1 In my second life, I didn't go to the vet with my best friend. Instead, I stayed up all night, chugged two bottles of a potent herbal liqueur known for its high alcohol content, and got on the highway. When the flashing lights pulled me over, I blew hard into the breathalyzer until it screamed. Then, smiling, I climbed into the back of the police cruiser. In my past life, my best friend, Serena, had called me, frantic. Her cat was sick, and she begged me to drive her to the emergency vet. But on the way, her normally placid cat had suddenly launched itself at my face, a feral blur of claws and teeth. I lost control of the car and slammed into a massive Tibetan Mastiff. The dog’s owner demanded a million dollars in compensation. My parents bankrupted themselves trying to save me, selling their home and cashing out their retirement. My fiancé’s reputation was dragged through the mud alongside mine. In the end, after I had nothing left, I was cornered by a mob of animal rights vigilantes, beaten to death, and my body left in a ditch. This time would be different. 2 “Your blood alcohol is over the limit. Ma’am, please step out of the vehicle immediately.” The officer’s voice was firm as he stared at the flashing breathalyzer in his hand. The moment I stepped onto the pavement, my phone buzzed. A text from Serena. “Aria, my poor kitty has diarrhea, he’s so weak. Can you please, please drive us to the vet?” The exact same message as before. The words hit me like a physical blow. A cold dread washed over me, and my body began to tremble. “Scared now, are we? Should have thought of that before you started drinking.” The officer clapped a hand on my shoulder. I snapped out of my trance and beamed at him, practically skipping towards the cruiser. “Let’s go, officer! Take me away!” “Alright, at least you’re cooperating.” He muttered under his breath, “What’s with the smile? This is a police station, not a party.” A couple of other drunk guys in the back of the car stared at me like I had two heads. At the station, a nurse prepared to draw my blood for a more accurate test. I held out my arm, a look of triumph on my face. The nurse frowned, her grip tightening on the needle. “Aria, are you okay?” “Honey, the police said you were driving under the influence. What on earth is going on?” The door to the small medical room burst open. My parents and my fiancé, Leo, rushed in, their faces etched with worry. “Hey, we’re in the middle of a procedure, you can’t just come in here!” the nurse snapped. “My fiancée would never drink and drive,” Leo insisted, his voice tight with anger. “There must be a mistake!” My parents just looked at me, their eyes filled with a familiar, heart-wrenching concern. Seeing them all there, ready to defend me, made my eyes burn. It was okay. Everything was going to be okay this time. In this life, my parents wouldn't lose everything for me. My fiancé wouldn't have his career destroyed because of me. “We’ll know if there was a mistake when the results come back. Now please, wait outside!” An officer stepped in. He squinted at my face under the harsh fluorescent lights, then sniffed the air around me. “You haven’t been drinking, have you?” he asked, his voice low. A flicker of panic shot through me, but I crushed it down. I put on my best indignant act. “Of course not! I have no idea why that machine went off. It’s probably broken, right?” The officer gave a slightly embarrassed nod and walked off to check on the others. I glanced at my phone. Another message from Serena. “Did you fall asleep? Why aren’t you answering? I booked the vet appointment. See you at nine a.m. sharp.” 3 In my last life, I had agreed. I drove her and her cat to the vet myself. On the road, that “sick,” gentle little cat had exploded from her lap and clawed at my face. I’d flailed, trying to push it off, and the car had swerved, hitting the Tibetan Mastiff that had darted out from the side of the road. The dog was thrown fifteen feet, landing in a bloody heap. It was gone in seconds. The owner went berserk. He dragged me from my car and beat me right there on the pavement next to his dog’s body. “My Apollo was a prize-winner from Sotheby’s! I paid over a million dollars for him, and you killed him! Are you blind?!” he screamed, his face purple with rage. “I don’t care what happens, you will pay me back every single cent!” Bystanders gathered, but no one intervened. They just pointed and whispered. “The road is wide open. How do you even manage to hit a dog? She must have done it on purpose.” “Probably just got dumped and decided to take it out on the world.” I tried to explain about the cat, that it startled me, that it was an accident. But Serena, stroking the creature in her arms, immediately shot me down. “What are you talking about? You swerved on purpose. Don’t you dare blame my poor, sick cat for your recklessness!” There were no security cameras on that stretch of road. With Serena and the dog owner both pointing the finger at me, I was doomed. My family and Leo were ruined along with me. And even after we’d scraped together the money, even after the transfer went through, I was ambushed by those vigilantes. The blood and the pain of my last life were a scar on my soul. But this time, I had an airtight alibi. I was at a police station, surrounded by cops, cameras, and medical staff. No one could frame me now. After the blood test, I spent the night in a holding cell. It was cold and damp, but I felt a warmth spreading through my chest. The next morning, an officer came to my cell with a report. “Your blood alcohol content was below the legal limit. You’re free to go.” I checked my phone. It was already noon. I had successfully missed the 9 a.m. appointment from hell. Just to be safe, I put on a sheepish face and told the officer my car was out of gas, begging for a ride home. The moment I hopped off the back of his motorcycle, I saw it: a swarm of police cars and officers in front of my apartment building. Suddenly, Serena burst out of the crowd, her eyes red-rimmed. She grabbed my hand. “Aria! I know how much you love animals! Why would you deliberately run over that man’s dog this morning?” My eyes went wide. “What?” The officer beside me looked just as confused. I’d been at the station since last night. How could she still be trying to pin this on me? I yanked my hand away. “I was at the police station all night, being held on suspicion of a DUI—” “So you were drinking!” Serena cut me off, her voice rising dramatically. “No wonder you crashed, even with your skills! But Aria, if you knew you were drinking, why did you still insist on driving me? Don’t you know that causing an accident while drunk is an even worse crime?” A crowd of onlookers pressed in, their murmurs turning hostile at Serena’s words. Some were holding their own pets, and the looks they gave me were filled with pure fury. Before I knew it, I felt shoves and punches from the crowd. Muddy footprints appeared on the back of my shirt. The officers nearby saw the commotion and rushed over to break it up. Finally able to breathe, I screamed at Serena, “I wasn't drinking, I didn't drive anywhere, and I sure as hell didn't kill anyone’s dog! Stop spreading lies! If you have proof, then show it!” A flash of venom crossed Serena’s face before she masked it with performative grief, shouting to the crowd, “Officers, please! My friend is clearly not in her right mind! She was drunk, she didn't kill the dog on purpose! Can’t you talk to the owner? Maybe he’ll settle for nine hundred thousand instead of a full million?” She grabbed my arm again, trying to drag me toward a police car. I struggled, her nails digging into my skin. Just then, the officer who drove me home stepped in, his hand clamping down on Serena’s wrist like a vice. “This woman has been at the police station with me since last night. I just dropped her off.” He stared Serena down. “You claim she killed a dog. Where is your evidence?” 4 At the officer’s challenge, Serena froze. She finally let go of my arm, but her arrogance remained. “Who are you? I’m assisting the police with their investigation. Uninvolved parties should stay out of it.” “I’m a police officer.” He flashed his badge. “Ma’am,” he said, his voice hard as steel, “I don’t know why you’re so agitated. But I suggest you explain why you’re accusing someone who has a perfect alibi.” Panic flickered in Serena’s eyes. Her mouth opened and closed, but no words came out. Just then, a man pushed his way out of the crowd. The dog owner. He pointed a trembling finger at my face. “I can prove it! She’s the one who killed my Apollo!” Seeing the man who had helped ruin my life, I felt a surge of cold fury. In my past life, yes, I had killed his dog. It was an accident, but I accepted the blame. But this life? I hadn’t been anywhere near a car. We had never even met. On what grounds was he so certain it was me? I glared at him. “Sir, you can’t just throw accusations around. We are complete strangers. Why are you trying to frame me?” “I have a video from the traffic department! It’s all the proof I need!” he roared, pulling out his phone. The crowd surged forward to see. On the screen, a woman in a white dress, baseball cap, and sunglasses slammed a car into a Tibetan Mastiff. The car’s make, model, and even the license plate were identical to mine. The woman’s face was obscured, but her build was eerily similar to mine. After the crash, she got out, glanced at the dog, then jumped back in the car and sped away. 5 A wave of shocked gasps went through the crowd. I was just as stunned as they were. I hadn't driven anywhere near that vet clinic. How could this video exist? Angry shouts erupted. “That’s her! It has to be!” “You can’t see her face, but the clothes, the car… it’s a perfect match.” “Tibetan Mastiffs are such intelligent dogs. That woman is a monster!” The accusations rained down on me. Serena seized the moment, her voice dripping with venomous pity. “Aria, I know you have a habit of being cruel to small animals, but this is too much! And to think you’d bribe a police officer to lie for you… you’ve really gone too far!” Her words whipped the crowd into a frenzy. Rotten eggs and wilted vegetables started flying through the air, splattering against my clothes and hair. The officer who brought me home roared, “Everybody calm down! I have proof that this woman is innocent!” He retrieved his body camera from his motorcycle. “She was under constant surveillance from the moment she left the station this morning. This is her alibi.” Two videos, two completely different stories. Now everyone was confused. The crowd, the other officers, even the dog owner. One of the cops got on his radio, calling the station to verify my whereabouts over the last twenty-four hours. The dog owner was muttering to himself, “I couldn’t have been mistaken…” Serena was starting to look genuinely panicked, her mask of concern finally dropping. I met her glare with a cold smile. “Once the police confirm my alibi, this will all be over. You must be so disappointed.” Her tense face suddenly relaxed into a sickeningly sweet smile. “What are you talking about? We’re best friends. I couldn’t be happier that you’re innocent.” I turned away from her in disgust. The crowd was still agitated, their eyes burning with suspicion. Just then, another car pulled up. The officer who’d been on the radio had called for backup. The nurse from the station stepped out. She looked me over carefully and nodded. “That’s right. This woman was at the station all night. She didn’t leave until noon today. I even have her official blood test results.” She held up the stamped document. A new wave of confusion washed over the crowd. “Wait a minute. The cop and the nurse both say she wasn’t there. But what about the video the dog owner showed us? That was clearly her car, and it looked just like her!” “Either the video is fake, or the cops are lying for her. There’s no other explanation.” Serena shrieked, pointing a finger at me. “I get it now! You bribed them! You paid off the cop and the nurse to create a fake alibi for you!” She grabbed my arm again, tears streaming down her face. “Aria, how many times have I told you to be an honest person? I can’t believe you’d not only kill a dog but also bribe public officials to cover it up! You’re hopeless!” Her performance was convincing. The crowd’s anger turned back on me, hotter than before. “Her own best friend is saying it! It must be true!” “You monster! You bribed them!” “Killer! You’re the killer!” A man holding a Border Collie suddenly let go of the leash. The dog barked ferociously and lunged at me. I tried to dodge, but its teeth sank into my calf, a searing pain shooting up my leg. I cried out and instinctively kicked the dog away. It yelped and scrambled back to its owner, who scooped it up protectively. Serena pounced. “You see? Look how cruel she is! She even attacks a sweet, innocent Border Collie! And you still expect us to believe you didn’t kill that Mastiff on purpose? Not even a ghost would believe you!” Her eyes gleamed with a triumphant, “you’re finished” look. She held my arm in a death grip. Just then, the officer and the nurse finally pushed their way through the mob. “Ma’am,” the officer said, his voice booming with authority, “I had never met this woman before last night. There was no bribery. I demand you stop slandering a police officer, or you will face legal consequences.” Serena went pale and her hand immediately fell away from my arm. Finally, I could breathe. The police formed a protective circle around me. But before they could disperse the crowd, a new commotion erupted from the edge of the street. The dog owner was grabbing a young woman who had just been watching from the sidelines. “There you are!” he bellowed. “You killed my Apollo, and now you’re trying to sneak away!”
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