Reborn on Christmas

On Christmas Eve, my best friend invited me to a private party. During the night, my husband showed up dressed as Santa Claus to celebrate our wedding anniversary. Overjoyed, I ended up drinking a few extra glasses of champagne. The next morning, I woke up with a splitting headache, Only to find that I had been doxxed and was trending number one across the internet. A viral headline read: “Billionaire Heiress Brutally Slaps Intern Waitress at Party, Driving Her to Suicide.” Countless trolls flooded my comments telling me to drop dead, And some unhinged extremists even camped outside my house, pelting my door with rotten eggs and garbage. Because I had drank way too much, I had zero memory of what happened. That was when my best friend stepped forward publicly: “Please don’t blame Scarlett. That’s just who she is. The waitress accidentally spilled something on her dress, so Scarlett got up and slapped her right across the face.” “Even though Scarlett was spoiled rotten as an heiress growing up, treating people like dirt is unacceptable. As her friend, I’m truly disgusted by her behavior.” To make matters worse, my husband also came forward to condemn me: “She’s arrogant at home, but I never imagined she’d be this vile in public. I’m filing for divorce immediately!” Between the two of them, they nailed me straight to the cross. Soon after, the dead girl's enraged family kidnapped me, demanding a million dollars in ransom from my husband. Nathan rejected their demand without a second thought and called the cops. Driven completely insane, the kidnappers executed me, chopped off my limbs, and threw me into the open ocean. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on Christmas Eve... “Merry Christmas! Happy Christmas, babe!” I snapped awake amidst the laughter and noise of the party. When my vision cleared, I saw my husband standing right in front of me dressed as Santa Claus. In his hands was an outrageously expensive diamond necklace. My best friend clapped and cheered beside him. The whole VIP room was buzzing. I was certain right then: I had been reborn, back on Christmas Eve. In my past life, my best friend of ten years had invited me here, repeatedly promising me a huge surprise. I had already guessed it would be from my husband, since tonight was our two-year anniversary. When he appeared in that Santa costume, I had been genuinely touched. That night, the two of them kept pushing drinks on me until I blacked out. The next morning, I woke up with a pounding migraine, only to find myself viciously canceled on Ins. A viral video showed me visibly drunk, stumbling to my feet and violently slapping a young waitress. People in the clip tried to pull me back, but I lunged to hit her again just before the video cut out. Soon after, rumors blew up that the waitress, Fiona, couldn't handle the humiliation and hung herself in the locker room. I had had no memory of the incident. My mind was completely blank. And that was when my best friend stood in front of the cameras: “Everyone, please don't be too harsh on Scarlett. She’s always had this temper. She’s looked down on poor people her whole life. That girl was working shifts to pay her way through school. She just got a tiny stain on Scarlett’s dress, and Scarlett humiliated and beat her.” “Scarlett was raised with a silver spoon, but doing something so psychotic is sickening. As her friend, I’m ashamed to know her.” Shortly after that, the girl's furious family kidnapped me. I begged Nathan to pay the ransom to get me out. I never expected him to refuse outright and threaten to call the police. In the end, the panicked kidnappers killed me. To destroy the evidence, they hacked off my limbs and tossed my body into the ocean. Right after my death, my husband claimed my billions and immediately got together with my best friend. Ripping myself away from those horrifying memories, my eyes burned with cold fury. I had always held my alcohol well. There was no way I would ever do something so outrageous. This was a setup from the very beginning. I kept my face completely neutral and took the necklace. “Scarlett, I’m so jealous of you,” Chloe said beside me, her voice dripping with fake sweetness. “Having such a wealthy, caring husband.” In my past life, I considered her my sister. I took every word she said as a genuine compliment. Listening to her now, every syllable reeked of sarcasm and pure, rotting jealousy. Seeing that the mood was supposedly set, the two of them started refilling my glass over and over. I knew right away that this wine was drugged. I couldn't touch a single drop. Pretending to drink greedily, I spat every sip into another cup hidden behind my napkin. Moments later, I faked glazed eyes and stumbled to my feet. “I can’t... I drank way too much. You guys stay and have fun. I’m heading home.” Seeing me act wasted, Nathan made a fake show of stepping forward to steady me, but Chloe cut him off with a subtle cough.“Scarlett, let’s have the driver take you back. Nathan should stay and hang out with us for a bit. You don’t mind, right?” Of course I didn't mind. Trash belonged in the dumpster together. I wanted to see what kind of circus they could pull off when I wasn't even in the building. I waved dismissively, turned around, and left. Yet, despite everything, When I woke up the next morning, my face was still plastered all over the trending feeds. The video, the articles, the vile death threats—it was identical to my past life. Just as I pulled out my phone to demand answers from Nathan, Two disheveled people kicked open my front door. A man lunged straight at me and planted a heavy boot into my ribs, knocking me to the hardwood floor. “You’re that rich bitch who beat my sister to death?! Think you can drive her to suicide and get away with it? I’m gonna end you today!” “You think poor people’s lives are trash?! You think you can stomp on us?!” “A life for a life! Die, bitch!” Seeing me curled up on the floor in agony, the man reared his foot back to kick me again, but building security finally rushed in and tackled him. The moment I got a clear look at his face, ice flooded my veins. It was him. The brute from my past life who cut off my hands and feet when the ransom failed, stuffing my body into a sack and tossing it into the sea. I forced down the rising panic in my chest. I had gone home early. Why was there still a video of me slapping that girl? Why was the waitress still dead? Why hadn't anything changed?! Only after the guards had Brad firmly pinned down did Nathan casually stroll out from the hallway. “Scarlett, you brought this on yourself. I can’t keep cleaning up your disgusting messes.” “You’re cruel, cold-blooded, and terrifying.” Just like in my previous life, Nathan instantly pinned the blame on me. “Exactly! Nathan isn't going to cover for you this time,” Chloe sneered, stepping out from behind him. She adjusted Nathan’s collar while glaring at me sideways. “You didn't just cause a small scene this time. You pushed an innocent girl to kill herself! Our company stock crashed across the board this morning. Nathan spent the entire morning dealing with the fallout and just got back, while you were sleeping in like a princess. Must be nice being you.” Watching the two people I had once loved most join forces to destroy me, my eyes stung. It felt like ten thousand needles piercing straight into my heart. “One is my husband, the other my supposed best friend. Yet you two team up to frame me? What kind of sick game are you playing?” Nathan looked slightly guilty for a split second. He sneered defensively, “If you weren't such an awful person, would we be taking a stranger's side? Besides, there’s video evidence!” “You beat an innocent girl senseless. We’re standing on the side of justice, not blind loyalty.” Standing on the side of justice. What a righteous saint he made himself out to be. “Exactly, Scarlett. Just admit what you did! You can't just bully people and dodge accountability because you’re rich!” Chloe chimed in. “How do you expect Nathan to face the public now?” What a rehearsed little duet. In three sentences, they had nailed me to the wall. “And who the hell are you to lecture me in my own house?”I had zero intention of playing nice anymore. Chloe froze, totally thrown off. In all the years we had known each other, I had never once snapped at her like that. “W-What’s yelling at me going to do? You're the murderer here! No matter how arrogant you are, you’re still rotting in a cell!” Tears spilled from her eyes as she collapsed against Nathan’s chest, sobbing hysterically. “Scarlett, you've gone too damn far! How did I marry such a lunatic?! Someone call the cops and lock her up already!” Nathan wrapped his arms around Chloe and pointed an accusing finger straight at my nose. SMASH! A deafening crash echoed as Brad shattered an expensive porcelain vase on the floor. “Shut the fuck up, all of you!” “You spoiled bitch! You killed my little sister! How are we settling this? Your life or your money?!” Looking at Brad’s bloodshot, rabid eyes, my pulse spiked, but I held my ground. “I never touched your sister. The woman in that video isn't me.” The second the words left my mouth, the color drained from everyone’s faces. “You lying whore! The whole world saw the tape and you’re still denying it?! If I don't cripple you today, my name isn't Brad!” He clenched his fists and charged forward again. I calmly raised my phone. “Breaking and entering, trespassing, destruction of property, and felony assault. I called 911 two minutes ago. Explain your little sob story to the police.” The cops arrived fast, escorting all of us straight to the station. “Officers, this group broke into my home and—” I tried to speak first, but Brad’s mother suddenly shoved me aside with full force. Brenda threw herself onto the station floor, slamming her palms against the tiles and wailing at the top of her lungs: “Where is the justice in this damn world?! The murderer gets to play the victim! You rich monsters are stomping on us poor folks!” “My sweet baby girl! Mama failed you! I couldn't protect you from these parasites! We’re worthless, we should just die too!” Brenda rolled around on the floor, screeching like a lunatic. Brad leaned over the sergeant's desk, shouting, “This woman killed my sister! I have the video right here showing her slapping Fiona over and over again until my sister couldn't take it and committed suicide! She’s a killer! She deserves the death penalty! Put her on lethal injection right now!” He pulled out his phone, shoving viral screenshots into the officer's face. The officer shot Brad an irritated look before surveying the rest of us. “What’s this about a home invasion?” Before I could open my mouth, Chloe piped up with an innocent smile, “It’s a misunderstanding, Officer. Nathan let them in. He’s the owner of the house. As for the assault, nobody laid a finger on anyone. None of us saw Scarlett get touched.” Chloe lied through her teeth, and Nathan gave a slight nod, confirming her blatant fabrication. I knew playing defense against four united liars was pointless. So I cut straight to the bone. “Officer, the woman in that video isn’t me. I went home early that night. It was physically impossible for me to be at the club attacking anyone.” “Someone orchestrated this entire smear campaign to ruin my life and steal my assets. I demand a forensic check on all surveillance footage from that club!”