Shredding Riches, Sparking Madness

"Victoria? Victoria, snap out of it. It's time to get that patent submitted!" Connor Rachlin, my husband, urged me.

His childhood sweetheart, Juniper Young, flashed me a smile. "That's right, Victoria. I'm about to hand in mine as well. Should I help you submit yours?"

I looked around. There I was, surrounded by my colleagues in the familiar research institute. Dazed, I soon realized I had been reborn.

I walked past Connor and Juniper, grabbed the patent manuscript with data I had accumulated over the years, and headed out. "No, thanks. I can do it myself."

Connor called out to me, audibly upset. "What do you think you're doing, Victoria? Juni was just trying to do you a favor. You didn't have to embarrass her like that."

With feigned pity, Juniper chimed in. "Yeah, Victoria. You don't have to get all hostile toward me."

I paused in my tracks. "You're reading too much into this. I just remembered I have some data that needs amending."

Connor let out a deep sigh. "Okay. Hurry up, then. Time is running out."

I shut the door and stared at the research data I had poured my heart into in my previous life. My hard work had ended up as a stepping stone for his luxurious life.

Bitterness and anger surged through me.

In my previous life, Connor had turned his back on me. He reported me for falsifying data, accusing me of attempting to cheat the government out of a fortune in patent royalties as soon as I submitted the patent.

Overnight, I went from being a celebrated genius researcher to a thief and liar hated by everyone. Meanwhile, he and Juniper were praised as brave whistleblowers and national heroes.

When she publicly accused me of theft and plagiarism, my very own husband took her side, acting heartbroken and disappointed.

"We have proof! What else can you say for yourself? You can't do something as serious as this just because you're jealous of Juni, Victoria!" he berated.

My colleagues at the research institute avoided me like the plague. Each one of them turned against me, pointing fingers and throwing accusations.

"I knew something was off! Her data always looked exactly as mine! Turns out she's been plagiarizing my work!"

"And we said she was kind enough to guide us. What a joke. She probably stole our work to take all the credit for herself!"

"How shameless of her, pretending to help while actually being a thief."

No matter how I tried to explain, my voice was drowned out by their angry yelling.

Connor pointed at me self-righteously and accused me, "You've always been jealous of Juni for being well-educated, but I can't believe you were bold enough to steal her hard work. What are you going to do next? Embezzle state funds?"

"The country invests in us for innovation, not to raise leeches like you!"

"Yeah! You don't deserve to be one of us anymore!"

I couldn't defend myself. Nobody bothered to hear me out.

My colleagues, driven by rage, ganged up on me and beat me so badly that I was rushed to the hospital from massive blood loss.

My parents sold our house and land to pay for my treatment, even borrowing money from every relative and friend they could find. They became haggard overnight.

In the end, I still passed away on the operating table. The doctors couldn't save me.

My parents, branded as the family of a criminal, were harassed and cornered by society until they were driven to their deaths.

After I died, Connor and Juniper successfully claimed my patent as their own and took the credit. With the endless patient royalties, they bought a house in the city, drove a shiny new car, and lived a marvelous life.

My hands clenched into fists as I remembered the details of my past.

This time, I didn't plan on submitting my patent. Instead, I arrived at a nearby pigsty, pulled out the manuscript, and tossed it in.

My hard work got mixed in with pig slop and eaten by the pigs. For once, I actually felt a sense of satisfaction.

Now that I had been reborn, I wasn't about to let history repeat itself. I couldn't wait to see how they were going to accuse me of stealing this time now that the evidence had been destroyed.

Composed, I returned to the research institute.

Connor and Juniper kept peeking toward the main entrance. When they saw me, Connor grabbed me and asked me to help check some data, while Juniper quietly slipped out the door.

I curled my lips in a sarcastic smile. How would the calculative Juniper find my manuscripts now that they were eaten by the pigs? Turn the pigsty upside down?