My name is Hannah Martin. Watching my good friend Jayla Howard diligently do laundry, cook, feed medicine, and massage the elderly Louis Gordon upstairs, I knew she had also been reborn. In my previous life, Jayla and I were roommates, and we were often woken up in the middle of the night by Louis’s violent coughing. I went upstairs to find out and learned that he was paralyzed in both legs, with no children or family. I felt compassion and immediately decided to take care of him, bringing him meals and giving him massages every day. A month later, Louis suddenly handed me a bank card with a serious expression. “There’s eight million dollars here as your reward.” With this money, I immediately settled my dad’s medical bills. Later, Louis even directly transferred the ownership of the house we were renting to me. He said, “When your dad gets discharged, you can all move in together. That way, I’ll have some company too!” But Jayla, knowing this news, grew jealous of me. During the days I had insomnia, she put an overdose of sleeping pills into my water cup and watched me die in agony. After I died, my boyfriend Anton Sanchez, claiming to be my “fiancé,” cut off my dad’s medical expenses and took the bank card. Jayla spread rumors in front of the neighbors, saying that Louis gave me money because I sold my body. Six months later, the two of them held a grand wedding and fully paid for a villa in the city center. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day Louis was coughing uncontrollably. ***** The poor soundproofing of the high floor allowed Louis’s coughing and wailing to occasionally reach Jayla and me. I slightly sat up, only to be pushed back onto the bed by Jayla the next second. She glared at me warily. “What are you doing? Don’t move!” Saying that, she quickly put on her shoes, threw on a jacket, and rushed out the door without looking back. The heavy sound of the door closing instantly snapped me awake. Watching her actions, I was certain she had been reborn too. Half an hour later, a disheveled Jayla came home. Pinching her nose, she stuffed a pile of smelly clothes into the washing machine. Afterward, she pulled out disinfectant wipes and vigorously scrubbed her fingers. Noticing my gaze, she slowly looked up, her eyes openly filled with hatred toward me. “You were woken up by the coughing too, weren’t you?” She casually tossed the wet wipe into the trash. “Too bad, you’re a step late. “This lifetime, all the wealth and glory belong to me.” I blinked, pretending to look confused. “Jayla, what are you talking about?” She awkwardly swallowed and tentatively asked, “The person upstairs is coughing so badly, you really didn’t hear it?” “I heard it,” I replied calmly. She sneered, “You’re so overflowing with compassion, are you planning to take care of him already?” I shook my head. “I still have a ton of things to do, where would I find the energy to care about others?” Hearing this, Jayla visibly breathed a sigh of relief. When she spoke again, her tone softened quite a bit. “You better stick to your word!” “Anyway, I’m the one taking care of this old man now, so don’t even think about stealing my credit!” The last sentence, she practically shouted through gritted teeth. I smiled calmly. “Don’t worry, I definitely won’t.” Louis is no ordinary person! Jayla, that fool, only saw the money and property he gave me but completely ignored what I lost. In my previous life, I softened for a moment, seeing Louis lonely and helpless, and decided to take time to care for him. When Jayla found out, she mocked me every day. “I never thought you’d be this naive!” “You take care of him, and what will you get in the end? Probably just a pair of old man’s pee-soaked pants!” Faced with her mockery, I felt embarrassed, but I never regretted taking care of Louis. Of course, I took care of him willingly, not because I wanted anything from him. But I never expected that a month later, Louis, who was originally paralyzed, suddenly stood up. He was very happy and laughed, saying it was all thanks to me. I was happy for him too, but I didn’t expect a sudden bad news to arrive. My dad was hospitalized after a car accident. As if he noticed my embarrassment, he handed me a bank card. “I have no family, and no one to spend my money.” “You’ve taken care of me for so long, I have no way to repay you. You must accept this money.” That night, he knocked on my door again and placed a key in my palm. He pointed at the house Jayla and I were renting. “You’re a good kid, and this house is mine too. But soon, it’ll be yours!” “I had someone prepare the transfer documents this afternoon. All you need to do is sign them.” “From now on, this is your home. When your dad is discharged, just bring him here to live.” I was too shocked to speak, and by the time I reacted to refuse, he was already gone. When Jayla heard this, she was furious, her face turning bright red. “Why is Louis being so generous to you?” “Did you sleep with him?” “Hannah, you really disgust me!” Being accused by a good friend, I couldn’t hold back despite my good temper and ended up arguing with her. I never expected that she would hold a grudge and poison me to death. After my death, I found out that Jayla and Anton were high school classmates and had always maintained an ambiguous relationship. The notification sound suddenly chimed, pulling me straight back to reality. I opened my phone and saw it was a payment link sent by Anton. He also sent a message urging: [Hurry up! Pay now! Or I’ll break up with you!]
Looking at the number on the bill, I couldn’t help but widen my eyes. I messaged him: [You spent seven hundred dollars on a meal alone? What did you eat?] As soon as the message was sent, Anton’s call came in. “Why do you care what I ate?” “Hurry up and pay! Can’t you see there’s a countdown on it? Quick! Or I’ll have to place the order again!” I had the speakerphone on and looked up, only to meet Jayla’s face full of schadenfreude. She was touching up her lipstick in the mirror and said without looking up, “I’m heading out later, don’t lock the door.” I nodded and said into the phone, “What did you just say?” “You said if I don’t pay for you, you’ll break up with me?” Anton was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly raised his voice. “Yes! If you don’t pay for me, I’ll break up with you immediately!” Facing his outburst, I calmly said, “Then let’s break up. Remember to return the $30,000 you owe me.” “I’ll give you one day. If you don’t return it, then see you in court!” After saying that, I hung up the phone and muted his messages. Jayla was stunned seeing this. After a long pause, she finally spoke, “Did I hear that right? You actually broke up with Anton?” “Are you crazy? With your situation, you should be grateful that Anton is willing to be with you. How dare you break up with him?” She got more and more agitated, constantly poking my shoulder. I rudely pushed her arm away. “If you think he’s so great, then you be with him!” Saying that, I reached out my hand to her. “Or, will you help him pay back the money?” She bit her lip and then glanced at her phone. A few minutes later, she angrily pushed open my bedroom door. “Give me your bank account! Isn’t it just thirty thousand dollars? I’ll pay it back for him!” Hearing that, I excitedly picked up my phone and sent her my bank account. The notification sound of a successful transfer filled the bedroom; Jayla was somewhat reluctant to part with her money. She said, “I gave you the money, from now on, Anton has nothing to do with you.” “You are not allowed to keep bothering him!” I nodded frantically. “Alright, no problem.” Just thinking about what they did to me in the past life makes me so angry. I can’t wait for them to stay far away from me! I never thought I could get back this $30,000, after all, I know very well what kind of person Anton is. He loves saving face, so overspending has become second nature to him. After he got together with me, all the food and drinks were on my dime. During this time, I kept hesitating about breaking up with him, but I was also worried I wouldn’t get the money back after breaking up, so I kept delaying it. I didn’t expect such a perfect opportunity to come up today, truly lucky! Just before leaving, Jayla suddenly turned around and arrogantly waved her phone. “Oh, by the way, I haven’t told you yet. “Just now, Anton and I got together. “We also posted it online, make sure to give it a like!” I obediently nodded. “Wishing you both happiness!” Not getting the response she wanted, her face twisted with anger. She slammed the door hard and walked away cursing all the way. After she left, I quickly started looking for a place on rental websites. Louis’s incident left me deeply traumatized. This place feels so eerie, I don’t want to stay a moment longer. I kept scrolling through rental listings until I fell asleep at 3 a.m. But at 7 a.m. the next morning, a commotion suddenly erupted outside. “Honey, we can be together openly from now on!”
I couldn’t be more familiar with that voice. Anton and Jayla kissed without restraint, and the sounds grew louder. Lacking sleep, I had no choice but to wear earplugs. Half an hour later, a phone call instantly silenced them. “Mr. Gordon, are you awake?” “Great! I’m coming up right away. I’ve bought everything you wanted to eat!” “I even learned a new massage technique, just waiting to help you relax today!” “Don’t worry, I guarantee you’ll be satisfied!” Jayla hung up the phone and immediately got up to leave. Anton, puzzled, grabbed her arm. “I’m not done yet. Where are you going?” “Taking care of the old man upstairs? Are you crazy?” Jayla lowered her voice. “Keep it down! I’m doing all this for our future.” “He’s really rich!” “You’ll know when the time comes!” For the following week, to avoid awkwardness, I stayed in the company’s office. During these days, I found a house I liked and took my dad for a full medical check-up. I only felt completely relieved after the report showed everything was normal. On Monday morning, I took leave to prepare for the move. But when I got home to pack my luggage, I suddenly realized that my bedroom had been taken over by Jayla. She had piled all her stuff on my bed. I kicked open her bedroom door, and inside, two people were naked, embracing. Seeing it was me, they slowly got dressed without any rush. A few minutes later, Jayla appeared in front of me, and I was so startled that I stepped back. It had only been a few days, but she looked like she had aged over ten years. The wrinkles at the corners of her eyes were obvious. Even scarier, she emitted a sour stench, similar to the smell on Louis. “What are you doing here?” She ignored my fear and gave me a shove. “I’m asking you a question, didn’t you hear me?” I clenched my fists. “You still have the nerve to ask why I’m here?” “I’m a tenant here too. I paid the rent. Why can’t I come?” Anton smugly threw the contract in my face. “Open your eyes and take a good look at whose house this really is!” I looked down and saw, to my shock, a property transfer contract. No wonder Jayla aged so quickly! Turns out she took Louis’s house. Anton, with a cigarette in his mouth, mocked, “Got a good look?” Jayla smoothly sat on his lap, but I noticed a trace of disdain flash in Anton’s eyes. Jayla said, “Hannah, now, get out of my house immediately!” “Otherwise, I’ll call the police and report you for trespassing!” “Getting you detained for a few days is no problem!” I shook my head. “No matter whose house this is, I rented it for a year, and I’ve only lived here for three months.” “According to the contract, as the landlord, you should compensate me for my losses.” Anton sneered. “Money? We don’t have any. If you want to stay, then stay!” But Jayla looked at me and Anton with a nervous expression. In the end, she bit her lip and said softly, “Fine, I’ll compensate you! Once you get the money, leave immediately!”
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