After my parents’ divorce, I stayed with my mom. She tricked me into giving her all my savings—three hundred thousand dollars—to buy a house for my cousin. Then my cousin stabbed me to death. When my mom found my body, she comforted him, saying, “Don’t worry, your aunt will write a forgiveness letter for you.” When I opened my eyes again, I found myself back at the time just before my parents’ divorce. My mom’s eyes were steady as she asked, “Jessica, who are you staying with?” I was pushed out of endless darkness. When I opened my eyes, there was my furious mom, and my dad quietly smoking a cigarette. Uncle Steve was yelling, “What’s yours is my sister’s, and what’s my sister’s is mine! If the house is mine, why shouldn’t my son be allowed to live in it?” That familiar scene… I had been reborn into my senior year. Before I could fully grasp the situation, my mom’s finger was practically in my face. “Jessica, tell me, isn’t it important for your cousin to start middle school? Shouldn’t you move into the dorms to give him your room?” In my last life, my mom constantly pitted me against my dad. I grew distant from him because of her manipulation. Mom insisted that I give up my room to Kyle during my senior year, and though my dad disagreed, I gave in, hoping for her approval. Soon, Uncle Steve moved in under the pretense of looking after Kyle. Dad couldn’t take it anymore and filed for divorce. I was given over to my mom’s custody, and that’s when my nightmare began. Seeing that I wasn’t responding, Mom shoved me again, and I stumbled to the floor. Dad quickly tossed his cigarette aside and rushed over to check on me. But Mom kept shouting, “Why aren’t you saying anything, you useless girl? Just standing there like an idiot?” Dad, a quiet and honest man, raised his voice unexpectedly. “What are you yelling for? Didn’t you see you just knocked her over?” Kyle, my cousin, was sprawled on the couch, lazily playing video games. He didn’t even look up when he heard Dad’s voice, just scoffed, “Can you all keep it down? I can’t hear my teammates.” I sat there on the floor, tears spilling down my cheeks as I looked at my dad’s not-yet-aged face. In my last life, Mom had indeed written that forgiveness letter for Kyle, and without Dad knowing, she had me cremated quickly. When Dad finally learned, his hair turned white overnight. He charged at Kyle in a blind rage, but Kyle easily shoved him down the stairs. My soul hovered above, trying desperately to hold onto Dad, but I couldn’t touch him. I could only hear his final words, “It’s all my fault.” Dad thought I was crying from the fall and reached for a tissue to wipe my tears. But Mom grabbed the box and threw it on the floor. “What are you crying about? You’re the older sister; you should let your brother have his way. Besides, Kyle’s struggling in school, and it’s all your fault!” Dad, red-faced with anger, stood up, ready to argue with her. I had finally come to my senses and pulled on his arm. Dad thought I was going to stop him, just like before, and his eyes filled with disappointment. Mom, on the other hand, looked triumphant. “Bill Hay, you’re just as worthless as always. No matter what, your daughter will always side with her mother…” Smack! Mom didn’t get to finish her sentence. She clutched her cheek, screaming, “Jessica Hay, you dare hit your own mother? I’ll kill you today!” Uncle Steve started to step forward, ready to hit me as well. But before his hand could get any closer, Dad kicked him back. “If anyone lays a hand on my daughter, I’ll fight them with everything I’ve got!”
Mom and Uncle Steve were stunned into silence by Dad’s sudden fierceness. I wiped my tears away and stared them both down. “So, it’s crucial for Kyle to start middle school, but my senior year doesn’t matter?” Mom looked at me, completely shocked. She had never imagined her daughter—who had always bent over backward for her affection—would ever stand up to her. Uncle Steve recovered first and sneered at me. “You, a worthless brat, sitting in that room, studying for what? Your brother’s going to get into a good college someday and have a bright future. He’ll be able to help you out, too.” I turned to him, my voice cold. “Kyle? He’s a lazy bum who can only play video games. What makes you think he’ll help me? I’d be lucky if he doesn’t turn out like you—leeches living off others.” In my last life, I had been a top student. In every exam, I was always in the top ten of my class at our prestigious high school. But to my mom, no matter how high my scores were, they could never compare to Kyle calling her “Aunt.” Back then, I gave up my room, not because I wanted to, but because I was desperate to please my mom, to get more of her attention. But moving to the dorms made me sick constantly, and my grades plummeted. In the end, I barely got into a mediocre college. When the SAT results came in, Mom and Uncle Steve sneered at me, calling me a failure. They praised Kyle for “waking up late” but said he’d surely surpass me in the future. I glared at Mom with all my resolve. This time, I wouldn’t make the same mistake. Mom shifted uncomfortably under my gaze, taking a step back. “Jessica, are you out of your mind? You hit me, and now you’re looking at me like that?” I straightened my back. “If you think I’m giving up my room, you’re dreaming.” “You might as well pack up your stuff and take that lazy cousin of mine back to Ohio. Maybe it’s time he learned how to work a farm.” When Mom realized I wasn’t budging, her tone softened, “I was just upset, Jessica. Think about it, if you hadn’t dropped Kyle when he was a baby, he would’ve developed faster. You owe him.” Uncle Steve, still on the floor from Dad’s kick, chimed in, “Yeah, if it weren’t for you, Kyle would’ve been top of his class by now.” They were talking about something that had happened when Kyle was just a baby. One New Year’s Eve, Uncle Steve’s family had left me, a six-year-old, in charge of baby Kyle while they played cards. Kyle cried non-stop, and when I went to get help, Uncle Steve shooed me away, annoyed. In desperation, I tried to carry Kyle over to the card table, but I wasn’t strong enough. I accidentally dropped him. He cried louder, and I froze in panic until Mom stormed in, kicked me aside, and rushed Kyle to the hospital. All she left me with was a cold threat: “If anything happens to your brother, I’ll kill you.” They took Kyle from the local clinic to County General, then to Downtown Memorial Hospital, and finally to State Hospital. Every doctor assured them that Kyle was perfectly healthy, with not a single scratch on him. But after that day, they blamed everything on that fall. Kyle’s late walking? My fault. Bad grades? My fault. Playing video games all day? Also my fault. Because of that fall, I had to give Kyle my snacks, my toys, and even my allowance. But while they were busy fussing over Kyle, it was Dad who picked me up off the floor, my head bleeding from where Mom had kicked me. How ridiculous. I glanced coldly at Kyle, who had his headphones in and was still playing video games, oblivious to everything around him. I laughed bitterly. “All those doctors said Kyle was fine. What, are you two smarter than they are?” In the past, every time I refused to give Kyle something, they’d bring up that fall to guilt me into giving in. This was the first time I’d ever questioned them like this. Mom’s face turned red, then pale, and her voice dropped to a whisper. “He’s got internal injuries. The doctors just couldn’t find them.” I couldn’t help but laugh. “I was six years old, barely four feet tall. How could I have dropped a swaddled baby hard enough to give him internal injuries?” “What am I, a martial arts master?” Dad chuckled along with me, ruffling my hair. “My daughter’s right. She’s keeping her room. If you can’t deal with that, then get out.” Then I picked up Uncle Steve’s bags and tossed them out the door. “Goodbye.”
Seeing that I wasn’t backing down, Uncle Steve glared at me and muttered to my mom, “This is the daughter you raised?” He grabbed Kyle, who was still clutching his controller, and made as if to leave. Mom panicked, grabbing Kyle’s sleeve to stop him. But Kyle just shook her off. “If you were a decent sister, Dad wouldn’t have to deal with this. Can’t you do anything right?” Mom was in a frenzy. She rushed at me and slapped me hard across the face. “You ungrateful brat! How dare you not make room for your brother? I’ll beat the disobedience out of you!” The force of the blow left my head ringing. My vision blurred, and in that moment, Mom’s furious face morphed into the same expression she had after I died, when she was comforting Kyle after he had stabbed me. The two images overlapped, searing into my mind. My heart ached like a thousand needles had pierced through it. Trembling, I asked, “Do you even remember that you’re my mother?” Mom froze for a second, but quickly recovered, scoffing at me. “If you apologize to your uncle and brother right now, and move their things back into the house, I might still accept you as my daughter.” “But if you don’t… you won’t have a mother anymore.” That was the same tactic she’d used to manipulate me in my past life—threatening to disown me unless I obeyed her every demand. But now? I had already died once. There was no fear left in me. I let out a bitter laugh and said, “Fine.” Mom looked relieved, her tone softening. She pointed toward the door. “Then go fetch their luggage. And Bill, don’t just stand there—call her school and arrange for dorm housing.” Dad didn’t move. Neither did I. I looked her straight in the eye and said, “When I said ‘fine,’ I meant it. I’m perfectly fine without a mother like you.” Mom’s face contorted in disbelief. “What did you just say?” “I said, it’s good to be without a mother like you,” I repeated, my voice steady. “You can’t be serious! You’ve always been the one who listens to me, the one who loves me the most! What’s gotten into you today?” Mom’s voice was shaking with rage, but there was a flicker of doubt behind her eyes. I yanked my arm out of her reach as she tried to touch my forehead, as if checking whether I was sick. “For years, I craved your approval, your love, and I made countless sacrifices hoping for a shred of affection in return. But today, you’ve crossed the line. You’re asking me, a senior about to take the SATs, to give up my room to the same cousin who’s bullied me all my life.” “I finally see it clearly now. Ever since Kyle was born, you’ve had no room in your heart for me. So, I don’t need you either.” For a brief moment, I saw something in her eyes—maybe guilt, maybe sadness. But before she could say anything, Uncle Steve interrupted, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Come on, Susan, they’re just putting on a show to guilt-trip us. How come I never realized you were this crafty?” “If you don’t want us living here, just say so. I’ve seen through you, Susan Hay.” He grabbed Kyle’s arm, hoisting him to his feet. Kyle, annoyed that his gaming session had been interrupted, stood up with a huff. Uncle Steve gathered their things, ready to leave. Mom’s fleeting sadness turned to anger again as she ran after them, but not before shooting me a final threat: “If your cousin is upset, I’ll come back and make you pay for it, Jessica.” I watched them leave without a word, feeling strangely at peace. Dad looked at me hesitantly, unsure of what to say. He finally broke the silence with a quiet voice, “Do you want to rest in your room for a bit?” I shook my head, my voice thick with emotion. “Dad, I’m sorry… for everything.” I had a million thoughts racing through my mind, but before I could say more, Dad cut me off gently, “You don’t need to apologize to me, Jessica. I’m your dad.” Tears welled up again, and I threw myself into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably. I cried for all the years I had wasted trying to earn my mother’s love, for how blind I had been, for how I’d let them manipulate me. The weight of it all finally lifted, and I cried until I had nothing left. When the tears finally stopped, Dad quietly went to the kitchen to get me some hot water. But the front door wasn’t locked, and before he could come back, Mom burst through it, her face a mask of rage. In her hand was a large kitchen knife, gleaming menacingly as she stormed toward me. “Jessica Hay, you worthless brat! You drove away your brother! Now I’ll drive you out of this world!”
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