Reborn From The Poison We Call Love

I suddenly opened my eyes.
Before me was the familiar car interior, the scent of gardenia perfume my mother Jennifer Parker always wore lingering at my nose.
The highway signs outside the window blurred past at lightning speed; the sign reading 30 miles to the city flickered so fast it made my head spin.
Shouldn't I be in the hospital morgue?
After the engagement banquet in my previous life, Ryan Edwards' father died of anger, his mother was seriously injured after banging her head against the wall, and Ryan, distracted while driving, crashed through the guardrail, plunging both himself and the car into the river.
When I went to identify the body, I was hit by an out-of-control truck.
I pinched my thigh sharply with my fingers; a stabbing pain shot through.
This isn't a dream.
I had truly been reborn, back to the day before the engagement banquet, sitting in my father John Parker's car on the way to a hotel in the neighboring city to confirm the banquet arrangements.
Memories from my past life surged in like a tidal wave.
On the day of the engagement banquet, Jennifer pulled out a crumpled pink paper right in front of all the guests.
She claimed it was proof that I had secretly undergone hymen restoration surgery, called me shameless, and tearfully begged Ryan's family to show some leniency.
Ryan's father, who had a severe heart condition, clutched his chest in anger and lost his breath before the ambulance even arrived.
Ryan's mother, almost mad, slammed herself against the corner of the wall, blood streaming down her forehead.
Ryan was holding his father's corpse, his eyes so empty it was terrifying. Later, while driving, probably still reeling from the shock, he got into a car accident.
Our two families were destroyed just like that by my mother Jennifer.
Why did she do it?
It wasn't until later that I understood: she was afraid that once I married into the Edwards family, they would look down on her as a "rural-born" relative. So she tried to expose the family's dirty laundry first to gain sympathy and portray me as someone who seems needed the Edwards family's acceptance, hoping to gain the upper hand in negotiating the betrothal gifts.
How ridiculous, how malicious.
The car pulled off the highway, and my father John glanced my way.
"Barbra, your mom said to downgrade tomorrow's banquet by a level to save money for your brother Bill's game console. What do you think?"
I stared at my father's simple, honest face, and a cold shiver ran through me.
In my past life, I was too obedient; I listened to Jennifer and agreed to downgrade the banquet. Though Ryan's family said nothing, the guests whispered behind my back that I was marrying beneath myself.
This time, I won't let her get her way.
Jennifer sat in the passenger seat and, before I could say a word, cut me off: "What does a girl know? If we can save money, we should. Your brother Bill's taking his college entrance exam next year and really needs it!"
I curled my lips slightly, my voice calm but sharp: "Mom, the engagement banquet is a once-in-a-lifetime event. If it's held too shabbily, people will say the Edwards family looks down on our family, and they'll also say that you, as a mother, don't value your daughter. "
Jennifer was momentarily stunned, probably not expecting me to push back against her.
She turned to glare at me, "What are you saying? How you dare talk back to me?"
I didn't say another word, just stared out the window.
Jennifer, in my past life, you dragged both me and the Edwards family straight to hell.
This time, I'll make sure you truly savor the misery of having your secrets exposed.
The car stopped at the hotel entrance.
I opened the door and took a deep breath.
The script of revenge is about to begin.

On the day of the engagement banquet, the hotel banquet hall was buzzing with voices.
I wore a pure white gown, standing beside Ryan, receiving the guests' blessings.
Jennifer suddenly grabbed the hotel manager and approached me, deliberately raising her voice, "Sir, this banquet standard is way too high. We don't need something so extravagant; lower it by one level and refund the difference to me."
The surrounding guests instantly fell silent, all eyes fixed on us.
Ryan's mother's expression darkened slightly, but she still smiled to smooth things over: "Ms. Parker, it's nothing. The banquet standards were set long ago—we don't need to lower them. "
Jennifer, however, wouldn't relent: "How can that be? It's such a waste! My Barbra isn't some golden flower; there's no need for such extravagance. "
I know she's doing this on purpose.
She wants to belittle me to highlight her frugality, while making the Edwards family think she's reasonable or something.
I gently pulled my hand free from Ryan's grip and stepped in front of Jennifer, wearing just the right amount of hurt on my face: "Mom, how can you say that? My engagement banquet is a big deal for both families. If you thought it was wasteful, why didn't you discuss it with me or the Edwards family beforehand? Now, saying this in front of so many guests makes it seem like the Edwards family doesn't want to hold a proper banquet for me, or that you don't like Ryan as a son-in-law. "
As soon as I finished speaking, the guests began whispering among themselves.
"Yeah, I never heard there was an engagement banquet been downgraded at the last minute. "
"I think she's just sexist, favoring her son and hoarding all the money for her son, unwilling to spend a penny on her daughter. "
"I heard her son, Bill Parker, wants the newest gaming console. She's probably trying to save the banquet money to buy it for him. "
Jennifer's face instantly flushed a dark purplish hue.
She pointed at me, her voice trembling with anger: "You... Such a unfilial daughter! I'm doing this for your own good, and you dare to slander me!"
I lowered my gaze, my voice trembling with tears: "Mom, I'm not slandering you. I just feel that the engagement banquet is a once-in-a-lifetime event; it can't be taken so lightly. If you truly cared about me, you wouldn't have said those things today. "
Ryan walked over and gently put his arm around my shoulders. Looking at Jennifer, he said, "Ms. Parker, Barbra is not wrong. There's no need to downgrade the banquet arrangements, and you don't need to worry about the money. "
Jennifer grew even more furious when she saw Ryan helping me.
Suddenly, she raised her voice and shouted to all the guests, "Don't be fooled by this little girl! She's far from the innocent you all believe her to be! Today, I'll expose her flaws and reveal her true colors!"
The guests instantly erupted into an uproar.
Some craned their necks out of curiosity, some whispered softly, and others took out their mobile phones, ready to capture the moment.
I lifted my head and met her vicious glare, sneering coldly in my heart.
It's here—the drama from my past life is finally about to play out.
But this time, the ending will be different.

Jennifer pulled a pink sheet of paper from her bag and raised it high above her head.
"Everyone, look! This is the record I found in her room—proof she secretly had hymen restoration surgery! She's long lost her virginity but pretended to be a pure innocent girl to deceive Ryan, to deceive the Edwards family!"
The pink paper gleamed harshly under the light; it was the"evidence"that ruined everything for me in my past life.
I lunged forward to snatch it, but my father John gripped my arm tightly, refusing to let go.
"Barbra, don't make a scene! Since your mother brought it out, it must be true! How could you do something so shameful?"
John's voice was thick with disappointment and anger.
Jennifer seized the moment to hand the paper to a nearby guest, asking him to read it aloud.
"Patient name: Barbra...surgery type: hymen reconstruction surgery...surgery date: the 15th of last month... "
The guest read out loud with clear, deliberate emphasis, as if afraid no one would hear.
Ryan's face instantly went deathly pale.
He looked at me, eyes filled with shock and disbelief: "Barbra, is...is this true?"
I shook my head vigorously, tears streaming down my cheeks: "Ryan, it's not true! My mom forged this! I never had that surgery!"
Jennifer sneered coldly, "Forged? How could I possibly fake something like this? It even has the hospital's official seal and the doctor's signature. You can't deny it even if you try!"
At that moment, Ryan's father suddenly clutched his chest, his face turning purple as he struggled to breathe.
"Dad!" Ryan shouted in alarm, rushing over to steady him.
"Quick! Call an ambulance!" Ryan's mother cried out, frantically fumbling to pull out her mobile phone.
The banquet hall erupted into chaos.
Seizing the moment, I wrenched my hand free from John's grip and dashed toward the guest holding a pink piece of paper, snatching it away in one swift move.
I scrutinized the contents carefully, my eyes locking onto the signature at the bottom.
Doctor's signature: Jennifer.
My heart suddenly skipped a beat.
In my previous life, I was too flustered to even notice the signature.
This time, I see everything crystal clear.
Jennifer actually signed it with her own name!
Is she really that stupid, or just so desperate to hurt me that she didn't even pay attention to such a detail?
I held up the paper and shouted to all the guests, "Look, everyone! This surgical record is forged!"
"The doctor's signature on it is my mom's name, Jennifer! What kind of doctor would use their own name to sign a surgical record for a patient?"
The guests crowded around to take a look, all gasping in shock.
"It really is Jennifer's signature!"
"Isn't this way too fake? Not even a little professional when forging evidence?"
"So it wasn't Barbra who had the surgery, it was Jennifer who deliberately forged it?"
Jennifer's face instantly turned pale. She rushed over, trying to snatch the paper from my hand. "You're lying! That's not my signature! You forged it!"
I took a step back, dodging her hand. "Whether it's my signature or not, everyone can compare it with my mom's usual handwriting. My dad should have the family ledger signed by my mom. Just bring it over and we'll see!"
John froze for a moment, instinctively reaching into his pocket to touch the ledger.
Seeing this, Jennifer grew even more frantic.

John pulled out the family ledger from his pocket and handed it to an elderly relative nearby.
That elderly relative was a retired teacher, highly sensitive to handwriting.
He carefully compared the ledger and the pink surgical record for quite some time. Then he looked up and announced to all the guests, "This is indeed the same handwriting. The signature on this surgical record was written by Jennifer. "
The guests burst into an uproar.
"So it really was Jennifer who forged this!"
"Why would she do something so harmful to her own daughter?"
"That's unbelievably cruel— even a tiger won't eat its own cub!"
Jennifer trembled all over, muttering repeatedly, "It's not me...it's not me...you're mistaken... "
I looked at her flustered face and pressed on, "Mom, since you say this surgery record is real, then tell everyone—where is this hospital? When exactly did I have the surgery? How much was the surgery fee?"
Jennifer's eyes darted nervously as she stammered, "The hospital...it's in the city center, that...that Onalaska Hospital...The surgery fee...I forgot... "
"Onalaska Hospital?" I sneered coldly, "Mom, are you sure it was Onalaska Hospital? On the 15th of last month, the very day you claim I had the surgery, I was sitting my final exam at school. There were invigilators and classmates who can vouch for me." "Besides, Onalaska Hospital doesn't even provide hymen restoration surgery. I checked long ago."
As soon as I finished speaking, Ryan suddenly said, "I can vouch for this. On the 15th last month, Barbra was definitely taking her exam at school. I even waited for her at the school gate that day."
Jennifer's face completely fell.
At that moment, the big screen in the banquet hall suddenly lit up.
The screen played a video showing a woman who looked exactly like Jennifer, getting intimate with a stranger in a hotel room.
Though the video was AI face-swapped, anyone familiar with Jennifer could tell it was her figure and movements.
The guests erupted instantly.
"Oh my god! Isn't that Jennifer?"
"She actually cheated?"
"John is still here, and she's being so blatantly obvious about it!"
Jennifer screamed and rushed over to turn off the screen, but several guests blocked her.
The video paused halfway, freezing on a close-up shot, with a line of text appearing beside it: "According to the hospital examination, this woman has a 6.5cm vaginal tear, unrelated to hymen restoration surgery."
I pointed at the text on the screen and said to all the guests, "Everyone should know that hymen restoration surgery wouldn't cause such a large tear."
"Last year, my mom had a fall that caused a vaginal tear. She needed several stitches at the hospital. I already obtained the medical records, which clearly state 'tear length: 6.5cm.'"
I pulled Jennifer's medical records out of my bag and handed them to the elderly relative.
After reviewing them, the elderly relative nodded and said, "That's right, the medical record clearly says that."
Jennifer collapsed to the ground, her eyes vacant, muttering nonstop, "It wasn't me...it really wasn't me..."
John stood nearby, his face pale as death, fists clenched so tight his knuckles turned white.
He looked at Jennifer, his eyes filled with disappointment and fury.

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