Chapter 1

I died.

To be exact, I died in my previous life. My life ended in a car crash carefully planned by William Stokes and Genevieve Kimmons.

When I came to, I was twenty-two again.

Standing in front of the mirror at the bridal shop, I wore the wedding dress William had picked out for me.

Its cascading layers reminded me of all the hopes I once pinned on him. It was gorgeous, but it was a lie.

The sales assistant said from behind me, her voice full of envy, "Miss Cantrell, Mr. Stokes said the wedding is being moved up to next month.

"Mr. Stokes really values this wedding."

I scoffed. In my previous life, those words tricked me right into a marriage, which was my graveyard. In the end, I died a horrible death.

I said, pulling off the veil, "Cancel it. I'm not getting married."

The sales assistant froze. "Miss Cantrell, are you joking?"

I stared at my reflection in the mirror. At twenty-two, my face was untouched by the exhaustion from all those nights spent checking up on William.

I had not experienced the shock of discovering William's betrayal, or the hopelessness that swallowed me before I died.

Everything could still change.

I said as I walked out, "Tell William my wedding is off."

April in Omandoria was already warm. I walked out of the bridal shop and glanced at the date on my phone.

It was still a month before the wedding. The nightmare hadn't begun yet.

In my previous life, I was hopelessly devoted to William. One call from him and I'd drop everything.

Whenever he claimed he was busy with the company, I'd be left waiting alone night after night.

In the end, he hooked up with Genevieve, and I became the laughingstock of the whole city.

This time around, I'd never let myself fall for the same trap again.

My phone rang. It was William.

I picked up, and his usual cold tone came through. "I heard you're canceling the wedding. What are you making a scene about now?"

It was that same tone again. Like every time I was upset, he acted like I was making trouble for no reason.

I said calmly, "William, I'm not making a scene. I'm telling you, wedding's off, engagement's over, and from now on, we're done."

"Are you losing it?" William's voice finally cracked. "Louise, I'm giving you a chance to save face. Don't push your luck."

I scoffed inwardly.

In my previous life, I practically begged him to throw me a bone, but he never did.

"Save your so-called mercy for yourself," I said, hanging up and switching off my phone.

This time, I'd settle those scores.

First step was to cancel the wedding.

When I got home, my mom was sitting in the living room, dabbing at her tears.

As soon as she saw me, she hurried over. "Louise, did you really call off the wedding? The Stokes family is in total chaos!"

I said, dropping my bag, "Let them fuss all they want. It's none of my concern."

"Silly girl, you and William have been together for three years. How can you end it like this?" Mom pulled me down beside her. "Is there some kind of misunderstanding?"

Three years.

During those three years in my previous life, I was the punchline of my own story.

I said, patting her hand, "Mom, don't worry. I know what I'm doing."

Early the next morning, my phone started blowing up the moment I turned it on. My best friend, Wynne Quinn, was calling nonstop.

She said, "Louise, you're trending. William put out a statement saying you called off the wedding, and now the whole city's talking about it!"

I opened the news app.

William's studio had a statement pinned right at the top. [Louise Cantrell unilaterally canceled the wedding. William expresses deep regret and wishes her happiness.]

His statement made me look like the villain.

In my previous life, I got steamrolled by public opinion and ended up forced to put up with that marriage.

No way that was happening again.

Unbothered, I switched off my phone.

If we were doing this, I would go big.