The Bakery Trap, Rebirth of Kind Baker

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A filthy girl used to stand outside my bakery window, staring at the cakes with hungry eyes.

My heart went out to her. Every day, I'd set aside some leftover bread and give it to her for free.

One day, she sobbed and begged me, It's my eighteenth birthday today. Could you please deliver a small cake to my house?

But as soon as I arrived, her disabled father knocked me unconscious with a heavy club.

The girl smiled as she looked down at me. "If you stay here, I'll never run out of cake again."

"Don't think I didn't know. You only ever gave me the scraps no one else wanted."

I was subjected to inhuman torture and died in that basement, filled with hatred.

Meanwhile, she took over my bakery, sipping tea and living the cozy life I had built.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back at the moment she was crying, begging me to deliver that cake.

The cafe was filled with soft jazz, and I was slowly sipping my coffee.

"Ivy, I have a favor to ask" The girl who had been lingering by the door finally gathered the courage to come in.

Looking at that face againDthe timid eyes, the calculated shynessDI clenched my fists under the table.

"I'm busy!" I snapped, rejecting her outright.

I stood up and walked to another table, turning my back on her.

Mindy Ross, my assistant, looked at me in shock.

"Ivy, isn't that the girl you usually save the leftovers for?" Mindy asked, confused.

"What's wrong? Did you do something to upset the boss?" Mindy put down her tongs and pulled the girl inside with a smile.

The filthy girl walked up to me. Before she even spoke, the tears started rolling down her cheeks.

What was it this time?

I watched her cry, looking like the most wronged person in the world, and I felt a cold sneer forming in my chest.

In my past life, I was so busy I didn't hear the malice hidden in her quiet whispers.

She had acted just like this back thenDshaking shoulders, soft whimpers.

She made it look like I was bullying her, drawing stares from the other customers.

I had been so worried that I dropped everything to comfort her, even stroking her greasy, unwashed hair.

She had collapsed into my arms. "Ivy, it's my birthday. Could you please bring a small cake to my place?"

"I just want to know what it feels like to have a normal birthday."

"Instead of always coming here like a beggar, waiting for your charity."

"I don't have money, but I want a real celebration for my eighteenth. Please, Ivy? I'm begging you."

Lily Vance sobbed as she spoke.

In that life, I felt a wave of pity for her. My misplaced compassion took over.

"Don't worry, sweetie. I'll close the shop early and bring it to you myself," I had promised.

I even let her pick out an expensive fondant cake from the catalog.

I ended up carrying that cake through the winding, sketchy alleys of the industrial district.

I finally found her house deep within a cluster of dilapidated trailers.

As soon as I stepped inside, I heard Lily's voice, sharp and alert.

"She's here!"

Then, a blunt force hit the back of my head, and everything went black.

When I woke up, my hands and feet were tied to a wooden bed with a stained mattress.

Lily was sitting nearby, using a small fork to eat the cake I brought, one delicate bite at a time.

She was trying so hard to act like a refined lady.

A man with a limp and dirt under his fingernails was standing over me.

His rough, filthy hands were already roaming over my chest.

He made a disgusting clicking sound with his tongue.

"Rich women really do have the softest skin!"

"What are you doing? Get off me!" I screamed at the top of my lungs.

"Lily, I was good to you! I gave you food every single day!"

"Untie me right now, or I'm calling the police!" I struggled, my wrists bleeding against the rough ropes.

"Save your breath, Ivy," Lily said, not even looking up from her cake.

"This place is surrounded by junkyards. No one can hear you scream."

"Besides, if you stay here, I won't have to beg for cake anymore."

"Don't think I didn't notice that you only gave me the scraps and the day-olds!"

Lily finished her sentence and walked out, locking the door behind her.

I screamed until my throat was raw, but Silas Vance just backhanded me until my face swelled up.

After that, my life became a living hell.

To keep me from running, they broke my legs and kept me on a short iron chain.

Every day, he'd dump leftovers into a bowl and kick it toward me like I was a dog.

Because of his limp, Silas had been looked down on his whole life, which made him a total psychopath.

He even used a red-hot brand to burn his name into my inner thigh.

Lily watched everything from the next room.

She didn't help. She just grinned. The more I was tortured, the wider her smile grew.

"I'll take care of the bakery from now on, Momma Ivy."

"You just stay here and focus on giving my dad a healthy baby boy!"

I had built my shop and my home from nothing, an orphan who fought for every cent. They stole it all.

Eventually, I lost all hope. I didn't have the will to live anymore.

One day, while Silas was out, I crawled to a water bucket and forced my own head under until I drowned.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back in my clean, bright bakery.

"Ivy, please. I'm tired of eating scraps."

"I just want one real cake. Can't you grant me this one wish for my eighteenth birthday?"

Lily was kneeling in front of me, clutching the hem of my apron.

But in this life, I had hung a "Closed for Maintenance" sign on the door since morning.

There were only three of us in the shop, unlike the crowded room from my previous life.

I pulled my apron out of her grasp.

"Since you think so little of my scraps, I won't be saving any more bread for you."

The bakery down the street sold their scraps for twenty dollars a bag, and they sold out instantly.

I never sold mine. I kept them for people who struggled, like I thought Lily did.

I never realized my kindness was just feeding her greed.

"Mindy, bring her the catalog," I said coldly.

Lily's eyes lit up. She picked the exact same expensive fondant cake as before.

"I want this one!" she said, pointing at the picture.

"Sure. That'll be 588 dollars. Cash or card?" I took a slow sip of my coffee.

Lily froze, staring at me in disbelief.

"Are you kidding me? I don't have that kind of money!"

I kept my voice icy. "Watch your tone. My prices are clearly marked. I don't run a scam."

"Even if the health inspector came in here, it would still be 588 dollars. Not a penny less."

Mindy, seeing the tension, tried to play the peacemaker.

"Ivy, come on. The poor girl has it rough. Why not just be a good person and give her the cake?"

"It's not like you're hurting for money," Mindy added, acting generous with my wallet.

"Since you're so big-hearted, you give her the cake. I'll just deduct the cost from your paycheck this month."

Mindy's face turned pale before I even finished my sentence.

"Ivy, are you just being stingy because it's expensive?" Lily whimpered.

"I'd settle for a smaller cake, really. You could even give me one someone else didn't pick up."

"I just really want you to deliver it to my house. My dad wants to thank you for looking after me."

There it was. Lily's real goal.

I didn't budge. I rejected her again.

"I'm not going. I don't have the time."

I didn't offer an explanation. Lily started to panic.

"I knew it! You just look down on us because we're poor!"

She tried to pin the "elitist" label on me.

"Ivy, what is wrong with you today? You're usually so kind," Mindy chimed in, taking Lily's side.

I used to give the unsold bread to the local street sweepers every night after closing.

But Mindy had insisted on staying late to handle the closing lately.

Then a lady came in complaining that the bread she "bought" gave her food poisoning.

That's when I found out Mindy had been selling the free leftovers behind my back for cheap.

The lady had kept the bread for days before eating it and getting sick.

Since she thought she had paid full price, she demanded compensation.

I ended up paying her five thousand dollars to settle it.

If my kindness was just going to be used by snakes, then I was done being kind.

"Since you're so full of sympathy, Mindy, why don't you buy her a small cake? I'll even give you the employee discount. Fifty percent off!"

I smiled at Mindy, making the offer.

"No!"

"No!"

Two voices shouted at the same time.

Lily and Mindy both looked panicked.

"Why not? Are you looking down on me now?" Mindy snapped.

Mindy didn't want to spend her own money, but being rejected so quickly by Lily made her feel embarrassed.

"No, Mindy! It's not that. I just know how hard you work. I don't want you wasting your money on me."

Lily's eyes darted around as she scrambled for an excuse.

She didn't want Mindy to go. Silas and Lily had been scouting me for a long time.

Orphan, wealthy, single, pretty.

Mindy didn't check any of those boxes. She wasn't a valuable target for them.

I literally shoved Lily out the door.

"Take the rest of the day off, Mindy. I'll still pay you for the full shift," I told my assistant.

After locking the shop, I headed straight for a kickboxing gym on the south side of town.

In my last life, I'd seen them advertising a women's self-defense course.

I hadn't paid attention then, but now, I needed it more than anything.

I walked into the gym, but the main floor looked empty.

"Hello? Anyone here?" I called out.

After a moment, a lazy voice answered from the back.

"Can I help you?" A man in black athletic gear stepped out.

"Are you the coach? I want to sign up for the self-defense class."

The lighting was a bit dim, but as he got closer, I saw he was strikingly handsome with a very disciplined look.

"I'm just watching the place for a friend, but I haven't heard him mention a specific women's course," the man said, frowning slightly.

Then his expression softened. "Are you in some kind of trouble?"

"I'm Ben Logan, a police officer for this precinct. I might be able to help even if it's not gym-related, if you want to talk about it."

Ben looked at me with such sincerity that I instinctively trusted him.

It felt like things were already changing in this new life.

I felt a surge of confidence about my revenge.

"I feel like someone's been following me lately. I just want to be able to protect myself," I said, choosing my words carefully.

I couldn't exactly tell him I was a time-traveler escaping a murder-trap. He'd think I was insane.

"In that case, I can teach you some grappling moves. They're more practical than standard self-defense," Ben said.

He stepped onto the mat and demonstrated a few strikes.

The way he moved was powerful and controlled. For the first time since waking up, my anxiety started to fade.

From then on, I went to see Ben every day. Whenever he wasn't on duty, he gave me his full attention.

I neglected the bakery, leaving Mindy in charge.

With me gone, she started slacking off, closing early, and being rude to the regulars.

Business started to tank, but I didn't care.

Mindy told me that Lily came by every single day looking for me.

I knew those two wouldn't give up. Capturing me was like winning the lottery for them.

One evening, after a particularly long practice, I was locking up the shop to go home.

I turned around and saw Silas Vance standing in the shadows, grinning like a demon.

He limped toward me, then suddenly lunged.

My mind instantly flooded with nightmares from my past life.

I saw the basement. I felt the branding iron.

I froze. My body was shaking so hard I couldn't move a muscle.

"Think you're better than us? Too good to deliver a cake to my daughter?"

"Do you have any idea how long I've been waiting for you at home?"

Silas was closing in. I backed up until I hit the cold metal of the shop's rolling shutter.

As his hand reached for my shoulder, muscle memory finally kicked in. I grabbed his arm and threw him over my shoulder.

He slammed into the pavement. I tried to run, but he grabbed my ankles, tripping me.

"You little bitch! You want to fight?"

Silas wasn't even mad; he was laughing. His face was twisted as he dragged me toward him, trying to pin me down.