1 Over the Memorial Day weekend, my out-of-state roommate came home with me to visit. To my utter disbelief, that very night she plied my brother with drinks until he was unconscious, then spent the night with him in his room. Afterward, she ruthlessly caused my sister-in-law to miscarry from the shock and stress. Then, she spread rumors everywhere, claiming she was pregnant with my brother's child and threatening to take her own life, wailing that she couldn't face the world. As rumors swirled through the university, threatening to engulf me, my brother, pressured beyond measure, married her out of necessity. From the moment she moved in, Chloe began to stir up endless trouble. She used the baby as leverage, forcing my parents to transfer the house deed into her name. After countless agonizing battles, my already frail parents were literally sick with rage, ending up in the hospital. My brother, caught in the middle and buckling under immense stress, accidentally broke his leg and lost his job. Our family, plagued by illness and injury, was utterly miserable. Then, I was reborn. Back to the day before that fateful holiday. Chloe’s feigned distress echoed in my ear: "Ugh, Lily, it's such a drag. Everyone else is going home for the holiday, and I'm stuck in the dorm all by myself." The moment I heard Chloe's voice, the realization hit me: I was back. In my previous life, during that Memorial Day weekend, Chloe was the only one in our dorm who couldn't go home, being from out of state. My parents, always so warm and hospitable, had heard Chloe complain more than once during our video calls, expressing envy for our family's atmosphere. She'd hinted multiple times that she wanted to come home with me to meet my parents, and I understood her underlying intentions. But usually, my studies were demanding, leaving me with scarce free time. When the Memorial Day weekend finally arrived, Chloe complained again in front of me. I didn’t think much of it and invited her to our place. Little did I know, that single decision would almost tear my family apart. My family photo was my social media background. Chloe saw the gold bracelet on my sister-in-law’s wrist, her face alight with envy. I casually mentioned it was a gift from my brother, failing to notice Chloe muttering, "Your brother is so good to your sister-in-law. If only…" The casual tidbits she gleaned from me were enough to ignite her greed. I didn't know when exactly Chloe had set her sights on my family, plotting to replace my sister-in-law and marry my brother. I, meanwhile, was completely oblivious to her true intentions. I only saw Chloe as my best friend. The holiday arrived. Seeing her pitiful, alone in the dorm, I impulsively invited her home. I had, quite literally, invited a wolf into our fold. My parents, thrilled to hear I was bringing a good friend home, gave Chloe the warmest welcome. Mom pulled out all the stops in the kitchen, and Dad uncorked a cherished bottle of fine wine. No one noticed Chloe subtly plying my brother with drinks until he was unconscious, then slipping into his room. The next morning, she confronted Sarah, who had just returned from visiting her family. Chloe was a torrent of snot and tears, loudly wailing that my brother had taken advantage of her, demanding retribution. Overwhelmed by the shock and emotional turmoil, Sarah suffered a miscarriage. Less than a week later, rumors had swept through the university, with Chloe shockingly implicating me as an accomplice. The way my classmates looked at me changed completely. For my sake, my parents, with heavy hearts, compelled my brother to divorce Sarah and marry Chloe. Less than six months after their wedding, my parents were hospitalized one after another. My brother broke his leg and lost his job. And I, far away at university, endured the constant barrage of accusations. When I learned of the tragedies at home, I suffered a complete mental breakdown. I was consumed by self-blame, convinced Chloe was right. It was all my fault for bringing her home. None of this would have happened otherwise. In a spiral of regret and despair, I became a coward. I jumped from the rooftop. Instead, I woke up the day before the holiday. And at this moment, none of it had happened yet. Chloe, seeing my silence, grabbed my hand and whined playfully, "Oh, Lily, please just let me stay with you this holiday. I'll be so lonely in the dorm all by myself!" I forced myself to stay calm, not daring to reveal any sign of my true emotions. But inside, a burning hatred flared. Heaven had given me a second chance. It had to be to settle the score with this manipulative witch! But it wasn't time to show my hand yet. I had no evidence. For now, all I could do was avoid her. So, facing Chloe’s plea, I flatly refused. I quickly came up with an excuse: "I'm not going home this holiday. I picked up a part-time job; I want to earn some spending money." Rejected, Chloe looked at me with suspicion. "Really? Your family is so well-off, and you need a part-time job?" My family did live in a comfortable house in a neighboring city. I wanted to placate Chloe for now and settle accounts later. So I continued to spin my story: "I just want to save up to buy a gift for my future niece or nephew, you know, my brother's baby." This wasn’t entirely false. Sarah and I were close, and I often shared photos of gifts she gave me on my social media. It was only natural that I’d care about her. After I offered this reason, Chloe didn't push the issue. Having dealt with Chloe, I collapsed onto my bed, utterly exhausted. My phone suddenly pinged with a notification: 'Ticket successfully booked!' I remembered then that in my previous life, I had secretly bought Chloe a train ticket as a surprise. Luckily, it wasn't too late to cancel. I quickly refunded the extra ticket. The next morning, Chloe wasn't in the dorm. I found it a bit odd, but didn’t dwell on it. I grabbed my luggage and headed for the train. Our hometown was in a neighboring city, a two-hour train ride away. The journey was uneventful, and the knot of anxiety in my chest slowly began to loosen. As long as I didn’t bring Chloe home, as long as I kept my distance, the tragedy of my past life wouldn't repeat. Two hours later, I finally arrived home. Mom waved to me from the doorway. My eyes widened in a smile. I was about to hurry over when another figure moved faster than me. Chloe, carrying a backpack, rushed forward and grabbed my mother's hand, a wide smile on her face. "Mr. and Mrs. Hayes, I've heard so much about your famous hospitality from Lily. I'm so sorry to intrude this holiday, please bear with me!" Chloe, with her smooth charm, quickly struck up a conversation with my parents. I, meanwhile, stood frozen, my blood running cold. I never would have imagined Chloe showing up at my house. She had followed me! But then, the reason dawned on me: the canceled train ticket from yesterday. The text message had the train time and location. Chloe only needed to buy a ticket, even a standing one, to follow me home. While I was still reeling, Dad had already welcomed Chloe into the house. Mom, seeing me rooted to the spot, took my luggage with a chuckle. "Sweetie, don't you recognize Mom and Dad?" Hearing her familiar voice, my nose stung. I longed to throw myself into her arms, to cry and explain everything. I wanted to tell her, desperately, that Chloe was trouble, to kick her out. But what happened in my previous life was so bizarre. My parents, always so warm and trusting, would likely dismiss my accusations as preposterous. Returning this time, I hadn’t yet fully formulated a plan to deal with Chloe. But now that she had come looking for trouble, I figured it was as good a time as any to settle the score. I frowned in thought for a long moment, and a plan quietly began to form in my mind. Just like my previous life. Chloe continuously plied my brother with drinks. I watched as Daniel started to lose his bearings from the alcohol. Without missing a beat, I joined in, raising my glass to Gary Morgan. "Mr. Morgan, I'd like to toast you too!" Gary, a colleague of Daniel's, was a frequent guest at our house. A divorced single father, he was a rough-around-the-edges kind of guy, utterly useless in the kitchen, and always seemed to show up around mealtime, invariably leaving with leftovers. My brother, too good-natured for his own good, never knew how to say no. Gary, especially when he’d had a few too many, would get a leering look in his eye and, in front of my parents, more than once suggest he wanted to marry me. My parents detested him, only tolerating his presence for Daniel’s sake. The plan was unfolding as expected: Gary, too, got drunk and stayed the night. Mom was bustling around, grumbling good-naturedly as she tidied up. Chloe's eyes gleamed the moment she saw Daniel completely out cold. She stepped forward, eagerly offering, "Mrs. Hayes, let me help you!" As if I’d let her. I quickly squeezed past her. "Oh, no, Chloe, you're a guest! We couldn't ask you to help. If you really want to be helpful, you can clear the dishes. My brother's all taken care of with Mom and me." Feigning not to notice Chloe's crestfallen expression, I ushered Mom to take the two drunk men upstairs. Keeping an eye on the footsteps behind me, I subtly steered Daniel into the guest bedroom, making sure to avoid his actual room. Mom, not paying attention, followed me into the room and then looked confused. "Your brother's room is next door, sweetie. Have you been away so long you forgot?" No, I hadn’t forgotten. I’d just correctly guessed Chloe would be relentless and follow me. But I didn't tell Mom the truth. "Mom, you can't just take Daniel straight to his bedroom without him showering. Sarah will never tolerate the smell when she comes back. I’m just being considerate. You can help him clean up later and then move him to his own room." With my explanation, Mom slapped her forehead. "You're right, you're right. Sarah's had a tough pregnancy. She's finally feeling better; we can't let Daniel mess things up." By the time we carried Gary upstairs, Chloe had already cleared the dinner table and wasn't paying attention to us, a relaxed smile on her face. Even though I’d already laid a trap for Chloe, I still felt it wasn't foolproof. I was terrified of any unforeseen complications. Before bed, I slipped upstairs and locked my brother's bedroom door from the outside, finally breathing a sigh of relief. If Chloe didn’t have such twisted intentions, then everything I had done would, of course, be for naught. 2 In my previous life, Chloe slept in the guest room next to my brother’s. This time, Gary was staying there. So, I had to let her share my room. After showering and spending a little time on my phone, Chloe began urging me to sleep. But I wasn't about to let her have her way. "If you wanted to go to bed early, you should've stayed at school. Why did you insist on coming home with me?" Already in the wrong, Chloe didn't dare press me further after my blunt words. It was nearly 1 AM by the time I finally agreed to turn off the lights. I don't know how much time passed, but then Chloe rustled close to me, softly calling my name. When I didn't respond, she tiptoed out of bed. I heard the soft click of the door, then silence. My heart rate quickened. If she insisted on coming, then she should be prepared to get burned. I squeezed the outline of the key in my pocket, reassuring myself. I told myself, this time, I was ready. The tragedy of my previous life would not happen again. It absolutely would not. I forced myself to listen, but roughly an hour later, Chloe still hadn't returned. I finally drifted off to sleep. Perhaps it was because I'd stayed up so late, but I slept deeply. A short, sharp scream jolted me awake. Startled, I quickly threw on some clothes and rushed out. The living room was thick with tension. Chloe sat hunched on the corner sofa, clutching her disheveled collar, her eyes slightly red. Mom’s face was ashen as she tried to soothe Sarah and Chloe, trembling herself. Seeing me, Sarah looked at me as if I were her savior. I quickly went to her, helping her sit down. "Sarah, are you okay?" Before I could comfort Sarah, Chloe demanded in a tearful voice, "Lily, something so terrible happened to me, and you're not even comforting me?" "Do you know what your brother did to me?!" I didn't need to ask to know what happened. But Sarah and Mom didn’t. Hearing Chloe's words, tears streamed down Sarah's face like broken pearls. Sarah finally burst into sobs. "Lily, your brother, he… how can we live like this?!" Mom, too, wiped her tears, completely flustered. Chloe, seemingly deeply wronged, gritted her teeth and threatened to call the police. Mom, beside herself, quickly tried to stop her. "Sweetie, let's talk this out, please, let's talk this out!" "Can we discuss this calmly, please? Auntie is begging you!" Mom pleaded desperately, but Chloe's goal clearly wasn't to de-escalate. She too screamed, crying, "How can I live like this! How can I live after something like this happened!" The two wrestled, and I watched Chloe's theatrical performance, disgusted. I was about to reveal the truth when Sarah, next to me, let out a painful groan. "My stomach." Thankfully, I had been constantly monitoring Sarah's condition. In my previous life, Mom and I were both so distraught by Chloe's pitiful display that we lost all sense of composure. No one anticipated Sarah would return home so early from visiting her family, hearing the devastating news and having her pregnancy affected. In the chaos, no one paid attention to Sarah, leading to the miscarriage. I quickly dialed 911, interrupting Mom and Chloe. "Mom, Daniel isn't even downstairs yet. Hearing things is one thing, but we need to at least ask the person involved!" I soothed Sarah, then looked at Chloe with a cold expression. Chloe’s eyes widened. "Lily, you don't believe me?" I scoffed. "Believe you? We were in the same room last night. My brother was drunk. Am I supposed to believe a drunk man somehow got into my room and carried you upstairs?" At my words, Mom finally snapped back to reality. "You're right, you're right. We need to ask Daniel. Daniel would never do something so reckless. Sarah, trust Mom, I'll get to the bottom of this!" Under Mom's and my reassurances, Sarah finally steadied herself, nodding tearfully. The paramedics arrived quickly. Dad, rubbing his sleepy eyes, was startled awake. Before he could even grasp the situation, I shoved him into the ambulance. "Dad, I'll explain later. Just help me watch Sarah for now." By the time he recovered, only half an hour had passed. Chloe was already impatient. "You don't believe me, then let's go upstairs and confront your brother!" Mom, seeing Chloe's certainty, was starting to waver, her resolve softening. Noticing this, I pulled Mom upstairs. "Mom, you have to trust Daniel." A large, noisy group marched upstairs. Thankfully, the two drunk men were sleeping soundly. Once we reached the second floor, Chloe lunged ahead, trying to bypass us and open the guest room door. But Mom stopped abruptly at my brother's actual bedroom door, taking a deep breath, hesitant to open it. I asked Chloe gravely, "Last night, there were two occupied rooms upstairs. Are you sure it was my brother who attacked you?" Seeing us stop at the guest room door, Chloe looked stunned, frozen in place. But she gritted her teeth and insisted, "Yes." 3 She shoved Mom aside, twisting the doorknob. But the door didn’t budge, blocked by the lock. Chloe's face paled slightly, but she still wanted to solidify my brother’s guilt. "Your brother is such a coward! He violated me, then got scared of taking responsibility and locked the door!" She said, pounding on the door. Soon, there was a stir inside. My brother’s lazy voice asked who it was, and he rustled around, trying to open the door. Of course, he couldn't. Our locks were one-way: if locked from the outside with a key, they couldn't be opened from the inside. I’d secured it. "You rotten kid, open this door right now!" Mom was frantic, wishing she could drag my brother out and get the truth. I, however, remained calm, looking at Chloe and asking again, "Are you sure my brother attacked you?" The hallway fell silent. Only my brother was still fumbling with the lock. Mom's face flickered with hope. Chloe’s lips were pressed together, silent. "Chloe, you might not know this, but our locks here only work one way. My brother has a habit of sleepwalking, and to avoid scaring guests, I locked his door from the outside last night." As I spoke, I pulled out a key from my pocket, tossing it up and down. This time, Chloe finally understood. "You did this on purpose! Last night, I clearly saw…" She was about to say she saw my brother in the room next door. "Saw what? It was dark. You must have been mistaken," I interrupted Chloe. "Do you still insist it was my brother who attacked you?" Under my relentless questioning, Chloe's face alternated between green and white. "No, I… I must have seen wrong." There was no need for further words. Mom finally let out a sigh of relief, muttering under her breath that she was glad it wasn't true, otherwise she would have broken my brother’s legs. Mom didn't know I had orchestrated everything. Even if Chloe hadn't confessed, I had the evidence. Thinking this, I subtly glanced at the security camera in the corner. Since she confessed, I didn't release the footage. Still, the fact that Chloe had been assaulted in our house was true, and Mom couldn't just brush it aside. She spoke kindly to Chloe, trying to find a solution. "Sweetie, since it was Gary who attacked you, Auntie will definitely get you justice. I'll ask him to discuss compensation later." She added, "Gary, even though he's divorced with a kid, he's a decent, hardworking man. If you're willing, you can get married after you graduate. If not, Auntie will make sure he compensates you." Mom tactfully avoided delving into why Chloe had inexplicably ended up upstairs and assaulted. After all, she was a young woman, and rumors wouldn’t be good. Chloe glared at me, but could only nod in agreement. Gary genuinely wanted to marry Chloe, but the negotiations went nowhere. Since Chloe was unwilling, he gritted his teeth and paid her $30,000 in compensation. After such a convoluted farce, everyone was mentally and physically exhausted. Chloe kept apologizing to Mom, pleading to stay at our house until the end of the holiday. Before I could speak, Mom flatly refused. "Sweetie, I'm really sorry, but we have to go to the hospital soon, so we probably won't be able to host you these next few days. Here, Auntie will reimburse you for your train ticket." Flatly rejected, Chloe, despite her reluctance, had no choice but to agree. Clutching the $30,000 and the train ticket, she returned to school. After she left, we could finally breathe a sigh of relief. It was then that I had the chance to tell Mom that I hadn't invited Chloe home at all. She had secretly followed me. In all her years, even Mom had never encountered someone like that. She couldn't help but sigh with relief. "Thank goodness nothing serious happened." Yes, thank goodness we didn't repeat the same tragedy. I too felt a wave of relief, and seized the opportunity to ask Mom to help me change dorm rooms. I had a feeling that if I stayed in the same dorm as Chloe, there would be more trouble. But I never imagined that when I returned to school after the break, rumors would already be rampant across campus. Before I could even pack my things to move dorms, I was blindsided by the sudden news. What followed was a notice from the university: a mandatory leave of absence.
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