I Listened to Future Me and Paid the Price

Kieran rushed over when he heard that I'd won a car. He stared at the new ride like he could not bear to look away.

"Congrats, Evangeline!"

"You made it, Kieran. Come on. Take it out for a spin." I nudged his shoulder and pushed him into the driver's seat.

He cautiously slid into the driver's side. The moment his hand touched the wheel, his eyes lit up.

He kept whispering, "This is such a great car."

I watched Kieran cling to the car as if it were his one true joy. The memory of his crash in my last life hit me hard, so I handed him the keys.

"Evangeline, what are you doing?" He looked shocked.

I smiled at him. "Take it, Kieran. Your old car has been around forever. It's about time you got yourself a new one."

Kieran looked embarrassed, but he never stopped touching the wheel.

"You won this. I shouldn't be the one driving it."

"It's cool. After all, we're family. Why act like strangers? A great car should go to someone who actually appreciates cars, right?"

After hearing that, he finally accepted my offer. "Alright, then."

He drove away in the BMW with a bright smile on his face.

I'd made a different choice this time. Thus, nothing should go wrong.

But before I could relax for the night, the hospital called.

"Ms. Evangeline Parker? Your brother, Kieran Parker, was in a car accident. Please come to the hospital at once."

"An accident?" I froze at the news. "There's no way. He just switched to a new car today!"

"His condition is severe. Please hurry."

Having received the news, I reached the hospital in a daze.

I did not understand why he'd crashed again. I had made sure that he stayed away from that old car. So, how did this still happen?

My voice shook when I asked, "What happened to Kieran?"

My sister-in-law, Brielle Bauer, arrived before I did. She cried so hard that her voice broke.

When she heard the sound of my voice, she charged at me and grabbed my throat. "You bring bad luck!

"Had he not dragged himself out of that wreck and been seen by someone passing by, my newborn kid would've been left fatherless!"

"Ma'am, please calm down."

The nurses pulled her away and explained, "Mr. Kieran Parker drove on a mountain road. He went off the cliff. When the ambulance arrived, they only saw a few pieces of the car on the side of the road. The rest fell down the cliff.

"He was covered in blood, and his face was so bruised that it was hard to recognize him. We used an ID that fell nearby to confirm his identity."

"His car is brand new. It should not have caused any problems." My voice shook.

Brielle's anger toward me only grew. "You know he loves cars. If you did not push him to try the BMW out, would he have crashed at all?"

Did I inadvertently hurt Kieran again? But how?

The doctor said, "The new car is vastly different from what he usually drives. He may have misjudged its speed when he took the turn. That caused him to lose control of the vehicle and drive off the cliff."

The words hit me like a bolt of lightning. My legs almost gave out beneath me.

"How could it be? I saved him by keeping him away from that old wreck," I thought.

But in turn, he'd fallen off a mountain cliff because I wanted him to try out the new car.

Did my stubborn choice put him in danger again?

Dad stood nearby. "This is not your fault. You only wanted him to drive something safe."

Mom held me close. "He was treated right away and is out of danger now. He will get better."

I cried in her arms until I could not seem to breathe properly.

Mom and Dad worried that I would drown in guilt, so they watched over me day and night. They kept checking on me, their concern for me clear in their actions.

Their loving warmth gradually helped me calm down, and my mood slowly lifted.

During this time, I suddenly remembered how things had unfolded in my last life, and that the mysterious person would soon warn me to watch out for Mom and Dad.

I never pressed the accept button, but the call somehow connected on its own. "Evangeline, I am sad that Kieran got hurt, too, but this is not your fault.

"Trust me on this one. Do not drink that soup. They want to take you to the hospital and cut out your heart for him."