Chapter 1

My grandma is famous for "getting confused."

I told her not to touch my work laptop. She immediately took it to a pawn shop, sold it for pocket change, and got me fired and blacklisted from my industry.

When I confronted her in tears, she just scoffed. "I’m just an old lady who made a mistake! Is it really that big of a deal?"

Later, she found the expensive gold bracelet I bought for my boyfriend, pawned it, and stuffed my secret infertility test report into the empty gift box instead. It broke my boyfriend's heart, and he broke up with me.

When I screamed at her, she actually smiled. "I did you a favor, sweetie! Now you can go find a richer man who actually lives long!"

I accused her of ruining my life. But my toxic family forced me to my knees, demanding I apologize to her.

Heartbroken and completely broken, I ended my life by jumping off the city bridge.

But now, I’ve opened my eyes again. I’m back. And this time, I will destroy every single one of them.

1

The sharp, suffocating smell of smoke filled the air.

My grandma was in the living room, screaming at the top of her lungs.

I glanced at my work laptop, sitting perfectly untouched on my desk. My mind snapped into focus.

I had traveled back in time. I was reborn.

In my past life, this was the exact moment Grandma Beatrice threw highly flammable firestarter blocks into the wood fireplace, nearly setting the entire house on fire.

She cried afterwards, claiming she was just "getting old and confused."

Back then, I had rushed to help her. I left my laptop on the desk, told her not to touch it, and ran to clean up her mess.

But while I was busy dealing with the smoke, she took my expensive work laptop and pawned it for a measly hundred dollars.

I had begged her to tell me which pawn shop she went to so I could buy it back and save my job.

But she clutched the hundred dollars in her pocket, her face twisted in anger.

"No way! What I find is mine to sell! This money is for my precious grandson, Austin!"

My boss didn't care about my excuses. He fired me on the spot and blacklisted me from the entire industry.

I was one step away from a major promotion. Because of her, my career was dead.

I had asked her in despair, "Why? Why did you ruin my life?!"

But she just sat there, casually eating chips. "Oh, come on! One door closes, another opens. I made a tiny mistake. Is it really that big of a deal?"

My dad, Arthur, had glared at me. "Elena, watch your mouth! That’s your grandmother! You’re just useless, don't blame her. If you don't like this house, get married and get the hell out!"

My mom, Martha, and my brother, Austin, just watched like they were enjoying a reality TV show.

I swallowed my tears back then.

To protect the birthday gift I bought for my boyfriend, Ethan—a beautiful gold bracelet—I hid it deep in my closet.

But a few days later, Grandma Beatrice suddenly had enough cash to hand Austin three hundred dollars.

A terrible feeling had crept into my chest.

And then, I got the breakup call from Ethan. That was when I realized what she had done.

She had pawned the gold bracelet. In its place, she put my confidential medical report—the one showing I was infertile—inside the gift box.

Ethan thought I had lied to him. He thought I didn't trust him. He told me, crying, that he had planned to propose to me that very day.

But his voice was suddenly cut short by a horrific crash over the phone.

A semi-truck had plowed into Ethan’s car. He died instantly.

I screamed at my grandma, "You’re a thief! You stole everything from me! You killed my happiness!"

But my dad grabbed me by the hair, forcing me to beg for her forgiveness.

Austin kicked the back of my knees, forcing me to drop to the floor.

My mom sighed. "Elena, your dad is the head of this house. You have to listen to him. Your grandma didn't mean to do it. Old people make mistakes. Besides, if it wasn't for her, we wouldn't have known Ethan was destined to die young anyway."

Grandma Beatrice smirked. "Exactly! What's the big deal? If I hadn't intervened, you’d be a young widow right now. Now you can find a rich, healthy man. I did you a favor!"

Looking at their cold, mocking faces, something inside me died.

I ran out of the house and jumped off the bridge, ending my miserable, unloved life.

2

Back in the present, Grandma Beatrice's shrieks from the living room grew louder.

I stayed in my room, completely ignoring her.

First, I quickly backed up all my work data to the cloud. Then, I packed all my expensive jewelry, documents, and valuables into a bag. I was going to drop them off at Ethan’s apartment.

In this life, I would protect my career and the man I loved.

And I would make sure my toxic family drowned in Grandma's "confused mistakes."

After securing my things, I walked out of my room.

The living room wall was completely blackened by smoke. It looked terrible.

My mom crossed her arms, glaring at me. "Why didn't you help your grandmother?"

Grandma Beatrice immediately pointed a shaking finger at me. "She did it on purpose! You know I’m old and get confused! I was screaming for help, and you just sat in your room. Are you trying to kill me, you ungrateful brat?!"

A cold smile touched my lips. *Oh, I want you dead, Grandma. But death is too easy for you.*

Instead, I poured her a warm glass of water and handed it to her gently.

"Grandma, look at you, getting confused again. When you were screaming, I literally yelled at you to stop throwing those firestarter blocks. When the flames shot up, I immediately ran outside to look for help."

"I was so worried about you that I forgot to call 911. My bad."

Grandma Beatrice's face turned red. "You little liar! You think you're smart? God will punish you for disrespecting your elders!"

She glanced greedily toward my bedroom door, then turned to Austin with a sweet smile. "Austin, don't be like your sister. Come to Grandma's room later. I have a little surprise for you."

My eyes narrowed. My laptop was already gone. What was she planning to steal this time?

I walked back into my room and waited.

A moment later, Grandma Beatrice dragged my mom into my room. "Look at this mess! Elena does nothing but stare at her computer. Her room looks like a pigsty! I almost choked on smoke, and yet I still came in here to clean up for her. She has no heart!"

She pretended to wipe away a tear.

My mom nudged me. "Apologize to your grandma right now! Who else would care enough to clean your room?"

I screamed laughing inside. A grandmother this toxic? No one else would want her.

I stepped up to her and smiled warmly. "Thank you so much, Grandma. You're so sweet. It’s a good thing you 'cleaned' my room. I thought a thief broke in and stole my laptop, my books, and the boxes under my bed. I was literally about to call the cops!"

Grandma Beatrice stiffened, her voice turning sharp. "What are you talking about?! I didn't see any laptop!"

Aha. She wasn't confused at all. She knew exactly what she was doing.

In my past life, she had targeted my laptop on purpose.

Thank God I acted fast, or history would have repeated itself.

I turned to my mom, my voice cold. "Hear that, Mom? She claims she was 'cleaning,' but she's actually looking for things to steal and pawn."

Grandma's face flushed with guilt.

My mom snapped, "Elena! Stop it! She’s your grandmother!"

Suddenly, Austin stormed into the room. He threw a crumpled hundred-dollar bill right at Grandma's face.

"Did you pawn my limited-edition anime figures?! Is this your 'surprise'?! I don't want your stupid cash! Get my figures back!"

I shook my head, pretending to comfort him. "Austin, how can you talk to Grandma like that? She didn't mean to do it! She's just an old lady who got a little confused!"

3

Grandma Beatrice stared at me, realization hitting her like a truck.

She ran back to her room in a panic. "Oh no! They're gone!"

Austin fell to the floor, clutching his head. "My figures... my limited-edition figures..."

My mom panicked, not knowing what to do.

I immediately pulled out my phone and dialed 91