful smile played on Rhea's lips. "I didn't think you'd remember."

"We're cousins, after all," Anastasia sighed. "I have no siblings, and neither do you. We're as close as sisters. I spent most of my childhood at your place. We grew up together, but…"

"But?" Rhea leaned forward.

"As I grew older, I gained weight. I felt useless, while you were always intelligent, always achieving more, always looking better. Your figure… everything was better." After a pause, she continued enviously, "Now you're working on a major project. You're… amazing!"

Anastasia silently acknowledged Rhea's seemingly perfect life: a great figure, intelligence, accomplishment, and independence from her parents. In Anastasia's eyes, Rhea had won. She contrasted this with Lily's beauty, successful marriage, adorable child, and thriving perfume business. "Why is everyone living a better life than me? Everything they do is better."

Rhea saw the envy etched on Anastasia's face and reveled in it. Her smile widened as she declared arrogantly, "It's because I worked hard."

"Yes, you did work much harder than me," Anastasia agreed, acknowledging her own current efforts at weight loss, a struggle spanning years.

Rhea looked around casually, elegantly holding her glass. "Have you given away all the flowers and plants in your house?"