After my daughter caused a hit-and-run accident, she knelt in front of me, sobbing. “Mom, I just got accepted into Yale University. I have such a bright future ahead of me. If I go to prison, my life will be over. Please, I’m begging you—save me…” I agreed. Two years in prison, and neither my husband nor my daughter visited me even once. When I was finally released, I learned the bitter truth: it had all been a plot between my husband and daughter. They had transferred all my assets into their names long ago. The daughter who once wept and begged me to take the blame now spat at me, calling me a worthless, ugly ex-convict, and kicked me in the chest. I died on the spot, despite efforts to save me. But when I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day Charlotte received her college acceptance letter. “Mom, Dad! My scores are out! I got into Yale University!” Charlotte Carter, my adoptive daughter, exclaimed excitedly. “Well, of course, you did! After all, you’re Jack Carter’s daughter! Yale is one of the top universities. You’ve made your parents so proud. Honey, didn’t your year-end bonus just come through? Give it all to Charlotte and buy her that BMW,” my husband Jack declared proudly. It was a conversation I knew all too well, and I immediately realized—I had been reborn. “Dad, I’m still young. A car would be too flashy. Besides, Mom works so hard to earn that money. I’d feel bad spending it,” Charlotte said sweetly. In my past life, I had always thought she was a kind, dutiful, and considerate girl. But after going to prison, I learned she was nothing more than a snake hiding behind a sweet smile. “But your dad promised you—if you got into Yale, you’d get a BMW,” Jack said, glancing at me expectantly. Jack was a stay-at-home husband, and all our household expenses were covered by me. In my previous life, I had even felt guilty for not giving him a child of his own. “Why are you looking at me? You made the promise, not me,” I said coldly. Both Jack and Charlotte stared at me, wide-eyed. In my past life, they were always perfectly in sync—Charlotte playing the innocent angel, and Jack playing the doting father—all to squeeze money out of me. And I, foolishly, had fallen for it time and time again, thinking Charlotte was a loving daughter and Jack a generous man who treated her like his own. But now, watching them put on the same act, I felt nothing but disgust. “Did you lose your mind today? Charlotte got into Yale! That’s something to celebrate! You can’t even buy her a car? Do you even deserve to be her mother? Or is it that you’ve never truly seen her as your daughter?” Jack lashed out at me. “Dad, don’t say that. $50,000 isn’t a small amount, and Mom’s business needs the cash to keep things running smoothly. It’s fine if we don’t buy the car,” Charlotte said, still playing the part of the understanding daughter. “Fine, then we’ll get her a cheaper one—how about a $30,000 car?” Jack shouted, turning his anger toward me. “Have you been living under a rock? Since when is a $30,000 car considered cheap? If you want to buy her a car so badly, why don’t you use your own money?” I mocked. Jack stared at me, unable to believe I had just said that. Charlotte had the same shocked expression, as though the world had flipped upside down. In my past life, their tricks had always worked on me, and I would have done anything for them. I got swindled time and time again, and still believed they were good people. “Mom, I don’t need a car. Please don’t fight. This is all my fault,” Charlotte whimpered, tears spilling from her eyes. In my previous life, I would have hugged her, wiping away her tears, and promised her anything she wanted. But this time, I knew better—Charlotte was a manipulative viper. Watching her fake tears made my blood boil. SLAP! I slapped her across the face, hard. Father and daughter stood frozen in shock. Charlotte looked at me, terror and confusion in her eyes. “A mosquito bit your face. I swatted it too hard,” I said, feigning concern, as I reached out to touch her reddened cheek.
The next day, I went to my office and immediately changed all my bank account passwords, including the payment ones on my phone. This time around, I wouldn’t let Jack get a hold of my assets. Later, I asked the school for Charlotte’s SAT registration number and looked up her actual scores. I was stunned—she only scored 230. Even with an extra 400 points, she couldn’t have made it into Yale. In my previous life, Charlotte had shown me several of her mock exam scores—always over 650. I had believed her then, but now I realized those score reports must have been forged. That afternoon, I went to a private investigator and hired them to look into Jack and Charlotte. I suspected they were actually father and daughter. Twelve years ago, Jack had taken me to an orphanage, and out of all the children there, he had chosen Charlotte. At the time, I had thought they were simply drawn to each other by fate. But looking back, the way they had conspired against me, there was no other explanation. They had been planning this for twelve years—slowly but surely draining me of everything I had. A week later. I received a text from the bank saying that my supplementary credit card had been charged $30,000. In my haste, I had forgotten to cancel the supplementary card. I had given Jack the card for convenience—so he could buy groceries and cover household expenses. But I didn’t need to guess—I knew the $30,000 had gone toward buying a car. I quickly called the bank and had the card canceled.
That evening, as I arrived home, I saw a brand-new BMW X2 without license plates parked outside. When I stepped inside, Charlotte was there, smiling sweetly as she handed me my slippers. “Welcome home, Mom. You must be tired from work.” Looking at her fake smile, I wanted nothing more than to slap her again, but I had to restrain myself until I had all the facts. “Did your dad buy you the car?” I asked coolly. “Mom, I didn’t want it, but Dad insisted. There wasn’t anything I could do,” she said, putting on her most innocent expression. “I’ve canceled your supplementary card. From now on, I’ll give you $1,000 a month for household expenses. If you need to buy anything big, just let me know and I’ll get it for you.” “What’s that supposed to mean? Our daughter got into Yale, doesn’t she deserve a reward?” Jack stormed over, his face red with anger. I nearly exposed them right then and there. 230 points. That pathetic score wouldn’t get her into Yale in a million years. But I held back. “I’m only thinking of her. She’s still young and just got her driver’s license. What if she gets into an accident? Then what? Am I supposed to bury my own daughter?” I asked, pretending to be concerned. Jack slammed his fist on the table and leaped up. “How dare you curse my daughter?” In that moment, I was absolutely certain—Charlotte was Jack’s biological daughter. “I’m not cursing her. I’m just worried for her safety.” “Hmph. You’re just too cheap to spend money,” Jack sneered. “Mom, did you get upset because Dad used your money to buy me a car?” Charlotte immediately went into victim mode, her eyes welling up with tears. I gently patted her head and said, “How could I be upset about spending money on you? I’m just worried about your driving skills. If something happened to you, how could I go on living?” If they could play their games, so could I. “Mom, I got into Yale, one of the best universities in the country! Any other mother would have thrown a massive party and showered me with gifts, but you haven’t done anything. Do you not love me anymore?” she cried, her acting flawless. Her performance was nothing short of brilliant. I continued patting her head and replied, “Well, these days, the country promotes frugality. Throwing a party would be wasteful. Besides, it’s important to stay humble. Being too flashy will only make others jealous. As for gifts, isn’t that BMW a gift?” “Mom, you don’t love me anymore! You don’t understand! The car isn’t for showing off or making my life easier. It’s because I want to fulfill a dream—I want to take you on a road trip, across the country, to thank you for everything you’ve done for me.” “Charlotte, I appreciate your sentiment, but doesn’t something feel off?” “What’s off?” she asked, looking genuinely confused. “Shouldn’t you be the one earning the money to buy the car and take me on a road trip? It’s like saying you’re going to treat me to a meal, but then I end up paying for it. Doesn’t that seem odd?” She froze, clearly unable to come up with a rebuttal. “Emma Richardson, how can you call yourself a mother? How could you crush your daughter’s loving intentions like this?” Jack said, sending Charlotte a quick wink. “Mom, you’re being so cruel. You don’t love me anymore…” Charlotte wailed as she stormed out of the house. “Charlotte, wait!” Jack followed after her. Suddenly, I remembered the notice at the entrance of our building: Last night, the surveillance cameras were damaged. Repairs are underway. Please secure your belongings and lock your doors. Were they trying to set me up? With the cameras down and no witnesses, they could easily frame me for something. The thought sent a chill down my spine. I immediately called my assistant, Claire, who lived just a mile away. Then I phoned five of my employees and told them there was an emergency meeting at my place and that they should come as quickly as possible. I’d cover their cab fare. By 9 p.m., I heard the door open and stepped out of the study. “Have you been here the whole time?” Jack asked. “Yes.” “I don’t believe you. You didn’t go out looking for Charlotte?” “She’s not a child anymore. She can take care of herself.” “What kind of mother are you? How can you be so heartless?” “We can’t protect her forever. She has to walk her own path,” I said coolly. After another ten minutes of bickering, Charlotte burst back into the house, looking frantic. She immediately dropped to her knees in front of me. “Mom, I was in a hit-and-run accident! Please, you have to take the blame for me. Save me! I just got into Yale. My life is just beginning—I can’t go to prison!” Hearing those familiar words made my blood boil. I wanted to strangle her on the spot. In my previous life, I had been such a fool to take the blame for her. “Charlotte, don’t be afraid. Don’t worry,” I said, faking concern as I pulled her into my arms, comforting her. “Mom, will you help me?” she asked, her voice trembling, her eyes wide with fear. “Of course I’ll help you. You’re my precious daughter.” “I knew it! I knew you wouldn’t abandon me! I swear, when you get out of prison, I’ll make it up to you. I’ll be the best daughter.” “Prison? What prison?” I pushed her away, feigning surprise. “Mom, didn’t you say you’d help me? Didn’t you say you’d take the blame?” she asked, her voice full of confusion. “When I said I’d help, I meant I’d hire you the best lawyer. We’ll fight for leniency,” I said, smiling sweetly. Charlotte’s jaw dropped. “Emma, this is all your fault! If you hadn’t upset Charlotte, she wouldn’t have run off, and none of this would have happened. You should take responsibility and go to prison for her,” Jack said, his voice full of righteous indignation. “And why don’t you take the blame for your daughter, Jack? Listen, Charlotte, your father is just a stay-at-home dad. A few years in prison won’t be a big deal for him. But your mom? I run a company. I’m the one making the money. If I go to prison, who’s going to pay for your education?” Jack’s face turned beet red, and he had nothing to say. “Mom, Dad can’t take the blame for me. After I hit that woman, I got out of the car to check on her, but she grabbed my ankle. I screamed—she didn’t see me, but she definitely heard my voice.” I sighed and placed both hands on her shoulders. “Charlotte, you need to stop running from this. Take responsibility for what you did. Go turn yourself in. You’re still young, a few years in prison won’t ruin your life. And don’t worry, you’ll always have me. When you get out, you can work at my company.” Her mouth hung open in shock. How could the woman who once loved her more than anything suddenly seem so… indifferent?
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