Life's Reboot: Unleashing New Possibilities

I was reborn on the day of one year ago.

I was 40, being a housewife for 12 years already.

I was curled up on the bed, my body trembling.

This feeling of still being alive made me shed tears.

"Saundra. What are you still lying down for? Don't you know it's time to cook?"

From outside the door, my mother-in-law's sharp voice echoed.

They always knew when they should eat, drink, and sleep.

But they never cared that someone with a fever of 107.6 degrees Fahrenheit should be going to the hospital.

I took a deep breath and went to the living room.

Janice Gates was lying on the couch, watching TV while cracking sunflower seeds and throwing the shells on the floor.

My head throbbed with pain. I remembered that I had just finished cleaning that floor.

In the room, my son, Eliseo Gates, was yelling profanities as he played games, his voice was grating.

I suddenly remembered something, opened my phone, and saw that the 200 thousand dollars in my bank account was all gone.

I entered his room, turned off his computer, and sat back in the living room.

Eliseo came out cursing.

He said, "Are you crazy? You're so dumb."

I looked at my son, my heart bleeding.

I asked, "Did you use the 200 thousand dollars from my account to buy skins in CS: GO?"

He replied, "So what if I did? I just took a bit of your money. Why are you making such a big deal out of it?"

Janice realized what was happening.

"Well, well, Saundra. You have secret savings, huh? And so what? It's only right to give my grandson money."

Eliseo hid behind Janice, making faces at me with a smug expression.

I rolled my eyes. "Then why don't you use your pension for your grandson?"

Janice was speechless for a moment, then got up and headed to my bedroom.

She said, "Let me see if you're hiding more money. Looks like my son spoils you too much, letting you talk back now."

I clenched my fists tightly, anger and hatred mixed.

My mother had worked in the fields all her life. She had saved 200 thousand dollars, which she gave to me before she passed away.

At that moment, it felt like my whole body was filled with strength.

I grabbed a stick nearby and dragged Eliseo over for a beating.

I demanded, "Give me your account."

Eliseo screamed, and I kept hitting him on the back with the stick.

He cried out, "It hurts. Mom. It hurts."

Hurt? When I was burned alive in my previous life, no one cared if I was in pain.

After I got the account information from Eliseo, I went online and put it up for sale.

Then I packed a few things and headed to the hospital.

Under the scorching sun, I walked alone on the road, my body shivering.

Who would care about my 12 years?

When I married Rupert Gates, he was just a poor boy, and I was devoted to him.

I gave him all the money I earned from three years of sales to help him open a dental clinic, which gradually gained some reputation.

Later, I got pregnant.

He said, "Saundra, you don't need to run around outside anymore. From now on, you'll enjoy life at home. You just need to look beautiful, and I'll earn the money and support the family."

I believed him.

Later, he said he was an only child and brought his mother to live with us.

I devoted myself to serving them, spending all my time on the family.

I took care of their food and clothing.

I worked from five in the morning until ten at night.

I was both a nanny and a driver.

But in the end, what did I get?

I became the nagging wife in Rupert's eyes.

And Janice, always criticizing me, would scold me whenever I stopped for a moment.

Eliseo, influenced by them, thought I was useless as a mother.

When I held the photos that the mistress sent me of her and Rupert in bed, I went to confront him.

Rupert was full of disdain.

He said, "Those promises from before? It's already generous of me to still provide for you. Look at yourself now. Do you even resemble anything beautiful?"

Janice knew about the affair but didn't care. She said the mistress helped Rupert a lot at the clinic, and they even invited the woman over for meals sometimes.

An intern assistant, helping a lot? So much that they end up in bed?

But for the sake of Eliseo and for the home I had worked so hard to build, I endured it.

I held onto a sliver of hope.

I thought maybe if I waited a little longer, Rupert would come to his senses and realize that family was the most important thing.

But what I got instead was Rupert and his mistress turning on the gas, locking me in the house.

I waited for death.