Mom and Dad Secretly Help My Twin Sisters Go to College

I found a part-time job, and aside from classes, I spent every waking moment in the library. I barely even returned to the dorm to sleep. Despite spending six months at home taking care of my mom—feeding her, cleaning her, and acting like a full-time nurse—none of that wiped away the knowledge I'd worked so hard to retain. I could still recall every detail I'd studied.

Now, more than ever, I was itching to put everything I knew into practice. But before I could fully dive into my studies, my phone blew up with call after call. At first, I answered, but soon enough, it was just one aunt or another, all trying to guilt-trip me into going home.

I remembered why I stayed to care for my mom in my past life. One reason was my grandmother, who raised me. I always wanted to repay her once I was older and earning money. But one night, she went to bed and never woke up again. It was my first encounter with death, and it left me treasuring the fact that I still had both my parents.

The other reason was the constant barrage of relatives telling me to stay home and take care of my mom. They said, "What's the point of school if you lose your mom?" And I listened, terrified my mom would die if I didn't. So, I stayed, diligently taking care of her, only to be rewarded with betrayal and death.

But this time, fate had given me another chance. I wasn't going to sit back and let them manipulate me again.

Aunt Lucy called me. "What's the point of a girl getting all that education? You'll end up married, at home raising kids, and taking care of your husband anyway. And now, your mom's in a terrible accident, and you're ignoring her? She's your own flesh and blood!"

I replied, "She's your sister too. Same parents, right? If you love taking care of people so much, why don't you do it?"

Uncle Max said, "Your mom spent all that money raising you, and now when she needs you, you run off like an ungrateful brat! You're heartless!"

I said, "Didn't my mom give your family plenty of money over the years? Now that she's bedridden, instead of helping out, you're here yelling at her daughter? Where's your heart?"

For every guilt trip they tried to throw at me, I had a comeback ready, each one sharper than the last. I wasn't holding back. My grandmother, the only one who ever truly cared for me, was long gone. These relatives? They didn't care about me, so why should I care about them?

After that, I blocked them all.

I poured my energy into working and studying, determined to build a future for myself. Slowly, life fell into a rhythm. I grew closer to my dorm mates, even Jessica Rees, who had initially been so cold toward me. Now, we were getting along well, though sometimes I caught her staring at me in a way that felt... odd. Almost like she was seeing someone else in me. But hey, everyone had their secrets. As long as it didn't affect our friendship, I didn't care.

While working on campus, I ran into Dakota's rich ex-boyfriend from my previous life. I knew him—his father, Professor Hunt, taught in our department, and I'd even taken one of his classes. Word around campus was that he was starting a new research project, and I was drafting a cover letter to apply for it. I was eager to join the team.

But before I could even send the letter, my dad showed up at Yale—with the police.