Chapter 4

4: 4

At the door of my family's building she stopped short.

Then, in a tone of surrender, "I've thought it through. If you won't come back with me, then never mind."

My mother sighed. "Good that you've come around. Whatever the problem is, it can wait until Maria's had the baby."

Peggy standing there so calm, no shouting, no scene, left me faintly uneasy.

Just as I expected. The moment she left my family's building, she opened a livestream on her phone and climbed back up to the top of the eighteenth floor.

She stood swaying at the railing, silent, tears running down.

The stream's title read—

My Sister-in-Law Was Right. A fragile heart like mine is only a burden. I won't trouble anyone in the next life.

A title like that pulled in a crowd in seconds.

On the stream, she apologized to me in front of everyone.

"I'm sorry, Sister-in-law. When I couldn't get through the door, I shouldn't have suspected you wanted me gone. I understand now, you were only worried the old code wasn't safe."

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have imagined you poisoned my little hamster to make an example of me. It must have been that pregnancy made you afraid of small animals."

"I know you wouldn't let me use the washing machine only because I'm weak, and you wanted me to move more."

"I believe you really did go back to your mother's just because you missed home. You never meant to force me out."

As she spoke, the tears kept falling on their own.

"I miss my brother so much. He used to hate to see me hurt over anything, he always thought about how I felt, but now..."

Halfway through, she seemed to catch herself, as if she'd said the wrong thing.

She rushed to correct it. "Don't take it the wrong way, Sister-in-law. I'm not saying you stole my brother. I just... I miss the way things were."

"I've said so much without meaning to. Sister-in-law says I overthink everything. Maybe she's right. I'm just so scared... I'm sorry for wasting everyone's time."

Every apology was an accusation. Every tear was a weapon.

The comments section boiled like water on a hard flame.

"You can tell from the way she describes it how cruel this sister-in-law is!"

"I get her pain. After my brother got married there was no place for me at home either. His wife had it in for me everywhere. Now I hardly dare go home at all."

"Driven all the way up to the rooftop, imagine how much she's had to swallow."

"People like this should be exposed early. Somebody dox her and let the internet have her!"

"Don't do anything you can't undo, honey. Hold on. I'll dox her and get you your revenge!"

I listened to her accusations pulled out of context, and I read every line of abuse aimed at me below.

A cramp twisted through my belly. My breath jammed in my chest.

In my last life, they'd hounded me online just like this too.

Because I'd made a dish at dinner that Peggy didn't like, she'd posted a long tearful thread about it.

I explained I hadn't done it to spite her, that I simply didn't know she hated that dish.

I explained I'd never barred her from the washing machine, only asked her not to throw her shoes in it.

I explained that after I changed the code, I'd messaged her to tell her.

I explained everything.

No one believed me.

All they remembered was Peggy's soft, tear-filled eyes. They believed only what they wanted to believe.

I drew a deep breath and headed for the roof.

The pack of relatives trailed after me, all talking over each other, telling me to hurry up and coax the girl down.

Saying a life was at stake, that if I owed an apology I'd better make it fast.

Saying heaven was watching what people did, that I'd better rein myself in from now on.

I walked toward Peggy with no expression on my face.

Just as she choked out the word Sister-in-law, I raised my hand and knocked the phone clean out of hers.

Then I grabbed her collar and slammed the upper half of her body hard against the railing.

"If you're going to jump, jump. If you won't, I'll help you along!"