My Ex Tried to Ruin Me,So I Destroyed His Life in One Phone Call

At the end of the year, I traveled back to my boyfriend's rural hometown to celebrate the New Year with his family. His childhood sweetheart asked what I liked to eat, and I told her just one thingI was allergic to ginger.

At the New Year's Eve dinner, every single dish was loaded with ginger. I managed a few sips of chicken soup that appeared ginger-free, until my boyfriend's childhood sweetheart smiled sweetly at me.

"Adeline Pruitt, I ground the ginger into a fine powder and stirred it right in. Doesn't it taste wonderful?"

Before I could respond, my face began to swell and burn. She burst out laughing.

"Adeline! How did your face turn into a pig's head?"

I spent two weeks in the hospital.

After I was discharged, she offered to help pack my things. I specifically told her not to touch the documents in my folder.

That afternoon, while tending the fire, she casually tossed my folder into the flames. Contracts worth millionsdestroyed. I confronted her, furious.

My boyfriend cut me off, irritation dripping from every word.

"Doreen was just trying to help. Don't be so ungrateful."

That night, Doreen came to my room with a bottle of wine, an apology on her lips. At my boyfriend's urging, I drank a few glasses. My head grew heavy, my thoughts sluggish.

She helped me back to my room. I reminded her to lock the door behind her.

Ten minutes later, several men climbed into my bed. I fought back with everything I had.

They beat me to death.

When my parents demanded justice, Doreen spoke first.

"Adeline said she was lonely sleeping by herself."

My boyfriend backed her up, publicly condemning me as a woman too loose to live, who had died in bed exactly as she deserved.

Then I opened my eyes.

I was back at the moment before traveling to my boyfriend's hometown for the New Year.

"Adeline, what do you like to eat? I'll make extra of your favorites."

That voice. Those exact words.

I looked around, taking in my surroundings, and the truth crashed over me.

I had been reborn.

My boyfriend Kevin Simmons nudged my arm. "What are you spacing out for? Doreen's asking you a question."

I buried the storm raging inside me and smiled.

"I'm allergic to ginger. As long as there's no ginger, I'm happy. Oh, and feel free to add extra scallionsI love them."

Something calculating flickered behind Doreen Whitney's eyes.

"Got it, Adeline. No problem at all."

The moment Doreen disappeared into the kitchen, Kevin turned to me, puzzled.

"Addie, I'm the one who's allergic to ginger. Since when are you?"

I let out a soft laugh.

"We've been together so long, I've started mixing up your habits with mine. But it doesn't matterI'll eat whatever."

His face melted into a look of pure devotion. He reached for me, arms open.

"Addie, after the New Year, I'll talk to my mom about setting a date for our wedding."

I stepped back before he could touch me, swallowing the hatred clawing at my throat.

"Let me go unpack first."

Back in my room, my palms were slick with sweat.

In my previous life, when Doreen had asked what I liked to eat, I told her I was allergic to scallions.

The result? Every dish at the New Year's Eve dinner was covered in them. I choked down my disgust and stuck to a bowl of chicken soup that looked safe.

Then Doreen had smiled at me.

"Adeline, I ground the scallions into powder and mixed it into the soup. Tastes pretty good, right?"

I shot to my feet, ready to unleash my furybut my face erupted in swollen, burning agony.

Doreen had pointed at me and howled with laughter.

"Adeline! Your face looks like a giant pig head! This is hilarious!"

I called 911. I spent two weeks in the hospital.

Kevin's explanation afterward still echoed in my mind.

"Addie, Doreen didn't mean it. She thought you said you liked scallions. She's like a little sister to mecan't you just let it go?"

But now I understood the truth.

Doreen had done it on purpose. Every single thing.

That evening, Kevin called me out for dinner. The moment we sat down at the table, his face fell.

The corner of my mouth curved upward.

Every dish on the table was laced with finely minced gingerso small you couldn't pick it outand not a single scallion in sight.

Doreen stared at me, challenge glinting in her eyes.

"Adeline, I spent all afternoon on these dishes. You have to try everything."

Kevin opened his mouth to speak, but I caught his arm and leaned in close.

"It's New Year's Eve. Let's not hurt Doreen's feelings, hmm?"

His gaze softened instantly, turning toward Doreen with that familiar tenderness.

"Doreen, thank you for all your hard work today."

She smiled sweetly.

Kevin stuck to his drink, not touching a single dish. It wasn't until Delilah Simmons brought out a pot of chicken soup that he stirred it with his spoon, checked for ginger slices, andfinding nonedowned three bowls in quick succession.

The food didn't appeal to me either. I barely lifted my chopsticks.

That's when Doreen slid a bowl of soup toward me.

"Adeline, this is free-range chicken soup. I simmered it for three hours. You have to try it."

Memories of my past life flashed through my mind. I declined, saying I didn't care for chicken.

Doreen's eyes instantly rimmed with red, as if I'd dealt her some devastating blow.

"Adeline, did I do something wrong? I made this soup especially for you."

Kevin shot me a look of displeasure.

"It's just soup. Would it kill you to take a sip? Do you really have to upset Doreen on New Year's Eve?"

His parents glared at me too.

"Doreen spent all afternoon cooking for you, and this is how you repay her?"

"This is free-range chickenyou city folks can't even get your hands on this. Don't be ungrateful."

I didn't want to argue. I took a few sips.

Triumph flickered in Doreen's eyes.

"Adeline, I ground the ginger into powder before adding it. Pretty good, isn't it?"

Before I could respond, Kevin gasped, pointing at the soup.

"You put ginger in this?"

Doreen nodded. "Kevin, the soup wouldn't taste right without ginger."

Kevin hurled his bowl across the room.

"Didn't Adeline tell you she's allergic to ginger? That you shouldn't add any?"

Doreen burst into tears.

"I didn't know! I thought she said she liked ginger! Besides, she's fine, isn't she?"

I was fine.

Kevin, on the other hand, was not.

He tried to say something else, but his hand flew to his chest and he collapsed.

Panic seized Doreen's face.

"Kevin! What's wrong?!"

I pressed my hand against the allergy medication in my pocketthe one I'd bought that afternoonand forced urgency into my voice.

"His throat is swelling shut from the allergic reaction. Call an ambulance! If we wait too long, he'll suffocate!"

His parents scrambled to dial 911.

By the time the paramedics arrived, Kevin was barely breathing. He spent a full day and night in surgery before they finally wheeled him out. The surgeon let out a heavy sigh.

"The patient is severely allergic to ginger, and you let him consume that much of it? One more minute and we wouldn't have been able to save him."

The color drained from Doreen's face. She whipped toward me.

"Kevin is allergic to gingerwhy didn't you say anything?!"

I blinked, the picture of innocence.

"I didn't? But I specifically told you not to add ginger. Kevin was right there. He heard me."

I turned to his parents.

"Mr. and Mrs. Simmons, you were both there too. I made it very clearno ginger."

Delilah's gaze turned to ice as she rounded on Doreen.

"Doreen Whitney. My son was kind enough to invite you to spend New Year's with our family, and you nearly killed him. Adeline told you not to add ginger, and you ground it into powder and put it in anyway." Her voice dropped, cold and sharp. "Was this intentional?"

Doreen started up with her waterworks again.

"Mr. and Mrs. Simmons, I didn't mean to! I thought Adeline said Kevin liked ginger, so I added a little extra."

Rod shoved her aside. "How old are you? Can't even understand simple words? Where's your brain?"

I watched them turn on each other, a faint smile tugging at my lips.

In my past life, after they'd put me in the hospital, Kevin's parents had spent hours convincing me that Doreen was young, that she'd meant well, that I shouldn't hold a grudge.

Funny how a needle doesn't hurt until it pricks your own skin.

Kevin stirred awake then, his voice weak. "Mom, Dad... don't blame Doreen. It's my fault. I didn't explain things clearly to her."

Only after Doreen offered to cover the surgery and medical bills did his parents finally stop their tirade.

A month later, Kevin was discharged. That evening, while I was packing up his things, Doreen came scurrying over.

"Adeline, let me help you pack! It's my fault Kevin ended up hospitalized with that allergic reaction."

I was about to refuse when Kevin caught my arm.

"If she doesn't do something to make up for it, she'll just keep feeling guilty."

At his words, I gave a small nod and stopped protesting.

As Doreen sorted through the items, she looked up at me. "Which things are important to you? I'll be extra careful with those."

I let my eyes narrow slightly, then pointed at a brown paper bag.

"Everything else is whatever. But that bagdon't touch it. What's inside is extremely important."

Inside was the five hundred thousand dollars Kevin had withdrawn to show off to his relatives during the New Year visit.

Kevin glanced at me and added with a chuckle, "That bag is your Adeline's most prized possession. Seriously, don't mess with it."

Something dark flickered in Doreen's eyes. The corner of my mouth curved upward.

In my previous life, Doreen had also insisted on helping me pack when I was dischargedall under the guise of apologizing. I'd stressed repeatedly that the folder in my suitcase was critical, that she absolutely shouldn't touch it.

That afternoon, when I couldn't find the folder, I asked her about it. She'd blinked at me with that innocent face of hers.

"I couldn't find any paper to start the fire, so I used it for kindling."

I'd been so furious I couldn't stop myself from shouting.

"That folder contained a partnership deal my company worked months to secure! Because of you, we lost tens of millions!"

Doreen had burst into tears, looking like a rain-soaked flower.

"Adeline, I thought you said that folder was useless! I had no idea it was so important."

And Kevin had stepped in front of her, shielding her.

"Adeline, she just misunderstood you. It wasn't on purpose. Besides, you're so talentedjust sign another deal. Why do you have to be so aggressive with a young girl?"

This time, I wanted to see just how magnanimous Kevin would be when Doreen destroyed his five hundred thousand dollars.

That night, I went to the kitchen to wash my hands and caught Doreen sneaking around with something. The moment she spotted me, she hid it behind her back.

But I'd already glimpsed the corner of that brown paper bag.

I pretended not to notice and walked away.

With Kevin out of the hospital, relatives and friends came by to visit.

One of them looked at Kevin and said, "Kevin, your mom tells me you work at a big companymaking tens of thousands a month, with year-end bonuses in the six figures! You're the most successful kid in this whole family."

Another chimed in, "Kevin, you're doing so well out there, but you didn't even buy your parents decent clothes for the New Year? My son only makes five thousand a month, and this coat he bought me cost three thousand! Plus he got me a whole bunch of ginseng and deer antler supplements."

"Kevin, don't tell me you haven't actually made any money out there and you're just broke, standing here bragging and talking big in front of all of us."

Kevin's parents were obsessed with appearances.

"My son works at a major publicly traded company. He makes at least five hundred thousand a yearhow could he possibly be broke?"

Kevin shot to his feet.

"I figured instead of buying my parents gifts, I'd just give them cash directly. That way they can buy whatever they need."

One of the relatives squinted at him.

"So how much did you give your parents, then? Don't tell me it was just a few hundred bucks. What's that good for? Can't even buy a decent bottle of liquor."

Kevin flicked an invisible speck from his cuff, affecting an air of casual nonchalance.

"Oh, not much. Just five hundred thousand."

I couldn't help but sneer internally. Kevin's salary plus year-end bonus barely hit three hundred thousand, and he spent money like water. He'd only managed to save a hundred thousandthe other four hundred thousand was borrowed from the bank.

I'd tried to talk him out of it before, but he'd waved me off.

"If I don't bring back some real money, those relatives will look down on me. Besides, I'll pay it back right after New Year. It'll be fine."

Remembering those words, I glanced toward the kitchen. Doreen, don't disappoint me.

Kevin's relatives were stunned.

"Five hundred thousand? That much?!"

But some remained skeptical.

"For real? If you've got the guts, show us. Anyone can run their mouth."

Kevin chuckled.

"I'll go get it right now."

A few minutes later, he emerged from the bedroom.

"Adeline, where did you put the money? I can't find it anywhere."

I feigned confusion.

"I don't know. Doreen was the one organizing everything today. Let me ask her."

I hurried to the kitchen, putting on an anxious front.

"Doreen, where's the leather bag from the suitcase? Give it to meit's important."

A flash of triumph flickered in Doreen's eyes.

"Oh no, Adeline! I was trying to start the fire earlier but couldn't get it going, so I tossed that leather bag in to help it catch."

I raised my voice deliberately, letting my anger ring out.

"Doreen! Do you have any idea how important that was? You burned it?!"

Doreen's face crumpled, tears spilling down her cheeks.

"I'm so sorry, Adeline! I thought you said it wasn't important, so I just... burned it."

Kevin heard the crying and strode in, irritation written all over his face.

"Adeline, what are you doing now?"

Before I could respond, Doreen cut in.

"Kevin, it's all my faultI misheard and accidentally burned something of Adeline's."

Kevin frowned at me.

"It's not like she did it on purpose. You should've kept track of your own things instead of blaming her."

Then his voice softened as he turned to comfort Doreen.

"Don't cry. It's not your fault. Keep crying and you'll turn into a little spotted kitten."

Doreen nodded, nestling into Kevin's arms. Over his shoulder, she shot me a look of pure, smug triumph.

"Kevin, you're always so good to me."

Kevin laughed softly.

"So what exactly did you burn that's got Adeline so worked up?"

Doreen's voice was sweet and coy.

"That leather bag from the white suitcase this morning."