Rain poured nonstop, thunder cracking across the sky.
In a rusted old shipping container, Evelyn Schmidt sat tied up. Her clothes were ripped, and her body was full of cuts and bruises. Not a single spot of her was unscathed.
“You cheating scums!” she shouted, her voice rough and desperate. Blood dripped from her lips, pooling below her.
“I’m so sorry, Evelyn,” said the woman next to her with a tiny shake of her head. Her voice sounded apologetic, but her smile was twisted. “If you stay alive, Seth and I can’t enjoy this money in peace. Can you get it?”
Evelyn glared at Alice Schmidt, then turned to look at her husband, Seth Foster, who didn’t say a word.
She never thought the two people she trusted most would betray her like that.
“Seth, we’ve been married for over 20 years. You dragged me into embezzling funds, and now you want me dead so you can blame it all on me and disappear with the donation cash? Do you have no conscience?”
“Conscience?”
Seth sneered. The face she once loved now looked so unfamiliar. “You should be honored. Thanks to you, we’ll live easily for the rest of our lives.”
Evelyn’s heart sank. She couldn’t believe how shameless he was.
Her vision faded from the blood loss, and she had to grit her teeth just to stay awake.
“You’re so cruel, Seth!” she shouted, anger rising.
As soon as the words left her mouth, Seth kicked her in the stomach, a searing pain tearing through her insides.
There was a scar from her C-section when she gave birth to Alex.
Thinking of that child, Evelyn felt her heart hurt even more.
Alex had died in a car crash when he was only six. Seth never cared and said it was just bad luck.
“If Alex saw who you truly are, there’ll be nothing but hate!” Evelyn cried.
Seth’s eyes burned with rage in an instant. He slapped her hard. “Don’t bring that brat up! Wasn’t that Philip’s child? Did you think I’d raise his child? That brat got exactly what was coming!”
Philip?
A scene flashed in her mind—a man in a clean-cut military uniform stood under the sunlight, smiling as he gave a perfect salute.
She went blank for a second, then smiled bitterly. “I turned down Philip for you. And now you’re saying Alex was his? You’ve lost it!”
“You’re who’s lost it!” Seth snapped.
Back when Evelyn told him she was expecting, he’d been away for a month for training. Philip Gibson had gone with her for a checkup.
Why would Philip be so eager if he wasn’t her lover?
Seth yanked her hair and dragged her deeper inside the container, blood smearing the ground in her wake.
He shoved her into a corner. “Sit tight and wait to die. Once they realize you and the cash are gone, they’ll come looking. But by then, it’ll be too late. The dead can’t speak.
“I’ll be off with Alice, starting fresh abroad.”
Seth looked at Alice with tenderness. “If it weren’t for you, I would’ve married her a long time ago. I’ve been sick of you for ages. It’s finally over.”
“My dear sister, enjoy yourself.” Alice smiled. She leaned in and whispered, “Since you’re not gonna make it, here’s a little secret—I’ve always hated you and wished you dead. I was the one who planned Alex’s death and started all those rumors about you and Philip.”
Lightning cracked the sky, lighting up Alice’s twisted smile before everything went dark again.
The container lid groaned shut like a final breath.
Evelyn was left trapped in the pitch-black container, waiting for death.
She stared into the darkness with widened eyes, tears sliding down her face.
She hated herself for not being able to see their true colors.
If there was another life, she swore she’d change her fate and stop the tragedy from happening again.
…
A blaring alarm jolted Evelyn awake. She sat up abruptly, soaked in sweat.
“Evelyn, you’re awake?” someone said nervously next to her.
She recognized the voice instantly.
She turned stiffly and saw the 21-year-old Alice.
Alice wore a floral nightgown, the same one from their senior year. Her hair hung down over her shoulders and was held back with a pearl-shaped clip that showed her smooth forehead.
It’s impossible.
Wasn’t I supposed to die in that container? How am I back here?
“Did you have a nightmare? You’re sweating.” Alice forced a smile, trying to wipe Evelyn’s sweat.
Evelyn dodged. Then, her eyes landed on the wall calendar.
It was February 26, 1983.
She’d even marked the calendar on the day she’d defend her thesis.
Only ten days left till graduation.
Had she just had a nightmare? One where Alice and Seth were trying to kill her?
While she lost in thought, Alice moved her hand toward her bedside and smiled brightly. “Relax. It was just a nightmare. You’re fine now. Come on, get up. We’ve got class this morning, remember?”
They were in the same major at the same university, so their classes were identical.
“You go first. I’ll be right there,” Evelyn said, face darkening.
Alice hesitated, clearly reluctant to leave. “Don’t be late, or we’ll miss Dad’s ride.”
As Alice headed to the bathroom, Evelyn slipped a hand under her blanket and pulled out an envelope.
She opened it and let two banknotes fall out.
It was 20 dollars.
Her breath caught. A wave of old memories crashed over her.
It was exactly ten days before her thesis defense when some cash disappeared at home.
Her father, Zaid Schmidt, and stepmother, Yvonne Schmidt, questioned both Evelyn and Alice. Later, the missing 20 dollars was found under Evelyn’s quilt.
Back in 1983, that amount was half of Zaid’s monthly income.
He completely lost it, beating her so badly she couldn’t get out of bed for a week.
She never stole that money, but no one believed her. She cried herself to sleep every night, and nobody ever tried to comfort her.
Somehow, the rumor spread to campus. Her classmates started avoiding her, and the university ended up refusing to let her graduate.
Their reason? Southville University didn’t want to send someone like her out into society.
As for the thesis she’d worked so hard on?
Alice took it, used it to become the best student of the year, and snatched Evelyn’s internship at Southville Hospital.
And Evelyn?
With just a high school diploma, she had no choice but to take a junior accounting job and work her way up the hard way.
But she ended up getting killed by Alice and Seth in that shipping container.
Back then, Evelyn couldn’t understand how that money ended up under her blanket.
Now, after seeing Alice’s panicked expression and finding that same 20 dollars again, it all made sense.
None of it was by accident.
Alice had set Evelyn up from the very beginning and shifted her path.
Now, it was happening all over again.
Suddenly, Evelyn remembered her vow while bleeding out. If there were another life, she would stop the tragedy from happening again.
And she somehow got it.
Evelyn tightened her grip on the money. Her eyes burned with rage as she recalled her tragic end.
She wasn’t going to be the weak one this time. She wouldn’t wait around to be taken out.
“Evelyn, I’m done! Hurry up, or we’ll be late!” Alice called from outside.
Evelyn quickly pulled herself together, stashed the envelope, and stepped out. “Yeah, I’m coming.”
Right after she left, Alice rushed over, yanked back the blanket, and peeked underneath.
Good. The envelope is still here.
She sneered.