Brainwashed Sister-in-law

My sister-in-law fell for the health supplement scam.

After food poisoning, I urged her to stop taking them.

Instead, she gave birth to a severely disabled child and blamed me for everything. She pushed me down the stairs, killing me.

Reborn, I saw her return home, newly pregnant, clutching a supplement flyer with glee.

This time, I decided to watch the drama unfold.

1

Seeing Jessica's familiar, sharp face, I pinched myself hard.

It hurt.

I had truly been reborn.

Jessica's face glowed with rare joy, her hand clutching a thin test report, her head held high with pride.

"I'm pregnant," she announced.

My mom beamed, snatching the report to read it over and over.

"Oh, this is wonderful! We'll tell Waylon in person when he gets home. Tonight, I'll cook something special to nourish you!"

I leaned on the sofa, skimming the teacher evaluation report from my college group chat.

When Jessica mentioned her pregnancy, I felt a daze.

After a few seconds, I forced a smile, "Congrats, Jessica."

She basked in her joy, oblivious to the strain on my face.

After changing, she pulled a neatly folded flyer from her pocket, approaching my mom and me with a secretive air.

"At the ob-gyn today, I met someone handing out flyers at the hospital entrance. A crowd swarmed around. Look, these supplements have amazing benefits. Everyone was grabbing them. They sold out!"

The word "supplements" hit me like a tidal wave. My head spun, and cold sweat drenched me.

In my past life, Jessica encountered a supplement salesman at the hospital during her pregnancy. A few slick words brainwashed her. She came home, begging to buy them.

Waylon, always spineless, bought them despite the steep price.

Things spiraled.

Jessica, obsessed, pushed us to try them too.

Days later, our family landed in the hospital with mild poisoning.

I suspected the supplements.

Jessica scoffed, "Shirley, just because you're a college teacher doesn't mean you know everything. Food poisoning happens for many reasons. Maybe we ate something bad. You're not smarter than professional doctors."

Concerned for her unborn child, our family's bloodline, I pressed her to stop.

She refused and turned on me.

My mom and Waylon, however, listened.

They promised Jessica twenty boxes but bought only fifteen.

Later, Jessica gave birth to a severely disabled child.

Our world collapsed.

Instead of reflecting, she blamed me, muttering at meals, her eyes venomous.

It chilled me.

"Shirley, you'll pay for this!"

I brushed it off, urging Waylon to get her psychological help.

Days later, as I descended the stairs, she appeared behind me, child in arms, and shoved me.

"If you hadn't stopped me from taking enough supplements, my baby would be fine!" she snarled. "You'll pay with your life!"

Unprepared, I tumbled down, dead on impact.

Her twisted, dark expression haunted me.

This time, I stayed silent.

When Jessica handed me the flyer, I smiled, "Looks pretty good."

2

That evening, Waylon returned from the construction site. Hearing his wife's pregnancy news, he grinned ear to ear.

When Jessica urged him to call the flyer's number to buy five boxes, he hesitated. "Honey, I've heard these flyers can't be trusted. It's easy to get scammed."

Jessica's temper flared, "Supplements are made for our health! The developers said they contain all the nutrients we need. It's the real deal."

Waylon looked to me for help. "Shirley, you're educated. Can we trust this stuff?"

Seeing his pathetic face, I felt both frustration and a chill.

In my past life, after Jessica pushed me, my lingering resentment kept me tethered.

I overheard her call Waylon.

"Honey, I finally got rid of our enemy," she said.

On speaker, Waylon's voice trembled. "What now?"

"What else? No cameras here. We'll say she fell. Your mom's on our side. Even if she knows, she won't blame us much."

Waylon's voice steadied. "Then we can push my mom to claim her inheritance at the notary. It'll all be ours."

Jessica's face burned with hate. "This still doesn't satisfy me. If not for Shirley, our child would be fine!"

Recalling this, I shivered.

Facing my seemingly honest brother, I swallowed my instinctive rebuttal. "How would I know? I'm not a doctor. Listen to the experts."

Jessica, seeing Waylon's indecision, snapped. "This is your child in my belly! If you can't spend this money, maybe I shouldn't have this baby!"

Waylon caved, joining my mom to placate her. "I'll buy them, okay? Don't get upset. You're our hero now."

Jessica ran a small cosmetics shop. After discovering supplements, she called Paige, the saleswoman, daily, closer than anyone.

"What? The price dropped? For real? I've got to seize this chance. Thanks, Paige!"

Hanging up, she announced she'd sell her shop to buy more supplements and become a distributor.

It wasn't pocket change, but with Waylon under her thumb, she ruled the house.

The decision was made.

Jessica rubbed her belly, murmuring, "Sweet baby, Mommy will make you strong and healthy, better than anyone. Mommy will earn tons of money for our family to live well."

I grabbed my water cup, watching her obsession deepen. I said nothing.

Let's see how this plays out.

3

Jessica's cosmetics shop, bought by Waylon pestering my mom after their wedding, sat in a modest but decently trafficked area.

It earned enough for household expenses.

She sold it for a pittance.

Soon, boxes of supplements piled up in our home's corner.

Jessica treated them like treasure, urging me to try them.

I waved her off with a smile. "I'll pass. They probably have protein powder, and I'm allergic."

She muttered, "Since when?"

If not for my past life's lesson, I'd have fallen for it again.

Jessica's addiction grew.

She sank the shop's sale money into supplements and targeted others.

That evening, I saw her cozying up to my mom on the sofa, eagerly massaging her shoulders.

"Hannah, can you lend me some money?" she said with a grin.

My mom's face shifted.

Though she favored Waylon, she guarded her money.

"You've already spent so much. More?"

Jessica kept smiling, her hands busy. "Hannah, you don't get it. These sell better in bulk. The more I buy, the more profit I make. They're hot items."

Seeing my mom wavering, Jessica pressed harder. "If I sell them, I get them at cost. That's great for the baby. Hannah, lend me fifty thousand, and I promise you a healthy grandson!"

My mom's eyes lit up at "grandson." "Really?"

"Of course! The better I eat, the healthier the baby. It's a fact."

That hit my mom's weak spot.

She transferred fifty thousand on the spot.

I watched coldly.

Fifty thousand, just like that!

When I graduated and started my business, I lived in a damp, sunless basement rental. My bedding reeked of mildew.

Desperate, I called my mom to borrow two thousand.

"Two thousand?! Shirley, you think my money grows on trees? My pension's only fourteen hundred a month, and I'm busy with Waylon's wedding. How dare you ask?"

I bit my lip, too hurt to speak.

Waylon's wedding emcee, demanded by Jessica before their license, cost two thousand.

My own mom, chose to fund her son's spectacle over helping her daughter.

I gave up on her.

When Jessica's child was born disabled and she pinned it on me, my mom didn't seek the real culprit.

She sided with Waylon and Jessica, berating me. "You cursed girl! All that education, wasted!

If you hadn't meddled, my grandson would be fine!"

Seeing her cave again for her precious grandson, I curled my lip.