Turning the Tables on Life

In my past life, I was brought to a riverside villa to live with Wanda. She would personally cook soup for me daily and express her concern. She treated me like a princess.

I'd naively thought my life had changed for the better until I accidentally overheard her conversation with the butler. What I'd heard made a chill run down my spine and destroy my fantasy.

It turned out that a large piece of cement had crashed on two people during the earthquake. Moving it would save one person but fatally crush the other.

At the time, I'd only heard Wanda's pleas for help. I hadn't noticed another young woman underneath the rubble. Wanda had been saved, but her only daughter had been crushed to death. Because of that, she thought of me as her daughter's murderer.

She'd been in the study when talking to the butler. Her voice had been filled with hatred as she said, "Holly York committed murder. She killed my only daughter so she could get her hands on my fortune—she's evil and inhumane!

"My daughter was so young and had a bright future ahead of her, but Holly took all of that away. I'll avenge my daughter and make her murderer pay the price. I'll make Holly pay for this with her life!"

Her words had made my hair stand on end and my blood freeze. I hadn't expected her to think I'd murdered her daughter when I was only trying to save her.

It turned out Wanda had only adopted me because she wanted to keep me by her side as she tormented me. She'd appointed me as the heiress to her fortune so that she could show me what heaven was like before making me fall from it.

The soup she'd made for me daily contained a slow-acting poison. It would destroy my health and render me helpless.

Once the time was ripe, Wanda would take back everything she'd given me and make me descend into the pits of the inferno. She would turn me into the target of everyone's mockery and insults.

Then, she would arrange for me to be brought to a construction site so I could be crushed to death. She wanted me to experience the pain her daughter had been put through.

I'd been horrified upon learning the truth. However, before I could run away, Lila had dragged me into the lake with her.

She felt that being reborn was God's way of making things up to her, and I agreed. I'd been given a healthy body and the freedom to dictate my fate!

I watched as Lila got into Wanda's car. She turned to give me a smug smile.

I lowered my head and dropped my gaze. In my past life, Wanda had forced me to drop out of school so that she could keep me at home. At the time, she'd said, "You're the Lawson family's sole heiress—the family fortune will be yours in the future. Why do you still need to sit for your SATs?"

In hindsight, she'd only done it so she could clip my wings and cut me off from the world. It would make it that much easier for her to control me.

Now, I understood that I couldn't rely on anyone else if I wanted to change my fate. I could only depend on myself.

I wanted to tell Lila that the Lawson family was nothing but a cage. Still, I could only hope that she wouldn't regret the path she'd chosen.

Meanwhile, I needed to return to the original path I'd chosen for myself. I wanted to change my future through education. I would sit for the SATs and change my life!

As Lila had done in her past life, I saved a regular middle-aged man named George Stone from the rubble. He was gravely injured and immediately taken to the hospital. A few days later, I bought some fruit and visited him in the hospital.

He'd used his life savings for his treatment. When he saw me, he gave me the few thousand dollars he had left as thanks. His eyes were red as he said, "I would've died in that earthquake if not for you, miss. I know this money means nothing, but I'll make sure to thank you properly once I've recovered."

I didn't take the money. Instead, I said, "I didn't save you because I wanted you to thank me."

I sat down and started chatting with him. I told him I was a high school student and would be sitting for the SATs in a year.

He smacked his head and said, "My son sat for the SATs last year and left all his notes at home. Will they help you with your studies?"

…

Half a month later, Mr. Stone was discharged from the hospital. He headed home and dug out a bag full of notes before bringing them to my school.

After finishing my assignments for the day, I went through the notes. The owner's handwriting was steady and restrained, yet also graceful and flowing. The notes were neatly arranged, and I couldn't help admiring the unique charm the handwriting contained.

I held my breath and stared at the notes in disbelief. The owner had highlighted each point in different colors. Aside from the teacher's explanations, he'd also included his own understanding and thought process. The depth of his thoughts made my jaw drop. Every mind map and diagram he'd included left me in awe.

I flipped to the first page to see who the owner was—Blake Stone. The name made me feel like I'd been struck by lightning.

Was this the same Blake Stone I knew? The state's top scorer, who was a year above me? The same Blake Stone who'd scored full marks for math and an overall score of 1565?