After I was reborn.
I clutched my ID and stormed into the bank.
I made sure that savings card, the one ending in 666, was canceled, completely and irrevocably.
In my past life, Gareth always claimed he was short on cash for his business, constantly borrowing my card to funnel money through.
I was so blinded by love back then; I even set the password to his birthday.
It wasn’t until the debt collectors kicked down my door that I saw my name listed as the emergency contact on all the loan agreements.
Every deposit in my bank statement flowed straight into Gareth’s gaming accounts and luxury boutiques.
I took the transfer records to confront him.
He was there, arm around his new girlfriend, trying on a Rolex he’d just bought with *my* card.
During our argument, he shoved me. The moment my head hit the sharp edge of the counter, I saw a message pop up on his phone:
“Mr. Evans, the online loan applied for using Ms. Reed’s information has been approved.”
Then, I opened my eyes again.
The calendar on my office desk had just flipped to the day Gareth first asked to borrow my card. His SnapChat was still flashing on my phone:
“Baby, can I borrow your card for a quick transfer? I’ll pay you back immediately.”
Would I be that stupid this time?
Gareth Evans, you just wait. You’re about to reap what you sow!
Chapter 1
My fingertip hovered over the ATM screen for three seconds.
Finally, I pressed confirm.
The moment the machine swallowed that savings card, the one ending in 666, I heard my heart pound like it wanted to burst from my throat.
My phone vibrated in my pocket.
It was Gareth.
My fingertips tingled when his name flashed on the screen.
Scenes from my past life suddenly flooded back.
He stood with his new girlfriend in front of a luxury counter, the Rolex on his wrist glinting under the lights.
It was bought with my card.
I rushed over, tugging at his sleeve. The impatience in his eyes when he turned, it was like shards of ice.
“Are you done making a scene?”
He pushed me hard.
I stumbled backward, my head hitting the sharp edge of the counter.
Did it hurt?
I don’t think so.
My vision just suddenly went black.
The last thing I saw was his phone screen glowing.
The text message was etched into my mind, as clear as day: “Mr. Evans, the online loan applied for using Susan Reed’s information has been approved.”
Susan Reed.
That’s my name.
My phone was still buzzing.
The vibration grew more frantic.
I took a deep breath and hit ‘decline’.
As I turned to walk out, the glass doors of the bank lobby reflected my face.
Pale, with dark circles under my eyes.
It was the lingering image of being tormented by nightmares from my past life.
But my eyes were bright.
Bright, like a look forged in fire.
Gareth Evans, this time.
Everything you owe me, I’ll make you pay back, little by little, tenfold.
Just as I stepped out of the bank, my phone rang again.
This time, it was a landline.
The caller ID showed it was from the city.
I stared at the screen for two seconds.
Then, I swiped to answer.
“May I speak to Ms. Susan Reed?” A robotic female voice came from the other end.
“This is Summit Financial. Mr. Gareth Evans has applied for a loan in your name, and we need your confirmation…”
I hung up immediately.
And blocked the number.
My actions were swift, without a trace of hesitation.
It was this exact call in my past life.
Back then, I foolishly asked, “What loan? I don’t know anything about it.”
The voice replied, “Mr. Evans provided your ID photo and bank card information. If you don’t confirm, it will affect your credit score.”
I panicked.
I called back, desperate to explain.
And from that moment on, I fell into a bottomless pit.
My phone went silent.
The sunlight felt warm on my skin.
I looked up at the sky.
It was blindingly blue.
Today is Friday.
Gareth’s first request to borrow my card is still three hours away.
The day he tricks me into signing that “guarantee contract” is seven days away.
The day my parents are forced to flee overnight by debt collectors is three months away.
Everything is still in time.
I clutched the bank card cancellation receipt in my pocket.
My knuckles were white.
Gareth, the game has begun.
This time, I set the rules.
Chapter 2 Testing the Waters
When I returned to the office, the front desk intern gave me a strange look.
“Susan, you look terrible.”
I forced a smile and said nothing.
In the elevator, I ran into my department manager.
He patted my shoulder.
“Reed, make sure you stay on top of Gareth’s partnership deal this afternoon.”
I nodded.
But my fingertips were trembling.
It was this very deal in my past life.
Gareth said the client required a personal account for the transfer and asked to borrow my bank card for a day.
“Just a quick transfer, I’ll return it immediately.”
He smiled so gently then, his eyes sparkling like stars.
I was tricked by those very stars.
Tricked into losing everything.
In the office, Gareth was already sitting at the cubicle opposite mine.
He wore a white shirt today, sleeves rolled up to his forearms.
Revealing the watch on his wrist.
I bought that.
Last year for his birthday, I saved three months’ salary to buy him an Omega.
Now, looking at it, I only felt a sharp pang of irony.
He looked up, saw me, and smiled.
“Susan, you’re here.”
His voice was still so pleasant.
Like the low notes of a cello.
I used to love listening to him talk.
Now, it just grated on my ears.
“Didn’t sleep well last night?” He raised an eyebrow, his gaze falling on the dark circles under my eyes.
“No,” I replied, pulling out my chair and sitting down.
I deliberately slowed my movements as I opened my laptop.
I was waiting.
Waiting for him to ask for the card.
Sure enough, he tapped on my desk.
“Oh, by the way, the client’s transfer is coming in this afternoon. Could I use your card for it?”
Here it comes.
My hand tightened around the mouse.
A document popped up on the screen, a marketing plan I hadn’t finished revising last night.
I stared at the screen, not looking at him.
“My card was eaten by the machine yesterday.”
My voice was perfectly calm.
Gareth froze for a second.
“Eaten?”
“Yeah, the ATM glitched.” I turned to him, forcing a smile. “I just went to the bank to cancel it.”
The smile on his face stiffened for half a second.
Then, it quickly returned to normal.
“That’s unlucky.”
“Tell me about it,” I lowered my gaze, pretending to flip through files. “You’ll have to use someone else’s.”
He didn’t speak.
I could feel his gaze on me.
Full of scrutiny.
As if he was trying to figure out if I was lying.
After a moment, he spoke again.
“Alright, I’ll ask someone else.”
His tone was unreadable.
But I knew.
He was suspicious.
Good.
It’s better he knows early that I’m not the same fool I used to be.
At three in the afternoon.
The client’s payment arrived.
Gareth used another girl’s card from the same department.
I watched him, phone in hand, smiling so tenderly at her.
Exactly the way he used to smile at me.
It felt like a needle pricked my heart.
Not painful.
Just a little numb.
Her name was Maya Chen.
In my past life, she was also scammed by Gareth.
He took fifty thousand dollars from her.
Later, she came to me in tears, saying Gareth had disappeared.
At that time, I was too deep in my own troubles to help, I could only watch her cry.
This life.
I wouldn’t let her fall into that same trap.
As I was leaving work, Maya called out to me.
“Susan, Gareth said he’s taking me out to dinner tonight, to thank me for helping him out this afternoon.”
My steps faltered.
I turned back to her.
The young woman’s eyes sparkled, clearly showing her interest in Gareth.
“Why is he taking you to dinner?” I asked.
“He said… he thinks I’m a really nice person.” Maya lowered her head, a little shy.
I took a deep breath.
“Maya,” I looked straight into her eyes, speaking each word slowly and deliberately, “Stay away from Gareth.”
She was stunned.
“Susan, you…”
“Just listen to me,” I cut her off. “Don’t ask why.”
With that, I turned and walked away.
I didn’t look back.
I didn’t know if she would listen.
But I had said what I needed to say.
Walking out of the office building, my phone rang.
It was my mom.
“Susan, are you coming home for dinner tonight? Your dad bought ribs.”
The moment I heard her voice, my nose stung.
Tears almost fell.
In my past life, the last time my mom spoke to me was at the entrance of the nursing home.
Her eyes red, she cursed me: “How could I have raised such an ungrateful monster?”
Later, she fell ill.
When I went to the hospital to see her, she kept her eyes closed, not even lifting an eyelid.
“Mom,” I clutched my phone, my voice a little hoarse, “Yes, I’ll be home.”
“Okay, then I’ll wait for you.”
After hanging up, I stood by the roadside, watching the busy traffic.
The sunlight stretched my shadow long.
It felt so good.
They were still here.
Still calling me home for dinner.
Gareth.
See? This is what I’m protecting.
If you dare to touch it again.
I’ll make sure you regret it in the most painful way imaginable.
Chapter 3 The Transfer
When I pushed open the door, the aroma of ribs wafted towards me.
My dad, wearing an apron, poked his head out of the kitchen.
“You’re back?”
“Yeah.” I changed my shoes and walked over.
The gray hairs at his temples were fewer than I remembered.
I felt a pang of relief.
In my past life, he’d turned completely white overnight from the stress of debt collection calls.
“Dad, let me help you.”
“No, no, you just sit and rest.” He gently pushed me away. “Your mom’s in the living room prepping veggies.”
My mom was on the couch, string beans in hand.
She smiled when she saw me.
“Tired? Have some water first.”
A glass of cool water sat on the coffee table.
I picked it up and took a sip.
It was sweet.
Just like it tasted when I was a child.
During dinner, my dad suddenly brought up Gareth.
“That young Gareth, he seems quite taken with you.”
My hand, holding my fork, paused.
“Dad, how do you know?”
“Last time I went to your office building, I saw him bringing you a coffee.” My mom chimed in. “He’s a good-looking young man, and so polite.”
My heart tightened.
So, it started this early.
“Mom, he and I are just colleagues.”
“Colleagues?” My dad raised an eyebrow. “The way he looks at you, it’s more than just colleagues.”
I put down my fork.
“Dad, Mom, I need to tell you something.”
They both looked at me.
“Gareth, you two need to keep your distance from him in the future.”
My mom looked puzzled for a moment.
“What’s wrong? Did he offend you?”
“No,” I shook my head. “I just don’t think he’s a very good person.”
I couldn’t tell them that this man would later make it impossible for them to even live in their own home.
“You, child,” my dad frowned, “You can’t just talk bad about people.”
“I’m not talking bad,” I looked at them. “Just listen to me. Don’t have any dealings with him, especially when money is involved.”
My mom thought for a moment, then nodded.
“Alright, Mom will listen to you.”
My dad didn’t say anything, but he didn’t object either.
I felt a little more at ease.
At least, they wouldn’t easily trust Gareth now.
After dinner, I helped clear the table.
My phone rang in the living room.
It was Gareth.
My mom answered.
“Hello? Oh, you’re looking for Susan? She’s doing the dishes… Okay, I’ll tell her to call you back.”
She hung up, then looked at me with a slightly suggestive expression.
“Young Gareth is looking for you.”
I dried my hands, picked up my phone.
I walked out onto the balcony before calling him back.
“Hello?”
“Susan, you’re home?” Gareth’s voice was laced with a smile.
“Yeah.”
“Maya just told me you told her to stay away from me?”
Of course.
Maya had told him.
I leaned against the railing, watching the streetlights below.
“Yes.”
“Why?” His voice deepened slightly.
“No reason,” my tone was flat. “I just don’t think you’re good for her.”
“Then who am I good for?” he suddenly asked.
I paused for a second.
Then chuckled.
“Definitely not me.”
Silence hung on the line for a few seconds.
“Susan, you’re acting strange today.”
“Am I?” I fiddled with the hem of my shirt. “Maybe I’m just tired.”
“Tomorrow’s the weekend. Want to catch a movie?” He changed the subject.
“No, I have plans tomorrow.”
“What plans?”
“None of your business.”
With that, I hung up directly.
And blocked him.
The whole sequence of actions was smooth and effortless.
In my past life, I was too concerned with his feelings, which made me easy to manipulate.
This life, there’s no need for that.
Just as I tucked my phone back into my pocket, I received a text message.
It was from the bank.
Alerting me that my savings card ending in 3791 had a deposit of five thousand dollars.
I paused, confused.
I’d only opened this card today.
No one but the bank knew the number.
Who would transfer me money?
I tapped to open the transaction details.
The sender was an unfamiliar name.
But the memo read: “Gareth asked me to transfer this.”
My heart lurched.
Gareth.
What was he up to now?
Five thousand dollars.
Not too much, not too little.
Exactly the amount he first borrowed from me in my past life.
Back then, he said his mom was sick and needed money urgently.
Without a second thought, I transferred him my freshly paid salary.
Only later did I find out he used that money to buy his new girlfriend a bag.
I stared at the text message for a long time.
My fingertips were icy cold.
He was testing me.
Testing to see if I was truly guarding myself against him now.
If I transferred the money back, he’d know I had indeed changed.
If I kept it…
He’d think I was still the same fool he could easily control.
I took a deep breath.
Opened the transfer details.
Found the sender’s bank account number.
Then, I transferred the five thousand dollars back.
The memo had only two words: “No loan.”
After doing all that, I set my phone to silent.
And returned to the living room.
My mom was sitting on the couch, watching TV.
She smiled when she saw me.
“Who were you talking to for so long?”
“Just a colleague.” I walked over and sat beside her. “Mom, how about we go for a picnic next week?”
My mom’s eyes lit up.
“Oh, that sounds wonderful! Your dad has been wanting to go for ages.”
Seeing her smile warmed my heart.
Gareth.
No matter what tricks you try to pull.
I won’t let you ruin my life again.
Chapter 4 Evidence
I woke up early on Saturday morning.
Sunlight streamed through a gap in the curtains, casting a ribbon of light across the floor.
I picked up my phone and opened SnapChat.
Gareth’s name was still on my block list.
A sense of calm settled over me.
I got up, washed, and changed.
Before I left, my mom handed me a bag of pastries.
“Eat these on the way.”
“Thanks.”
I was going somewhere today.
In my past life, Gareth had a secret hideout.
An apartment he rented.
He kept a lot of things there.
Including the loan agreements he’d taken out using my information, and chat logs with other women.
I only discovered the place by accident after he died, when I was clearing out his belongings.
I remembered the address clearly, even now.
It was in an old, rundown apartment complex on the outskirts of the city.
It took forty minutes to get there by cab.
An old man sat in the security booth by the complex entrance.
He squinted at me and asked, “Who are you looking for?”
“Gareth Evans,” I gave his name and the apartment number.
The old man eyed me up and down, then waved me in without another question.
It seemed Gareth brought different women here often.
The old man was used to it.
As I stepped into the stairwell, a musty smell wafted over me.
Paint was peeling off the walls, and the stair railing was rusty.
I gripped the railing and walked up.
Third floor.
Apartment 302.
The door was closed.
I stood in front of it and took a deep breath.
In my past life, I had to pry the lock open.
This time, I came prepared.
I took a set of keys from my bag.
I had them specially made yesterday.
In my past life, I’d found Gareth’s spare key for that apartment hidden in the fire hose box by the door.
And sure enough, I found it there again.
The key slid into the lock, a gentle turn.
*Click.*
The door opened.
A faint scent of perfume mixed with cigarette smoke hit me.
Exactly the same as I remembered.
The apartment was small, just a living room and one bedroom.
The decor was simple.
But everywhere, there were women’s things.
Lipsticks, earrings, dresses.
Clearly, more than one woman had been here.
I walked into the living room, my gaze falling on the coffee table.
A laptop sat on it.
It was Gareth’s.
In my past life, it was on this very laptop that I found all the evidence of his crimes.
I walked over and opened the laptop.
It required a password.
I typed in my birthday.
Wrong.
Then I tried his birthday.
Also wrong.
I frowned.
In my past life, his computer password was my name spelled out.
Had he changed it?
A flicker of panic.
If I couldn’t open the laptop, I wouldn’t find the evidence.
I took a deep breath, trying hard to recall.
How did I open it in my past life?
I think it was…
I tried Maya Chen’s name.
The screen lit up.
The password was correct.
My heart gave a sharp lurch.
He actually used Maya’s name as his password.
Did that mean he was truly serious about Maya?
Or was it just a new novelty for him?
No time to think about that.
I clicked open a folder.
Inside, there were indeed many things.
A folder named “Contracts.”
I opened it.
It was full of scanned loan agreements.
The “Borrower” field clearly showed my name.
Susan Reed.
The emergency contact was my parents’ phone number.
The date was one month before I was hounded by debt collectors in my past life.
There were many other women’s names too.
Maya’s was among them.
Loan amounts ranged from five thousand to fifty thousand.
My hand was trembling.
This evidence was more than enough to ruin him.
I took out my phone and started taking pictures.
One by one, making sure they were perfectly clear.
Then, I backed up these photos to the cloud.
And sent them to another one of my email accounts.
After doing all that, I opened another folder.
Inside were screenshots of chat logs.
Gareth’s flirtatious conversations with different women.
He said pretty much the same things to every woman.
“You’re the only one for me.”
“Once I’m done with this busy period, I’ll introduce you to my parents.”
“Those other women? They’re just casual flings.”
My stomach churned as I read them.
My past self had truly been blind.
To believe such garbage.
I kept scrolling down.
And found chat logs with an unknown number.
The contact was saved as “Mr. King.”
“Gareth, that loan for Susan Reed needs to be repaid.”
“Mr. King, please give me a few more days, I’ll have the money soon.”
“Don’t play games with me. If you don’t pay up, I’ll go to her parents.”
“No, no, Mr. King, I’ll definitely pay.”
The date was three days before I was first hounded by debt collectors.
So, he knew all along that the collectors would come.
But he didn’t tell me a single thing.
Leaving me completely in the dark.
Even watching as I was pushed to the brink by the debt collection company.
Tears suddenly fell.
Splashing onto the keyboard.
Spreading a small wet stain.
I quickly wiped my tears away.
Can’t cry.
This wasn’t the time for tears.
I took pictures of these chat logs, too, one by one.
My fingertips brushed the keyboard, accidentally knocking a photo frame on the corner of the desk.
The glass shattered on the floor.
In the photo, Gareth had his arm around a woman, smiling brightly.
I knew that woman.
She was our company’s director.
Lydia Hayes.
Thirty-five, divorced, with a lot of connections.
In my past life, after I was fired, I found out Gareth had already hooked up with her.
Using the money he’d scammed from me.
To buy her bags, buy her a car.
It was truly ironic.
I knelt down, carefully picking up the photo.
And slipped it into my bag.
This was also evidence.
Suddenly, the sound of keys turning came from outside the door.
My heart leaped into my throat.
Someone was back.
Was it Gareth?
Or another woman?
No time to think.
I quickly shut down the laptop, restoring everything to how it was.
Then, I hurried into the bedroom.
And hid inside the closet.
The closet was filled with women’s clothes.
The perfume scent was even stronger in here.
I covered my mouth and held my breath.
The door opened.
Footsteps entered the apartment.
A man’s voice.
He was on the phone.
“Got it, Mr. King, I’ll definitely pay that money back next week… Don’t worry, Susan Reed, I’ve got her handled… She’s still head over heels for me…”
It was Gareth.
My nails dug deeply into my palms.
Head over heels?
He really had the nerve to say that.
“Alright, that’s it for now, someone’s here.”
He hung up.
Then, a woman’s voice.
“Who was that?”
It was Lydia.
“Nothing, just debt collectors.” Gareth’s voice was impatient.
“Debt collectors again?” Lydia’s voice sounded a little worried. “How much do you even owe?”
“Not much, I’ll pay it back soon.” Gareth reassured her. “By the way, could you lend me some first?”
“Didn’t I just transfer you fifty thousand last time?”
“That’s not enough.”
“Gareth, what are you doing?” Lydia’s voice rose. “If you keep this up, we’re done.”
“No, don’t say that, Lydia.” Gareth’s voice softened. “I’m working on a huge project, you know? Once it’s successful, I’ll pay you back ten times, a hundred times over.”
“What project?”
“That… I can’t talk about it yet.”
“I think you’re just scamming me.”
“I’m not…”
Next, there was a sound of a struggle.
Then, Lydia’s scream.
“Let go! Gareth, you’re hurting me!”
“Lydia, just help me one more time, just one.” Gareth’s voice was desperate.
“I don’t have any more money!”
“How can you not have money? Didn’t you just sell your apartment?”
“That’s for my son’s tuition!”
“Just lend it to me for a bit, I’ll pay you back as soon as I have money.”
“You wish!”
“Then don’t blame me for being unpleasant.”
Gareth’s voice turned harsh.
I trembled in the closet.
In my past life, how could I have not seen he was this kind of person?
Manic, obsessive, ruthless for money.
The commotion outside grew louder.
The sound of something shattering.
And Lydia’s cries.
I pulled out my phone, switched it to record.
And extended it slightly through the closet gap.
Trying to record as clearly as possible.
After about ten minutes.
The outside grew quiet.
Only Lydia’s sobs could be heard.
“Gareth, you animal!”
“The money, I can give you.” Gareth’s voice was calm. “But you have to do something for me.”
“What?”
“Help me get Susan Reed transferred to the branch office.”
My heart plummeted.
He wanted to transfer me?
Why?
“Why transfer her to the branch office?” Lydia asked, confused.
“She’s been a little disobedient lately.” Gareth’s voice grew cold. “Keeping her far from me will make her easier to control.”
“What do you want to do to her?”
“Don’t ask questions you shouldn’t.” Gareth cut her off. “Just tell me, will you help me or not?”
Lydia was silent for a long time.
“Okay, I’ll help you.”
“That’s more like it, Lydia.” Gareth’s voice turned gentle again. “Once my plan succeeds, I’ll definitely reward you handsomely.”
“No need. I’ll transfer the money to you, and from now on, we’re even.”
“Lydia…”
“Don’t call me.”
Footsteps sounded.
Lydia left.
The door slammed shut with a heavy bang.
Only Gareth was left in the apartment.
He seemed to be drinking.
The clink of bottles.
Then, his soliloquy.
“Susan Reed… You think canceling your card made a difference?”
“You think telling Maya to stay away from me means I have no options?”
“So naive.”
“Your ID copy, your bank card information, I have all of it here.”
“You want to get rid of me?”
“Dream on.”
“This life, you’ll still be my obedient ATM.”
My heart sank, little by little.
So that was it.
He had already prepared a backup plan.
He still had my information.
Did that mean everything I did today was for nothing?
No.
I can’t give up.
I still have the evidence.
I recorded his conversation with Lydia.
I found his loan contracts.
These were all proof of his crimes.
Gareth.
Just you wait.
I won’t let you get away with this.
After a while longer.
Gareth seemed to have left.
The apartment was completely silent.
I stayed hidden in the closet for a long time.
Only daring to come out when I was sure he was really gone.
The apartment was a mess.
A vase lay shattered on the floor.
The table was overturned.
There were also bloodstains on the floor.
Was it Lydia’s?
A chill ran through me.
I walked into the living room, grabbed my bag.
And hurried out.
The moment I closed the door, I heard my own heart pounding.
Like a drum.
When I reached downstairs.
The sunlight was blinding.
But I felt utterly cold.
My phone vibrated in my pocket.
It was a text message.
From the company HR.
“Susan Reed, the company has decided, after deliberation, to transfer you to the branch office for a new assignment. Please report on Monday.”
It came.
Gareth’s moves were swift.
The branch office was in a neighboring city.
Over two hundred miles away.
He wanted to move me away from my parents.
Then, he could freely use my information to take out loans.
Leaving me no one to turn to, nowhere to go.
He wished.
I looked at the text message.
A cold smile played on my lips.
Gareth.
You want to play games.
I’ll play along.
Transfer me to the branch office, you say?
Fine.
I’ll just have to see.
What kind of tricks you can pull.
Chapter 5 The Transfer Order
It was afternoon by the time I got home.
My mom saw me and gasped.
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