"After all, I'm not your daughter."
"And I'm under no obligation to take care of you."
The moment those words left my mouth, her tone shifted completely.
"Jennifer, how can you say something like that?"
"Aunt Patricia, I have my own life, and I want to travel this year!"
My voice was flat, detached. "I heard Derek's coming back soon."
"Whatever you need, take it up with him."
The second those words left my mouth, I hung up.
Then I called an Uber and headed straight for the airport.
Once I arrived, I made a point of snapping plenty of photos—the departure board, the terminal, myself standing in front of the gate.
I posted them all on social media.
These were my evidence. Proof that I was nowhere near Aunt Patricia. I hadn't pushed her. I hadn't touched her. And now that I was clearly traveling, even if she did fall, there was no way anyone could pin it on me.
The thought loosened something in my chest.
At least this time, what happened in my last life wouldn't happen again.
When I reached the resort area, I checked into the nicest hotel I could find and took even more photos—the lobby, the room, the view from the balcony. Every single one timestamped, every single one showing exactly where I was.