My blood ran cold.
My mom froze, her hand still gripping my arm. Slowly, she turned to look at me, her expression dark and menacing.
“You got into college?” she hissed. “And you didn’t say a word? You think you’re too good for us now, huh? Think you’re a city girl already?”
There was no pride in her voice, no joy that her daughter had accomplished something so rare in our village. Her face was twisted with rage, her eyes filled with nothing but resentment.
It was the same expression she’d worn in my last life, when Karen had dragged her to stop me at the village gate.
Back then, she’d been furious–not because I was leaving, but because she couldn’t stand the thought of losing the investment she’d made in raising me without getting anything in return.
The sharp pain of my scalp being pulled snapped me out of my thoughts. My mom had grabbed a fistful of my hair and yanked me to the ground.
“You ungrateful brat!” she screamed, kicking me hard in the ribs. “I raised you, and this is how you repay me? Hiding things from me?”
She grabbed a thick tree branch and began beating me with it, each strike landing with a sickening thud.
The pain was unbearable, but what hurt even more was the realization that, despite my second chance, nothing had changed.
I still couldn’t escape her grasp.
Just as I thought she might actually kill me, my dad came running into the yard, carrying my brother Jason on his back.
“Quick, get help! Jason’s been beaten up!” he shouted, his voice frantic.
<
My mom immediately dropped the branch and rushed to Jason’s side, her voice trembling with panic.
“Who did this to my boy? How bad is it? We need to get him to the hospital!”
Together, they carried Jason inside, completely forgetting about me lying bloody and broken on the ground.
I struggled to my feet, wiping the blood from my face.
Looking toward the house, I smirked bitterly.
Your precious son is going to be the one who destroys you in the end.
12
Thanks to what Carl told me in my past life, I knew more about my brother Jason than he’d ever admit.
Not only was Jason addicted to gambling on illegal cockfights, but he’d also gotten involved in Carl’s gang–robbing, smuggling, and worse.
One of the worst things he’d done? Jason had raped a girl from the village.
When the girl threatened to report him, Jason panicked and killed her.
Her body was dumped in the old abandoned well behind our house.
The first person to discover what Jason had done was my mom! But instead of turning him in, she decided to protect her “precious son.” She destroyed the evidence, pushing the body deeper into the well to cover up his crime.
“Jason is the only one carrying on our family name,” she’d tell me. “You need to be more understanding. Everything we do is for him.”
“Your brother is your future. One day, you’ll need him to take care of you. That’s why your dowry will help us buy him a house in the city.”
Ever since I was a child, my mom had drilled it into me: Jason came first. Always.
He got the best food, the nicest clothes, and all the attention. I was expected to give up everything for him.
But her favoritism had turned Jason into a monster–a spoiled, entitled thug who thought he was untouchable.
Now, Jason was paying the price for his arrogance. He’d racked up $18,000 in debt from gambling, and when he couldn’t pay, the loan sharks
beat him half to death.
In my last life, my $30,000 dowry had gone straight to paying off his debts.
But this time?
Karen had married Carl, and the dowry money was no longer coming.
I wondered how my mom planned to save her “precious son” now.
If she didn’t come up with the money soon, Jason wouldn’t survive the next beating.
13
Early the next morning, my mom dragged me out of bed, claiming we were going to the city to buy medicine for Jason.
I was still covered in bruises from the beating she’d given me the day before, but she didn’t even glance at me. All she cared about was her
son.
But instead of taking me to the pharmacy, she brought me to a distant relative’s house.
My aunt, Beth, had only one child–a son named Jimmy. But Jimmy wasn’t like other boys.
<
“Beth, look at my daughter,” my mom began, her tone sickeningly sweet. “She’s a proper college student! So many men in the village have tried to marry her, but I haven’t agreed to any of them yet.”
She paused, glancing meaningfully at Jimmy. “I just knew she’d be perfect for him.”
Beth snorted, her expression filled with disdain. “Let’s not beat around the bush. How much do you want?”
“Not much,” my mom replied quickly. “Just $30,000.”
Beth’s laugh was sharp and bitter. “$30,000? Are you insane? You might as well rob a bank!”
“My daughter is a top university student,” my mom argued. “That’s a fair price for someone like her.”
Beth hesitated, looking me up and down. Her lips curled in disapproval.
“She’s too skinny and too dark. Doesn’t look like she’d be any good at having children,” Beth said finally. “We’re not interested. You can leave
now.”
Before my mom could argue further, Beth practically shoved us out the door.
Fuming, my mom raised her hand to hit me, but I stepped back quickly, avoiding her slap.
She grabbed my wrist and dragged me all the way back to the village.
At the village entrance, we ran into Karen and Carl.
Karen was practically glowing, clinging to Carl’s arm like the perfect picture of a devoted wife.
“Oh my,” Karen said, her eyes lighting up with mock concern. “Sophie, what happened to you? You look awful!”
14
Her tone was sweet, but I could hear the smugness beneath it. She was delighted to see me like this–beaten down, humiliated, and
powerless.
Karen’s confidence soared as she realized how much higher she thought she stood compared to me.
“So what if Sophie got into college?” she probably thought. “She’s still beneath me, just like she’s always been.”
She giggled, covering her mouth. “Auntie, you really should find Sophie a husband soon. The older she gets, the harder it’ll be to marry her
off.”
She paused, pretending to think. “Oh! What about Mr. King from the east side of the village? He’s rich and has been looking for a wife. Sophie would be perfect for him!”
My mom stayed silent, but Karen kept talking, her voice dripping with fake generosity.
“Auntie, I’m so thankful Sophie brought me to meet Car. If it weren’t for her, I never would’ve found someone who treats me so well.”
She leaned her head on Carl’s shoulder, flashing a radiant smile. The two of them looked like the picture–perfect couple.
I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing out loud.
She really thought Carl was a prize.
Oh, Karen. You have no idea what you’ve gotten yourself into.
