1

832words2026-01-26 09:07

My cousin, Lily Carter, was the same age as me.
She overslept and missed her college entrance exam, then blamed it on having to fetch medicine for me.
What’s more, she stole $30,000 from Grandma’s surgery fund, claiming it was to buy me a car.

Even when she took abortion pills, miscarried, and nearly bled to death, she said I pushed her down.
My boyfriend, Ethan Brooks, always took her side -- and in the end, he was so disgusted with me that he dumped me.
My aunt blamed me for ruining her daughter and shoved me down the stairs.
Ethan witnessed the whole thing, but told the police it was an accident.
I died without justice.
...

When my eyes snapped open, I was back on the day Lily stole Grandma’s surgery money.
“Your parents died when you were four,” my aunt screamed, fingers twisting viciously in my hair. “And we took you in. Your uncle and I raised you like our own! How dare you hurt my Lily, you ungrateful little bitch?!”
“You ripped up her books! You stole her pens! You sabotaged her studies and turned her classmates against her! Now, as an adult, you made her steal your grandmother’s surgery money to buy you a car? You heartless monster -- why don’t you just drop dead?”
She rained sharp slaps across my face, her eyes burning with pure hatred.

My face swelled instantly; I tasted the metallic tang of blood pooling in my mouth.
But I’d been her punching bag since childhood. I was numb to it.
The only feeling flooding through me was pure, dizzying relief. I was truly reborn!
Spitting crimson onto the floor, I shot back, “You realize Lily’s an adult now, right? Adults face the consequences of their own actions! She can’t keep pinning every mistake on me like we’re still kids! If I told her to jump off a bridge, would she?”
Auntie’s face contorted with rage. She drew back her hand for another blow.
Ethan stepped in front of me, taking the slap full force.
The mark bloomed on his cheek, but he ignored it, his voice conciliatory. “Auntie, please, calm down. Whatever Zoe spent, I’ll repay it.”
Seeing him again, alive and playing the hero, I wanted to wring his neck.
“Stop acting for me!” I snarled. “I didn’t steal anything, and I’m not paying!”
Last life, Ethan’s self-righteous “help” cemented the blame on me.
This time, I wouldn’t make that mistake.
Ethan sighed, a familiar look of weary disappointment settling on his face. “Zoe, it’s just us. What’s the point in lying? You took the money meant for Grandma’s surgery. Just admit it, and I’ll handle the repayment. But you can’t pull something like this again. It’s wrong.”
“You really are an idiot who can’t understand simple words, aren’t you? We’re over! Get the hell out of my face!”
I shoved him hard and stormed out of the room.
Auntie grabbed my arm. “You little wretch! Who said you could leave? Give me back my money!”
“Lily stole it -- go ask her! It has nothing to do with me!”
I wrenched my arm free and kept walking, my steps long and purposeful.
Ethan called my name, chasing after me.
Auntie followed, cursing.
I grabbed my bike, ignoring the throbbing pain in my face, and pedaled away as fast as I could.
Growing up starved and neglected, I was small and frail -- no match for Auntie’s imposing bulk.
But I silently swore that I would make her pay a thousand times over for every beating and humiliation.
Back at my apartment, Ethan caught up. He looked hurt. “Zoe, you shouldn’t just throw around ‘breakup’ like that. It’s cruel.”
“I meant it.”
He froze, stunned. “Just because I didn’t blindly take your side when you messed up? I didn’t even blame you -- I offered to pay for it! What’s your problem?!”
A harsh, brittle laugh escaped me, tears stinging the corners of my eyes. “Lily says whatever the hell she wants, and you believe her. Every single time. Never me. Whose boyfriend are you, Ethan? Hers or mine?”
He frowned, reaching out to wipe a tear. I jerked my head away.
“Even if we’re together,” he said, frustration tightening his voice, “I can’t just stand by and say nothing if you’re bullying your cousin.”
His words confirmed it: he absolutely believed I was the villain here.
The weight of that disappointment crushed down, heavier than any blow.
I wasn’t sad anymore. Just bone-deep exhaustion and simmering rage.
“I don’t want a boyfriend who always takes someone else’s side and never trusts me. Stay out of my life. That’s your final warning!”
I slammed the door shut in his face.
Without wasting a second, I grabbed my phone and called my lawyer friend.
Hiding in my apartment wouldn’t shield me from their mess. Lily and Auntie were dead-set on pinning that theft on me, and I needed to be ready.