Part 3My Sister-in-Law's Hit-and-Run, My Life in Ruins

Amber is calling me again and again, saying the family is waiting for me for dinner.

I calmly walk over to a street cart and buy a roasted sweet potato, deliberately overpaying.

As expected, the vendor chases after me. “Miss, you paid too much! And you left your airline ticket!”

“It’s fine, I don’t have any small change,” I say, smiling. “As for the ticket, it’s from my trip. It’s useless now.”

I remember this man. He was the one who delivered the final, fatal stab in my last life.

He is the victim’s older brother, Raymond.

He has the solid build of a military man. The fact that he chased me down for a few extra dollars tells me he’s a decent person at his core.

Showing him my round-trip ticket is my alibi. It proves I haven’t been in Southport for days.

“Here’s your change,” he says, pressing the money into my hand. “I’m closing up now. I’ve got urgent business in the Northwood district.”

I feign a delighted surprise. “What a coincidence! I live there too. Look, it’s impossible to get a cab right now, and my family’s waiting. How about I pay you two hundred bucks for a ride?”

Raymond hesitates for a moment. “Alright, get in. But we have to hurry. I’ve got life-or-death business to attend to.”

My life, his death. He’s not wrong.

On the way, Amber bombards me with texts. My father calls too, worried. I tell him I’m fine and to stay home. This time, I won’t let him risk anything for me.

As we pull up, I can see on my phone’s security feed that the iron gate to my in-laws’ house has been forced open. A group of large, angry men are storming the yard.

“Which one of you is the Chase heiress? Get your ass out here!”

Amber, dressed down in frumpy clothes with a bare face, sees them, and the smug smile vanishes from her face. She clearly didn’t expect me to be late.

The leader of the group grabs her. I can’t hear what they’re saying, but Amber collapses to the ground, shaking her head frantically.

When we get to the gate, Raymond sees me standing next to him and freezes.

“Miss… you live here?”

“I do. Thanks for the ride.”

As I move to enter, he grabs my arm. “Hey, maybe you should… take a walk around the block or something. Inside, it’s…”

“Amber! What’s going on?” I cut him off, rushing into the yard.

Neighbors are already gathering outside the fence of the three-story house, their eyes glued to the drama unfolding in the yard.

Amber scrambles to her feet and grabs my hand. “She’s the one! That’s Wendy Chase! Wendy, how could you do something so monstrous? We can’t protect you from this!”

A wave of murmurs ripples through the onlookers.

“So it was Leo’s wife who hit that family!”

“She always seemed so quiet and gentle. Who knew she was so vicious? That baby was only a month old… and she ran them over again and again!”

Their words ignite the family’s grief-fueled rage. The man in front of me, the victim’s other brother, shoves me to the ground. “You bitch! So it was you! The expensive clothes, the attitude… it all fits!”

The memory of my last life floods back, and I start to tremble. “It wasn’t me! I didn’t do it! Sir, please, let’s talk about this! Are you sure it was me?”

The man, Kane, snarls. “What, not so tough now, are you? Weren’t you so high and mighty when you were screaming about being the Chase heiress? Scared now?”

I shake my head, turning to Amber. “Amber, you’ve been using my car for the past few days, haven’t you?”

“Shut up! It was you, and you know it!”

Kane raises a knife over my head. Raymond lunges from behind, wrapping his arms around his brother. “Kane, wait! I think something’s wrong here! This woman just got off a plane. She came here with me. I saw her ticket—she hasn’t even been in Southport! I don’t think it was her!”