Chapter 2

“Alice, why don’t you head back and help Mom with dinner? I’ll grab some groceries and be right there.”

Mark’s words, spoken with such casual ease, sent a shiver down my spine.

It hit me then. I had been reborn.

In my past life, Mark and I had just left the movies. He’d sent me home first, saying he’d pick up some cold dishes. But as soon as I walked in, I saw the kitchen explode. Mr. Peterson was flung across the room, lying motionless on the floor. Terrified, I’d rushed to save him, only to be caught in a second explosion, getting severely burned. Shaking with fear, I’d fumbled for my phone to call an ambulance.

Brenda, my mother-in-law, had been hiding just outside the kitchen door, paralyzed with fear. When she saw me, her eyes lit up. “Alice, please, I didn’t mean to kill your father! The gas stove wouldn’t light, and the old man insisted on helping me…”

Dragging my excruciatingly painful body, I’d crawled towards Mr. Peterson. He was already gone.

All these years, Mr. Peterson had poured everything into Arthur’s family and ours. To die like this… it wasn’t just Brenda who couldn’t accept it. If Arthur Peterson found out, given his violent past and the fact he’d once served time for murder, he’d surely kill the culprit!

Our neighbors rushed over, taking in the chaotic scene and joining the chorus of condemnation against me.

I endured the searing pain and tried to explain that I had just returned from the movies with Mark, and that Brenda had caused the kitchen explosion, not me.

But Mark had thrown the bag of groceries at me. “I went to buy cold dishes! When did I ever go to the movies with you, you murderer!?”

Before I could retort, my own son, Leo, ran out of his bedroom, phone in hand, playing a surveillance video.

“Bad mommy, why did you kill Grandpa and Grandma!”

A child’s words are often seen as pure, but his accusation sealed my fate as a murderer.

Arthur, who had just stormed in, heard him. He grabbed a fruit knife from the counter and, roaring, stabbed me twenty-eight times, punching through my heart.

I stared at him in horror, unable to comprehend why my husband and son, my beloved family, would do this to me!

The agonizing pain of being stabbed in my previous life was vividly present, and I couldn't stop trembling.

My fingers, entwined with Mark’s, unconsciously tightened.

This time, I had to uncover the truth and prevent that tragedy from repeating itself!

I glanced at the time. I had half an hour until the explosion. Everything was still possible.

Mark released my hand. As he turned away, I saw him quickly send an “OK” emoji to Brenda.

Suddenly, my hair stood on end. It felt like Death itself was looking at me.

Mark, who had just celebrated our six-year anniversary yesterday, was now conspiring with Brenda to harm me. Why?

I took a deep breath, pushing down the terror.

“Honey, the beauty store next door just got a new line of lipsticks. Care to come with me to check them out?”

He quickly hid his phone, a sweet, attentive smile instantly replacing his alert expression. “Mom’s waiting for you to help with dinner, remember? Just tell me the shades, and I’ll pick them up for you.”

I shook my head, subtly avoiding his attempt to kiss me. “Oh, please. You always get the wrong shade. If you don’t want to go, I’ll just go by myself.”

I really was a coward. Brenda and Leo were still at home.

It would be two against one, and I knew I had no chance. Last time, Brenda and Leo had physically held me down while Arthur stabbed me to death.

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