Salem had given birth less than two weeks ago, yet she was already taking care of all the household chores. Ever since she and her husband had been together, it was as if she had become a different person. I remember when she insisted on marrying while heavily pregnant; our parents were beside themselves with frustration and couldn’t change her mind. She called it a love marriage and claimed her husband and mother-in-law treated her exceptionally well. But during her pregnancy, she seemed more like a live-in maid.

Now, with the baby not even two weeks old, she was still attending to the whole family. Was this what she meant by "being treated well"? In the past, I tried to dissuade her time and again. I counseled her during her relationship, throughout her pregnancy, and even before the wedding. What good did it do? I recalled her boasting, "I had a natural birth. I was up two days later and doing chores by the third day. Even my mother-in-law praised me, saying I was more capable than she was when she had her child!" She took pride in it all.

And where did all my advice get me? This time, I chose to stay out of her business. I turned and headed towards the door, which just then opened. I came face-to-face with Salem's husband, Douglas.

Salem followed him, cradling the baby, her eyes twinkling as she smiled, "Honey, what brings you home at this hour?"

Douglas's eyes lingered on me for a few moments before he replied in a cool voice, "I forgot an important document." Salem followed him as he went inside to retrieve the paperwork. The longer I stayed, the more irked I felt. I quickly turned on my heel and left. The sensation of having dodged a bullet was simply invigorating.

As I stepped outside the building, I took a deep breath of fresh air. Douglas caught up with me, documents in hand, "Liana, how come you have time to visit your sister today?"

I stayed silent, hoping he'd pick up on the fact that I wasn't in the mood to chat. But he pulled out his phone and said, "I've been married to your sister for this long, and yet I don’t even have your number on my phone."

In my previous life, I didn't leave this early.

When Douglas came home, I was still in the bedroom, trying to reason with Salem. Back then, he never mentioned anything about adding me on WhatsApp. But now, behind Salem's back, he's pulling this stunt. Sometimes, a man's lie is as flimsy as a soap bubble—one prick and it bursts. His intentions are just as clear.

I let out a dry laugh. "There's really no need."

He insisted, "But I'm your brother-in-law. Isn't it natural for us to connect?"

"There's really no need."

I refused again, quickly got into my car, and drove home.

As soon as I arrived, Salem called. "Liana, I just saw you from the balcony. You and Doug were talking for quite a while. What was that about?"

A few words count as chatting for ages?

I took a deep breath and decided to fib. "Oh, sis, I was just about to tell you! Doug is so good to you! He went out of his way to ask how you're doing today. He really cares about you!"

Salem's voice lifted with happiness, "Really? And what did you tell him?"

"Of course, I told him the truth—that you're doing great, and you two are as loving and happy as ever!"

Each word I spoke was followed by a silent curse in my head.

Salem was pleased with the praise. "Liana, you're the best!"

I forced a smile and made a bit more small talk before finally hanging up.

No sooner had I finished with her than my mom reached out.

"Liana, you saw your sister today, right? How's she doing?"

The familiarity of her words sent a chill down my spine.

In my previous life, after I died, Salem had revealed everything to our parents. And they said nothing, only urging Salem and Douglas to live their lives well.

After I was buried, they stood by my grave and said, "Liana, we've already lost you. We can't afford to lose your sister, too. You understand, right?

"The arguments between you sisters—it was just a moment of rashness on her part. You got caught up in their marriage issues, so it's understandable she was upset with you.

"Besides, if it weren't for you, we wouldn't have known how much your sister was actually struggling..."