In my previous life, after winning the lottery, I had rushed to share the news with Maeve.

She had immediately advised me to keep it a secret from everyone, especially my family.

Her reasoning? My father had remarried during my high school years and had another child with his new wife.

Maeve constantly fed me the narrative that stepmothers lead to neglect, and with a stepmother, came a “stepfather” mentality.

If I told them about the money, she warned, they’d take it and spend it on my younger brother.

Since my little brother’s birth, I’d always felt like the outsider, so in my last life, I believed her.

I truly thought Maeve had my best interests at heart.

After cashing in the ticket, I had even sent her a hefty ten grand out of gratitude.

Little did I know that Maeve had darker plans. She altered my medical records, intentionally delaying my treatment.

By the time I realized something was wrong, it was too late. The illness had progressed too far.

It was then that Maeve revealed her true self.

She locked me up in my tiny apartment, refusing to let me contact anyone.

I’ll never forget that day. The pain was unbearable. I was on the floor, pleading with her for just one painkiller. She responded by kicking me aside and cursing at me.

“You’re nothing but a burden. The sooner you die, the better!”

Right in front of me, she transferred all my money into her own account, bit by bit.

That was when I realized that every kind word, every gesture of friendship, had been fake.

I died, but my spirit refused to leave.

I watched as Maeve took my money and lived a carefree life with her boyfriend, while spreading lies about me.

I also saw my father’s hair turn white overnight when he learned of my death.

Turns out my father hadn’t stopped caring about me after all. It was Maeve who had been poisoning our relationship.

She’d manipulated both sides – feeding me lies to make me resent him, while telling him things that made him hesitant to reach out to me.

It was all her doing. Every ounce of my pain, every moment of estrangement, stemmed from her twisted actions.

The hatred I felt in that moment was beyond words.

But now, I had a second chance. A chance to change everything. I had come back to the very day I won the lottery.

After cashing in my winnings, I dialed a familiar number I hadn’t called in years.

“Holly? Why aren’t you saying anything? What’s wrong?

“If something’s happened, don’t worry, I’m here. I’ll be right there – I’ll get a ticket and come see you at school!”

Hearing my father’s voice again brought tears to my eyes.

Maeve had made sure we were estranged for so many years, poisoning my thoughts against him.

I steadied my voice before speaking. “I’m okay, Dad. I just wanted to hear your voice. I miss you.”

I could tell he was holding back tears. “I’ll come visit you right away!”

“No need, Dad. I’ll be home soon for break.”

I had more important matters to take care of first.

As soon as I pushed open the door to the dorm, Maeve rushed toward me like a bullet.

“Holly, you were joking on the phone earlier, right? You hit the jackpot, didn’t you? 10 million dollars, right?!”

“I checked the winning numbers, and it’s your birthday – you always play that set!

“That’s 10 million dollars! I’ve never seen that kind of money before. But listen, you absolutely can’t tell your dad about this. He’s got a new family now, and a son! If he finds out you won, they’ll bleed you dry like a cash cow!

“And what if they get wind of it and try to track your bank account? How about you just keep the money with me? There’s no way they’d trace it back that way.”

Her words mirrored exactly what she said in my previous life. Every sentence sounded like she had my best interests at heart.

But this time, I wasn’t as naive as before.

I pretended to joke, “But my dad is still my dad. If you’re eyeing my money too, I’d be left with nothing!”

I didn’t miss the fleeting stiffness in her expression, so I continued, “Besides, I already transferred all the money to him.”

At this, Maeve exploded.

“Holly, are you out of your mind? You gave the money to your dad?! Haven’t you heard? Stepmoms bring stepdads, and they’ll just spend your money on your brother! You’ll end up with nothing! I’ve never met anyone as stupid as you! What’s wrong with you?”