My world spun as I collapsed to the ground. I tried to reach out to Cindy, but she kicked me away with such disgust, as if I were some kind of filth.
I could only watch helplessly as the car drove farther and farther away from me.
Just then, my phone rang.
I pulled it out to see that it was my mother-in-law, Phoebe Lloyd, calling.
Just like last time, the moment I answered, Phoebe's shrill voice pierced my eardrums. "Raymond Hayes, you jinx! Are you trying to destroy our whole family? Divorce Cindy right now!"
Desperate, I tried to explain. "Mom, is there some kind of misunderstanding? I didn't help anyone this time!"
But Phoebe kept yelling at me, as if she hadn't heard a single word I said.
I thought maybe her hearing was going, so after the call ended, I quickly tried to call Cindy to clear things up.
But when I dialed, I found that my number had been blocked. She even blocked me across all social media platforms.
After completely breaking down, I sank to the floor, clutching my phone, lost and disoriented.
I didn't help the old lady this time, so was I still facing the same outcome? What did I do wrong?
The pain in my chest, where Cindy had kicked me, still ached. Just then, a car pulled up.
The driver was a friendly guy. "Hey, man. What are you doing sitting out here on the highway? It's dangerous. Hop in."
His warmth touched me, and I climbed into his car.
He was very chatty. He asked me what happened and why I looked so disheveled.
His sudden kindness made my tears fall uncontrollably.
I cried as I told him the whole story and Cindy's family's cold attitude.
I thought he would understand me, but to my surprise, when he heard about the old lady, he slammed on the brakes.
Before I could react, his attitude changed completely. He yanked me out of the car and slammed the door shut with disgust. "You bastard! You're lucky I didn't kill you!"
I was dumped on the highway once again.
Now, besides anger and frustration, all I felt was confusion.
Why would even a complete stranger suddenly treat me so harshly? Was the old lady's identity the problem?
Racing against my dying battery, I scrambled online to find a renowned private investigator and asked him to dig into the old lady's identity.
The private investigator agreed to help, but the price was steep—50 thousand dollars.
I hesitated for a moment, but still paid.
In my last life, I was caught off guard by everyone's attitude. I was too focused on feeling wronged and never had the chance to figure out what was going on before I died.
This time, I had to uncover the truth no matter what!
The private investigator said it would take some time, but he'd get back to me soon.
Finally, I saw a glimmer of hope.
But first, I needed to figure out how to get off this highway.
