Chapter 2

Maybe my resentment was just too strong, but somehow, I was reborn.

The moment my consciousness returned, I was still clutching my phone, my mom's sobbing voice pouring through the receiver.

"Your dad went drinking again! What is so damn good about alcohol anyway?!"

"He drinks morning, noon, and night. And after that, he's off with his drinking buddies, gambling away the money you sent me last time – every single cent of that five hundred dollars gone!"

"My body is covered in bruises! Aubrey, please come home!"

Go home?

Before, I genuinely thought she wanted me back because she missed me. It was only after I died that I realized she only wanted me home so my dad could hit *me*.

If he hit me, she wouldn't get hit.

I touched the tears of self-mockery welling in my eyes. Thank god, I hadn't been abandoned by fate.

My mom kept talking for a while, then, noticing my silence, asked suspiciously, "Aubrey, can you hear me? Hello? Aubrey?"

My mind snapped back. I scoffed. "Why does Dad only hit *you*, Mom, and no one else? Clearly, that's just his way of showing how much he loves you!"

Before, I would always tell my mom to divorce him, then send her some money for living expenses.

My unusual reaction this time made my mom freeze on the other end of the line.

"But you always said loving couples don't fight! Didn't you even tell me to call the police?"

I chuckled. "Mom, they say it's better to preserve something old than to destroy a long-standing union. Plus, you and Dad have been married for over twenty years. If there was no love, would you really have lasted this long?"

"Besides, sure, Dad likes to drink and gamble, and he loves to hit and yell at you, and he probably spends his days at shady clubs with other women, but at least he comes home, right?"

"Didn't you always say men are like that? As long as they come home, that's what matters?"

My mom hesitated. This wasn't achieving her goal at all.

She just wanted to play the victim, guilt-trip me into sending money, then hand it straight over to her 'beloved' husband.

How could she possibly leave Dad? She's clearly obsessed with him!

But I wasn't taking the bait, and she was stumped.

"Aubrey, you seem different."

Of course I'm different. I've died once already.

"Mom, I've grown up. I understand your marriage now. So just live happily with Dad, okay?"

You two are a perfect match, two rotten peas in a pod.

With that, I hung up.

My current company is a Fortune 500 giant. Though the workload is heavy, the promotion prospects are excellent.

In my last life, to stay with my mom and protect her from harm, I gave up an opportunity to be stationed abroad. I also missed out on a major promotion.

The result? My mom tricked me, and my dad beat me to death.

This time, I decisively wrote up my application for the overseas posting and submitted it to my boss.

The last tens of thousands I had saved were now locked away in a high-interest account. From today on, I'm a miser. I won't spend a single cent.