Chapter 1

My maid's daughter was the chosen heroine. Anyone who met her was enchanted by her aura.

People in our circle had called her "a lady born of nobility," while no matter how I dressed up, I had always been the rustic bumpkin.

In the previous timeline, she had secretly worn the gown I had painstakingly designed for my birthday party, dazzling everyone present.

My fiancé had fallen in love with her at first sight, and the two of them had carried on behind my back in secret.

Out of jealousy, I had tried everything to keep them apart until I brought ruin upon myself. My family had gone bankrupt. I had ended up miserable.

When I was sent back in time, it was to the very day she had stolen my dress.

I smiled faintly and said, "Bring me the scissors. Cut that dress to shreds."

I was the villainess, the evil supporting actress.

No one was allowed to touch what was mine, even if I had already thrown it away.

*****

As soon as I opened my eyes, I saw the butler rushing in, looking flustered.

"Miss Waller, Jude Phelps has taken your dress! She said she was just going to tidy it up, but then she slipped away with it when no one was looking!" he blurted out.

The dress he was talking about was a designer piece I had custom-made just for today, so I could steal the show at my birthday party.

Now, Jude just messed everything up.

She wasn't just bold enough to walk off with my dress. She actually had the guts to steal my spotlight at my own birthday bash.

With my spotlight stolen, I was furious and jealous of how easily Jude won everyone over. I went crazy trying every trick in the book to bring her down, but all I did was make my fiancé hate me.

Brian Anderson had been seeing Jude behind my back for ages, but he was too attached to the Waller family's wealth and influence to walk away. So, he ended up marrying me even though he was disgusted by it.

Then he used his role as my husband to win over my dad's trust, faked evidence of tax fraud in the projects he managed, and drove my family's company into bankruptcy.

Brian played the righteous hero by betraying his own in-laws, and with that, he climbed straight to the top.

But my dad couldn't take the weight of those false charges anymore and ended his life by jumping off a building. Not long after, my mom passed away from grief, leaving me completely alone in the world.

Jude ended up with everything I once had. And she actually had the nerve to try and school me.

She said, "Just because you come from a better family, you think you can boss me around? Everything that happened to you is what you deserved. Don't covet people or things that don't belong to you! Money can't buy dignity or love!"

Things and people that didn't belong to me?

Brian came from humble beginnings. It was only because he got engaged to me that he earned the right to inherit. That was how he finally made a name for himself in the Anderson family.

Jude, on the other hand, was just the housekeeper's daughter. We grew up side by side, and I always considered her my closest friend.

Whenever I got something nice, I'd always think of her first. Thanks to me, my family treated her with the same respect as they did me, spoiling her like she was another Waller family heiress.

But then, she accused me of wanting her stuff, but where was all that talk when she was reaping all the benefits I gave her?

I took care of two ungrateful ingrates, and somehow it was my fault.

Jude's words were the final straw that pushed me over the edge.

It wasn't until after my death that I learned this world was a cliché redemption novel. Jude was the fated heroine, born with a Cinderella background. She was tough, resilient, and somehow she ended up redeeming Brian, the male lead who'd endured years of humiliation in my family's home.

Just because I was set up as the villainess, their doomed romance was all my fault.

They shamelessly accepted all the benefits I gave them, but if I didn't keep spoiling them, that was somehow on me, too.

My hatred was so fierce, I actually traveled back in time after I died.

Since I was the villainess, if I didn't torment those two to death, how could I ever live up to my role?

I casually slipped into a dress that fit me just right and headed out.

When I pushed open the doors to the hall, I saw Jude surrounded by the crowd.

Her makeup was immaculate, and she wore that sickeningly sweet smile.

Just like before. Nothing had changed from the previous timeline.

This time, I was weirdly calm, and I caught details I'd missed before.

The dress that was supposed to be tailored for me somehow hugged Jude's curves like it was made for her.

I understood why she suddenly insisted on dealing with the designer herself.

It turned out that she secretly changed the measurements so the dress would fit her better.

She'd been scheming from the start, and I actually fell for her nonsense like an idiot.

A cold smirk curled on my lips as I closed in on Jude, step by step.

"So, how does it feel to steal my dress?" I asked, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

Faced with my question, Jude just looked away, biting her lip without saying a word.

She was playing the innocent. What a delicate little thing.

I sneered. "Still won't admit you're a thief, huh?"

Jude turned back to me, tears glimmering in her eyes, her expression aggrieved.

She said quietly, "Miss Emilia Waller, I know you've always looked down on me because of my background. Why do you have to humiliate me like this?"

She added, "I just tried on your dress. Who doesn't want to look pretty? Why are you making such a big deal out of it?"

I sneered. "Help yourself to my stuff without asking? That's stealing. I could call the police and have you arrested right now."

The moment I mentioned calling the cops, Jude's eyes flashed with panic.