Chapter 4

Chloe stood with her hands on her hips, screeching like an entitled brat, looking as though one word from her would make me drop to my knees and beg for mercy.

I looked at her like she was a clown.

"Cutting ties?" I repeated, nodding firmly. "Sounds great to me."

Chloe blinked, caught off guard. "What did you say?"

"I said, let's cut ties. We don't need to be family anymore."

I turned toward the front door and pulled it open. The cool breeze drifted in, instantly clearing the stifling air.

"Remember this, Chloe. You chose this. Don't come crying to me later, because I won't give a damn."

Without looking back, I walked out, leaving Aunt Brenda's furious shrieks and the sound of Chloe smashing something behind me.

That evening, the family group chat blew up.

Chloe sent a long voice message:

"Emma had an empty, fully-renovated condo, but just so she wouldn't have to lend it to me, she sold it overnight at a loss. She'd rather lose thirty grand than help her own cousin! Everyone, please tell me—does family mean nothing to her?!"

Right after, Aunt Brenda led the charge: "Unbelievable! How did Emma turn out so heartless? She doesn't have an ounce of decency in her!"

Uncle Mark agreed: "We should stop talking to people like that. Cold-blooded."

Uncle Dave sighed: "Don't cry, Chloe. Someone like her isn't worth your tears."

Meanwhile, I was sitting at a barbecue joint with a college friend.

I didn't reply to a single message in the group.

"So, who exactly do you want me to track?"

Sitting across from me was Luke. He was an investigative journalist for a well-known entertainment tabloid, an expert at digging up dirty laundry.

"Chloe’s fiancé, Jason."

I pulled up a photo on my phone and sent it to him. "Keep a close eye on him, especially over the next couple of days. I want every shred of evidence of him cheating—photos, videos, audio recordings. The more, the better."

Luke raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that your cousin's fiancé? That's ruthless."

"Soon-to-be ex-fiancé," I corrected him. "Once this is done, I'll buy you that high-end DSLR camera you've been drooling over."

Luke grinned. "Deal. Consider it done!"

On the drive home after dinner, my parents bombarded my phone with texts and calls, frantically asking what was going on.

I just comforted them: "Don't worry, I'll explain everything when I get back."

Once home, I laid out the entire situation—leaving out the part about being reborn, of course.

Finally, I said, "Mom, Dad, look at them. That's your family. In their eyes, I'm just an ATM that's supposed to give unconditionally. If I back down this time, next time they'll demand my life!"

Dad stared at the toxic messages in the family chat, his face turning dark.

He was a gentle man, but he wasn't an idiot.

Mom's hands were shaking with anger. "How... how could Brenda say such horrible things? When your father was sick and we needed to borrow money, she was the first one to dodge our calls!"

I added, "Besides, Jason isn't a good man. Chloe's wedding is bound to be a disaster. I don't want to be dragged down with them."

My parents were quiet for a long time.

In the end, Dad tossed his phone onto the coffee table with a cold grunt. "Good riddance to relatives like that! Saves us the headache down the road! Emma, you did the right thing. We don't need them!"

Mom grasped my hand, her voice steady. "He's right. We don't need them. If anyone tries to bully my daughter, they'll have to go through me first!"

Looking at the fierce support in my parents' eyes, warmth filled my chest.

In my past life, they suffered endlessly because of me. In this life, I was going to protect them no matter what.

Three days later.

Chloe’s wedding went ahead as scheduled.

Since they couldn't use my condo, her family had gritted their teeth and booked a cheaper hotel downtown.

My parents and I still received invitations.

Mom looked at the card, hesitating. "Emma... do we really have to go? Things are so tense between us."

"We're going," I said, smoothing down my dress.

Thinking about everything I had prepared, a cold, mocking smile touched my lips.

"Of course we're going. It's going to be such a magnificent show. It'd be a tragedy to miss it."