Kill Them With Kindness

"Oh, a child's fever isn't much to be worried about! Just wrap her with a bunch of blankets and force her to sweat out the chill!"

Mindy clutched three thick comforters, piling them over Amy's tiny body one after another. As she mumbled under her breath, she made sure to tuck every single corner tightly right up to Amy's neck.

I burst out in cold sweat, my heart pounding wildly.

I'd just been reborn, back to the night before Amy's high fever-triggered convulsions.

In my previous life, I'd desperately argued with Mindy and tried to pull the blankets off, only to be stopped by Sam, who had rushed in after hearing the commotion.

Because of that moment's delay, Amy's fever spiraled into convulsions.

Later on, at the hospital, Mindy forcefully fed Amy a bottle of cloudy, pungent holy water, causing my poor daughter to go into shock and die of asphyxiation in my arms.

I would never be able to forget how Amy's small hands clawed desperately for breath as she turned purple.

Nor would I ever be able to forget how Sam clamped a hand over my mouth when I tried to call the police, nor how he told me, "We can have another child, so don't kill my mother."

I would never forget how they worked together with those charlatans they called exorcists, and how I was struck with a "holy scepter" until I died.

Hatred surged through my chest like a tidal wave, and for a split second, I wanted nothing more than to storm into the kitchen, grab a knife, and butcher that venomous old hag where she stood.

However, I bit hard on the tip of my tongue, using the pain to force myself to calm down. Now was not a good time to act just yet.

This time, I'd make sure that Amy would leave, and that those two would pay the price!

Pretending like I'd just woken up, I quickly shuffled to the bedside and tore the two topmost comforters away from Amy's body while Mindy was off in the kitchen, leaving only the thinnest layer.

Watching as Amy's breaths became calm, I quickly reached into the bedside drawer, slipped out a fever suppository, and administered it as quickly as I could, using my body to block anyone from seeing me do so.

The moment I finished, Mindy walked in with a chipped ceramic bowl.

The bowl held a murky, cloudy concoction. Flecks of what seemed to be gray ash floated on the surface, and a nauseating stench rose from it.

"Here, I got this holy water from a reputable temple. Feed it to her, and she'll be healed immediately!"

Watching her raise her hand to pour the "holy water" into Amy's mouth, my eyes widened.

That bowl was the very thing that had killed my daughter in my previous life.

Springing to my feet, I deliberately caught my slipper on the floor and crashed towards Mindy with all my might.

"Ouch!"

With a pained cry, Mindy lost hold of the bowl and it shattered against the floor with a loud crack, spraying the filthy liquid all over her pants.

"Don't you even know how to walk? Do you know what lengths I went to to get that holy water?!"

As she pointed at me and screamed, the commotion woke Sam in the next room.

Still wearing his slippers, he rushed into the room and rushed towards me without even sparing a glance at our feverish daughter.

Smack!

A solid slap landed across my face, and I felt my face swelling up, my ears ringing.

"Have you lost your mind, Delia? Mom got that holy water specifically for Amy, so why did you put her goodwill to waste? You made her suffer for nothing! Are you trying to make everyone's life miserable?"

Sam pointed at me and shouted, but my physical pain was nothing compared to the hatred in my heart.

Clutching my cheek, teardrops slid down my face as I fell to the ground loudly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't do it on purpose, I swear! I was just too worried about Amy, so I couldn't even stand properly!"

Crawling over to Mindy, I gripped her pant leg desperately. "I'm sorry, Mindy! I'm sure you were thinking of nothing but the best for Amy!

"B-But maybe… maybe it was a sign! Maybe God thought that the holy would have been too much of a miracle for Amy to bear? Could that have been why they caused this to happen?"

Seeing me so humble and apologetic, Mindy's anger melted away visibly, and she snorted. "At least you know what you did wrong. I did it all for my poor granddaughter's sake, but since it was shattered, she simply must not have been fortunate enough to drink it!"

Sam, satisfied by my submission, gave another dismissive snort. "Alright, stop groveling like someone just died and go mop the floor.

"Mom, go back to bed. Don't waste your breath arguing with her."

I lowered my head and silently fetched the mop, mechanically wiping away the filthy puddle.

'Sam, Mindy, just you wait…

'If Amy isn't blessed enough to enjoy your miraculous remedies…

'I'll make sure every last drop of those blessings is saved for the two of you.'