Chapter 1

I was nothing but a clingy pest, reviled by everyone.

For eight years, I chased after Jonathan Hayden, eventually forcing him to give up his true love, Thea Wise, to marry me, a nuisance he never wanted.

He hated me for eight years. His eyes were always cold whenever he looked at me.

But in that landslide, Jonathan gave up his own chance at survival so I could live.

The cold rocks crashed down on him. In his last moments, he gripped my hand, his voice as soft as the wind. "Jaliyah, don't be foolish anymore.

"Find someone who truly loves you and make a good life for yourself. If only I hadn't said yes to marrying you."

At the funeral, Kyler Hayden and Leanna Hayden, Jonathan's parents, got right in my face, calling me a jinx and saying I was the reason their son died.

Everyone said it was my fault, and honestly, I believed them, too.

Three nights after Jonathan died, I went to the riverside he always liked and jumped in.

When I came to, I travelled back to the day the Haydens made him marry me.

This time, I put away all my clinginess and let go of everything I used to hold onto.

I only prayed that all the regrets from his previous life would find fulfillment in this one.

*****

"I'd rather stay single forever than ever marry Jaliyah Lloyd." Jonathan's angry voice exploded in the living room, and for a moment, I was stunned.

I looked up at him. His eyes were icy and hard, and suddenly, tears blurred my vision.

Jonathan saw my reaction, his frown deepened, and his voice filled with obvious irritation. "Jaliyah, quit acting pathetic. I won't go soft on you. Thea's the only one I care about, now and forever."

Kyler and Leanna were caught off guard by his attitude, standing there at a loss, not knowing what to say or do.

But I laughed, and my tears streamed down, unstoppable.

I knew that look in his eyes. Jonathan had travelled back too.

In my previous life, even though he didn't want to, he still married me because Kyler and Leanna forced him. And for eight years, he regretted it every single day.

But this time, the way he flat-out refused made me feel genuinely relieved that there was still time to make things right.

I turned to Kyler and Leanna, my voice steady and calm, not a hint of emotion in it. "Since Jonathan already loves someone else, I won't force him.

"With you both here as witnesses, I promise to only ever view Jonathan as a brother. From now on, we're just family. I'm letting go of any other feelings I had for him."

My words were as absolute as Jonathan's refusal. I wiped away my tears, smiled, and said, "Is that okay with you, Jon?"

Jonathan whipped around, his determination crumbling into disbelief. He stared at me, completely stunned, like he couldn't believe his ears.

In my previous life, I made a scene to marry him and shamelessly chased after him, not caring how pathetic I looked.

For eight years after we got married, I pulled every stunt in the book to keep him by my side. I chased off any woman who got close to him, even ran Thea out of the city.

I remembered how, in my previous life, I cornered him until he had nowhere left to run. He would lock himself in his study, chain-smoking, his eyes filled with a hollow, endless despair.

I even stole the bracelet Thea gave him. Jonathan, eyes red, begged me to give it back, but I smashed it right before his eyes, shattering it into pieces.

Back then, all I felt was a twisted sense of satisfaction, and I was too blind to notice the dead emptiness in his eyes.

When Kyler and Leanna saw my sudden change of mind, they both breathed a huge sigh of relief.

They wasted no time making it public that I was officially a part of the Hayden family, as their adopted daughter.

To reassure me, the Haydens even hosted a special family party to mark the occasion.

At the party, I saw Thea again.

She wore a pale apricot dress, her features gentle and serene. She stood quietly in the corner, like an angel.

She was everything I wasn't, a sharp contrast to me, the obsessive troublemaker everyone despised.

Jonathan was quick to move to my side, his brow tightly knit as he blocked me from Thea.

He dropped his voice, practically pleading, "It's a big day. Please, don't cause trouble, okay?"

I dug my nails deep into my palm. The pain snapped me back to reality.

In my previous life, there was no way I would've swallowed that humiliation.

The more Jonathan tried to stop me, the more determined I was to do the exact opposite.

That whole landslide happened because I acted up and forced Jonathan to go camping with me in the mountains. If I hadn't been so stubborn, we never would've ended up in that disaster.

I was the one who should've died, but he took it all on himself for me.

But now, I nodded meekly, my voice gentle. "Okay, Jon. I'll stay right here and won't cause any trouble."

Jonathan was stunned, a dazed look in his eyes as he stared at me. He opened his mouth, but ended up saying nothing at all.