My nephew, Jason, came to live with my family for three years while he went to high school in the city.

I took care of him the best I could, never once thinking it was a burden.

The day he got accepted into a top-ranked university, he went live online.

He told thousands of strangers about his miserable life living under someone else's roof.

"I know I shouldn't say this, but I really suffered through it.

"Those days of depending on others… I never want to think about them ever again.

"I just want all parents to know this. No matter how poor you are, keep your kids with you. Even eating scraps together is better than watching another family of three enjoy a feast while you sit alone in the corner."

He became an overnight sensation, so did I.

The people on the internet dug up everything about me. My name, my job, my address. I was doxxed.

I died depressed from the online bullying.

However, I somehow got to do it all over again. This time, I was not going to be the saint anymore.

My nephew, Jason Wheeler, had just been accepted into Thornbridge High, the city's most prestigious high school.

A few days before school started, my sister, Esther, showed up at my door with him.

The moment I saw them, I came out of a daze. The remnants of my memories in my past life reminded me that I had been given another chance at life.

I was back to the exact day my nephew first stepped into my house.

Half an hour before they arrived, I immediately called my in-laws and explained everything to them, asking them to play along with my act.

When my husband, Daniel, heard that Jason was staying over, he thought nothing of it. "It's just a kid living here. Why are you making a big deal over this?"

"This isn't a sleepover," I snapped. "We'll have to look after him for three years. He will be our responsibility. His parents don't plan to handle anything. I'm just his aunt. I can't take this on!"

I added, "Just don't speak later. Let me do the talking."

My in-laws agreed. "Eva is right. Henry is in his senior year, and it's a stressful time for him. Another child under the roof might affect him. If you don't understand that, just shut up!"

Daniel instantly shut up.

When Esther arrived with Jason and bags upon bags of luggage, she was stunned to see that my in-laws were there, too.

She smiled and said, "Mr. and Mrs. Arnold, I didn't know you were here! I'm sorry to bother you!"

She then turned to me and said, "Eva, I was thinking of letting Jason stay here. He got into Thornbridge High, which is close to you. His father and I work out of town, so we'd be relying on you."

Esther then stuffed a wad of bills in my hand, saying, "You know us. We're not educated people. In our family, only you and Daniel are the educated ones. I feel relieved to have Jason living with you."

She added quickly, "He doesn't eat much!"

That was what she said in our past life, too. That thousand dollars was supposed to cover everything. Jason refused to live on campus, and I had to bend over backward to protect his feelings. Out of respect and afraid of confrontation, I accepted.

What did I get in return? A nephew who bit the hand that raised him. Three years of living the good life, yet he blamed it all on me.

Hearing what Esther said at that moment, I did not accept the wad of bills.

"Esther, come on. We're family. We don't talk about money. He can stay over for a few days. Tomorrow, I'll help him register for the dorms. This money should be for his living expenses! A thousand a month is more than enough for a high schooler!"

Esther was a little taken aback.

While she was in a daze, I patted Jason on the shoulder and said, "Thornbridge High has great facilities and good food! Your mother loves you very much, so you have to work hard and make her proud, okay?"

I added, "Your cousin goes there, too. He'll look out for you!"

Esther was just about to say something when my mother-in-law, Mary, chimed in, "Yes. Jason has done well for himself to get into Thornbridge High. The teachers there are responsible, and living on campus is really convenient. You don't have to worry. He can come home for dinners on the weekends. That would be perfect."

Esther's smile stiffened.

I thought that it would be enough and that she would back down, but she did not.

She said, "You've misunderstood me. I don't want him to stay in the dorms. The fees add up over the years, you know, so I was thinking–"

Before she could finish, I immediately pulled her to the side and said, "Esther, my in-laws are living with me. We don't have space here."

"It's fine. Jason can sleep on the couch!"

I deliberately raised my voice. "How could he sleep on the couch? Esther, you'll hurt the kid's self-esteem. You'll make it seem like he is living under somebody else's roof."

I pressed on, "The dorms in Thornbridge High are excellent. Trust me. Spending a few extra thousand would mean better sleep for Jason. He would have easy access to the teachers for help as well. Don't be foolish!"

My son, Henry, chimed in, "Yeah, Aunt Esther. Our dorm supervisors all graduated from top universities. It’s way better than any extra classes outside."

At that, Jason finally said, "Mom, just listen to Aunt Eva. You don't understand these things."

Esther was a little stunned.

After a while, she said, "Son, I'm doing this for you. How could the school's food be compared to your aunt's cooking?"

"It's fine, Mom. I'll just stay in the dorms. Besides, Henry is at school as well, right? He can look after me."

Esther finally said, "Oh, right. That's true."

I smiled at her and handed the wad of bills to Jason. "Here. This is from your mother, for this month's living expenses. Keep them well. You'd need to buy quite a lot of things for the start of the semester."

I then said to Esther, "By the way, Esther, come with me to help with the registration."

Esther was about to refuse, but I immediately grabbed her wrist and said earnestly, "Do you know how few kids make it from the county school into Thornbridge High? As his mother, shouldn’t you meet the teachers and ask them to take good care of him?"

"Jason has real potential," I added. "He will get into a top-ranking college in the future! Don't mess this up!"

Jason immediately said, "Mom, listen to Aunt Eva. What if the teachers treat me unfairly because they never met my parents?"

Esther had no choice but to nod, but she secretly glared daggers at Jason.

I chuckled. This time round, I was not going to be the one footing the bill.

That night, they stayed over at my place. Just like I said, I did not have much space for them, so Esther had to sleep on a mattress on the floor.

The next morning, I took them to school. Henry was a senior, so he left for school early in the morning.

I pulled them along and pointed to the office building by the side. "Go queue up to get registered. I have to have a word with Henry's teacher."

Then, I left.

I was telling the truth, of course. Henry had always been in the top ten of his class. I wanted to know his prospects better.

Half an hour later, when I finished meeting with Henry's teacher, I received a call from Jason.

"Aunt Eva, can you come over quickly? My mom said that she was heading to the toilet, but it had been a while."

I headed over to him to see him pacing on the spot, anxiously. "Aunt Eva, what should I do? It's almost my turn, but my mom hasn't given me the money for the school fees!"

He looked nervous, but it did not reach his eyes. I knew this was one of their schemes.

I took my phone out and was just about to call Esther when Jason stopped me. "Her phone is with me!"

"I'm guessing she'll be back soon. She's an adult. She can't get lost. Stay in line. I'll go and look for her!"

Then, I headed to the security room to have a look at the surveillance footage.

When I left home, I brought a packet of cigarettes with me. For the past three years, I had gotten quite close to the security guards. I handed him the packet of cigarettes and told him that Esther was missing. I wanted to look for her.

The security guard offered to help, showing me the surveillance footage. Sure enough, I saw Esther hiding around the office building.

I snickered and headed over there. Esther thought I did not know what she was trying to do. She wanted to wait until I paid for the school fees before showing herself again.

I went up to her from behind. "Esther, there you are!"

She jumped and turned to look at me with an embarrassed smile. "I-I got lost!"

"Jason has been searching for you for a long time! It's time to pay his school fees. Come, we'd better get going!"

Then, I pulled her along. "Look around. Isn't the environment great? You don't have to worry about Jason going to school here."

Esther smiled but said nothing. When we arrived back in line with Jason, she wanted to put on another act by pretending that she forgot her purse. I immediately said I had to answer a call and left.

The 'call' lasted for half an hour. I looked up and smiled at them from time to time before lowering my head down once more, pretending that I was on a call when I was in fact listening to music.

Esther had no choice but to pay the school fees. Once she did that, I kept my phone and returned to them.

"Is he registered? Let's have a meal before heading home!"

I added, "Jason, you'll be staying in the dorms tonight, right?

"Well, Esther, you should head back to work. Next time, you can just wire his money over to him."

Esther replied, "I can't join you. Robert is waiting for me at home. Jason, just stay here.

"Thank you for accompanying us today, Eva. I'll get going right away!"

This felt odd, but I did not give it much thought as long as Jason was not staying in my place.

Thus, I headed straight home.

On Friday evening, Jason came home with Henry for the weekend. I was alright with it, but this time, I was not going to cook up a feast like before.

I made a simple meal and even divided the fruits and snacks equally. One portion was for Henry in his room, while the other was for Jason.

Jason's eyes were gleaming with jealousy when he saw Henry entering his room. I could not care less about him, though.

Henry was my son. He was a senior. Of course, he would be treated differently from Jason.

I took out my phone and made a video call to Esther. I guessed that they must be having dinner at that moment, too.

The moment the call was picked up, the camera was aimed at the dining table. I had a look, and my eyes sparkled!

"Esther, you guys are having a feast! There's even lobster! That costs like two hundred per lobster!"

Esther smiled at me and said, "Hugo was asking for it, so we bought one for him to satisfy his cravings. By the way, Jason, how are you?"

Jason was staring at the lobster. If he were not in my place, he would have thrown a huge tantrum. After a long time, he said indifferently, "Not bad."

"Jason, listen to me–you have to study hard. Your father and I are working ourselves to death just to raise you and your brother. You better be good, or I'll come after you!"

I interjected, "Esther, what are you saying? This week is his first week. He's still adapting to the new environment. You should be asking him how his week went and whether he has enough money!"

Esther smiled. "You're right.

"Jason, look. Hugo got full marks again in his exams! He'll surely get into a good college someday!"

Jason stood up stiffly. His fists clenched tightly. He said icily, "I'm tired. Aunt Eva, I'm heading to bed."

I hung up the call and switched off the lights in the living room before heading to bed.

My in-laws would stay over at ours during the weekends, so Jason could only sleep on the couch.

Looking through the surveillance footage of the living room, I could see Jason taking his phone out to text Esther. I could not see what he was writing, but he clearly looked mad.

Of course, this had nothing to do with me.

The weekend passed by peacefully. On Monday, I took them both to school. Halfway through the day, I received a call from the school.

I was alarmed. Did something happen to Henry?

I answered the call only to find out that it was Jason's teacher calling me.

"Are you Jason's guardian? Could you please come to school? He got into a fight."

I was stunned. I was just about to reply when I remembered that this scenario happened in our past life as well.

Jason got into a fight with his classmate over an electronic tablet. Not only did he smash the tablet, but he also hit his classmate on the head.

I had to run around, apologizing and making compensations. I ended up forking out more than 40 thousand.

I was not going to be the fool again this time.

I immediately replied, "Miss, I'm actually Jason's aunt. I'm on a business trip right now and can't arrive back on time. Let me give you his mother's contact!"

Jason said over the phone, "Aunt Eva, could you get Uncle Daniel to come?"

I replied, "Jason, don't worry. I'll get your mother to talk to your teacher. Let me contact Uncle Daniel first."

I hung up and called Daniel. I asked him to get a lawyer to contact Esther and deal with the matter. After all, this should be handed to a professional.

Sure enough, half an hour later, Esther called me and yelled the moment I picked up, "Eva Nobles! What the hell are you doing? Jason got into a fight at school, yet you wouldn't even go to see him! I knew I couldn't count on you!"

"Then, you shouldn't! You're his mother. You don't care about him, yet you expect me to rush back from my business trip? I've never once seen such an irresponsible mother!"