Chapter 2

The next morning, Mom acted as if nothing had happened and came to wake me up.

"Vivian, sweetie, come eat breakfast. I fried an egg for you."

Her smile was far too warm. A chill ran down my spine. Something was terribly wrong.

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

"Mark, drink some more milk." Mom slid a glass toward him, her voice dripping with artificial sweetness.

This unnatural harmony was far more alarming than her midnight crying.

What was going on?

Had she figured something out?

After breakfast, Mom hooked her arm affectionately through mine.

"Vivian, come to the bank with me, will you? My debit card has been acting up. You're young and good with these things, help me figure it out."

My heart skipped a beat.

This never happened in my past life.

Why was she suddenly dragging me to the bank?

To avoid raising suspicion, I forced a smile and nodded.

"Sure."

At the bank counter, Mom fumbled around.

"Oh dear, how could I forget my PIN again..."

The teller looked noticeably annoyed.

Mom suddenly turned to me. "Vivian, did you bring your ID? Let's just open a temporary account under your name for now. I'll transfer the funds out as soon as I get home."

The desperation in her eyes wasn't about a forgotten PIN. It was the look of a predator waiting for the prey to take the bait.

Suddenly, a memory from my past life hit me. Around this time, she had asked for my ID and Social Security number under the guise of "setting up a savings fund."

A month later, a massive, suspicious loan appeared under my name.

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

Her face darkened instantly before stretching into an eerie, strained smile.

"You careless girl, always forgetting things..."

She stayed dead silent the entire walk back.

Just as we reached the front steps of our apartment complex, she stopped dead in her tracks.

"Vivian, is that Mrs. Jenkins over there?"

I looked toward where she was pointing. The entrance was completely empty.

"Where? I don't see anyone."

The moment I turned back, my heart slammed against my ribs. Her hand was hastily pulling away from the pocket of my jacket.

She had slipped something into my pocket.

"Must have seen wrong," she muttered casually and walked inside.

Forcing myself to stay calm, I slid my hand into my pocket. My fingertips brushed against a hard, tiny plastic square.

Not money.

I pretended to tie my shoelace, pulled it out, and took a quick peek.

It was an unregistered SIM card.

My heart stopped.

What did she want to do with my identity and a burner SIM card?

Was my death in the previous life connected to this?

Looking back, the balcony railing had snapped far too conveniently when Dad pushed me.

Something smelled foul.

That night, while showering, I dropped the SIM card into the drain and flushed it away.

When I stepped out of the bathroom, Mom was standing right by the door holding a warm glass of milk, smiling serenely.

"Here, Vivian. Warm milk helps you sleep."

I stared at the white liquid.

She had always been this "caring" in my previous life.

"Thanks, Mom." I took the glass.

The moment I closed my bedroom door, I dumped the milk into the potted plant by the window.

Late into the night, a faint sound woke me up.

Through the crack beneath the door, a shadow blocked the hallway light.

Someone was standing right outside my room.

Holding my breath, I heard Mom's low, amused whisper into the phone:

"Everything is set... This time, nothing will go wrong."

"After all, she already failed the test once before, didn't she?"