Chapter 3

The next morning, my mother woke me up as if nothing had happened.

"Chloe, wake up! I made you some fried eggs."

She smiled too lovingly. A chill ran down my spine. Something felt off.

Dad was sitting at the table reading the newspaper, not even looking up.

"Mark, eat more," my mother said, pushing the milk toward him, her voice sickeningly sweet.

This unusual harmony was even more alarming than her crying yesterday.

What was going on?

Did she find out something?

After breakfast, my mother affectionately held my arm.

"Chloe, can you come to the bank with me? Something is wrong with my debit card. You're young and understand this stuff. Help me check it."

My heart skipped a beat.

This didn't happen in my past life.

Why was she suddenly asking me to go to the bank?

To keep her from suspecting anything, I forced a smile and nodded.

"Sure."

At the bank, my mother dragged her feet at the counter.

"Oh dear, I forgot my password again..."

The bank teller looked annoyed.

My mother suddenly grabbed me. "Chloe, did you bring your Social Security card and ID? Let's just open a new account under your name for now to handle this. I'll transfer the money back later."

The desperation in her eyes wasn't because she forgot her password. She was waiting for me to take the bait.

I suddenly remembered that in my past life, around this time, she had asked for my SSN and ID under the guise of "helping me invest."

A month later, a massive fraudulent loan was taken out in my name.

"I didn't bring them," I said apologetically. "Mom, why don't you go home and find Dad's ID instead?"

My mother’s face instantly darkened, but she quickly forced a creepy smile.

"You silly child, always so forgetful..."

On the way back from the bank, she was silent.

When we got close to our apartment, she suddenly stopped.

"Chloe, look. Is that Mrs. Davis over there?"

I looked in the direction she pointed. The entrance of the building was completely empty.

"Where? I don't see Mrs. Davis."

As I turned back, my heart plummeted. I saw my mother’s hand quickly pulling away from my coat pocket.

She had put something in my pocket.

"Maybe I saw wrong," she said casually, walking ahead.

I forced myself to stay calm and reached into my pocket. My fingers touched a small, hard, rectangular object.

It wasn't money.

I pretended to tie my shoelace, pulled it out, and took a quick glance. It was a strange, unregistered SIM card.

My heart stopped.

Why did she want my ID and this unregistered SIM card?

Was my tragic death in my past life connected to this?

Come to think of it, the balcony railing just happened to break at that exact time, causing me to fall.

Something was definitely wrong.

That night, while taking a shower, I flushed the SIM card down the drain.

When I stepped out of the bathroom, my mother was standing at the door with a glass of milk, smiling warmly.

"Chloe, drink some milk before bed. It helps you sleep."

I stared at the white liquid.

In my past life, she was always this "thoughtful."

"Thanks, Mom." I took the glass.

I walked back into my room and poured the milk straight into a potted plant.

Late at night, I was awakened by a faint sound.

Under the crack of my door, the light from the living room was partially blocked.

Someone was standing right outside my door.

I held my breath. I heard my mother's whispered, amused voice, speaking to someone on her phone:

"Everything is set... This time, I'll make sure nothing goes wrong."

"After all, she failed the test last time, didn't she?"