LOGINTwo weeks later.Sophie's case went to open trial.Charges: fraud, attempted arson, and disorderly conduct.The evidence was airtight.Videos, recordings, chat logs, testimony from multiple landlords, and the body-camera footage from that night.Sophie stood at the defense table.She'd wasted away, her face ashen, eyes sunken into dark hollows.Faced with the mountain of evidence, she had nothing to say.When the judge read the verdict:"The defendant, Sophie Larson, is found guilty on all counts and sentenced to fifteen years in prison, with an additional fine of..."She collapsed into her chair as if her spine had been pulled out.Her lips, white as paper, trembled."Fifteen years."She murmured."It's over. It's all over."I sat in the gallery, one hand resting on my barely showing belly.Watching her being led away.The weight that had been hanging over me for so long finally lifted.Fifteen years?No. For her.Those fifteen years were enough to destroy her entire life.When she go
The lights were dim in the night.The dark figure approached, step by step.Sophie stood at the door, bundled head to toe.Only her eyes were visible, bloodshot, threaded with red.Like a cornered animal gone rabid.She held the red plastic canister in one hand, a lighter clenched in the other."Claire!"She screamed, the sound ripped raw from deep in her throat."Get out here!""Why did you have to ruin me?""I have no job now, no reputation, nowhere to live!""This is all your fault!"I stood inside the door, my hand locked around the fire extinguisher.My other hand pressed firmly against my phone screen, making sure 911 dispatch could hear every sound."Sophie, what you're doing right now is arson."I spoke through the video doorbell, my voice cold."There are over a dozen families in this neighborhood. You want to take them all down with you?"She faltered, clearly not expecting me to be this calm.Then she laughed.A manic, unhinged laugh."Arson? Ha. Look at me. You think I care
A few days later.Sophie was released.No one had been physically hurt, so she got a few days in custody and a three-hundred-dollar fine.She came back to collect her things.She'd lost a lot of weight.I knew she was seething.Hating me for costing her the job, for making her a pariah.But I didn't care.Because I had far more important news.For the past few days, I'd been unusually tired and couldn't stand the smell of cooking.I went to the doctor. The results came back.Early pregnancy. Six weeks.I touched my still-flat stomach, my fingertips trembling.In my last life, at this exact point.I was lying in a hospital bed after the miscarriage, staring at the ceiling in despair.In this life.My baby had come back.I took a photo of the ultrasound and posted it on social media.The caption:"Hello, little angel."I made sure not to block Sophie.Less than two minutes later.A message request from Sophie popped up.The note read:"Enjoy it while it lasts."Those words might as well
People even showed up outside her place.Blocking her door, demanding she "explain herself."I watched it all unfold.Not a shred of sympathy.Sophie. This is the "clout" you wanted.Enjoying it?She clearly hadn't seen any of this coming.She bombarded me with private messages."Why are you doing this to me?""I already apologized! What more do you want?""Are you trying to kill me?!"I didn't reply.Then I watched the crowd outside her place grow bigger and bigger.All I felt was satisfaction.But it wasn't enough.A person like Sophie, backed into a corner, would always fight back.At ten that night.Frantic footsteps echoed outside my front door.Then violent pounding."Claire! Get out here!"It was Sophie.Her voice was hoarse, unhinged."You ruined me! You ruined everything!""You can't do this to me!"Daniel looked at me nervously."Should we call the police?"I shook my head and set down my fork."Not yet.""Let her keep going.""If she damages the door, that's one more charge.
Then they dug up my workplace.Someone found my husband's information.Someone even tracked down my parents' address.My phone buzzed so violently it felt like it might shatter.All unknown numbers.Harassing texts, one after another."Evil landlord, drop dead!""People like you, why don't you just go rob someone?""You think you'll have kids someday? Any kid born to someone like you would be garbage too!"I stared at that vicious curse.My knuckles went white.In my last life, it was exactly like this.I was two months pregnant at the time. They didn't just attack me. They went after my unborn baby.The rage sent me hemorrhaging until I miscarried.I forced the fury down.Sophie. Since you're willing to drag my family and my child into this.Don't blame me for showing no mercy.My husband, Daniel, came home from work, his face like thunder.The moment he walked in, he threw his briefcase onto the couch."The company got complaint calls today.""They said my wife is a heartless landlor
Sophie's fingers curled involuntarily, clutching the hem of her shirt."What... what's off?"The technician looked up at her."The hinge is fractured, and there are scratch marks all around it.""Someone clearly used a lot of force to wrench this open, over and over.""Normal use would never cause this kind of damage."Sophie's face went white as paper."That's... that's not true!""It's obviously a defect!"She was practically shouting, her voice shrill.The technician scoffed."Miss, I've been fixing fridges for twenty years.""Whether it's a defect or deliberate damage, I can tell at a glance.""If you don't believe me, I can write up an official assessment report.""And if the manufacturer's findings come back the same, your warranty is voided and you'll have to pay for the repair yourself."Sophie went completely silent.Her lips trembled, mouth open, but nothing came out.I stood to the side, watching her with a half-smile."Well, well. So it was deliberate.""Please go ahead and







