Her Heart Will Tell Lies
She thought to herself, Back by the river, watching other kids have their dads teach them to swim, I really wished someone would take me just once. The water must feel so cool, right?
The next day, I drove her to the cleanest part of the river in the countryside and taught her how to float and swim.
She suddenly screamed and sank abruptly.
I desperately dove underwater to pull her up, but she clung tightly to my arm, dragging me deeper.
In the end, I forcefully pushed her to the shore, but I passed out from choking on water.
Amid the piercing sirens of the ambulance, she curled up in my mother Aurora Harris's arms, coughing violently and crying heartbreakingly.
Aurora slapped me, while my father Miles Harris's eyes were filled with disappointment.
He said, "Shes been wandering outside for over ten years, suffering a lot. You come back and try to drown her right away."
I had so much to say but couldnt defend myself.
Later, she was harassed by thugs outside the school.
I "heard" her desperate cries again.
She said in her heart, "He said if he doesnt see me tonight, hell burn down my familys garage. Naomi, help me. Only you can save me." Naomi Harris is my name.
I grabbed a stick and rushed to the small woods behind the school.
But she didnt come.
Those thugs, with cruel laughter, easily took away my stick.
The leader of the thugs pinned me down by the pond.
He said, "Don't blame us. It was your dear sister Layla who paid half a million dollars for your life."
"She said, as long as you're dead, the hundreds of millions in inheritance will all be hers."
Before the suffocation consumed me, I saw Layla slowly step out from behind a tree not far away. Her dress was pure white, and her face showed no expression.
When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day Layla was brought home.
*****
She looked at me fearfully, her inner voice echoing.
Layla thought to herself, "I really want to swim. If only Naomi could take me swimming."
After hearing Layla's inner voice again, I finally confirmed that I had truly been reborn.
Looking at the seemingly harmless Layla in front of me, I just couldn't believe she wanted to kill me.
Right after, her inner voice came through again.
She thought to herself, "Back by the river, I saw other kids being taught how to swim. If only Naomi could teach me."
Hearing the exact same inner voice as in my previous life, I couldn't help but feel a bit concerned.
Recalling the drowning incident in my past life, I decided to pretend I didn't hear it this time.
Seeing no reaction from me, Layla's eyes showed a hint of confusion.
Then, she blinked at me and softly said, "Naomi, it's so hot. Can you take me to play in the water? I want to learn how to swim."
I was a bit surprised but still said, "If it's hot, just turn on the air conditioner. It's not safe to go into the water during this season; accidents can easily happen."
Layla was visibly a bit disappointed but didn't say anything further.
Seeing this, I also breathed a sigh of relief. As long as Layla doesn't get into trouble this time, perhaps the subsequent events won't happen.
But just when I thought this matter was over, the unexpected still happened.
Perhaps Layla actively asked Miles and Aurora, and surprisingly, Miles and Aurora rarely organized a family picnic by the lake in the park.
That day, I had a bad feeling.
So, I sat alone by the lake, trying to stay as far away from Layla as possible.
But she somehow appeared beside me without me noticing.
At Miles and Aurora's request, I had to split my attention to keep an eye on her.
But in the moment Miles and Aurora turned away, Layla pretended to slip and fell into the lake.
I was startled by the sudden situation and hurriedly shouted, "Layla, be careful!"
Miles heard the commotion and turned around, quickly jumping into the water to save her, while Aurora stayed put and dialed emergency services.
I was so scared that my face turned pale. I only breathed a sigh of relief after seeing Miles rescue Layla.
Miles held the barely conscious Layla and asked with concern, "Layla, tell us. What happened just now?"
Layla glanced at me and didnt dare to speak.
Seeing this, Miles immediately pressed further.
He asked, "Layla, speak up. We'll stand up for you."
Seeing this, Layla finally said fearfully, "It was Naomi who pushed me from behind."
Then she quickly explained, "Dad, don't blame Naomi. Even though Naomi doesn't like me, she definitely didn't do it on purpose."
Hearing this, Miles immediately pointed at me in anger.
He shouted, "Naomi, how could you do such a thing?"
Aurora also looked at me with a disappointed expression.
She said, "Layla has been wandering outside for over ten years, suffering a lot. And you still wanted to drown her?"
Hearing the exact same conversation as in my previous life, I was instantly too shocked to speak.
I thought, "Could everything be predestined?"
Or perhaps, was it intentional by Layla?"
I looked at Layla with frightened eyes, but she hurriedly avoided my gaze. She didn't speak, but her inner voice echoed.
She said in her heart, "Stop talking about Naomi. Maybe I really saw it wrong."
My hands trembled as I explained, "I didn't push her at all. I was at least 10 feet away from the water."
Miles got even angrier.
He asked, "Would Layla lie? Why would she deliberately frame you?"
I instantly became furious. After looking around, I pointed to the distant surveillance and said, "If you don't believe me, then check the footage."
Of course, there would be surveillance around the park. Miles immediately stood up, ready to use the footage to shut me up.
But Layla hurriedly grabbed Miles.
She said, "No, Dad. Maybe someone else pushed me. I must have been mistaken."
Right after, Layla's inner voice sounded again.
She thought to herself, "Could I really have been mistaken? What should I do? I think I misunderstood Naomi."
I looked at Layla, still pretending to be fragile in Miles' arms, and a chill instantly ran through me.
Miles picked up Layla and carried her to the arriving ambulance.
Then he said, "No matter what, you failed to take care of Layla. I punish you to walk home alone, no riding."
I lowered my head, silently staring at the map showing over ten miles, without saying a word.
Watching them leave quickly, my mood sank to the lowest point.
I thought, "Why does Layla's inner voice always contradict her actions?"
Could her inner voice lie too?
Maybe thats not her true inner voice at all.
Three hours later, when I got home, it was completely dark.
My family had already finished dinner, but I was still hungry.
Seeing there was no food left in the kitchen, I could only eat the fruits from the platter.
At that moment, Layla suddenly appeared before me, bouncing around without a trace of weakness from her recent drowning.
So, I somewhat doubted the truth of her drowning.
At this moment, she looked at me with a wronged expression, saying nothing, but her inner voice echoed in my ears.
In her heart, she said, "I misunderstood Naomi today. Will she forgive me? I was so flustered at the time that I didnt see clearly, which is why I misunderstood Naomi. I hope shes not angry."
I felt a bit doubtful but didnt pay attention and just kept eating fruit.
But Layla was still standing nearby. She licked her lips, wanting to speak but not daring to.
In her heart, she said, "The mango looks so delicious. I really want to try it too."
I instantly recalled things from my past life.
At that time, it was also because of her inner voice that I unknowingly fed her a bite of mango.
But she suddenly had an allergic reaction, convulsing all over and foaming at the mouth.
For this, Miles slapped me hard, swelling half of my face.
At this moment, Layla's words interrupted my thoughts.
She asked, "Naomi, can I have a bite of this mango?"
I didn't hesitate and shook my head directly, saying, "I haven't eaten. In a couple of days, ask Mom and Dad to buy it for you."
Layla pursed her lips, looking a bit aggrieved.
She thought to herself, "Naomi must still be mad at me. She won't even let me have a bite of the mango."
Seeing that I still hadn't changed my mind, she left feeling disappointed.
However, I didn't notice that a mango was missing from the fruit plate.
Not long after, cries and roars of anger from Miles and Aurora came from the living room.
I immediately went to the living room and found Layla collapsed on the floor, unconscious. She was still clutching a half-eaten mango in her hand.
We immediately took her to the hospital. After some treatment, her condition quickly stabilized.
In the hospital room, Miles's yelling made my eardrums ache.
He yelled, "Naomi, did you already know Layla is allergic to mangoes? Layla is unconscious."
I immediately explained, "How would I know she's allergic? Besides, I didn't give her the mango. She ate it on her own."
Aurora was just about to say something when Layla woke up.
She rubbed her eyes and then asked, "Where am I?"
Seeing her wake up, Aurora immediately comforted, "You probably had an allergic reaction just now. We brought you to the hospital."
"Layla, tell me. Who gave you the mango?"
At this moment, a hint of grievance appeared in Layla's eyes.
She said softly, "It was Naomi."
I said, "Layla, you!"
I looked at Layla in disbelief, just about to explain, but Aurora interrupted.
Aurora said, "Layla said you gave it to her."
"You did it on purpose. How did I end up with such an ungrateful daughter?"
Her words broke my heart. I clutched my chest, too angry to say a word, just staring blankly at Layla.
She curled up in Aurora's arms, avoiding my gaze.
I wanted to hear her thoughts, but suddenly realized that only if she was willing to let me, could I truly listen.
At this moment, I heard nothing.
When discharged, Layla and I sat in the back seat.
I lowered my voice and asked as calmly as possible, "Layla, I clearly told you not to eat mangoes. Why did you still eat them?"
Layla pretended to be innocent and said, "I just never had mangoes before, so I really wanted to try."
I asked, "But why did you say it was me who gave it to you?"
When I asked her that, she immediately started crying and said, "I'm sorry, Naomi. I didn't mean to."
"Because I was afraid Mom and Dad would say I was disobedient, so I said that."
I knew Layla was lying, but there was nothing I could do.
Her inner voice always appeared to deliberately guide me and even caused me trouble.
The only possibility I can think of is that Layla did it on purpose.
It seems I'll have to guard against her from now on.
Sure enough, a few days later, I heard Layla's inner voice again.
She thought to herself, "What should I do? Those thugs told me to meet them behind the school tomorrow, or they'll burn down my family's garage. Only Naomi can save me. No, I can't trouble Naomi again."
At this moment, Layla was looking at me with a pitiful expression.
In my previous life, I trusted Layla's inner voice, went to the back mountain, and was brutally killed.
This time, I decided to ignore it and pretended not to hear.
Seeing this, Layla immediately showed a hurt expression and began sobbing softly.
She said, "What should I do? I'll be beaten to death tomorrow."
I looked down at my phone, pretending not to hear, then got up to head back to my room. But she urgently grabbed the corner of my shirt.
So, I reluctantly pretended to know nothing and asked in surprise, "What's wrong, Layla? Were you bullied?"
As I asked her, Layla's tears instantly welled up.
She said, "Naomi, some thugs are forcing me to go to the hill behind the school tomorrow. If I don't go, I'll die."
"Naomi, please help me, okay? You're the only one who can help me."
Looking at her innocent expression, I remembered her indifferent face when she appeared at the hill in her past life.
Thinking of this, I couldn't help but feel a bit angry, and I quickly came up with a plan.
Then I calmed down and smiled, saying, "Don't worry. I will make sure the bad guys get what they deserve."
Since I can't avoid it, I should make good use of this opportunity.
The next day, I went to the hill behind the school according to the address Layla gave me.
After I reached the designated spot, a few thugs emerged from the shadows of the woods.
I looked around but didn't see Layla anywhere.
The leader of the thugs, Daniel Kelly, easily snatched the stick from my hand and then pinned me down beside a filthy puddle.
I struggled hard and said humbly, "What do you want? Please let me go."
A harsh voice came from beside my ear.
Daniel said, "Stop struggling. You can't escape."
Horrifying memories from my past life instantly flooded my mind.
My hands trembled slightly as I cried and asked, "Who told you to do this? I can give you more money."
Daniel just laughed.
He said, "You? How could you give? Your sister Layla gave us a full five hundred thousand dollars."
As he mentioned the five hundred thousand dollars, the strength in his hand gradually increased.
He said, "She said that as long as you're dead, she can inherit that billion-dollar fortune and enjoy endless wealth in the future."
Daniel covered my mouth, leaving me unable to speak, so I could only stare at him in shock.
Then, he directly pushed me into the sink.
A strong sense of suffocation instantly overwhelmed me.
It wasn't until I had no strength left to struggle and my body went limp that Daniel finally let go.
He stood up and whistled. Soon after, Layla slowly emerged from the nearby woods.
Her tidy skirt and face barely containing excitement made it impossible for me to connect her with the usually pitiful-looking Layla.
Layla nudged me with her foot, then showed a worried expression. She tentatively asked, "Naomi, are you okay?"
Seeing no reaction from me, she finally smiled.
She said, "You did well. Clean everything up and make it look like an accident. After that, I'll give you the appropriate reward."
But just as she was smiling smugly, Miles's voice suddenly came from nearby.
He shouted, "Layla, what are you doing?"
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