Chapter 1 Chapter 1

"Your uncle's talking to you, yet you're zoning out? Show some respect!" Mom's impatient voice jolted me out of my reverie, as if I had been transported back in time. The aroma from the table full of dishes and Uncle Jackson's meaningful smile brought me to my senses. I was transported back to the dinner table on New Year's Eve, where my uncle demanded that I care for my ailing grandmother. He continued, "Is it such a big deal to take care of your grandmother? Stop pretending to be deaf! We've raised you all these years, and yet you're being this ungrateful." When I didn't respond, Uncle Jackson erupted in anger, "Young people nowadays always use attending graduate school as an excuse to shirk their responsibilities." His audacity left me no choice but to retaliate. I slammed the table and stood up. "It's not like the Warren family doesn't have other sons or grandsons. Why should the responsibility of caring for Grandma fall on someone who isn't even a Warren?" Uncle Jackson's face turned pale. "You ungrateful child! I'm asking you to take care of your grandmother to show your respect for her while she's still alive. How could you not appreciate my efforts?" He turned to Mom and said in a displeased tone, "Grace Warren, this is the fine daughter you've raised? And she calls herself a graduate student! Even Wallace, who's a college graduate, has more sense than her!" Mom panicked and tugged at my sleeve, pleading for me to stay silent. I ignored her and retorted coldly, "Exactly. Wallace is a college student, and he has plenty of free time at home. Let him take care of Grandma to repay her kindness to him all these years. After all, she doted on him the most when he was little and gave him so many good things!" Hearing this, Aunt Maria—Uncle Jackson's wife and Wallace's mother—slammed her spoon on the table. "Grace, is this the kind of ingrate you've raised?" Mom felt humiliated when she saw how fearless I was. "Rachel, we're family! Since your grandmother is sick, isn't it your duty to help care for her?" Mom was a people-pleaser who always went along with Uncle Jackson's wishes. If Dad hadn't insisted on transferring the house to my name before he passed, Mom would have given the house to Uncle Jackson by now. This year, Uncle Jackson called Mom on New Year's Eve out of the blue, inviting us to celebrate the New Year at Grandma's house. I knew it was a trap, but Mom was taken in by her family's uncharacteristically warm gesture. She ignored my protests and dragged me along. There wasn't a single dish prepared when we arrived. Uncle Jackson and his family were lounging in the living room, while Grandma groaned in pain from her bedroom. The moment we entered, Uncle Jackson ordered Mom to go out and buy groceries for dinner. Delighted by his attention, Mom prepared a lavish spread of dishes for the New Year's Eve dinner. She waited on Uncle Jackson's family as they devoured the food. Later, Uncle Jackson proposed that I should care for Grandma. To please him, Mom agreed immediately and tried to brainwash me into thinking it was a golden opportunity to show my respect to the elderly. I ended up taking Grandma to my small apartment for the sake of the family's harmony. I had to care for my dying grandmother while preparing for the graduate school examinations. However, the medication that Mom gave me was switched to poison by Uncle Jackson. Grandma died of poisoning, and he accused me of murder for insurance fraud. Although I denied it, the police uncovered a huge insurance policy I took out for Grandma a month before. At the critical moment, Mom even sided with Uncle Jackson. She testified that I harbored resentment toward Grandma for mistreating me as a child, which drove me to kill her. I had no way to prove my innocence and got sent to prison. Uncle Jackson plastered the story all over the internet to crush me completely. The public opinion turned against me, and I became the target of widespread condemnation. Uncle Jackson took over my house and kicked Mom out without a second thought. I was executed in the end, and Mom froze to death outside on a cold spring night. Returning to my senses, I stared intently at Mom. "Family? You might be a family with them, but I'm not a Warren." Mom became visibly annoyed when my gaze bore into her. "Rachel, this isn't how I raised you. Your grandmother is old, and she can't survive if no one is going to take care of her." I suppressed the urge to flip the table. "Grandma has three children and a grandson. Why does it have to be me who has to take care of her?""Your uncle, aunt, and I are all busy with work. How could we possibly have time to take care of her?" Mom said firmly, as if I were being unreasonable. I retorted, "How about Wallace? He's just a lazy college student with nothing better to do. Didn't Uncle Jackson say that young people can learn fast? He should have no problem figuring it out as a college student." Wallace jumped to his feet in anger the moment I brought up his name. "Rachel, you're a heartless ingrate. You are always thinking of ways to shirk your responsibilities! Think about it—you're the only daughter in your family. Won't you need to rely on us in the future? "Taking care of Grandma is an opportunity for you to prove your worth. Otherwise, don't blame us if we remove your name from the family records!" I slammed my utensils on the table, the sharp noise startling everyone. "The issues of the Warren family are your problem. Stop expecting others to clean up your mess! "You never thought of sharing Grandma's inheritance with her other children when her land was being bought over for airport development. But now that she needs someone to care for her, you want to dodge the responsibility and guilt-trip me into taking care of her? "I'm going to make this clear. Children should take care of their own parents. Don't you dare to take the moral high ground and push the responsibility onto the younger generation!" In my past life, my family was destroyed while Uncle Jackson's family earned the admiration of others through their pretentious devotion. Now that I was reborn, I refused to be anyone's pawn.

Chapter 2 Chapter 2

"That's enough!" Uncle Jackson realized I was onto them. He gave Aunt Maria a meaningful glance. She opened the door and hurried outside, crying and wailing as she went. Her loud cries echoed through the quiet village. The nosy villagers loved a good spectacle. When they heard her cries, many of them gathered around to watch. Aunt Maria dabbed at the nonexistent tears once she had an audience. She spoke in an aggrieved tone, "Oh, children these days! After they've grown up and become capable, they start despising their own grandmother! "We thought it'd be good to give her the opportunity of caring for her ailing grandmother, and yet she had the audacity to be disgusted! Not only does she refuse to care for her grandmother, but she's also talking back to her family! What a heartless young woman! Oh, heavens!" Elderly people loved to gossip. When they heard Aunt Maria's words, they quickly joined in on the discussion. "Isn't she the daughter-in-law of the Warren family? Why is she out here crying during the New Year celebrations?" "Didn't you hear her? She said that the younger generation of her family isn't being respectful to their elders." "Who is she talking about? Her niece?" Hearing the chatter among the crowd, Uncle Jackson and Wallace clearly looked pleased with Aunt Maria's theatrics. If she could put on a show, did they think I couldn't do the same as well? Shoving Aunt Maria aside, I sat down on the ground and started wailing loudly. My sudden outburst shocked everyone present, and even Aunt Maria was stunned. I spilled the family's dirty laundry for the crowd to hear. "Grandma is bedridden, but Uncle Jackson and Aunt Maria have been constantly pressuring me to wait on her. My cousin, Wallace, is a college student. He's been doing nothing all day during his winter break for over 60 days. "Meanwhile, I'm stressed out every single day preparing for the graduate school examinations. I really don't have the extra energy…" I cried so hard that I could barely catch my breath. Everyone watching couldn't help but feel moved by my tears. "It's unnecessary for this young lady to take care of her bedridden grandmother. It's not like the Warren family doesn't have other children or grandchildren.""Her own children are still alive and well. Why make the granddaughter take care of the old lady?""Isn't the grandson a college student? If he's so free, why can't he help to take care of his grandmother as well?" Uncle Jackson saw that the crowd's sympathy had shifted in my favor, and some were even starting to point fingers at them in disapproval. He signaled for Mom and Wallace to drag me back inside. However, I lashed out at anyone who approached me with no regard to whoever it was. I continued crying and flailing like a madwoman. Wallace tried to restrain me in anger, but I seized the opportunity to bite his wrist. He yelped in pain and withdrew his hand. Seeing that, Mom's expression was as dark as thunder. Uncle Jackson and his family dropped the act when we were inside the house. They glared at both Mom and I. Mom's gaze was full of disapproval as well. Leaning against the doorframe, Grandma emerged from her bedroom with a darkened expression. "Rachel, is it so hard for you to take care of me? Wallace will be the head of the family in the future. How can you expect him to be a caregiver?" She bent over, coughing violently as she spoke. Uncle Jackson shot me a dirty look. "Why aren't you helping your grandmother back to her room to rest?" Even though I knew the answer, I feigned ignorance and asked the question just to see what they would say. "Uncle Jackson, you and your family have been pushing for me to care for Grandma all day. What's the real reason behind it?" Uncle Jackson looked away awkwardly and said, "It's just what it sounds like. There's no other reason behind it." The question silenced both Aunt Maria and Wallace. Grandma stopped coughing and glared at me angrily. "Rachel, where are your manners? When an elder tells you to do something, you just do it. You have no right to argue. How could you say such heartless things?" Mom's tone was harsh and irritable as she grumbled, "Your uncle's family was kind enough to give you the chance to bond with your grandmother, and yet you've ruined it. Even though you're grown up now, you shouldn't forget your roots!" After all the commotion, it was clear that I wouldn't be caring for Grandma. Uncle Jackson was worried I would stir up more trouble, so he forbade me from going near Grandma. On the first day of the New Year, I stayed in my room to study for my exams while chaos erupted outside. Wallace was forced to help Grandma change her clothes. He held his nose and carried the soiled clothes into the yard, screaming in disgust, "Argh! It's so gross! It's too dirty!" Aunt Maria wasn't willing to help either. She pretended like she couldn't see what was happening. Although Uncle Jackson pretended to be a good son in public, he was far from it at home. He signaled to Mom, who quickly fetched a basin of water. Wallace dropped the clothes into it and refused to do anything more. There was no water heater at the old house, and it took too much time to boil water on the stove. Aunt Maria subtly hinted her reluctance in providing any hot water. In the end, Mom had to wash Grandma's thick clothing in cold water. Grandma was so upset by Wallace's behavior that she refused to eat. That night, I found the poison that Aunt Maria had hidden away on a shelf. I switched it out with the real medicine and disposed of the poison discreetly. On the second day of the New Year, Uncle Jackson and his family woke up early. They were ready to have breakfast before accompanying Aunt Maria back to her parents' home. I deliberately stumbled while serving the meal and spilled hot soup all over Aunt Maria, who was showing off her new clothes. She shrieked in pain, causing everyone to panic. I quickly grabbed a basin of water that I prepared earlier and gave it to her to cool down. Sure enough, the redness and swelling worsened the moment she put her hand in. Blisters began to form on her skin. "You wretched girl! You brought me hot water on purpose. How dare you plot against me?" Aunt Maria exploded in anger. She lunged at me and started yanking my hair. Then, she slapped me hard while uttering curses repeatedly. Suddenly, a striking figure appeared at the door. "Stop this instant!"