The last thing I remember is the sharp crack of my head against the cold marble floor. My husband, Matthew, and my sister, Gabrielle, stood over me, their faces twisted in triumph. My mother, Maria, watched with a satisfied smile. "It' s over, Jocelyn," Matthew had said, just before he pushed me down the grand staircase of the house I bought. The house where they plotted my end. Then, darkness. But it wasn't the end. I blinked awake under harsh fluorescent lights, the air thick with antiseptic. I knew this place: a Planned Parenthood clinic. And there stood Gabrielle, looking younger, her stomach flat. But her eyes were puffy, and a whisper slipped out: "Please, Jocey, don't make me do this. They're your little niece and nephew." My blood ran cold. This was the day. The day I' d dragged her here, trying to save her future, only for them to brand me a monster. They used my help, my pragmatism, twisted it into cruelty, then murdered me. But now, the sharp ghost of memory was gone, replaced by a chilling realization. This was their scheme, their trap. They thought I was still their naive, doting ATM. They assumed I' d fall for their pathetic performance again. A slow, silent smile spread across my face. This time, everything would be different. This time, I knew their game, and I was ready to play.
The last thing I remember is the sharp crack of my head against the cold marble floor. My husband, Matthew, and my sister, Gabrielle, stood over me, their faces twisted in triumph. My mother, Maria, watched with a satisfied smile. "It' s over, Jocelyn," Matthew had said, just before he pushed me down the grand staircase of the house I bought. The house where they plotted my end.
Then, darkness. But it wasn't the end. I blinked awake under harsh fluorescent lights, the air thick with antiseptic. I knew this place: a Planned Parenthood clinic. And there stood Gabrielle, looking younger, her stomach flat. But her eyes were puffy, and a whisper slipped out: "Please, Jocey, don't make me do this. They're your little niece and nephew."
My blood ran cold. This was the day. The day I' d dragged her here, trying to save her future, only for them to brand me a monster. They used my help, my pragmatism, twisted it into cruelty, then murdered me. But now, the sharp ghost of memory was gone, replaced by a chilling realization. This was their scheme, their trap.
They thought I was still their naive, doting ATM. They assumed I' d fall for their pathetic performance again. A slow, silent smile spread across my face. This time, everything would be different. This time, I knew their game, and I was ready to play.
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