Chapter 1

After my SATs, my parents left me behind and took their adopted daughter, Eunice Webb, on a seaside vacation. They ran into a typhoon and all three of them died.

When the news reached me, I didn't cry. I didn't make a scene. I immediately got their death certificates, pulled out the accidental death insurance policies I had purchased in advance, and calmly collected 30 million dollars in compensation.

My fiancé cursed me, saying I cared only about money.

He had no idea I had returned from the future.

In my previous life, when I learned my family had died, I was inconsolable. I took on the massive debts they left behind, gave up my chance at college and worked endless jobs to repay creditors, protecting the family home the creditors were eyeing.

During those years, my fiancé stayed by my side, offering encouragement. He cheered me on when I returned from late-night delivery shifts, but he never gave me a single dollar.

At thirty-five, I finally paid off every cent, but at the cost of my health. I looked decades older than my age.

On my birthday, I bought myself a small three-dollar cake to celebrate. Just as I leaned forward to blow out the candles, the door opened.

My parents and Eunice walked in proudly dressed in designer clothes. My parents looked loftily at me and smiled, saying, "Not bad. Now we believe you're not someone obsessed with money. You passed the test. You're qualified to be part of the family now."

My parents then turned to Eunice. "Eunice, you did great by coming up with such a clever idea."

Eunice smiled faintly, stepped forward gracefully, and blew out my candles.

The only bit of light left in my twenty years of life went out with them. My overworked heart gave out and I died on the spot.

When I opened my eyes again, my family was preparing to head to the seaside, straight into that typhoon.

I said nothing and quietly bought them enormous accidental death insurance policies.

This time, I only wanted them to disappear from this world forever.

*****

My fiancé, Liam Porter, yelled, "Lily, if you'd just been a bit more determined, maybe you could've stopped your family from leaving. Why didn't you threaten to slit your wrists or go on a hunger strike to make them stay?

"Honestly, you're so selfish. You never really cared about your family's safety. Now you're stuck cleaning up this mess. Serves you right!" he sneered.

As Liam's angry words echoed in my ears, I opened my eyes in the darkness.

The day had finally come. My parents and Eunice had faked their deaths, leaving me to abandon my education and drown in crushing debt.

My lips curled into a smile before I could help it. Liam froze for a moment, completely thrown off.

"Have you lost it? Your parents just died, and you're actually smiling?" he yelled.

I didn't look at Liam. I rolled over and reached under my pillow, pulling out the high-value insurance policy I'd bought for my family yesterday. I clutched it to my chest, and laughed so hard that tears spilled from my eyes.

In my previous life, Liam was the same, stomping his feet and shouting at me, like now.

He said that as their daughter, I should've predicted the danger and do whatever it took to stop my parents from taking Eunice to the beach, even at the risk of my life.

He even called me evil, saying I knew Eunice's grades were worse than mine, but I still pushed myself to become the top scorer. If I'd held back a little, Eunice wouldn't have had a meltdown, and my parents wouldn't have ditched me for her in their travels.

In the end, he pinned their deaths on me.

I was only eighteen, living in the ivory tower of school. His words made me feel so guilty, I gave up my education and took on 3 million dollars in debt.

I ran a food truck at dawn, delivered food all day, and drove rideshare late at night. My skin peeled from the sun, my hair grew dry and yellow from lack of nutrition, and my hands were covered in calluses from endless chores.

I broke down crying in the middle of the night more times than I could count, so tired I could barely stand, but I didn't dare to stop. I was afraid I'd ruin the Webb family's reputation, and terrified that if I gave up, my parents would be disappointed when I saw them in heaven.

But I never imagined that all this misery was a "test" from Eunice and my parents.

I'd had enough of competing for affection with Eunice. If the three of them were so hell-bent on faking their deaths, then this time, I'd personally sent them to hell myself.

I opened the insurance policy, my fingers trembling as I ran them over the staggering sum stated on the papers.

I went to the insurance company. "Hello, the deaths of my parents and sister have made headlines everywhere. The payout totals 30 million dollars. I need it transferred to my account immediately," I said.

Across the table, the insurance company CEO's face was ashen, struggling to catch his breath.

"Unbelievable. What kind of crazy luck do you have? You buy the policy, and right after, Mr. Webb kicks the bucket. What bad luck for me," he snapped.

He could rant all he wanted, but I'd spent a fortune getting expert advice before buying. The policy was spot-on for their deaths—swept away by a typhoon. There was not a single loophole. The insurance company had no choice but to pay up.

Soon enough, 30 million dollars landed in my account. As I silently counted all those zeros, I nearly broke down in tears.