I accepted without a moment's hesitation. I knew exactly why he was being so generous—he wanted to lock me in before I could change my mind.

After we hung up, I went right back to enjoying my trip.

I took photo after photo, filling my camera roll until it was bursting. Looking at all those pictures, I felt a quiet certainty settle over me. The way things stood now, I wasn't the least bit afraid of those two shameless women stirring up trouble.

I spent the entire day out exploring, and by the time I dragged myself back to the hotel, I didn't even bother showering. I collapsed onto the bed and was out cold the instant my head hit the pillow.

I was that exhausted.

Somewhere in the haze of deep sleep, my phone rang.

Aunt Patricia's voice came through, tight with panic: "Jennifer, come quick! I fell!"

The sound jolted me awake like a bucket of ice water. It was exactly the same as last time—the same call, the same desperate tone, the same hour of the night.

Last time, I'd scrambled out of bed and rushed to her apartment without a second thought.

But this time around? Why would I care whether she lived or died?

"Aunt Patricia, I'm traveling. And at this hour, I couldn't get a flight back even if I wanted to."

"You've got enough energy to call me—why not call Uncle Harold instead?"

Silence stretched across the line.

Then her voice came back, sharp and urgent: "Jennifer, you book a flight back right now!"

"I fell! You need to come back and take care of me!"

"Don't worry about the ticket—your cousin will pay you back when he gets here!"

I listened to her and let out a small laugh. "Aunt Patricia, there's nothing I can do. It's the holidays. Even if I wanted to fly back, I couldn't get a ticket now."

"Besides, I still have so many places I haven't been to yet."

"And honestly? Instead of wasting time calling me, you'd be better off calling the hospital."

In my previous life, I'd dropped everything and rushed to her house the moment I heard. I'd even called the hospital myself. They sent people right away—and I was the one who covered the medical bills out of my own pocket.

And what did I get in return? Betrayal. From every last one of them.

So in this life, their problems were no longer mine.

The second I finished speaking, Aunt Patricia's voice exploded through the phone. "Jennifer, what are you saying?!"

"I'm your aunt!"

"I'm lying here on the ground, and you won't come back?!"