Reborn at Thanksgiving, I Exposed My Mother’s $30,000 Lie

At my first Thanksgiving dinner after starting college, Mom handed me a cardboard box. “Honey, your dad and I want you to learn how to manage your own money. “So we’re giving you your entire living allowance for the year at once. Thirty thousand dollars!” I reached for the box excitedly. Then I looked inside. Every bill was fake. I was about to say something when Mom leaned closer and whispered, “Honey, there are too many people here tonight. It wouldn’t be safe to hand you that much cash in front of everyone. “I’ll transfer the money to you later.” In my previous life, I believed her. So I waited quietly. But a month passed, and the money never came. When I finally ran out of money completely, I had no choice but to ask my parents about it. But Mom and Dad both insisted they had already given me the full thirty thousand dollars at Thanksgiving. They even went around telling everyone I was an ungrateful liar who was trying to scam my own family out of more money. Eventually, I became so broke that I couldn’t even afford food. I starved myself sick. Unable to endure the pain any longer, I jumped to my death. Only after I died did I learn the truth. Mom had transferred that money to my younger brother overseas long ago. When I opened my eyes again, I was back at that Thanksgiving dinner. Mom held the cardboard box out to me. “Here you go, honey. Your living expenses for the entire year. Thirty thousand dollars.” This time, I didn’t take it. Instead, I flipped open the lid. “Mom, you’re saying this box of fake money is thirty thousand dollars?” Chapter 1 I took the fake bills out of the box and spread them across the dining table. The entire room went silent. Mom, Linda Bennett, still had one hand frozen in midair. Dad, David Bennett, was the first to react. “Claire, what are you doing?” I picked up a stack of the fake bills. “Mom, this is the thirty thousand dollars you were talking about?” Linda immediately grabbed my hand, softening her voice. “Claire, didn’t I just explain this to you? “Thirty thousand dollars is a lot of money. It wouldn’t be safe to bring that much cash here.” She turned to our relatives. “I’m only doing this for her own good. “She just started college. Handing her that much cash all at once wouldn’t be responsible.” My aunt frowned. “Claire, your mom announced in front of the whole family that she’s giving you thirty thousand dollars. You really think she’d go back on her word? “You’re making too big a deal out of this.” Dad patted me on the back. “Claire, it’s Thanksgiving. Don’t embarrass your mother in front of everyone.” In my previous life, those exact words had made me shut my mouth. Everyone told me keeping the peace in the family mattered more than anything else. Later, when I was starving and my stomach started bleeding, I called Linda. She gave me only one answer. “No. We already gave you the money on Thanksgiving.” My throat tightened. My fingers dug into the fake bills. “If carrying cash isn’t safe, you can transfer it.” Linda’s expression visibly stiffened. I pulled out my phone. “Do it now.” Dad’s face darkened. “Claire, has college made you lose all common sense? “Your mother is giving you this money because she loves you. She doesn’t owe you anything.” I looked up at him. “Then transfer the money she’s giving me out of love.” Someone at the table sucked in a breath. One of my uncles slammed his fork down on the table. “Is that any way to talk to your parents? “That’s thirty thousand dollars, not thirty bucks. You should be grateful your mother is willing to give you that much at all.” Linda’s eyes quickly filled with tears. She pressed a tissue to the corner of one eye, her voice beginning to tremble. “Claire, I know you’re grown now and have your own ideas, but you can’t just accuse your mother like this. “When have I ever let you go without anything? “Your brother is studying overseas. Your father and I are supporting both of you. You’re both our children.” At the mention of Ethan, my palms went cold. In my previous life, that thirty thousand dollars had gone straight into his account. He said living abroad was expensive and asked me, as his older sister, to make a sacrifice for him. So I did. I kept giving way until I couldn’t even afford a hot meal. I slid my phone across the table. “We’ll know whether I’ve ever gone without once the money arrives.” Linda’s tears spilled over. “Are you trying to force me?” Dad shot to his feet. His chair scraped harshly across the floor. “That’s enough. “Apologize to your mother.” I didn’t move. His expression darkened further. “I said apologize.” Linda grabbed his arm and pleaded through her tears. “Don’t yell at her. She doesn’t mean it. “She just thinks we favor Ethan.” The moment she said that, every relative at the table turned to look at me. Another aunt immediately frowned. “Your brother is studying overseas. Of course his expenses are higher. “You’re his older sister. Why are you keeping score over something like this?” I held up the stack of fake bills. “I’m not upset because you spend more money on him. “I’m upset because you told everyone you were giving me thirty thousand dollars, then put a box of fake money in front of me.” Linda abruptly stopped crying. I looked straight at her and spoke slowly. “When the money reaches my account, it’s my living allowance. “Until then, this is just a box of fake bills.” Chapter 2 Dad reached for the fake bills in my hand. I took a step back. “Don’t touch them.” His face darkened instantly. “You’re actually dodging me now?” Linda suddenly dug through her purse, pulled out a small slip of paper, and slapped it onto the table. “Claire, if you insist on pushing me this far, then I guess I have no choice but to show everyone.” The relatives immediately crowded around. Linda pointed at the slip, crying so hard she could barely catch her breath. “This is from the bank yesterday. “I was going to withdraw the full thirty thousand dollars for her, but the bank said cash withdrawals that large have to be arranged in advance. “I didn’t want her to be disappointed, so I prepared the fake bills just for the presentation.” She looked at me as fresh tears spilled down her face. “I just wanted everyone to see that your father and I have never treated you unfairly.” My aunt picked up the slip and examined it before passing it around. “She really did go to the bank. Claire, your mother wasn’t lying to you.” Dad’s voice grew harsher. “See that? Your mother went all the way to the bank for you, and you humiliated her in front of the entire family.” I looked at the slip. All it proved was that she had been to the bank. There was no amount. No account number. No record of any transaction. She had used the same kind of slip in my previous life. One worthless piece of paper had been enough to silence everyone. So I asked, “Where’s the withdrawal appointment?” Linda froze. I continued, “You said the bank required you to arrange a large cash withdrawal in advance. There should be a record of that. “Which account is the thirty thousand in? “What date is the withdrawal scheduled for? “Did the bank give you any confirmation?” The table went quiet for several seconds. Dad cut in sharply. “What is this, an interrogation?” I looked at him. “I’m asking for my living expenses.” One of my aunts slapped the table in irritation. “Your living expenses? “You don’t even earn your own money yet. You eat their food and live under their roof. It’s only yours if your parents choose to give it to you.” I turned to her. “Then they shouldn’t announce in front of everyone that they already gave it to me.” Linda sank into her chair, clutching her chest. “Claire, are you still angry because I send Ethan money every month but don’t send you any?” I didn’t avoid the question. “Yes.” Her tears immediately started again. “Your brother had just moved overseas. He needed a security deposit, insurance, tuition. Everything cost money. “He’s all alone in a foreign country where he doesn’t know anyone. I’m his mother. How could I just leave him to fend for himself?” Dad immediately backed her up. “If Ethan suddenly runs out of money, it could affect his education. “You’re here at home. You can always find a way to manage.” I gave a short laugh, even as my chest tightened. “That’s why I had to take out a student loan to cover my freshman tuition.” Linda’s expression changed. I pulled up my payment records on my phone and placed it on the table. “I covered my housing deposit myself too. “You said you’d send me living expenses at the beginning of the month. “Then the beginning became the middle. “The middle became the end. “And in the end, I had to borrow money from classmates.” The relatives grew noticeably quieter. Grandma frowned at Linda. “Linda, you never told us any of this.” Linda immediately dropped to her knees beside Grandma’s chair. “Mom, it’s not that I didn’t want to give Claire money. I genuinely didn’t have enough to go around. “If something happened to Ethan overseas because I couldn’t support him, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.” She raised a hand as if to slap herself, but Dad grabbed her wrist. “What are you doing? “She’s being unreasonable. Why are you punishing yourself?” Linda shook her head through her tears. “It’s my fault. I’m the one who failed Claire.” The relatives immediately started trying to calm things down. “Claire, look at your mother. What more do you want from her?” “You’re all family. That money will be yours sooner or later.” “Ethan’s your brother. Once he’s successful, do you really think he won’t look after you?” My stomach twisted as I listened. In my previous life, “sooner or later” had kept me waiting until it was too late. Before I could say anything, Linda suddenly pushed herself to her feet. She reached into her purse and pulled out an account statement. “You wanted proof, didn’t you?” She held it out. “There’s thirty thousand dollars in this account.” “I’m giving it to you.” Dad frowned. “Linda.” She cut him off. “If my own daughter doesn’t trust me, fine.” Everyone’s eyes turned to the statement. I didn’t take it. Something flickered in Linda’s eyes. “What? “You don’t want this either?” I stared at her. “I want the money in my account.” Her expression stiffened. I pushed my phone toward her again. “Having thirty thousand dollars in your account doesn’t mean you’ve given it to me.” Chapter 3 Linda clutched the bank statement so tightly her knuckles turned white. “Claire, what exactly are you trying to say?” I pulled my phone back and kept my voice calm. “It’s simple. Tomorrow, we go to the bank and transfer the thirty thousand dollars into my account.” Dad slammed his hand down on the table. “Your mother already showed you the account. What more do you want?” I looked at him. “If I can see the money, then it can be transferred.” Linda immediately seized on that. “This money is in a CD. I can’t just transfer it whenever you tell me to. “And this is Thanksgiving. Are you really going to drag us to the bank tomorrow and embarrass the family even more?” One of my aunts immediately jumped in. “Claire, your mother has already shown you proof that she has the money. You’re going too far.” Another aunt looked at me differently now. “So this is what college does to you? You start keeping score with your own parents?” I picked up the fake bills from the table and set them beside the bank statement. “As far as I’m concerned, these two things are the same right now.” Linda’s face went pale. “Listen to the way she talks to me.” Dad pointed at me. “If your mother gets sick because of you, you’ll answer to me.” Linda wiped away her tears. Something darker crept into her expression. “Claire, since you’ve pushed things this far, I’m not going to cover for you anymore.” She pulled up several pictures on her phone and held them out for everyone to see. “She’s not broke at all. She’s been living it up at college.” The photos were from my social media. One showed the bubble tea my roommate had bought me after orientation week. Another was from a club dinner that had cost six dollars per person. The last showed me standing outside one of the campus buildings in a new-looking coat. I had bought that coat in high school. Linda handed the phone to Grandma. “Mom, look. She keeps saying she has no money, but she’s been eating out, having fun, buying things. “Now she’s demanding thirty thousand dollars from us. What if she just wants it so she can show off?” One of my aunts immediately zoomed in on the photo. “That coat doesn’t look cheap.” I swallowed my anger. “I bought it in high school. I’ve been wearing it for three years.” One of my uncles laughed. “And we’re just supposed to take your word for that? Girls your age can spend money faster than anyone.” Another aunt’s voice turned sharper. “Do you have a boyfriend or something? Is that why you need so much money? Are you spending it all on him?” Several people at the table laughed. I looked at Linda. She didn’t stop them. She just kept her head down and cried. My chest ached from holding everything in. She had done exactly the same thing in my previous life. First, she told everyone I wasted money. Then she started spreading rumors about my character. Eventually, everyone believed I was an ungrateful daughter trying to scam my own family. I opened my banking app and pulled up my transaction history. “Look carefully.” I turned the screen toward them. “Since the semester started, I haven’t received a single large transfer from my family. “My tuition is covered by student loans. “I paid my own dorm fees with money I earned working over the summer. “The club dinner was six dollars, and my roommate bought me the bubble tea.” Linda started crying even harder. “You came prepared with all of this. “So you were planning to corner me today from the beginning, weren’t you?” Dad immediately moved to her side. “Claire, what exactly are you trying to accomplish here?” I ignored him. Instead, I called the bank’s customer service line and put the call on speaker. “Hi. I have a question. If someone has money in a fixed-term savings account, can the account holder go to a branch and withdraw or transfer the funds in person?” The representative’s voice came through the phone. “Yes. The account holder can handle that at a branch.” I ended the call and looked at Linda. “Tomorrow morning. “We’re going to the bank.” The relatives around the table grew quieter. Linda gripped the statement without saying anything for a long time. Dad frowned. “Tomorrow’s a holiday weekend. The bank might not even be open.” I immediately opened the map on my phone. “The branch nearby is open tomorrow.” I turned the screen toward him. “Nine a.m.” A little more color drained from Linda’s face. Grandma stared at her. “Linda, if the money is really there, then just go with her.” Linda forced the corners of her mouth upward. Her voice was barely above a whisper. “Fine. “We’ll go.” Chapter 4 At eight-thirty the next morning, I was waiting outside the bank when Linda and Dad arrived. Two of my aunts and one of my uncles had come along too. The moment Linda saw me, she sighed. “Claire, are you seriously dragging this all the way to the bank over thirty thousand dollars?” I looked at the bag in her hand. “Your ID and the account statement.” Her expression stiffened. “I think I forgot my ID.” I pulled out my phone and opened the message I had sent her the night before. “I reminded you to bring it. “You replied, ‘Okay.’” Linda stared at the message, her face turning ugly. Dad urged her quietly, “Linda, if you brought it, just take it out. The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can go home.” Linda was silent for several seconds. Then she reached into an inner pocket of her purse and pulled out her ID. I held out my hand. “The passbook.” She didn’t give it to me. “I’ll hold on to it myself.” “Fine.” The bank opened at nine. We took a number and sat in the waiting area. Linda didn’t say a word the entire time. When our number was finally called, she stopped again. “This money is in a CD. If I cash it out early, I’ll lose the interest.” One of my aunts immediately turned to me. “Happy now, Claire? All because you had to make a scene, your family is losing interest on the money.” I looked at the teller. “Don’t withdraw anything yet. Just check the balance and account status.” The teller nodded. “Of course. I’ll need the account holder’s ID and account information.” Linda handed them over, keeping her fingers pressed tightly against the statement until the last possible second. The teller verified her information and looked at the screen. “There was indeed a thirty-thousand-dollar CD in this account, but there’s a recent transaction that requires the account holder’s confirmation.” Linda’s face changed instantly. She reached for the statement. “Never mind.” The teller paused. “Ma’am, are you sure you don’t want to continue?” Linda raised her voice. “No. I’m done. Apparently, I’m not even allowed to have a little privacy without my own daughter dragging our family business out in front of strangers.” She turned and pointed at me. Tears appeared almost instantly. “Claire, are you happy now? “You dragged me all the way to a bank counter just so strangers could watch you humiliate your own mother.” Dad’s expression was thunderous. “Apologize to your mother.” I didn’t move. “Let the teller finish.” Linda suddenly rushed toward me and grabbed my arm. “How long are you going to keep pushing me?” I stepped back, steadied myself, and looked at her. “Mom, I’m not pushing you. “If you have nothing to hide, then there’s nothing to be afraid of.” The lobby went quiet for a moment. One of my aunts opened her mouth hesitantly. “Linda, she does have a point.” For the first time, Linda looked genuinely humiliated. She glared at me, anger creeping into her voice. “If you don’t want to be part of this family, then I don’t want a daughter like you either.” The next second, she ripped the account statement in half. The torn pages fell across the counter. Dad stared at her. “Linda, what are you doing?” She burst into tears. “She wanted proof, didn’t she? “Well, now it’s gone. “Let’s see what else she has to say.” I stared at the two torn halves of the passbook. My fingers slowly curled into fists. The teller immediately called over the branch manager. The manager looked at the account information on the screen, then at the torn passbook on the counter. “Ma’am, destroying the statement doesn’t erase the bank’s records.” Linda stopped crying. The manager checked the account again, his expression turning serious. “This thirty-thousand-dollar CD was cashed out early three days ago. “The funds were then sent overseas by wire transfer.” Dad whipped around to look at Linda. “You said the money was still there.” Linda immediately tried to stop him. “That’s enough. I don’t want to hear any more.” I looked at the manager. “Please finish.” He looked back at the screen. “The recipient was Ethan Bennett.”