Chapter 1

"Sabrina, why wouldn't you let me go? You ruined my life!" Melissa Wade's voice echoed in my mind, sharp and full of resentment.

In my previous life, I thought I was saving her. I deleted that text from Owen Sinclair, Rylen's most eligible bachelor, thinking I was pulling her back from the edge.

I never thought she'd end up hating me for it, blaming me for cutting off her shot at a better life, and even dragging me up to the rooftop.

Now, given a second chance at life, I glanced at the message on her phone. This time, I did nothing.

"Melissa, congrats. Your ticket to the world you've always wanted is right here," I murmured.

*****

Suddenly, I snapped awake.

I stared up at the familiar dorm ceiling, plastered with those old, yellowing glow-in-the-dark stars.

I was gasping for air, my back drenched in cold sweat, pajamas sticking to my skin.

Everything felt so real—the scent of cheap air freshener hanging in the room, and the steady breathing coming from my roommate in the bunk below.

I was not dead?

My hand trembled as I reached for my phone on the pillow. The screen lit up, showing the date and time—10:07 PM, June 3rd. A date from eight years ago.

A single text message sat quietly in the center of the screen.

It read: [Hey Melissa, it's Owen. There's a party at the Skyline Lounge on Friday night. I'd like you to come.]

My heart jolted, and my eyes widened in alarm.

That was the one.

In my previous life, I was Melissa's best friend. I knew all too well what spoiled heirs like Owen were really like. To them, girls were just playthings. Once the novelty wore off, they'd toss them aside without a second thought.

Melissa might've been a little vain, but deep down she was good, and she had a fiancé who absolutely adored her.

I was terrified. Terrified that one wrong choice, one reply to that text, would make her lose it all. So I did it for her. I deleted the message.

I thought I was protecting her.

And it worked. I helped her graduate. She married her devoted fiancé. They settled into a quiet, stable life.

But I forgot—human desire is a bottomless pit.

Three years into her marriage, her husband's business collapsed, and they were barely scraping by. That was when she bumped into Owen at the hospital. He was there with his high-society fiancée for a pregnancy check-up.

In that instant, all the resentment and bitterness Melissa'd been holding back exploded.

She pinned all her bad luck on me and my "protection."

She fell into a deep depression, and during one of our arguments, she snapped. In a blind, desperate rage, she dragged me up to the rooftop.

In the end, the safe, stable life I built for her was just a cage to her. A cage I built, locking her away from the glittering life she believed she was meant to have.

A sharp pain shot through my heart—the kind of betrayal that carved itself into my soul.

I closed my eyes, and when I opened them again, all that remained was a chilling emptiness.

Melissa stepped out of the bathroom and spotted me holding her phone. For a split second, panic flashed across her face.

"Sabrina, what are you doing with my phone?" she demanded, her voice tense.

I stayed silent, just turned the screen toward her.

As soon as she saw the message, her eyes sparkled with a wild light, and her breathing grew rapid.

She grabbed the phone from my hand, double-checking the sender's name again and again, her lips quivering with excitement.

"Owen... he actually messaged me!" she gasped, her voice trembling with excitement.

She clutched it to her chest like it was a winning lottery ticket, then looked up at me, her eyes full of wariness and a trace of pleading. "Sabrina, you... you won't say anything to James, right?"

James Carter was her boyfriend, the one who loved her more than anything and was planning to propose as soon as they graduated.

Last time, I used James to talk her out of crossing the line, to pull her back from the edge.

This time, I just gave her a faint, unreadable smile.

"Why would I bother?" I said, sounding totally indifferent.

I sat up in bed and poured myself a glass of water.

"Your phone. Your choice," I added, my tone flat.

Melissa just stood there, stunned.

She probably expected me to give her another long talk or maybe even run off and tell James like before.

But all I gave her was my back, and my voice was calm, like nothing in the world could shake me.

"Congrats, Melissa," I said, my tone cool. "Seems like your ticket just got punched."