Chapter 1

The moment I opened my eyes, reborn, I saw my seven-year-old step-nephew, Leo, reaching his chubby hand toward my mother’s life support plug.

In my past life, he unplugged my mother’s oxygen pump just to charge his gaming console.

My mother suffocated to death, her fingers clawing at the bedsheets in sheer agony, dying in absolute despair.

When I, half-dead with grief, tried to call the police, my husband and his mother locked me in the basement. They starved me to death.

Living this life again, a wave of pure, unadulterated rage consumed me.

Without a second of hesitation, I took a two-step run-up, summoned every ounce of strength in my body, and kicked Leo square in the stomach.

Instantly, the chubby seven-year-old flew backward like a ragdoll.

His body slammed hard against the solid oak wardrobe, followed by a screech like a dying pig.

"Ah! She's trying to kill me! Help!"

My mother lay in bed, her chest still rising and falling, the hum of the ventilator remaining steady.

My hands were shaking—not from fear, but from the adrenaline of relief and dark excitement.

Thank God. I made it in time.

This time, I wasn’t just going to keep my mother alive.

I was going to drag this entire family of parasitic vampires straight to hell.

The bedroom door was kicked open.

My husband, Ethan, and his cousin, Veronica, rushed in, panic written all over their faces.

Seeing Leo rolling on the floor, Veronica let out a piercing shriek. She threw herself over him, cradling him in her arms with hysterical pity.

"Leo! My baby! What happened to you?"

Ethan’s face turned livid. He glared at me, raising his hand to slap me.

"Chloe! Are you insane? How could you lay a hand on a child like that?"

I stared coldly at his hypocritical face. As his hand swung down, I caught his wrist with pinpoint precision.

Then, I swung my other hand and slapped him across the face.

*Smack!*

Ethan was stunned. He clutched his cheek, staring at me in utter disbelief.

"You... you dared to slap me?"

I shook my stinging palm, looking at him as if he were already a corpse.

"So what if I slapped you? Keep barking, and I’ll kick you out of this house next."

Veronica wept fat, pathetic tears, shielding Leo in her arms.

"Chloe, Leo is just a child! What could he possibly have done to deserve such cruelty?"

"Look at his stomach—it’s already bruising! What if he has internal bleeding?"

Leo played along, wailing at the top of his lungs while pointing a finger at me.

"Evil bitch! I’m going to kill you! I want you dead!"

Ethan, heartbroken by the sight, knelt down to check on Leo. He whirled around and roared at me.

"Chloe, you owe us an explanation today! Otherwise, this marriage is over!"

Looking down at the three of them putting on this pathetic show, I felt nothing but disgust.

In my past life, they used this exact same gaslighting routine to brush away a human life as if it were nothing.

I pointed at the ventilator beside the bed, my voice dropping to sub-zero temperatures.

"An explanation? Sure."

"That little monster was about to unplug my mother’s life support."

"If I had walked in a second later, my mother would be a corpse right now."

"Ethan, she is the one funding your entire lifestyle. Did you want her dead?"

Ethan’s eyes flickered with guilt.

But he quickly recovered, raising his chin defensively. "Bullshit! Leo is a good boy. He would never do that!"

"He probably just wanted a socket to charge his toy. It was an accident!"

Veronica quickly chimed in, "Exactly, Chloe. Leo is only seven. What does he know about life and death? He just wanted to play his game."

"You kicked a child like this over a power outlet? You are monstrous!"

I scoffed, amused by their audacity.

"Play his game? Charge his toy?"

"There are three empty outlets in this room he didn't use, but he just *had* to unplug the life support?"

"He isn't innocent. He’s rotten to the core."

I walked over to the gaming console Leo had dropped on the floor.

It was the latest limited-edition Nintendo Switch, a $600 birthday gift I had bought him just last month.

In my past life, I treated them like family, and they rewarded me with a ruined life.

I raised my foot and slammed my high heel directly into the screen.

*Crack!* The screen shattered into pieces.

Leo’s crying stopped instantly. Then, he shrieked hysterically.

"My Switch! You broke it! Pay me back! Pay me back!"

***