Chapter 1: A Second Chance To save on rent, my sister-in-law Jessica teamed up with my mom and sweet-talked their way into moving into my newly renovated house. Later, when my nephew Ryan died of leukemia, Jessica blamed me for it. “It’s you! You deliberately used the cheapest materials, which killed my son!” she screamed, her eyes wild with grief and anger. She lunged at me with a kitchen knife, stabbing at my swollen belly. “Since my son is dead, you don’t get to have your brat either!” Eighteen stabs. Neither my baby nor I survived. Perhaps Heaven took pity on me and granted me a chance to be reborn. … I was reborn five years in the past. Still reeling from the pain of being stabbed to death in my previous life, I overheard my sister-in-law Jessica and my brother Jack’s scheming voices outside my room. “Nora’s house is newly renovated. Why don’t you talk to Mom and see if we can stay there with Ryan for a year?” Jessica suggested. “Will she agree?” Jack still had a shred of conscience, saying it was my new house for when I got married, and it might not be appropriate for them to live there with a child. Jessica glared at him. “We’re family. What’s the big deal? Besides, it’s a three-bedroom apartment. We won’t be using her master bedroom.” Hah! They said they wouldn’t use the master bedroom now, but after moving in, the whole family slept in my king-sized bed in the master bedroom. They had the audacity to say the bed was bigger and more suitable for sleeping with a child, plus it had an en-suite bathroom which was more convenient. My nephew frequently wet the bed, soiling my expensive mattress with urine stains. What’s more infuriating was that they lived in my house without paying for utilities or property management fees. When I mentioned this to my mom, she sided with my brother and sister-in-law, saying, “It’s just a few hundred dollars for utilities and fees. As a sister, isn’t it your duty to help your brother?” At the time, I thought they would keep their word and move out when my nephew started first grade. Little did I know that getting rid of them would be harder than inviting them in. They stayed for four or five years, refusing to leave. Until one day, my nephew was diagnosed with leukemia, and they blamed his illness on me. After my nephew passed away, Jessica smashed everything in my new house. “It’s you… you did it on purpose. You deliberately used the cheapest materials for renovation, intentionally killing my son.” She grabbed a knife and stabbed viciously at my belly. I instinctively tried to run, but six months pregnant and already wounded by her first strike, I couldn’t outpace her. I barely made it two steps before she dragged me back. “Nora, you bitch, die!” Jessica screamed. Blood gushed from my body, staining the new carpet red. I felt like a broken sack, holes everywhere, bleeding profusely. Jessica’s face twisted and distorted before my eyes, her screams and curses echoing in my ears, but I was powerless to respond. I never imagined she would be so brutal. I had softened my heart and let them live in my new home, never asking for a penny in rent. I even paid for their utilities and property fees. In the end, she killed me and my child, stab by stab. By the time I breathed my last, Jessica came to her senses. As my soul left my body, I watched my brother and mother frantically help Jessica dispose of my corpse. They initially planned to hide my body to protect Jessica. To quote a popular internet saying: Those who kill often know that while murder is easy, hiding a body is hard. The truth came out. My mother knelt before my husband Iker, begging for his forgiveness and pleading for a letter of understanding. That woman who gave birth to me and raised me was now kneeling for the murderer who killed me. “My grandson was killed by Nora, and Jessica just lost her mind for a moment. Iker, please forgive her… Even if you kill Jessica, it won’t bring Nora and the baby back,” my mother pleaded, tears streaming down her face. Seeing my mother’s tear-stained face, my heart turned cold. I was her daughter, after all… I could understand my brother protecting his wife, but why was my mother like this? Talking about a momentary lapse, begging my husband not to press charges. Hah, a momentary lapse that ignored my desperate pleas and stabbed me 18 times? I closed my eyes, and everything that happened in my previous life flashed before me. Chapter 2: A New Beginning I composed myself and pushed open the door. Jessica greeted me with a bowl of freshly washed fruit. “Nora, you’re up from your nap? I washed some fruit for you, have some.” Jessica’s fake smile overlapped with her twisted face when she killed me in my previous life. I mustered all my strength to hide the overwhelming hatred in my heart and replied coolly, “No need, I’m heading out.” I saw Jessica nudge my brother with her elbow. Jack quickly asked, “Will you be back for dinner? Mom said she’s roasting a chicken tonight.” I vaguely remembered that in my previous life, it was on this very night that they sweet-talked their way into moving into my newly renovated house. They said my nephew needed a place to stay for school. My newly renovated house was empty, so they asked to stay for a year, promising to move to the city next year when they bought their own place. I softened and agreed, and the result was… “I won’t be back. I have plans to go shopping and have dinner with friends,” I replied. They must be racking their brains now, trying to get me to agree to let them stay in my new house when my nephew starts school. Especially my sister-in-law Jessica. Jessica was a wolf in sheep’s clothing. In my previous life, to get me to agree to let them live in my new house, she sucked up to me for days. Usually stingy, she went out of her way to buy cherries, my favorite fruit, and even gave me a set of skincare products. Later, I found out that the skincare set was a return from a customer at her shop who had an allergic reaction to it. In my previous life, after they lived there for a year, I saw no signs of them moving out. I hinted both subtly and directly that they should move out, saying I wanted to move back in. My mother cried and yelled, calling me ungrateful for wanting to kick my own mother out of my house. Not wanting to cause a big rift, I endured it. The consequence of my endurance was being killed by them, losing two lives. In this life, I won’t endure it anymore! Not only will I not endure it, but I’ll also make them pay for what they did in my previous life. I planned to keep them on edge for a few days, then refuse when they’re desperate… That day after going out, I didn’t return to my old home. Instead, I stayed at my new apartment in town for a few days. Regarding my nephew’s leukemia, I expressed confusion. Worried that there might really be an issue with my renovation materials, I secretly called a professional formaldehyde testing company to check. After a week of continuous testing, the conclusion was that the formaldehyde levels were within the normal range. This house was renovated last October, more than half a year ago, and it had good ventilation and lighting. So Ryan’s leukemia had little to do with my house. It must have been due to his own constitution and other factors. As long as it wasn’t my house’s problem, I felt relieved. I stayed in my new house until the ninth day of the Lunar New Year, not long before school was set to start. They couldn’t sit still anymore. My mom called me several times, asking me to return to the old house. I made excuses about some unfinished work in the new house and didn’t go back. Early on the eleventh day, my mom brought my brother’s family of three to my door. “Why are you here?” I asked. Jessica smiled and said, “Well, the New Year just passed, so we brought Mom down for a look around. Ryan was also bored at home.” My brother’s family came uninvited, making themselves completely at home. My brother and sister-in-law used to work out of town, always renting places to live. Jessica lost money on her store last year and transferred the business. Now she planned to work in our small town. That’s why they set their sights on my new house. “Ryan, isn’t your aunt’s new house beautiful?” Jessica asked her son. My nephew nodded repeatedly, “It’s beautiful.” They used to rent in old, run-down neighborhoods to save money. My new house had a great environment, and I had put a lot of effort into decorating it nicely. My nephew’s eyes lit up when he entered. At five or six years old, he was curious about everything. Before I knew it, he had run from the living room to the bedroom. “Ryan Sullivan, don’t go into my room!” I called out. Suddenly remembering that in my previous life, the first time he came to my house, he also curiously went to play in my bedroom and broke my expensive floor lamp. Fortunately, this time I stopped him in time. I pulled him out and firmly closed the door. Seeing his innocent expression, remembering how pitiful his death was in my previous life, my voice softened a bit. “Go play somewhere else. The bedroom is for sleeping.” Jessica was very displeased when she saw me stop her son from entering the bedroom. She pulled him into her arms and said unhappily, “Son, your aunt’s new house is too precious. We don’t have such luck to live here. Let’s go.” Her sarcastic tone made me feel sick. In the past, I would have immediately comforted my nephew: “That’s not what I meant. We’re family, of course you can stay. How could you not be worthy?” But now, I let her angrily pull her son away without saying a word or trying to stop them. “Jessica, what’s wrong? Don’t leave,” my brother immediately pulled his wife and son back. Chapter 3: Family Tensions My mom glared at me and played peacemaker, “Nora, Ryan is your own nephew. He’s so young, why are you scolding him? What’s wrong with him being curious and wanting to look at your bedroom?” “What kind of guest goes into someone’s bedroom without permission? Mom, I’m not just saying this to you. It’s fine since it’s my house, but if this happened at someone else’s place, wouldn’t people say you have poor manners? He’s five or six years old, just starting to understand things. You need to teach him properly.” As soon as I said this, my brother, sister-in-law, and mom’s faces fell. “Nora, what do you mean?” My brother, always quick-tempered despite his lack of ability, said, “You think you’re so great because you bought a house? You’re putting on airs now?” “What airs? Can’t you tell right from wrong? I’m trying to reason with you, but you won’t listen. Forget it, pretend I didn’t say anything.” In my previous life, I was too weak and easily manipulated. Whenever my brother yelled at me, I would get so nervous I couldn’t speak, letting him have his way. Living this life again, I understood that my brother was a bully who only preyed on the weak. If he was fierce, I just needed to be fiercer. Seeing my impatience, he and my sister-in-law looked surprised. They exchanged a glance, and finally, my mom spoke up: “We’re all family, what’s there to argue about? Nora is also saying this for Ryan’s good, and she’s not wrong.” My mom patted my brother, clearly meaning that they were the ones asking for a favor from me, so they should hold their tempers. My mom was always like this, always taking my brother’s side. Although I already knew their true colors from my previous life, at this moment, I still felt hurt. After all, she was the mother who gave birth to me and raised me. Blood is thicker than water, as they say. I originally thought that if I was good to them, they would be good to me and treat me like family. But some people are born selfish and will never treat you as family. “It’s getting late. Nora, you haven’t been home for days. I brought half a chicken and bought some pork tripe. I’ll make some chicken soup with tripe, your favorite.” I did love chicken soup with tripe, but every time the soup was ready, my mom would take out the tripe and give almost all of it to my brother and grandson, along with the chicken legs… She would always tell me: “Nora, drink more soup. The soup is the most nutritious.” Bull***t, the meat is the most nutritious. As she spoke, my mom headed towards the kitchen with the groceries. “Mom, don’t bother. My kitchen can’t be used for cooking right now. The range hood isn’t installed properly and leaks smoke. The repairman said he won’t have time to fix it until after the Lantern Festival.” This was true, though in my previous life, they only discovered it after cooking for a while. By the time they noticed, my cabinets had already been blackened by smoke. Afraid they wouldn’t believe me, I opened the cabinet and shook the loose range hood, saying, “See? If we don’t fix this, it could fall and kill someone while cooking.” “Oh?” My mom clearly hadn’t expected this problem. “Then what about this chicken and tripe? They’re fresh.” “You can take them back tonight.” By saying this, I made it clear I didn’t want them staying at my place. Jessica’s face darkened even more. “Mom, are you going back tonight? I’m not planning to. I have dinner plans with my girlfriends tonight.” My brother chimed in, “I’m not going back either. I have plans to play cards tonight.” Seeing the situation, my mom immediately said, “If you both have plans tonight, then I have to stay and look after Ryan. Who else will take care of him if you go out?” It was obvious they had already planned to sleep at my place. Jessica pouted, all her previous anger gone, looking at me with a hint of pleading in her eyes. “Nora, your new house is newly renovated, and we haven’t stayed here before. You don’t mind if we sleep here for one night, right?” After saying this, Jessica brought in the things from the doorway. “Although we’re family, we can’t come empty-handed the first time we stay at your place. I bought you some cherries, your favorite.” “Oh, and this set of skincare products. I saved it for you when I transferred my shop. The set costs several thousand dollars.” My mom patted my hand and said, “See how good your sister-in-law is to you.” How good to me… I closed my eyes, the pain of losing two lives in my previous life still sharp and stinging. “Since we can’t cook at home, why don’t we go out for lunch? Nora, what do you want to eat? It’s my treat,” my brother offered. “Dad, I want to eat steak,” Ryan chimed in. “Alright, let’s have steak then.” “Yay! We get to eat steak today and stay at Aunt Nora’s new house.” I opened my eyes, looking at their happy faces, and said coldly, “Who said I agreed to let you stay?”
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