This Time, I Won’t Sacrifice Myself

I was forced to drop out and work to put my impoverished boyfriend through school. But to pay for studying abroad with my aunt, he sold me to human traffickers. They tortured me to death and fed my body to dogs. Then I opened my eyes and found myself back on the day my boyfriend pressured me to quit school. “Danielle, then it’s settled. I’ll go to grad school, and you’ll stay here and work!” Luke Carter stroked my hair, his eyes full of tenderness. I stepped back, putting some distance between us. “Work? What are you talking about? I’m staying in school!” Luke’s expression changed instantly. His voice rose. “Danielle, didn’t we already agree? If I got into grad school, you’d get a job and earn money…” “To put you through it? Luke, I’m only twenty-one. What gives you the right to make me give up my future for yours?” I folded my arms. He looked stunned, as though he couldn’t believe I’d refused him. Once, I’d loved him so much that I’d lost myself completely. I agreed to anything he wanted. Even when it meant scrubbing dishes in a filthy, exhausting little restaurant kitchen, I never complained. I’d worked several part-time jobs a day just to scrape together his tuition and living expenses. All so Luke could get through college and grad school without a care. I’d been such a fool. You had to love yourself first before you could build a life worth having. “Danielle, why? We already planned everything. You said yourself that you don’t like studying. Staying in school would only make you miserable. Why not get a job sooner and start working toward our future?” Luke reached out to put his arm around me. I stepped aside and gave a cold laugh. “Then why don’t you get a job and put me through school?” “Listen carefully, Luke. I’m not dropping out!” He stared at me in disbelief, then his eyes reddened. “Danielle, I know this is cruel to ask. But you know what things are like for my family. Getting an education is my only way out. It’s how I’ll give you a better life someday!” The same old routine! In my last life, Luke had used his sob stories to make me feel guilty. I’d told myself he was working toward our future, too, so what did a few more sacrifices matter? But all my patience and compromises had earned me was betrayal. While I worked myself to the bone, he was sleeping with my aunt. They’d never even intended to let me live… This time, I would make sure Luke and Vanessa stayed tangled up with each other. Everyone who hurt me would pay dearly! I looked up, softening my voice. “Luke, let’s go talk to my aunt. She’s the only one who’s looked after me since I was little. I’m sure she’ll help us figure something out!” Luke turned his back on me and kicked a nearby tree. “Danielle Bennett! What the hell are you thinking? Why drag someone else into our business? You want your aunt to lecture me?” How ridiculous. He and Vanessa had plotted my death together, and now he was standing here playing innocent! I fought down my anger. “I only want her to help. I know she won’t turn her back on us!” Luke spun around, losing his temper. “Danielle, other people will only laugh at us! Why are you going back on your word? Have you even thought about our future?” Smack. I slapped him across the face. “Listen carefully. I’m not dropping out! Don’t forget who’s been earning your tuition and living expenses all these years. If you’re so capable, get a job and support yourself! I don’t owe you anything!” Then I turned and walked away, leaving Luke standing there, too stunned to speak.When I got back to my dorm, my roommate Riley Brooks came over. “Danielle, are you really moving out?” I froze for a moment. In my last life, I’d rented a place near work to shorten my commute. Not long after that, I’d dropped out. Luke hadn’t gone home over summer break because he wanted to save on travel expenses. We’d spent two months crammed into that tiny rental. Once he left for grad school, I stayed behind in the city, working until I was exhausted every day. I snapped out of it and smiled at Riley. “Of course not!” Riley let out a relieved breath. “You scared me! I really thought you were going to put yourself through all that for him!” Riley and I had always been close. She’d often told me to stop making Luke the center of my world, but I’d never listened. A knock interrupted my thoughts. I opened the door and found my aunt Vanessa standing outside. She walked in carrying a big bag. “Danielle, look what I brought you!” I looked through the plastic bag. Everything in it was used. The clothes were old and dirty, and the snacks were things she didn’t like that were about to expire. My mother had died when I was nine. After Dad remarried, he moved overseas. Our only contact was his yearly transfer for my tuition and living expenses. Vanessa supposedly stayed behind to look after me, but in reality, she’d conned him out of plenty of money. I hadn’t learned any of that until later. Back then, I’d foolishly believed Vanessa really cared about me. Even though she only gave me things she didn’t want, and often took her anger out on me, I’d thought she and Luke were the only people in the world who cared whether I lived or died. “I know you don’t like asking your dad for extra money, but is what he sends really enough? I bought you some clothes and snacks. Don’t neglect yourself!” Vanessa took my hand. I pulled it away and smiled. “Don’t worry, Vanessa. I won’t neglect myself. But what about you? You’re thirty. Aren’t you going to find a boyfriend? Grandma’s getting pretty anxious!” Vanessa smoothed her hair. “I don’t need a boyfriend. I like my life the way it is. If I get the chance, I’d like to study abroad!” My smile slowly faded. All I could see was her and Luke sneaking around behind my back. My hands curled into fists. Then I tossed the plastic bag onto the floor. Why should I keep accepting her castoffs? “If I’m not mistaken, these are all things you don’t want, right? Personally, I don’t like taking other people’s used things. Any of them.” My gaze hardened. Vanessa looked embarrassed. “Danielle, I just bought these! How could they be things I don’t want? What kind of person do you think I am?” I turned my head away. “I don’t need them. Take them home and use them yourself. I have things to do, so I can’t keep you company.” Vanessa’s face darkened. With Riley there, she held back from laying into me. Instead, she grabbed her things and stormed out. But I knew she wouldn’t let today’s humiliation slide. Before I could even sit down, Luke called. He apologized over and over, then invited me to dinner at a restaurant near campus. I thought for a moment, then agreed with a smile. Afterward, I texted Vanessa and invited her to dinner, saying it was my way of apologizing for today. Sure enough, she came. From a corner, I watched every move she and Luke made. Just as I’d suspected, they already knew each other. In my last life, I’d stupidly brought Luke home to introduce him to Vanessa. Looking back at the lingering looks they’d exchanged, something had clearly been going on between them already. Watching them flirt made me sick!After taking a few pictures, I was about to walk over when someone clamped a hand over my mouth from behind. They dragged me into a secluded corner and beat me viciously. My vision slowly blurred. Just before I lost consciousness, I thought I saw a familiar pair of high heels. When I woke up again, I was in a hospital bed. Luke and Vanessa were arguing about something. The moment he noticed I was awake, Luke came over with red-rimmed eyes. “Danielle, you’re finally awake! You scared me to death. Thank God you’re okay!” I struggled to sit up and caught the faint smile on Vanessa’s face. She definitely had something to do with this! Before I could speak, Vanessa immediately put on a tearful expression. “Danielle, thank goodness you’re all right! I wouldn’t have known what to tell your father! Those bastards. I’ll find them for you and make sure they’re punished!” She squeezed out a few tears. “Luke just told me about your situation. He’s a good man, and you two are a good match. But you know what his family’s finances are like. If he goes to grad school, he’ll need you to help shoulder the burden!” I lowered my head with a faint smile, then raised my bandaged hand. “Vanessa, look at me. It’ll probably take months for me to recover!” She took a business card from her purse. “Danielle, this is my friend’s number. I already asked, and you can work there part-time. It isn’t physical labor or anything. Give him a call when you have time!” I glanced at it. Livestream sales! Rage flooded through me, and I clenched my fists. In my last life, I’d asked Vanessa for help finding work. She’d given me this same card and told me to become a livestream host. But when I got there, I discovered it had nothing to do with selling products. They forced me to do whatever they said. If I refused, they beat me. They even took nude photos to blackmail me. I fought to keep my anger under control. “Vanessa, you should offer this to Luke. He’s the one who desperately needs money. Don’t get us mixed up!” “That’s the wrong attitude! Why draw a line between you two? Aren’t you both working toward the same future?” Vanessa began lecturing me. “You don’t need to worry about our business. Maybe you should spend more time figuring out how to pay off your debts!” I blinked at her. Vanessa’s expression changed instantly, and she shot Luke a look. He immediately grabbed my hand. “Danielle, what are you talking about? Stop imagining things. This is the first time I’ve met your aunt!” I shook him off. “You know perfectly well whether that’s true! Anyway, Vanessa doesn’t need you. She’s been through more men than you can count!” Luke’s face stiffened. Vanessa couldn’t hide her embarrassment anymore. Anger took over, and she dropped the act. “Danielle Bennett! No wonder you’ve been acting so strange today. I suppose even someone as stupid as you could figure it out eventually!” Her face was full of contempt. I looked at her. “Vanessa, don’t think I don’t know what you’ve done. All that pretending to care about me… You were just trying to quiet your own fear, weren’t you?” “What are you talking about? Did that beating damage your brain?” She rolled her eyes. “You killed my mother, didn’t you?” I stared straight at her. Vanessa panicked. She glanced around, then grabbed the water from the bedside table and threw it over me. “Danielle, what the hell are you saying? You’re just jealous because Luke loves me, not you! You’re petty, cheap, and unreasonable. Of course he doesn’t like you!” I looked at Luke, standing there as though none of this concerned him, and shook my head. I really had been blind. “Stop pretending. If you hadn’t secretly thrown away my mother’s medication, how would she have died?” I hated Vanessa with everything in me. Shaking with rage, she pulled a razor blade from her purse. “You little bitch! Keep running your mouth. I’ll kill you!”