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A Step Back

A Step Back

Cerita Pendek · Romance
Oleh:  Waverly MoonTamat
Bahasa: English
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10Bab
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Sinopsis

Reborn

Plot Twists

Bias

Remorse Family

Regret

In my previous life, I shoved the police chief’s daughter out of the way with everything I had. A truck ran over me instead, crushing both my legs. The police department awarded me a medal and I became a hero praised by the entire city. However, when she woke up, she pointed at me and told her father that I tried to kill her. My parents slapped me on the spot. “Why would you try to hurt her?!” My younger brother stood behind them and said quietly, “Henry… I saw you that day. You really did push her…” The driver who hit us claimed I had instructed him to run her down and said I was trying to stage an accident to murder her. I was sentenced to fifteen years. The day I entered prison, I was in a wheelchair. My mother held my brother’s hand and glanced back at me. Her eyes were filled with disgust. “How did we raise a monster like you?” In prison, a gang leader arranged by the police chief gouged out my eyes and slashed the tendons in my hands. I died consumed by hatred. When I opened my eyes again, I was back at that same intersection. A large truck was barreling straight toward the police chief’s daughter. I slowly took a step back. This time, I was not going to save anyone.

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Bab 1

Chapter 1

The blaring horn split the air, sharp enough to pierce my eardrums.

Right in front of me was that same, familiar truck.

It was speeding straight toward Evelyn.

In my previous life, I did not hesitate. I threw myself at her and traded my legs for her safety.

However, what I got in return was fifteen years behind bars and a torture experience straight out of hell.

This time, I slowly took a step back.

A deafening crash rang out.

Evelyn was sent flying. Her body slammed hard onto the pavement and blood pooled beneath her.

The crowd erupted into terrified screams.

Just then, a figure suddenly rushed forward, the very first to move.

However, he did not run toward Evelyn, who was lying in a pool of blood.

He ran straight at me.

It was my younger brother, Dylan.

He grabbed me by the collar. His eyes were bloodshot and his face twisted with rage as he roared, “Henry! Why didn’t you save her?! You were right there!”

His voice was hoarse and thick with anguish.

Camera flashes went off instantly. Phones and lenses aimed straight at us.

Bystanders surrounded us in a tight circle.

“Oh my goodness, is what his brother said true? He just stood there and did nothing?”

“That’s terrifying. He watched a girl get hit and didn’t help!”

“Exactly! He’s a grown man. How hard would it have been to shove her out of the way? He might not have even gotten hurt!”

“Look at him. He’s perfectly fine. And look at that girl. That’s inhuman.”

The accusations crashed over me like waves.

Dylan still had a fistful of my collar. As I listened to their words, I felt nothing but absurdity and a bitter urge to laugh.

A shove? No injury? They made it sound so easy.

I pried Dylan’s hand off me and shot him a cold glance, asking word by word, “Does my life not matter?”

The entire scene went silent for a second.

Then, Dylan stared at me in disbelief and suddenly raised his voice even louder.

“Henry! How can you say that? Your life matters, but doesn’t hers matter too?

“She’s a girl! You’re a grown man! At worst you’d get a scrape or two, but if she got hit, she’d die!

“For the sake of that tiny bit of risk to yourself, you were willing to watch her die? I was so wrong about you!”

Dylan seized the moment and faced the cameras. Tears fell freely.

“Henry’s not usually like this. He gets good grades. He’s kind. He’s our pride… I don’t know what happened to him today…”

Just then, a black sedan screeched to a halt by the roadside.

The door flew open. A middle-aged man in a police uniform rushed out.

It was the police chief, Richard Grant.

The moment he saw his daughter lying in blood, something in his eyes snapped, it was pure madness.

Dylan immediately let go of me and stumbled over to him.

He trembled as he pointed in my direction.

“Mr. Grant! Henry had the chance to save her! He was the closest! But he didn’t move. Not even a single step!”

Richard’s gaze locked onto me, thick with killing intent.

It was the exact same look he gave me the day I entered prison in my last life.

I curled my lip into a faint smile.

Yes, everything had returned.

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10 Bab
Chapter 1
The blaring horn split the air, sharp enough to pierce my eardrums.Right in front of me was that same, familiar truck.It was speeding straight toward Evelyn.In my previous life, I did not hesitate. I threw myself at her and traded my legs for her safety.However, what I got in return was fifteen years behind bars and a torture experience straight out of hell.This time, I slowly took a step back.A deafening crash rang out.Evelyn was sent flying. Her body slammed hard onto the pavement and blood pooled beneath her.The crowd erupted into terrified screams.Just then, a figure suddenly rushed forward, the very first to move.However, he did not run toward Evelyn, who was lying in a pool of blood.He ran straight at me.It was my younger brother, Dylan.He grabbed me by the collar. His eyes were bloodshot and his face twisted with rage as he roared, “Henry! Why didn’t you save her?! You were right there!”His voice was hoarse and thick with anguish.Camera flashes went
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Chapter 2
Those I had risked my life to protect, the family I had once cherished above all, all of them had betrayed me.This time, I would not make the same mistake.Richard stepped forward. Each stride was deliberate. His towering shadow fell over me, enveloping me.The air around us seemed to freeze.He did not say a word.He swung his hand with full force, slamming a harsh slap across my face.The slap sent me staggering, my lip tearing open, and blood flooding my mouth with a bitter, metallic taste.“If anything happens to my daughter, I’ll make sure your whole family pays!”He jabbed a finger at my nose. His voice was ice cold.Before I could steady myself, I heard my mother’s panicked cry from behind, “Henry!”My parents scrambled through the crowd, tripping and shoving, and when they saw the deadly tension, their knees nearly gave out.My mother rushed in front of me. Her eyes flickered when she saw the blood in my mouth.However, she did not ask if I was hurt.Instead, she
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Chapter 3
He looked at them as though they were a pair of filthy ants.After a long pause, he finally spoke. His voice was flat and emotionless.“Cutting ties? Too late.”“If you want me to let you off, that’s fine too.”He paused for a moment. His gaze fell on me, inspecting me like an object.“From now on, your son will leave school and spend each day at the hospital, kneeling and praying for my daughter’s recovery until she wakes.”My parents froze for a moment at his words. Then their faces lit up with wild joy.“Yes! We’ll do it!”They nodded frantically, as though this were a gift from the heavens.“Thank you, Mr. Grant! Thank you!”They got to their feet and tried to drag me along, murmuring nonstop.“Did you hear that? Just kneel! It won’t kill you! This is what will save our whole family’s lives. You better do it!”I yanked my hands free and stood on my own.Back at home, I locked my door.No matter how much they shouted or kicked at the door outside, I ignored them.“Hen
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Chapter 4
When my parents saw the scene, their expressions turned strangely relaxed, as though a huge weight had been lifted.It was as though I were not their son at all, but a problem that had been finally dealt with.Two police officers escorted me toward the squad car.I did not glance back at them once.The car door shut, cutting off all the noise outside.It was quiet in the car.The officer driving did not say a word. Sitting next to me was the middle-aged lead officer. He handed me a bottle of water. His tone was calm.“My name’s Simon Zinn. You can call me Officer Zinn.”“We went through your records. They’re clean. We really can’t believe that you would go and deliberately try to commit murder.”I lifted my head and met his gaze.There was not a trace of panic in my eyes and none of the fear an eighteen-year-old might feel.There was only a deep, bottomless stillness.Officer Zinn looked at me and frowned slightly.“We’ve obtained new evidence.”He paused for a moment,
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Chapter 5
“Officer Zinn, my client Mr. Grant demands that the suspect undergo a lie detector test immediately, with the entire session recorded. We need to ensure procedural fairness.”“Of course.” Officer Zinn nodded.I sat expressionless in the interrogation chair, letting the technicians attach all the sensors to my body.Richard’s team of lawyers seemed pleased with my cooperation.The lead lawyer sat across from me and began the questioning.Each question was razor-sharp and full of traps.“Is it because of your humble background that you resent Miss Grant, who comes from a wealthy family?”“No.”My heart rate stayed as steady as a straight line.“Is it because you’re jealous of everything she has, things you could never have in a lifetime, that you wanted to ruin her?”“No.”“Did you feel a sense of accomplishment the moment you supposedly pushed her into the truck?”“I didn’t push her.”Question after question landed like blows.I answered each one like an emotionless machin
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Chapter 6
What they were met with instead was one police officer after another, hurrying past with increasingly grim expressions.The anticipation on their faces slowly gave way to unease, then confusion.…Less than an hour later, news came back from the hospital.Evelyn was indeed pregnant.The baby was six weeks old.It was said that the moment Richard heard the news, he flipped the entire hospital room upside down, nearly losing his mind with rage.He immediately ordered a total media blackout.Still, it was too late.Officer Zinn had already obtained the hospital’s official medical report.Then the second confirmation arrived.The vehicle forensics expert summoned overnight by the police examined the truck involved in the crash and reached a conclusion that matched my description exactly.The brake system had been expertly and discreetly modified to fail on a timed delay.This was not an accident. It was murder!The direction of the investigation made a stunning one-hundred-an
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Chapter 7
The trace of greed and desperate hope in his eyes was slowly swallowed by fear then despair.He remembered Richard’s murderous gaze.He remembered what happened to pawns who outlived their usefulness.“Wah!”Dylan’s last line of psychological defense finally shattered.He clutched his head and let out a piercing wail.“It wasn’t me! It wasn’t me! It was her! Evelyn told me to do it!“She said if I stood up and accused you, she’d pay off my gambling debts and give me five hundred thousand dollars!“She said everything was arranged! She said you’d definitely go to prison! She said it was just prison, just prison!“I didn’t know… I really didn’t know she’d say you pushed her! Henry! I was wrong! I was really wrong!”His cries echoed violently in the small confrontation room.Through the one-way mirror, my parents witnessed every second of it, their faces bleached white with shock.Their faces turned as pale as paper.My mother’s legs gave out. She collapsed onto the floor.M
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Chapter 8
One voice was Evelyn’s.The other was a young man’s — Jake Lowe.This recording had been captured in advance. I spent a thousand bucks hiring a locksmith to quietly open Jake’s car and slip a tiny recorder under his seat.It was my final gift to him.On the recording, Evelyn’s voice was sharp and venomous, a complete contrast to the fragile image she was projecting in front of the cameras at this moment.“This time, we have to make sure Henry can never get back on his feet. His expression was off when he saw us in the school alley that day. He definitely figured out something!”Jake’s voice soothed her, “Relax, Evelyn. I’ve taken care of everything. I’ve handled the truck driver, Tony. He’ll swear that it was Henry who orchestrated this.“And we’ll bribe that money-hungry younger brother of his to serve as a false witness, proving Henry stood by and did nothing.“Two crimes, served together. He’ll never get out of prison in his life.”The flashbulbs went crazy, aimed at Evelyn
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Chapter 9
The tax authorities, industry regulators, the securities commission, and the police all moved in on Summit Corporation.Richard’s business empire teetered overnight.Every official even vaguely connected to him became a scared rabbit, avoiding him like the plague.Partners canceled contracts, cutting all ties.Banks came knocking, demanding repayment, freezing accounts and pulling loans.The company’s stock plunged for more than a dozen consecutive sessions, wiping out billions in market value, turning stock certificates into worthless pieces of paper.He no longer had the energy to deal with a minor character like me.His apocalypse had arrived.My parents saw the news of the Grant family’s collapse and nearly had their hearts stop.Only then did they realize that the mountain they had been kneeling before was actually a volcano about to erupt.Also, the one they had been desperate to crush, me, was the only lifeline.That night, they rushed to me, dragging Dylan along.Wi
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Chapter 10
“Having second thoughts now?“I’m just helping you finish what you started.”Their faces turned pale and then ashen, rendered speechless.In the end, when money was on the table, even that fragile bond of kinship could not withstand it.Their hands quivered as they signed their names on the agreement.I took the agreement, turned, and left without a trace of attachment.Behind me, their quarrels over money erupted into a fierce cacophony.Half a month later, I heard that Dylan was sentenced to one year in prison for perjury and defamation.My parents, trying to help him serve less time, spent the money I gave them on pleading with anyone who would listen.In the end, a con artist tricked them out of everything.They sold the only house they owned to pay off the debts.Finally, they were left to wander the streets.Some people saw them under the overpass, fighting with other homeless people over half a bun.As for me, I simply read about it quietly in the corner of a news r
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