Chapter 1
It was the middle of the night when urgent knocking echoed from outside the door.
Someone shouted, "Mavis, open up! My dad's having a medical emergency. You guys need to get him to the hospital, now!"
My husband, Michael, still half-asleep, rubbed his eyes and started to get up to open the door.
I grabbed his arm, stopping him.
"Shh, don't say a word," I whispered.
In my previous life, Michael and I opened the door out of kindness and helped get that guy's dad to the hospital.
But that single decision ended up destroying our family.
*****
Michael, still half-asleep, rubbed his eyes.
"What's wrong, honey?" he asked.
"His dad's really sick, and they don't have a car. We should drive them to the hospital," he said.
I scoffed.
I said, "If it's really that urgent, why not just call 911?
"Keep the lights off and stay quiet. Act like nobody's home."
Michael gave me a puzzled look, but he still did as I said.
He scratched his head, rolled over, and went back to sleep.
"Mavis, if his dad got worse because we didn't get him to the hospital in time, would you feel guilty?" he asked.
I shook my head, masking the hatred in my eyes.
Feeling guilty?
Not a chance.
They kept banging on the door and just wouldn't quit.
They even started blowing up both our phones, calling us over and over.
Good thing I'd already switched both our phones to silent.
By now, Michael was starting to sense something was off, too.
"That's weird. If nobody answers after a couple of knocks, they should just give up. Why do they just keep banging?" he said, frowning.
"If his dad's really that sick, why isn't he out trying to find a car instead of just knocking on our door?" he added.
They'd been banging on the door for almost ten minutes now.
I tiptoed over to the door, listening for any sounds coming from outside.
"Damn it, nobody's home. What the hell are we supposed to do now?" the guy outside cursed.
He spat on the ground, clearly pissed off.
"Any luck on your end?" he asked.
"No," came the reply.
The guy outside took a deep breath.
"Damn it, what rotten luck. Can't find anyone when we need them most. Hurry up and call 911," he grumbled.
"We can't let the old man die so soon," he said.
Eventually, their voices faded into the distance.
I let out a sigh of relief, catching Michael's shocking eyes.
"Were they... Were they trying to..." he asked, still in disbelief.
I nodded, keeping a serious look.
"Exactly," I said.
Before we finally went to sleep, Michael kept rambling, unable to let it go.
He grumbled, "How could they be like this? What's gotten into them?
"We've been neighbors for years, and we've always gotten along so well.
"How could they even think about setting us up?"
I put my hand over Michael's mouth.
"Shh, let's just get some sleep," I whispered to him.
In my previous life, Michael and I didn't hesitate for a second. We opened the door immediately.
We helped them get the old man, who was barely breathing, into the car.
They kept shouting at us from the back seat, urging us to step on it.
After blowing through a second red light, we crashed.
We ended up sideswiping the car next to us.
Thankfully, it was just a fender bender, no big deal.
But that one little fender bender was all it took for disaster to strike.
By the time we got to the hospital, the old man was already dead.
Our neighbors immediately showed their true colors and turned on us.
They started bawling and throwing a fit, yelling at everyone that we were murderers.
They blamed us for their father's death, insisting it was all because of the car crash.
They claimed the impact made their dad slam the back of his head against the seat, and that was what killed him.
There really was a nasty gash on the back of his head.
Before we could even say a word, the other driver jumped out, accusing us right away.
He shouted, "I'm a witness. They saw my car and gunned it, ramming into my car on purpose!
"They knew there was a sick old man in the car and still did it on purpose. That's just vicious!"
What was even worse was that there weren't any security cameras on that stretch of road.
With the old man dying in our car, we just had to eat it and take the fall.
So we paid up whatever they demanded, just to get them off our backs.
But that still wasn't enough for them.
They showed up outside both our workplaces, brandished his dad's medical records and protested with banners, stirring up trouble for everyone.
They kept yelling that their dad was already on the mend.
They insisted that if it weren't for us, he'd still be alive.
They said their dad was the rock of the whole family.
Now, the whole family was falling apart, with the kids crying and refusing to go to school.
They blamed us for tearing their family apart, saying it was all our fault.
They called us evil murderers, monsters who deserved no forgiveness.
They kept demanding we pay for their living expenses and support their kids, never letting us off the hook.
They were like a bottomless leech, draining us dry and never letting go.
As soon as we paid up for one thing, they'd hit us with another demand.
They expected us to foot the bill for their kids all the way until they grew up.
The moment Michael and I showed even a hint of hesitation, they'd kick off their whole dramatic routine.
They just wouldn't let us have a moment's peace.
They squeezed every last penny out of our savings, and still wouldn't let us go.
One night, they got Michael and I wasted, snatched our ID cards, and maxed out online loans under our names.
The cash went straight into their pockets, leaving us buried under a mountain of debt.
I'd never forget the day the debt collectors came knocking. William was just standing off to the side, watching the chaos unfold like it was his favorite show.
He was munching on some snacks, egging them on with a grin.
He yelled, "These two are shameless murderers!
"Go ahead, beat them to death.
"You're getting rid of scum for everyone.
"Oh, and don't kill the woman. She's got a hot body. You guys should really have your way with her.
"And when you're at it, make sure to invite me along."
Michael and I were brutally beaten to death.
Even after we were dead, they still wouldn't let us rest in peace.
They started livestreams just to trash us online, hyping up their followers to go dig up our graves for kicks.
Thank god for second chances. Somehow, I woke up right back on the day our nightmare began.