Winning the Lottery, Losing My Marriage

"Honey, I'll pay the hospital bill. Hurry back to the company—don't let work be delayed."

My husband, Russell Scholl, clutched the bank card loaded with 800 thousand dollars, his words gentle and considerate. Yet, his eyes glinted with the thrill of a scheme already in motion.

In my previous life, I had trusted him completely.

It never once occurred to me that he would take the money meant to save our daughter's life and conspire with my colleague, Kristen, to frame me for embezzling company funds.

I was sentenced to ten years in prison. In the end, my daughter died in the hospital because we couldn't afford her surgery.

Even my parents, unable to withstand the chain of blows, suffered fatal heart attacks and collapsed on the roadside, their bodies left unattended.

Now that I had been reborn, hatred surged wildly through me. I wanted nothing more than to kill the scumbag standing before me—the man who abandoned his wife and doomed his own child.

But doing so would only condemn me to the same prison-bound tragedy as before. It wasn't worth it.

This time, I would make Russell and Kristen Meyer pay in a different way.

I tightened my grip on his hand and said with deliberate weight, "Then I'll leave the hospital bill to you, dear. This is our daughter's life-saving money. Make sure you don't transfer it to the wrong account."

After all, in my last life, Russell hadn't sent the money to the hospital at all. He had transferred it to another account—one Kristen had arranged.

A flicker of unease crossed his eyes. He replied guiltily, "Don't worry. I wouldn't be that careless."

I smiled. "Good."

Then I turned and walked away, the smile vanishing from my face the moment my back was to him.

As soon as I left the hospital, I dialed the police with a cold laugh.

"Officer, I'd like to report a case. Just two minutes ago, I was scammed. 800 thousand dollars was transferred out of my account. Please help me track where the money went."

"800 thousand dollars?" The officer on the other end immediately grew serious upon hearing the amount and opened a case on the spot. "The transfer was very recent. It's fortunate you reported it in time. We'll do everything we can to recover the funds. If you learn anything, be sure to inform us immediately."

I spoke with urgency. "Yes, yes. That money is meant for my daughter's surgery and treatment. Thank you for your help."

After hanging up, a slow smile spread across my face.

I wasn't worried about recovering the money at all. Before long, it would be transferred right back into my account.

This had been Russell and Kristen's method of framing me in my previous life.

But in this life, I would show them what it meant to be outsmarted by their own cleverness.

My phone began ringing insistently. The caller ID showed Kristen.

I deliberately didn't answer.

I didn't need to think to know what the call was about. Kristen was surely urging me to return to the company, so I could walk straight into the trap they had prepared.