In my previous life, my sister-in-law Felicity asked me to drop something off at her place, only for her husband's buddy to assault me and even film it, threatening me to keep quiet.

Felicity was practically on her knees, begging me to give her husband, Zack, another chance. My husband Ethan chimed in, "Hey, we're all family. Let's not blow this out of proportion."

I chose to keep the peace.

Later, my husband dumped me because of the assault, and Zack ended up leaking the video.

My parents shunned me—my reputation was mud. They even changed the locks on me.

Crushed, I took a leap off a building.

Afterward, Ethan moved on with a new bride using my assets, and my parents used my insurance money to buy my brother a house.

It was all a setup targeting me from the start.

Reborn, the moment Felicity's call came through, I didn't hesitate to agree...

1

Watching my past self become pavement pizza, I regretted the jump. Then, just like that, I was back, moments before the phone rang.

Ring... I grabbed it fast—it was Felicity.

"Sunny, Zack and his pals are here throwing back some beers. Remember that killer wine you mentioned? Bring it over, will you?" It was the same convo as before.

"Sure thing, Felicity," I was quick to agree.

"You're a lifesaver, Sunny! You've got it together way more than my flaky brother. Let's do dinner, just us, real soon!" After that, we hung up.

Last life, I genuinely thought Felicity was solid, so I never hesitated to help out.

But it turned out she was setting me up to make my divorce easier for her brother! Back then, she cried her eyes out, pleading, "Sunny, Zack and his friends just got a bit out of hand last night. Let it slide! If you call the cops, it would kill me and my unborn baby!"

Felicity clinging to me softened my heart. Seeing me waver, she continued, "Look, we women bounce back; a few days and it's all water under the bridge! But if Zack gets a record, what about our kid? His future would be ruined. No chance at a good job, everyone whispering behind his back!"

That got me. Deep down, I forgave them. Looking back, Felicity was nothing short of a manipulation pro, and me? Just a sucker for a sob story. If only I'd reported them, none of this mess would've happened.

Reborn, it's time to settle our scores, slowly but surely.

Soon, I was at Felicity's, the door slightly open as always.

"Felicity? You home?" I pushed the door and stepped in, the same old scene making my heart skip. I knew Zack would be right on me any second.

Sure enough, just thinking it made him pop out from behind, grabbing me tight.

"Darlin', you finally made it, missed you something fierce," he murmured, his hands wandering where they shouldn't.

I slapped his hand away and backed off, "Zack, I mean, you're a catch and all, but with Felicity here? How could I possibly?" I said, shyly dropping my gaze.

"Heh, knew you had a soft spot for me," he smirked, moving closer, while I tried to keep my composure.

"Hold your horses, Zack," I teased, turning with a playful smirk. "Just us two? That's barely a party. Maybe if you dialed up a few pals..." I pretended to be bashful and gave his chest a light tap. "Catch my drift?"

"You minx, I'll make sure you're over the moon today. Fellas, stop hiding and come on out!" He pulled me close and called into the house. Quickly, a bunch of strapping guys came out, practically drooling at the sight of me.

As they lunged forward, I flashed the bottle of wine, "Easy, boys! I just hooked up with Ethan and haven't even showered. Why don't you guys kick back with some of his top-notch wine while I hit the shower?"

"Cool, let the lady freshen up. We'll wash off Ethan's leftovers first, then dive in! Today, we're playing it clean." They erupted into crude laughter, and I stifled my revulsion.

I managed to pour each one a hefty glass, pushed them to drink up, and then slipped into the bathroom.

After the last mess, I grilled Felicity on why she wasn't around. She claimed she was out buying more groceries. In reality, she had skedaddled to give these animals room! They'd be paying a steep price soon, though.

I waited until the racket outside faded before stepping out of the bathroom. As planned, they were all knocked out cold, sprawled across the floor.

Earlier, I'd spiked the wine with enough sleeping pills, playing nice just to get them to guzzle it down. I gave Zack a couple of kicks; he was out cold.

I made a call, and soon a van pulled up to Felicity's to cart Zack and his cronies away. They were off to a seedy underground club known for other shady activities. The owner would surely find their "talents" useful, and the payoff for me wouldn't be too shabby. Their builds guaranteed customer satisfaction.

After handling Zack, I raced back home, arriving just as Ethan did. Seeing me all composed, he asked, "Babe, where've you been?"

"Just dropped off some wine for Felicity. Heard you had a killer bottle she was dying for, so I ran it over," I said, cool as ever.

"Everything cool? Any trouble?" he probed.

"Nah. Why? I didn't even step inside; just handed the wine off to Zack at the door."

He didn't push it but quickly ducked into another room to make a call, keeping his voice low. I still caught him asking Felicity what the hell was going on.

I remembered how, after being rapped last time, Ethan first soothed me, claiming it wasn't my fault, just the booze talking, and assured me he wouldn't think less of me. But once I dropped my lawsuit, his tune changed fast. He not only brought other women home but let them freely humiliate me. I hadn't forgotten that.

Soon enough, Felicity called too, frantic because she couldn't reach Zack and her house was a disaster. She was bound to hit me up. I just told her I left the wine at the door and split.

Ethan looked worried sick when I mentioned heading to my mom's place. He practically jumped at the idea. He was itching for me to leave, probably scheming on how to deal with me next. And I was itching to confront my sexist mom and abusive brother.

I hadn't even reached the door when I heard my mom's wails, "My darling boy, you're killing me! Stop, I'll give you 2,000 dollars to go have some fun!"

"Really? $2,000? You're such a cheap-ass. That won't even cover a night out. Cough up $5,000!" my brother Tyler yelled as he hit her.

I rushed in and slammed the door behind me. In my past life, it was usually me he hit. Whenever I saw him hitting our mom, I'd jump in, hoping to shield her from the blows. But she saw his aggression as a sign of "manhood", believing that only a man who could throw a punch was worth his salt. Sometimes when Tyler was pissed, she'd even egg him on to hit me instead, thinking it'd help him "get it out of his system" so he could do big things outside.

As I walked in, he didn't stop. My mom, thinking she'd found her knight in shining armor, quickly said, "Tyler! Go on, hit her! The deadbeat who's been mooching off us for years, she can take a hit or two!"

He charged at me, but I stood firm against the doorframe and said coldly, "Lay a hand on me and forget about your down payment." His fist lowered.

I'm still me, but having lived through my past life, I've seen right through what they call family love, so now I don't mince words or hold back as much.

"Keep hitting her, she'll surely cough up more cash, and I'll throw in an extra grand, what do you say?" Tempted by the prospect of more money, my brother resumed beating our mom.

"Sunny, you money pit! Just gonna stand there while your mom gets walloped?" She screamed at me while he pinned her down, throwing punches.

"Mom, isn't it great to see how ‘manly' your son is? I'll snap a photo for you in a sec!"

Tyler calmed down after his tantrum, but before he could hit me up for cash, my mom piped up, "Those last few punches? Worth more than a thousand, make it fifteen hundred!" Even in my second life, her audacity shocked me. She deserved what she got.

After grabbing the money, my brother took off to hang out.

"What are you doing back here! You're gonna mess up getting that down payment!" my mom snapped as she swept up hair from the floor.

"Not yet."

"I swear, raising you was a waste! You've been married into Boas' family for ages and you've brought nothing back!" Indeed, after marrying Ethan, my mom would call every other day asking for stuff. Because I loved Ethan and didn't want him caught up in my family's drama, I rarely met her unreasonable demands, just sent her enough to cover basic expenses.

"Just look at Mitton's daughter next door, didn't even finish middle school, and couldn't find a good job, so she sold a kidney to scrape together a down payment for her brother! And you, what have you done besides bringing home a measly $100,000 dowry? Nothing!" She was ready to swing a broom at me.

"A mom pushing her daughter to sell organs, that's a new one," I scoffed. "I might not get you a down payment, but I could get your son a house and a car all at once!"

My mom stopped in her tracks, suddenly interested, and asked me what I meant. I explained Zack's disappearance and mentioned that Felicity would be filing for divorce soon. Felicity was still looking for Zack, too scared to divorce for fear of retaliation, but what if she knew he was never coming back?

Zack's family had been relocated, receiving five properties and five million dollars in cash. Felicity wouldn't have married him if he hadn't been rich. After hearing my plan, my mom hurriedly pushed me to "get on with it", perfectly aligning with what I was thinking, so I left.