Always Blinded by Jealousy

In my previous life, my brother took his sugarbaby to see a meteor shower because she said she wanted to.

He drove to the countryside with all his bodyguards to create a perfect stargazing night for her.

Unfortunately, business rivals whom my brother had bankrupted saw this opportunity and broke into our estate seeking revenge.

My mother fought desperately to protect me, suffering severe injuries that left her fighting for her life.

I called my brother repeatedly, begging him to return quickly and help us.

He finally had to come back with his security team.

The intruders were captured, but then terrible news came from the countryside.

His sugarbaby had left a suicide note, her fate unknown.

In her letter, she accused me of deliberately drawing my brother away, causing her to be tortured by his enemies before she took her own life.

My brother coldly burned her letter and told me not to worry about it.

Afterward, my brother was blamed for what happened, and my father promised to put me in charge of the company.

However, after the celebration dinner ended, my brother brutally murdered me in my bedroom.

His face showed no emotion as he coldly said, "Someone as treacherous as you should have died long ago.

"You should have been the one to die, and the family inheritance should have been mine!"

I died with my eyes wide open in disbelief, and when I opened them again, I could hear our enemies breaking down the front door of our mansion.

Chapter 1

The thunderous crash of the heavy iron gates being forced open at our estate jolted me back to reality from my near-death experience.

I grabbed my panic-stricken mother, who was about to rush out to see what was happening, and pulled her into my bedroom.

After locking the door, I gasped for breath and urged Mom to help me push the heavy oak wardrobe against the door.

"Mia, what are you doing? We have security guards, what are you afraid of?" My mother, Marianne, looked at me in confusion, though she couldn't hide the terror in her eyes.

She didn't know yet that my brother, James, had taken all the bodyguards with him for his beloved girlfriend.

"Mom, James took all the security with him. It's just the two of us in the house now!" I gritted my teeth, using every ounce of strength to push the wardrobe.

The heavy oak made a spine-chilling scraping sound as it left deep scratches across the hardwood floor.

Marianne froze, unable to believe that my usually responsible brother would do something so reckless.

Given our family's wealth, security had always been a top priority. How could all the guards possibly leave at once?

But seeing my pale face, she had no choice but to believe me.

"Quick! Call your brother and tell him to come back immediately!" Marianne urged, her voice shaking.

I remained silent, eyes fixed on the door barely blocked by the wardrobe.

With trembling fingers, I dialed 911, briefly explaining our situation and address.

I couldn't trust James to be our first line of rescue, especially since in my previous life, he had returned too late, causing my mother to miss the critical treatment window and die.

After hanging up, my heart sank.

Recent heavy snowfall had blocked the roads, and our hillside estate was quite a distance from the nearest police station.

I dreaded to imagine what might happen before the police arrived...

"BANG!" A violent crash shook the door. I instinctively pressed my body against the wardrobe as fear rushed through me.

Just then, Marianne's call to James connected.

"James, come home quickly, there are... there are intruders in the house!" Marianne's voice broke with tears.

James's impatient voice came through the speaker, "Come on, Mom, stop making things up. I'm still waiting for the meteor shower with Michelle. I'll be back tomorrow."

"I'm not lying! There really are intruders! Come back quickly, or you'll be collecting our bodies!" Marianne practically screamed.

James's tone grew even colder, "I know you don't like Michelle, but there's no need to make up such stories to scare me."

Chapter 2

"And tell Mia Cooper that she should stop playing these little games. I won't fall for it again."

Hearing these words, my heart completely sank.

It seemed my brother had also been reborn! But why would he think this was a lie I made up?

In my previous life, he had witnessed with his own eyes how those thugs tortured mother and me.

Why was he being so cold this time around?

Just because of Michelle Peterson? Just because she casually said "Mia did it on purpose" in her suicide note?

Heavy footsteps approached outside the door.

Then the door was hit even more violently, making the wardrobe start to scrape across the floor with a piercing noise.

We watched helplessly as the wardrobe's defense gradually failed until—CRACK!

A corner of the wardrobe splintered under a powerful blow, exposing a large gap right before our eyes.

The intruder outside let out a hoarse laugh, "So this is where you're hiding."

I stood in front of my mother, backing toward the bed step by step.

Staring at the widening crack in the doorway, sweat covered my forehead as I felt completely helpless without any weapon.

Then the door was violently forced open, with the bottom of the wardrobe making a terrible screeching sound like metal on train tracks.

A pair of dirty boots stepped into the room.

"Did you think blocking the door would save you? I don't have the patience for games."

The man smiled crookedly, his disgusting gaze scanning the room.

I froze in place, staring at the gleaming knife in his hand, its cold light reflecting off his filthy knuckles.

His gaze fell on me, greedy and sickening, like a snake's tongue flicking.

"Well, well, I didn't expect to find such a pretty young lady here."

Marianne let out a heart-wrenching scream, "Don't touch her!"

I clenched my teeth, fighting down the despair churning in my chest, and turned to whisper to my mother, "Mom, whatever happens next, don't interfere.

"Move back. There's a trampoline outside the window that should cushion your fall.

"Then run to the Patel house next door and find Nathan Patel. Ask him to bring help for me."

The man with the knife was getting closer. We had no time left.

I'd been tortured in my previous life anyway. This time, I had to save my mother at all costs.

"Mia, I can't leave you behind!"

I gripped my mother's wrist tightly.

"Listen to me. Just jump down and quickly go to the Patels. As long as you survive, there's still hope."

Just then, the man pushed aside the wobbling wardrobe and advanced toward us.

"Mom, jump now!" I urged in a desperate whisper.

But instead, Marianne suddenly lunged at the man.

She grabbed his arms with all her might, trying to pull him back.

"Mia! Jump, run! Mom won't let them catch you!" Her voice was choked with determination.

"Mom!!" I screamed in terror.

I watched helplessly as the knife in the man's raised hand plunged without hesitation into her back!

That flash of red burst into my mind, shattering all rational thought in my shock.

Mom gasped in pain but still held onto the man's waist, desperately shouting to me, ”Jump! Mia, jump now! Don’t stop!”

My blood felt frozen, but the instinct to survive took over.

There was no chance of winning in a direct confrontation. I rushed to the window and jumped without hesitation.

As I landed and bounced violently on the trampoline, I felt a sharp pain shoot from my ankle up to my calf.

Chapter 3

However, there was no time to linger. I gritted my teeth, struggled to my feet, and ran with all my might toward the Patel house next door.

I couldn't worry about my frostbitten feet sinking into the snow, becoming raw and bloody. I just remembered to keep running forward without stopping.

Though we called them neighbors, their house was actually a kilometer away.

The freezing air stung my throat, but I didn't dare slow down.

Because I knew that in my previous life, there had been more than just one intruder who broke in!

When I finally collapsed in front of the Patels' iron gate, I pounded on it desperately, shouting hoarsely, "Nathan! Open up, help! Intruders broke into my house, please save my mom!"

The iron gate creaked open, and Nathan stood there frowning.

He wore a warm cashmere coat, but his face didn't show a trace of warmth.

He looked down at me kneeling in the snow and slowly said, ”Mia, your acting skills have really improved lately."

His tone was mocking with a hint of scorn.

Blood rushed to my chest as my head spun.

"Nathan! I'm not playing around or joking. My mother is fighting for her life!

"Please send someone with me to save her."

He looked me up and down, taking in my disheveled appearance and injuries with exaggerated wonder, "If James hadn't told me you might stage some home invasion drama out of jealousy toward Michelle, I might have believed you."

I frantically explained, "Don't listen to him! This is real!

"I already called the police, but they haven't arrived yet. Please, my mother's been stabbed. She won't last long!"

In my previous life, those three intruders took out their anger on my mother afterward.

My mother and I fought desperately, and we were both tortured and badly injured.

I was assaulted, and my mother ended up dead.

This time around, I couldn't let my mother die because of me!

I took out my phone to show Nathan my call to emergency services, but he showed no sign of believing me.

Instead, he continued with cold mockery, "You're playing quite the elaborate game this time, aren't you? Even called the police?

"Staging a home invasion? This act is so convincing, I almost believe it. I have to admire your determination.

"Nathan! Have you lost your mind?! This is real!"

I screamed in desperation, tears blurring my vision.

However, my cry couldn't earn his trust.

He turned to leave, but I grabbed him.

"Please! My mother really needs help! If you don't go now, she might die, she really will die!"

He looked down at me, his expression completely cold, "Mia, James specifically told me to ignore, no matter how much of a scene you make."

His coldness cut into my nerves.

Before Michelle appeared, Nathan had been my childhood sweetheart, always gentle and caring toward me.

Even after our engagement, he had been incredibly doting.

But after that woman showed up, everything changed.

Nathan grew increasingly cold toward me, and even my brother began to distance himself.

To please Michelle, my brother did all kinds of foolish things.

Just because another company's name was the same as Michelle's pet dog, he maliciously ruined their business, which is what brought this disaster to our family!

I knelt desperately in the snow, pleading, “Nathan, I'm begging you! Just take someone to my house and check, please!

"You can even break off our engagement if you want, just please help!"

I was nearly at my breaking point.

I prayed over and over in my heart that Nathan would show even a shred of conscience.

Chapter 4

I hoped for the sake of our past relationship that he would save my mother.

The butler, who had watched me grow up since I was little, finally felt some sympathy.

"Sir, perhaps you should take some men to check. Miss Cooper wouldn't lie about something like this."

Nathan hesitated for a moment. I seized the opportunity and began desperately bowing my head to him.

My forehead hit the freezing ground with dull thuds.

"Please, please, save my mother!"

Nathan finally spoke, his tone still cold, "I'll take some men to check.

"But, Mia, if this turns out to be something you staged, I'll make you pay for it."

I looked up sharply, a glimmer of hope in my eyes.

No matter what, as long as he agreed to go!

After calling for several security guards, his phone rang at the worst possible moment.

It was my brother.

Nathan glanced at me and put it on speaker.

James’s lazy, cold voice came through.

"Mia didn't come looking for you, did she? Don't listen to her. Someone just used my mom's phone to call and threaten me with murder. It's ridiculous."

I felt like I'd fallen into an ice cave, my blood freezing solid.

I couldn't believe that my brother, who once promised to protect me for life, could be so heartless.

For the sake of a woman, he ignored our mother's safety and turned a deaf ear to my pleas.

Fury and fear mixing together, I screamed at the phone.

"James! Have you lost your mind?! Do we have to die before you'll believe me?! You've seen what happened to Mom and me before!"

He laughed coldly, “That was just your scheme to gain power!

"I asked Mrs. Mendes at home, and everything is fine there.

"You're ruthless and vicious. I won't believe you this time!

"If anything happens to Mom, it's your own fault!"

My heart completely sank.

Mrs. Mendes had gone home on leave a week ago. How could she possibly know what was happening at our house?!

I was about to argue when the line went dead with a beeping tone.

Nathan's expression darkened completely. He looked at me with disgust, “So you were lying! Someone grab her and break her legs. Teach her a lesson!"

Several guards moved forward, preparing to seize me.

Fighting through the intense pain in my legs, I shouted, "You wouldn't dare! When my father returns, I won't let any of you off!"

The guards exchanged uncertain glances, hesitating.

Nathan laughed coldly, casually picked up a baseball bat, and walked over to me.

Looking down at me from above, his eyes filled with mockery and contempt.

"They don't dare, but I do."

I looked up at him in despair. The gentle affection we once shared seemed like an illusory dream.

I couldn't believe he would treat me this way.

I fearfully tried to back away, but he kicked me to the ground.

A sharp pain shot through my stomach, and before I could recover, he viciously struck my already injured left leg with the bat.

"Ahh!"

I screamed in agony, my body shaking violently as the excruciating pain nearly made me faint.

He just stood coldly to the side.

"This is the price for lying to me."

Just then, my phone rang.

He bent down to pick it up, a mocking smile curling at his lips.

"Let me hear who's calling now."

"Hello, is this Miss Cooper who called emergency services?

"We've arrived at your home. The intruders escaped during the struggle, but your mother is in critical condition and needs immediate medical attention."

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