At six months pregnant, my sister-in-law insisted on following social media influencers and doing prenatal workouts.

At the gym, she and the fitness trainer hit it off and sneaked into the locker room for some illicit activity.

An accident happened, resulting in her miscarriage.

She blamed it all on me.

My brother resented me, my mother blamed me and my sister-in-law's family poisoned me, forcing me to fall to my death.

Now reborn, I find my sister-in-law picking out a prenatal fitness trainer and asking for my advice.

——

"Hey Daph! Can you come over and help me decide which fitness trainer has more experience? I could really use your expert eye on this!"

My sister-in-law, Juniper Laws, was standing there with her six-month pregnant belly, waving eagerly for me to come over.

I stood there, my eyes as wide as saucers, rooted to the spot as if I’d just seen a ghost.

I pinched myself hard, the sudden sharp sting a jarring reminder that this was all too real.

Wait a minute... wasn’t this Juniper’s parents' house?

Could it be that I had been reborn?

In a haze, it felt like the searing agony of the poison tearing through my organs had happened only seconds ago.

I had been poisoned, my mouth foaming and my body wracked with convulsions, while Juniper and her family moved my limp form and hurled me from the 22nd floor, carefully orchestrating it to look like a suicide.

As my final breath left me, I could almost hear the sickening, sharp snap of my bones breaking.

As my soul drifted out of my lifeless body, I watched Juniper clapping her hands in satisfaction. I turned my gaze to her parents and couldn’t help but think, "Well gee, thanks, Aunt and Uncle! You’re actually cleaning up your own mess!"

When my mother and brother Randal came back and found out about my death, they didn’t shed a single tear.

"Daphne knows she’s the one who caused the death of my precious grandson. She’s so overwhelmed with shame that she can’t even face anyone—she’s off trying to atone for her sins!"

My mother’s icy, cutting words sent a shiver down my spine, cutting through me like a cold wind.

It all began when Juniper asked me to help her book a fitness trainer.

At six months pregnant and restless at home, she was endlessly scrolling through videos.

That’s when she came across a pregnant vlogger who, despite her big belly, had zero extra fat on her body—thanks to her dedicated workouts.

As Juniper gazed at her ever-expanding belly, her urge to dive into prenatal fitness grew stronger with each passing day.

Yet, her mother and Randal were firmly opposed to the idea of her joining any such program.

This baby was the culmination of her mother’s fervent prayers to the heavens for three long years and Randal had sacrificed smoking and drinking, putting in tremendous effort just to make this dream come true.

But Juniper didn’t seem to share their sense of seriousness about her pregnancy.

"All I need to do is pick a skilled fitness trainer and everything will be fine, right?"

"Besides, if other influencers can do prenatal fitness, why can’t I?"

I remembered a piece of my past. In the heat of summer break during college, my mom and Randal were relentless. They insisted I stay close to Juniper and keep a watchful eye on her. Even when I was back in hometown for just a few days, they had me under surveillance, making sure I stayed by her side.

In my previous life, Juniper was adamant about me taking her to the gym. When I refused to go along, she retaliated with an ultimatum—a hunger strike.

I had no choice but to look up the rules online. The experts reassured me that, with caution, moderate exercise could be safe during pregnancy.

So, with a resigned sigh, I dropped Juniper off at the gym.

It didn’t take too long, Juniper immediately hit it off with the trainer who had abs that looked like they were chiseled from stone. They struck up a lively conversation and before I knew it, they’d scheduled extra private sessions together.

“Daph, I’m going to start working out now. Come pick me up in two hours.”

Juniper was trying to get rid of me.

With the gym trainer’s help, they headed into the changing room.

Less than two hours later, Juniper suddenly called me, her voice filled with pain.

“Daph, come pick me up and take me to the hospital!”

I raced into the gym and was met with a scene that made my heart drop. Juniper lay sprawled on the yoga mat, clad only in a yoga top, her face an unusually shade of red. She was gasping for air, writhing in pain, with a disturbing pool of blood forming beside her.

The gym trainer, drenched in sweat and visibly shaken, stood there looking helpless. I recalled that he had arrived in workout pants, but now he was down to a pair of tight shorts.

Without wasting a moment, I scrambled to get Juniper to the hospital, my mind racing. I considered calling my mother and Randal to bring them over.

However, Juniper grabbed my phone and said, “Daph, please, don’t tell my husband or mother-in-law. They didn’t want me to go to the gym and if they find out I lost this baby because of this, I’m finished!”

I looked conflicted. “But with something this big, how are we even make up an excuse?”

Juniper’s eyes darted around. “We’ll just say we were walking and had a little falling accident.”

Since Juniper married into my family, she had endured a relentless stream of bullying from my mother.

Yet, everything changed once Juniper became pregnant. Suddenly, my mother started treating her with newfound respect, transforming her into the cherished darling and little princess of the family.

As a fellow woman, I understood Juniper’s struggles and agreed to help her keep the truth hidden.

Yet... in previous life, Juniper was hospitalized soon after the bleeding incident at the gym. At that time, she asked me to go to her parents’ house to grab some clothes for her.

I had just gathered the clothes and was about to leave when her parents suddenly restrained me, forcing me to drink a cup of poisoned milk tea.

My limbs convulsed, foam gushing from my mouth, but they still wouldn't let me go.

Juniper's mother spat at me viciously. "You wretch! How dare you bully my daughter! You deserve to die!"

I didn't even have a chance to explain before I was pushed out the window. I plummeted to my death, the sickening sound of bones breaking echoing in my ears.

Later, as my soul drifted from my broken body, I saw my mother and Randal. They didn't shed a single tear. Instead, they stood beside Juniper, hurling curses at me.

"Daphne got what she deserved!"

"She probably killed herself out of guilt for causing my precious grandchild's death!"

***

In that instant, the agonizing memories of my previous life came rushing back.

The truth hit me like a bolt of lightning.

Juniper's miscarriage hadn't been caused by overexertion at the gym. It was due to some shameful secret.

I had exhausted myself covering for Juniper, only to become the scapegoat who paid with my life.

I clenched my fists!

Now that I had been reborn, there was no way I'll let you kill me again!

“Daph, I’ve booked a session with a trainer. Can you drive me to the gym in a bit?”

Juniper stood up and started packing her bag.

She was dressed in a pristine white dress and tucked away in her bag was a set of sleek sports underwear, ready for whatever came next.

“Juniper, I have an important class coming up. I can’t take you.”

I turned my gaze away, striving to keep my voice steady and casual, though it felt anything but.

Upon looking around, I recognized the familiar surroundings belonged to Juniper's parents' house.

Out of the blue, a realization hit me like a cold splash: I had been so naive. We were just two college students, each with our own lives and dreams.

Yet here I was, ensnared by my mother's unyielding expectations and Randal's relentless pressure, doing my best to cater to Juniper’s every whim. And in the end, it was that very surrender that had led me to my own demise.

Juniper was quick to express her displeasure. "Daphne, what important class could you possibly have?"

"Aren’t you on summer break? Besides, your brother told you to take care of me. If you don’t drive me, I’ll tell Mom and Randal that you’re bullying me on purpose."

My mother had always been the model of favoritism, treating Randal like royalty while leaving me in the shadows. No matter what happened, she would invariably side with him first.

When Juniper got pregnant, her family instantly became my mother’s new “protected ones.”

If Juniper had ever whispered a complaint about me, I would have braced myself for a tempest of punishment and scorn.

In the past, I would have been scared and obedient.

But at that moment, I had coldly retorted, "Juniper, if I had told them you insisted on going to the gym, do you think they would have let me take you?"

Juniper's face had instantly darkened.

She pointed a finger at me and said, "What’s your deal today? Are you trying to make me gain weight just because you see how well your mom and brother treat me? Is this your way of getting back at me?"

I didn't say a word. I swiftly grabbed my things and turned to head out.

Juniper was at her family’s home with her parents to look after her. Why should I be her free labor?

I was done putting up with it.

As I pushed the door open, Juniper, seething with anger, snatched an ashtray from the table and flung it at me.

I sidestepped with a sharp move and the ashtray crashed into the door, exploding into shards.

All she got in return was the resounding slam of the door as I walked out.

This time, I wasn’t going to tolerate any more of her nonsense.

She could find someone else to bother.