The Sister Who Played the Game

And I fixed myself right into the grave trying to help my brother.

After I died, my brother’s whole family took over my house, killed my dog, and abused my daughter!

In the dead of winter, they were chowing down on a hot pot of dog meat while forcing my six-year-old, Lily, to wash dishes in ice-cold water!

Once, when Lily snuck in a little hot water, my sister-in-law caught her. That wicked woman grabbed the scalding hot pot and poured it all over Lily’s hands, which were already covered in frostbite.

1

When I woke up, I saw Lily eating cake and playing with our golden retriever, Buddy.

I realized, I’d been reborn on Lily’s fifth birthday!

Lily was here, the dog was here, my kidneys were still in my body, and the house was still mine.

Unfortunately, my marriage wasn't.

Because I was so obsessed with fixing my brother's problems, my husband, Mike, had left the house for me this morning and divorced me.

I wanted to reach out and hug Lily.

Just then, my mom showed up with my brother, Mark, and his wife, Tiffany.

Tiffany walked in and immediately grabbed a huge piece of cake, stuffing it in her mouth.

My mom didn’t even say "Happy Birthday" to Lily. She went straight for me.

“Did you finish the transfer of the house deed? Give it to me, I’ll keep it safe!”

I scoffed.

Last time around, I’d called my mom to tell her I was getting divorced.

They’d strolled in exactly like this, with big smiles on their faces.

Because they had their eyes on my house!

Well, yeah, she'd tried to take my kidney, so why not the house?

Last time, even though she knew I had a heart condition and shouldn’t be donating a kidney, she still guilt-tripped me into surgery.

After the surgery, Mark survived, thanks to my kidney, while I died on the operating table.

Looking at my mom’s greedy face made me feel sick to my stomach.

“Mom, I’m getting my coffee shop renovated, and I just took out a loan using the house as collateral.”

“What?!” My mom jumped, her face red and jowly. “Are you crazy? How could you do that without talking to me first?”

Mark, who was petting Buddy’s chunky leg, chimed in helpfully.

“Yeah, sis, you can’t just take out a loan like that on your own!”

I laughed. “Why can’t I? I didn’t ask you when I got divorced, and you didn’t have anything to say, so why does a loan bother you?”

My mom pointed a finger at me, scolding.

“What was wrong with getting divorced? Mike was a total loser! It’s for the best, now you can find someone rich! But you can’t go using the house as collateral like that! That’s a great school district! I wanted you to switch houses with your brother!”

My nephew, Kevin, who’s Mark’s kid.

He’s the same age as Lily, just three days older.

I stared at my mom, cold as ice. “Mom, Kevin and Lily are the same age. If I switch houses with Mark, what happens to Lily’s school?”

My mom had an answer for everything. “Lily’s a girl, she can go to any school. She doesn't need a fancy school like this!”

Was it just about the scho...