Take What You Want

I looked around in amazement at the familiar mall layout and the familiar Christmas tree standing in the center, just like in my previous life. The towering 30-foot Christmas tree was covered with decorative gift boxes that sparkled enticingly under the lights.

I took a deep breath, overwhelmed by an indescribable shock. I had actually been reborn, returned to the very day I died so horribly in my previous life.

My mother-in-law, Paula Sutton, turned to look at my husband, Oliver Canning, who was beside her, her voice filled with urgency and excitement. "Oli, look at these gift boxes! They're wrapped so nicely. There must be good stuff inside!"

Paula stood in front of the Christmas tree with the same greedy expression as in my previous life, her eyes fixed on those gift boxes as if she could already see the treasures hidden inside.

Meanwhile, eight months pregnant, I stood there struggling with heavy grocery bags Paula and Oliver had shoved into my hands after their shopping spree.

Ever since Oliver and Paula found out I was carrying a girl, they had been tormenting me endlessly. Not only did they speak to me harshly, but they made do all the heavy lifting when I was heavily pregnant, claiming it would help with delivery.

I kept giving in to them, but they only became more ruthless. It wasn't until that Christmas in my previous life, when they abandoned me in that shoving crowd and left me to be trampled to death, that I finally saw their true nature.

This time around, they wouldn't have it so easy.

Oliver's face lit up with greedy confidence as he glanced at those gift boxes. "Mom, you're absolutely right. The mall wouldn't put on this big event without putting good stuff in these boxes. Did you forget about the gold bracelet I scored last time?"

People nearby heard Oliver's words and looked curious but skeptical. A fashionably dressed young man couldn't help asking, "Dude, are you serious? There's really stuff in these boxes?"

Oliver grinned smugly and patted his chest. "Of course! Why else would they make such a big production? Last time I grabbed a solid gold bracelet here and sold it for thousands!"

I couldn't help but smile bitterly at the mention of the gold bracelet. That had been from a previous mall promotion to attract customers. The store had prepared thousands of balloons, claiming they contained gold jewelry inside.

Oliver insisted on joining the chaos and naturally came up empty-handed. So to keep him from being disappointed, I had quietly slipped the gold bracelet I'd bought as his birthday gift into one of the balloons.

He thought he'd gotten incredibly lucky and became addicted to these events, never knowing it was just me silently making his "wins" possible.

When Paula heard the mention of a gold bracelet, her eyes immediately lit up as if she could see dollar signs. She grabbed Oliver's arm and urged him, "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go grab some! We can't miss an opportunity this good!"