Awakened After Death

My mom kindly took in the daughter of her deceased friend.

Unexpectedly, the girl smoked, drank, fought, and refused to improve. She even fell madly in love with the school bully and jumped into a river to prove her love for him.

My mom tried to save her, but the girl pushed her head underwater. The girl was rescued and embraced by the bully, but my mom drowned.

Reborn, I stopped my mom from jumping in, but she shoved me into the river, shouting, "Why isn't it you jumping in?"

"Help! Someone, help me!" I heard loud cries for help.

When I opened my eyes, I was back to the day my mom's foster daughter, Edith Kellie, jumped into the river.

My mother, Evelyn Newbury, leaned over the railing, her heart sinking and rising with Edith.

In my previous life, Evelyn had jumped in without hesitation, only for Edith to push her head underwater. The result? Evelyn had drowned, while Edith had been saved.

I lost my mother and endured two years of bullying by Edith and the bully. They even forced me to jump into the same river.

"Help!" Edith's voice grew weaker.

Evelyn was about to jump in, just like in my previous life. Only I knew Edith had planned everything. She wouldn't put herself in real danger. Evelyn's rescue would only hinder her drama.

That was why she had pushed Evelyn's head as punishment in my past life, not actually intending to kill Evelyn.

I had learned the truth while mourning Evelyn.

I had cried and confronted Edith, but the bully had knocked me down with a kick. Their laughter had reverberated through the mourning hall.

The humiliation and hatred overwhelmed me. This time, I rushed to stop Evelyn.

I said, "Mom, don't be reckless. You can't swim. I've called the police."

But she turned to me with a twisted face. Before I could react, she slapped me hard and yelled, "Why isn't it you jumping in? You deserve to die."

The sting on my face hadn't faded when she pushed me into the river. The icy water in the middle of winter instantly pierced my body.

I struggled helplessly, reliving the feeling of drowning from my past life. Tears rolled down my face as I looked at her in disbelief.

I didn't understand why she did this to me. I was her biological daughter.