When Stella tried to pull away, Ethan’s mother yanked up her shirt.
in front of everyone, Stella’s shirt was lifted, but no one made a sound. They all stared, wide–eyed and stunned.
Because under her clothes, there was a small, palm–sized doll.
The entire crowd was in shock. The livestream chat went silent.
After a long moment, someone pointed at the doll on Stella’s body and asked, “What… what is that?”
Stella tried to run, but the two officers slammed her to the ground and handcuffed her.
Ethan’s mother stepped forward and slapped Stella hard across the face, twice.
SLAP SLAP! Two bright red handprints appeared on her cheeks, and a trickle of blood ran from her lips.
But what was even more shocking was that as the blood dripped, the stiff doll on her body began to move.
It came to life, its body twisting and cracking as it stretched its neck to a grotesque angle, its mouth opening to drink the blood dripping from Stella’s lips.
Everyone was terrified by the bizarre and horrifying scene, scrambling backward. The crowd’s circle suddenly became empty, leaving just a few of us standing there.
With the doll exposed, Stella dropped her act. She glared at me with pure hatred.
Melody,” she shrieked, “why were you born with everything, while I have to suffer so much?!”
Her sharp voice was grating as she stared at me, tears streaming down her face. “Why…”
“If it weren’t for you, I would have married Mark! I would have been the one living the good life!”
“If it weren’t for you, I would have married Mark! I would have been the one living the good life!”
16:42 C
From her disjointed words, I finally understood. Stella had always believed that Mark’s comfortable life was because his family had become rich. She thought that by marrying him, she would become Mrs. Hayes, a woman of status.
After she finished, I just sneered. “I’m afraid you’re going to be disappointed.”
“Even if you did mamy Mark, neither of you would be living a rich life.”
Stella didn’t catch the “neither of you” part, thinking I was just mocking her. She struggled violently, trying to lunge at me. The doll on her body shrieked and wailed, a
shrill, piercing sound.
But Ethan’s mother just chanted a few words, and the doll was suppressed again.
Seeing the doll go limp and lifeless, Stella’s eyes turned red with rage. But before she could curse, Ethan’s mother’s gaze turned on her.
She stared at Stella, her eyes sharp. “Your knowledge of Thai Guman Thong magic is very crude.”
“Not only crude, but you’ve only learned the part about harming people, not how to save them.”
Her cover blown, Stella deflated like a popped balloon. She stared at Ethan’s mother in disbelief, trembling. “You… how do you know?”
Ethan’s mother just sneered. “Ha, my family’s last name is Cole. Maybe you should have thought about which Cole family we are.”
Under the watchful eye of the entire internet, Ethan’s mother explained Stella’s methods. The person in the security footage was me, but not really me. During my three days in custody, Stella had committed all the crimes. But because the doll on her body had a trace of its dark energy attached to my jade pendant, in everyone else’s eyes, she looked like me.
Ethan’s mother said that what Stella did was insidious and evil, even capable of fooling cameras. But unfortunately for her, she had run into the Cole family.
When I was classmates with Ethan, I had heard him mention that his mother had studied these esoteric arts. But I was young then and didn’t pay it much mind. In my last life, after Stella killed Ethan, his mother was so devastated that she had a mental breakdown and followed her son in death. That left Ethan’s father to come after me, and in his grief, he had stabbed me to death.
So, this time, not only did I warn Ethan, I also asked his mother for help. After talking with her privately, I finally understood how Stella had framed me in my past life. So, we had planned this whole play with Ethan. To ensure his mother would intervene, he hadn’t even told his family he was faking his death, to avoid any slip- ups.
This whole setup, under the watchful eye of the entire internet, had finally flushed out the two rats, Mark and Stella, from their sewer.
As Officer Davis was taking them away, Stella was still cursing me. “Melody, don’t get too cocky!”
“Without Mark, you won’t have a good life either!”
I had been smiling at the devastated Mark, but now I turned to Stella. “You don’t really think Mark is rich, do you?”
“I’m sorry to disappoint you, but all the time we were together, he was spending our money.”
“Without me, the Hayes family is broke.”
Stella’s eyes widened in disbelief. She turned to Mark, her mouth agape.
Mark looked away, guilty. His reaction was all the confirmation she needed.
Stella went completely limp and let the police drag her away.
She kept muttering, “I was tricked… I was tricked… All for nothing!”
“Mark! You bastard! I won’t let you get away with this!”
Stella was still cursing as she and Mark were taken away.
Because of her crimes, and the backlash from her failed magic, Stella died in her cell, bleeding from her eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, before the police could even
sentence her.
When Mark heard of her death, he went completely insane.
He was ultimately sentenced to ten years in prison.
And I went home.
My parents had died early, leaving me a large inheritance. In my last life, after I died, my fortune was left without an heir, and Mark used some special means to take itall, living a life of luxury with Stella.
This time, the road ahead is long.
I will live it well.
