After rebirth, I slapped my vicious
cousin.
Since my cousin Bethany moved into our
house, things went straight to hell.
My parents, who used to adore me, started
treating me like I was the scum of the earth,
constantly yelling and criticizing.
My big brother, who always had my back,
suddenly acted like I was a disease he wanted
to avoid.
And my fiancé, Chad, the love of my life,
looked at me with disgust and said, “Bethany
is a thousand times better than you!”
“I’m head over heels for your cousin, and I’m
going to marry her.”
The shock was too much to bear, and I broke
down, sobbing.
Abandoned by everyone, I wandered aimlessly
down the street when a runaway dump truck
slammed into me.
Then, just like that, I was back. Reborn. Back
to the day Bethany first arrived at our
doorstep.
Relief washed over me, mixed with a
terrifying dread.
Relief that I had been given a second chance,
a do–over.
Dread because I still had no clue how Bethany
had turned my family against me.
<
How was I going to change the ending this
time?
But then I noticed something strange: the way
my parents and brother looked at Bethany. It
was like they wanted to skin her alive.
Wait a minute… My whole family remembers?
Okay, now we’re talking. This is going to be
good.
1
Just as I was letting the relief and excitement
wash over me, my cousin Bethany showed up,
dragging her suitcase.
She was a solid 300 pounds, barely five feet
tall, and shaped like a refrigerator.
And to top it off, Bethany was lazy, mean-
spirited, and bossy as hell.
That’s what got to me last time: Why did my
family treat her like she was made of gold?
And why did Chad dump me for her?
Seeing her walk through the door, my hope
turned into a knot of anxiety in my stomach.
I was scared the same nightmare was about
to start all over again.
And I still had no idea how Bethany had
brainwashed my family and Chad. How was I
supposed to stop her if I didn’t know what
she was doing?
Г
As I stood there panicking, Bethany flashed a
fake smile at my parents. “Aunt Susan, Uncle
Frank, my folks are working out of state
again. They don’t want me home alone, so
they were hoping I could crash here for a
while.”
Our family hadn’t exactly been close with my
Aunt Carol’s side.
Mostly because they used to look down on us
when we were struggling. Aunt Carol and her
husband practically announced to the world
that they were ashamed to be related to such
a poor family.
Then I was born, and our luck started to
change.
<
Our family business exploded, and in less
than a decade, we became the local success
story.
That’s when Aunt Carol’s family started
crawling back, trying to get on our good side.
My mom hated their two–faced act, but my
dad always said family was family. He
secretly slipped them cash whenever he
could.
But instead of being grateful, Aunt Carol’s
family just got greedy.
They thought we should be giving them even
more money.
Finally, my mom lost it and told them exactly
<
what she thought, and that shut them up for a
while.
So, when Bethany suddenly wanted to come
live with us, my mom was dead set against it.
My dad begged her, “Carol and Bob are
working down south, trying to make it big.
They won’t be back for a while.”
“Bethany can’t cook or clean. They don’t trust
her to be alone. Let her stay with us for a bit.
I can’t just turn my back on her!”
Mom finally gave in, but she wasn’t happy
about it.
And sure enough, the weirdness started
almost as soon as Bethany moved in.
Г
Everyone in the house suddenly started
treating her like royalty and acting like I was
public enemy number one.
Even Chad started drooling over Bethany and
dumped me for her.
I just couldn’t figure it out. It was like my
family and Chad were possessed.
Remembering what happened last time sent
shivers down my spine.
Lost in my memories, Bethany offered me a
fake smile and handed me a friendship
bracelet. “Riley, I made this myself!”
“I know you and Chad are getting married
soon. I don’t have a lot of money for a fancy
gift, so think of this as coming from the
beart II
“I hope you guys stay together forever, just
like this bracelet, always intertwined.”
Last time, Bethany acted all sweet and
innocent for the first few days.
Then, after a while, my parents‘ attitude
completely changed, and they didn’t give a
damn if Bethany verbally abused me.
I didn’t know what was going on, and if I tried
to call Bethany out, my family wouldn’t
believe me anyway!
I plastered on a weak smile and said,
“Thanks, Bethany.”
I reached for the bracelet, but my brother
stepped in.
He gave Bethany a look, then said smoothly,
“Maybe you should keep that, Bethany.”
“Riley hasn’t been feeling well lately. We took
her to a specialist, and he said she shouldn’t
wear any jewelry.”
My parents nodded in agreement. “That’s
right. Riley can’t wear jewelry!”
“Bethany, we appreciate the thought, but you
should keep it.”
I stared at them, confused.
When did my family take me to a specialist?
Since when can not wear jewelry?
This was already different than what
happened before.
Then my brother whispered in my ear,
“There’s something wrong with her. Don’t
take anything from her.”
