## The day I received my college acceptance letter, I made my best friend promise not to tell my family. She agreed, smiling sweetly as though she understood. But the moment I turned my back, she ran straight to my mom. My mom tore up the letter and locked me in the house. She planned to sell me off—to marry me to a middle-aged bachelor in our rural town for a $30,000 dowry, all to help my brother buy an apartment in the city. I fought back with everything I had. But when I tried to escape, my mom beat me so badly she broke both of my legs. Years later, after giving birth to my fifth child, I died in childbirth, bleeding out while no one cared enough to help. When I opened my eyes again, it was as if time had rewound itself. I was back on the road to pick up my acceptance letter. My so-called best friend, Karen, was smiling at me. “So, Sophie, did you get in?” Karen was holding my acceptance letter, grinning as she walked toward me. Her smile couldn’t hide the glint of malice in her eyes, and I narrowed mine in response. In my previous life, we’d both taken the college entrance exams. I had been accepted to a prestigious university out of state, while Karen had only managed to get into a low-tier community college. We both came from the same rural town, where life was tough and opportunities were rare. My family, dirt poor and deeply traditional, couldn’t afford to send me to college. To make matters worse, my mom had set her mind on marrying me off for a $30,000 dowry, all to fund my younger brother’s dream of buying a house in the city. But I had a dream too. I wanted to leave this town. I wanted to escape the suffocating mountains and build a future for myself. I begged Karen to keep my acceptance a secret from my family. I poured my heart out to her, sharing all my hopes and plans for the future. She nodded, promising to keep my secret, swearing she supported me. But the night I was ready to leave, my battered suitcase in hand, Karen showed up—with my mom trailing behind her. “Mrs. Miller, Sophie got into college, but she’s not really going, right? She wouldn’t abandon you or the family, would she? Isn’t that right, Sophie?” Her fake concern was infuriating. My suitcase said everything I couldn’t—I was leaving, no matter what. My mom’s face turned red with rage. She lunged at me, grabbing my hair and yanking me back. “You’re going to college? Over my dead body!” she screamed. I begged her, sobbing, trying to explain that I’d make good money after graduation, that I’d help the family then. “I let you finish high school, didn’t I? And now you think you’re too good for us? College? Are you out of your mind?” Her grip tightened, the pain of my scalp nearly blinding me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Karen standing there, smirking. She waved my acceptance letter in the air, the one my mom had ripped to shreds. I was dragged back home, locked in my room, and left without food or water for two days. The only thought keeping me going was the dream of escaping. One dark night, I finally managed to break free. I was so close—the edge of the village was right there. Just a few more steps, and I’d be free. Then pain. Blinding, searing pain. My legs gave out beneath me, and I collapsed. My mom stood over me, holding a thick wooden stick. She’d broken my legs. “You little brat. You think you can run? You’re staying right here until you’re married off, you hear me?” And just like that, I was sold off—for $30,000—to a middle-aged man in the village. No marriage certificate, no ceremony. Just a transaction. I was nothing more than a childbearing machine for him, enduring endless abuse for five years. When I gave birth to my fifth child, I bled out on the bed, the life draining from me as I realized no one would care. Meanwhile, Karen had stolen my acceptance letter and taken my place at college. She graduated, married a wealthy man in the city, and lived a picture-perfect life. No one would ever know that I had died, forgotten and alone, in a remote, nameless village. But now, I have a second chance. This time, I’ll make sure they all pay. Every single one of them will face justice for what they did to me. This time, I will take back everything that was stolen from me. 2 I stared at the acceptance letter in Karen’s hand, letting a glimmer of envy show in my eyes. “It’s been days, and my college letter still hasn’t arrived. Guess it’s just not happening for me.” My words seemed to hit the exact note Karen wanted to hear. She was the kind of person who couldn’t stand seeing me do better than her. The idea of me not getting into college clearly delighted her. Karen sighed dramatically and walked over, grabbing my hand in mock sympathy. “Sophie, you always aim too high. Honestly, you should’ve just applied to a community college like I did. Why waste your time on some out-of-state fancy university?” she said, her voice dripping with fake concern. “Well, look where it got you,” she continued, shaking her head as if she were truly disappointed. “But what’s done is done. Let’s head home, okay?” Karen’s words might have sounded caring to someone else, but I could hear the smugness beneath her tone. In my past life, it had been just like this. She’d flaunted her acceptance letter in front of me, over and over, just to savor the sight of my disappointment. What she didn’t know then, though, was that my acceptance letter had simply arrived a day later than hers. When it finally arrived, I couldn’t contain my excitement. I ran straight to Karen’s house, holding the letter tightly in my hands. “Karen! I got in!” I shouted, beaming with joy. “What?!” Karen snatched the letter out of my hands, flipping it over and over as if she couldn’t believe it was real. At the time, I thought she was just happy for me. I didn’t notice the way her hands clenched around the paper, or the fleeting look of malice in her eyes. Looking back, that moment was probably when she started plotting against me. How could she accept that someone she considered beneath her had gotten into a prestigious university? In her mind, it should’ve been her. Always her. But Karen had forgotten one thing: in high school, I’d been at the top of our class every single year. 3 The next day, I went alone to pick up my acceptance letter. When I finally had it in my hands, the weight of it made everything feel real. This time, I told no one. I went straight home and hid the letter in the dusty beams of the attic. “What are you doing up there?” The lazy, drawling voice from behind me made my heart skip a beat. It was my younger brother, Jason. I turned around slowly, trying to gauge how much he might have seen. “Oh, I was just putting some rat poison up here,” I said casually. “We’ve had mice scurrying around at night, and they’ve been freaking me out.” Jason looked annoyed, waving me off. “Alright, whatever. Mom said to get ready. She wants you to go out with her later.” I froze for a moment but managed to keep my tone steady. “Got it. I’ll change and head out.” After he left, I locked the door behind him and moved the letter to a new hiding spot. I wasn’t taking any chances this time. Sure enough, when my mom called me to leave the house, it was exactly as I had expected. She was dragging me to meet one of the middle-aged bachelors in town. A “nice man,” she’d called him. Someone who’d pay $30,000 for the privilege of marrying me. In my last life, I’d been naive enough to wear my best dress, hoping to make a good impression. That man had chosen me on the spot, sealing the deal with a handshake and a “gift” of a delicate wristwatch. I’d been too foolish to realize the watch was part of the dowry—the first payment in the transaction that would sell me off like livestock. This time, I clenched my fists and took a deep breath, forcing my anger to settle before it boiled over. “Mom, most of my clothes have been chewed up by mice. I’m going to borrow something from Karen to wear,” I said nonchalantly, walking past her as she sat peeling cotton in the yard. She looked up briefly, narrowing her eyes. “Fine, but hurry back. And I’ll put some rat poison in your room later.” I froze for a split second but forced myself to keep walking, smiling faintly. “No need, Mom. I already set some traps earlier.” She waved me off, turning back to her work. Karen was in her yard washing clothes when I arrived. Her family’s situation wasn’t much better than mine. She had an older sister who’d been married off at 18 for a hefty dowry, and a younger brother who was the golden child of the family. In our deeply patriarchal village, having a son was everything. Women were just a means to an end. “Sophie? What brings you here?” Karen asked, her voice laced with curiosity. I walked toward her, pretending to hesitate. “I… didn’t get into college,” I said softly. “My mom’s introducing me to someone. There’s a $30,000 dowry involved.” Karen’s eyes immediately lit up. “My good dresses have all been ruined by mice, though,” I continued, feigning embarrassment. “I was hoping to borrow something nice from you.” Karen’s hands froze mid-wash, and she swallowed hard. “Thirty thousand dollars? And he’s okay with you retaking the entrance exams next year?” I nodded shyly, lowering my voice. “Yeah, he’s older, but he seems like a good guy. My mom says I should dress up to make a good impression.” Karen’s curiosity turned into outright greed. “What’s he like? Have you met him yet?” I propped my chin in my hands, pretending to daydream. “Not yet. I’m meeting him soon.” Karen stared at me, her excitement barely contained. “You know,” she said after a moment, “I’ve got some free time today. Why don’t I come with you? Just to make sure everything’s… you know, okay.” Bingo. I smiled inwardly. “Really? That’d be great.” In my last life, Karen’s mother had been just as dismissive of her education as mine. But Karen had been resourceful. She’d found herself an older, married man from a neighboring village who sent her money every month, enough to pay her college tuition. The moment she graduated, she dumped him and set her sights on a rich guy from the city. This time, though, I wasn’t going to make it so easy for her. 5 I was smaller than Karen, so her clothes didn’t fit me well at all. She had “carefully chosen” a bright orange dress for me, one that clashed horribly with my sun-tanned skin and made me look even darker. Meanwhile, Karen had dressed herself to impress. She wore a fitted black V-neck top that hinted at her cleavage, paired with a cream-colored pleated skirt that showed off her slim, pale legs. The more polished and elegant she looked, the happier I felt. Because only I knew the truth—the man we were meeting was a lecherous creep. Standing side by side, it was obvious who he’d pick. And it wouldn’t be me. When we returned to my house, my mom gave me a quick once-over. She hesitated for a second, probably annoyed by how plain I looked, but with Karen standing there, she didn’t say anything. “Karen, you look so grown-up now! Definitely like a college student,” my mom said with a smile, her eyes lighting up as she admired Karen. Karen blushed modestly and grabbed my hand. “Oh no, Auntie, Sophie’s way smarter than me. It’s such a shame she didn’t get in.” “If she got in, I wouldn’t have let her go anyway,” my mom said matter-of-factly. “Her brother’s about to get married. Where would we get the money for her tuition?” I’d heard it all before. I should’ve been numb to it by now, but it still hurt. As we walked to the meeting spot, my mind raced, plotting my next move. Karen suddenly raised her voice, “My dad said someone from the village got into a really good college.” She turned to my mom. “Auntie, could it be Sophie? I mean, her grades were always so good.” Then she glanced back at me, a sly smile on her face. “Sophie, who do you think it is?” My heart skipped a beat. Did her dad see me when I picked up my acceptance letter? I stayed quiet for a moment before replying, “How would I know? There are so many people in the village.” Karen raised her finger and wagged it playfully in front of me. “My dad saw who it was,” she said. A chill ran down my spine. Damn it. She knew.
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