A Choice to Walk Away

My best friend was a hopeless romantic.

Her boyfriend abused her, and she came to me in tears.

I urged her to break up, but she showed him our chat logs and accused me of sabotaging their love.

She got pregnant before marriage and, to satisfy his desires, drugged me and sent me to his bed.

Fearing I'd report them, her boyfriend dismembered me, and she helped him hide my body.

When I woke again, I was back to the day they started dating.

My friend asked excitedly, "Pearl, what do you think of him?"

I smiled. "He's great. Perfect for you."

1

I never imagined my best friend Sybil Clark would drug me.

She texted me that she was pregnant and scared, begging me to come over.

I believed her and went to her off-campus apartment, unaware she'd slip something into my drink. "Sybil, you..."

"Pearl, I'm sorry, but Jerome's suffering if he doesn't get relief!" I stared at Sybil, my so-called best friend, sobbing into her hands. "If Jerome goes elsewhere, it'll break my heart, but with you, I can handle it. You're my best friend!"

Her words made me want to slap her.

Because I was her best friend, she'd ruin me?

What twisted logic!

But my limbs felt weak, my mind clouding.

Sybil tried to guide me to the bedroom, but I mustered all my strength to shove her away.

Her boyfriend, Jerome Binder, walked in, scanning the room before locking his swollen eyes on me with a vile grin.

"Sybil, you're my best friend," I said, glaring at her.

"Pearl, I'm sorry, but Jerome promised if you go along, he'll stop looking elsewhere."

Sybil's eyes reddened, tears threatening to spill, her voice breaking. "Pearl, please forgive me. I love Jerome so much. I can't lose him. Do this for my love, please, as my best friend."

As Jerome moved to grab me, I stumbled back. "Sybil, you idiot."

She suddenly stopped Jerome.

I thought my words had snapped her out of it, but I was wrong.

"Jerome, I did what you asked, so please don't leave me, okay?"

"Sybil, I love you most. Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere," Jerome said.

Sybil looked touched, even fulfilled.

I was speechless, wishing I could crack open her head to see if it was filled with nonsense.

Jerome closed in.

Clutching the knife I'd used to peel an apple, I backed away.

The cold, hard wall behind me sharpened my senses.

Jerome lunged.

I gripped the knife, swinging it wildly with my eyes shut.

After it grazed his arm, Jerome, enraged, pinned me against the wall by my throat. "You wretched woman!"

The knife clattered to the floor. My face turned red from lack of air, hands clawing at his grip.

His strength overwhelmed me. I couldn't breathe and looked desperately at Sybil for help.

She stood nearby, tears in her eyes, but when our gazes met, she guiltily looked away.

The suffocation grew unbearable, my consciousness fading until I passed out.

Jerome calmed down after knocking me out. "Sybil, when she wakes, she'll report us. We'll both go to jail!"

"What do we do?" Sybil asked, voice trembling with panic.

"We finish this," Jerome said, miming a throat-slitting gesture, his eyes cold.

"But Pearl's my friend..."

"Don't be stupid. You drugged her. If she reports you, your life's over!"

Jerome's words shattered Sybil's resolve. She buried her face in her hands, sobbing.

Jerome took her silence as agreement and didn't hesitate.

He grabbed the fruit knife from the floor and stabbed it into my heart, pulling it out to plunge it in several more times for good measure.

Sybil only whimpered, doing nothing to stop him.

My soul detached from my body, floating above, watching myself lie in a pool of blood.

My best friend clung to her boyfriend, my murderer, crying on his shoulder.

The killer softly comforted the friend I'd always cherished.

Sybil quickly calmed down.

Jerome always knew how to soothe her.

Despite his cheating, gambling, and worse, their countless fights and breakups always ended with Jerome's sweet words, Sybil's forgiveness, and reconciliation.

To destroy evidence, Jerome planned to dismember and dispose of me, with my best friend assisting, piece by piece.

My phone buzzed, the sudden text alert startling Sybil. She steadied herself and unlocked my phone.

I drifted behind her, seeing the message-a job interview offer from my dream company.

But I'd never get to attend.

Sybil kept using my phone, sending messages to my parents and friends, claiming I was busy with my thesis.

I wanted to strangle them both but passed through their bodies, powerless.

The irony stung.

My despair deepened, but a mechanical voice broke through. "Detected overwhelming resentment, preventing reincarnation. Would you like to try again and rewrite your fate?"

"I would!" I answered without hesitation.

A blinding white light flashed, and I blacked out.