Chapter 5

I know Sophie way too well. She never truly wanted to be my friend. She needed someone whom she could easily control but was obviously beneath her, to make herself shine.

In my previous life, that someone was me. I was Emily, the awkward small-town girl who had never seen the world. Standing next to Sophie, I made her seem prettier and more graceful.

She treated me nicely, not because she liked me, but because I made her feel superior.

Later, she introduced me to Jason because she knew that Jason would never go for a girl like me. She only pushed me toward him to make herself look generous and kind.

She never expected Jason to choose me. That was why she hated me and wanted me dead.

This time, I wouldn't give her that chance again.

After O-Week was over, I kicked off my college life with a new lease on life.

I packed my schedule with all kinds of classes. Besides my major courses, I had electives like financial management, and signed up for an accounting certification training class on weekends.

I was determined to use these four years to become someone worth something.

In my previous life, I spent all my energy chasing after Jason. I never studied hard, never got any internships, and never picked up any real skills. After four years of college, the only thing I learned was how to please a man.

After graduation, I couldn't land a decent job. In the end, I had to rely on Jason's so-called generosity to stay at his place.

Officially, I was his girlfriend, but in reality, I was an unpaid housekeeper and his plaything.

I lived like that for seven years. Seven years of groveling, pleasing, enduring, and fooling myself all became a knife.

So, this time around, I was determined to get everything I missed out on in my previous life.

I started waking up at six every morning to hit the track for a run. Afterward, I'd grab breakfast at the dining hall, then head straight to the library to study until class.

I skipped naps at noon, focusing on reading and exercises instead. After afternoon classes, I'd work out at the gym until seven, grab dinner, and then keep studying until eleven.

My life became so regimented that Nina thought I was crazy.

"Emily, did you join some weird cult or something?" Nina stared at my schedule, completely shocked. "You only get six hours of sleep? Aren't you tired?"

"Not at all," I said, still working through my practice test. "I'm used to it."

"But you're a freshman. Isn't college supposed to be fun? Look at everyone else. They're out shopping, watching dramas, or dating. You're the only one living like a nun."

I smiled, saying nothing.

Nina had no clue I'd already partied enough in my previous life.

No, it wasn't that I'd partied enough. I'd wasted enough time.

This time, I was going to claw back every single second I'd thrown away in my previous life.

No matter how hard I tried to run from it, some things were inevitable.

One night in mid-October, I left the library and was on my way back to the dorm. Halfway there, the sky suddenly opened up and rain poured down.

I didn't have an umbrella.

The rain came down hard and fast, so I had no choice but to sprint to the entrance of the nearest academic building to take cover.

Someone was already standing under the porch.

It was Jason.

He was leaning against the wall, one hand in his pocket and the other holding an unlit cigarette. When he saw me running over, he arched an eyebrow slightly, then tucked the cigarette away.

"Caught in the rain again, huh?" he asked.

I didn't say anything. I moved to the far end of the porch, putting as much space between us as I could.

The rain kept coming down harder, pounding the ground and sending up little splashes everywhere. The wind whipped the rain in, chilling me to the bone.

I hugged my arms, shivering a little.

Jason glanced at me, then took off his jacket and draped it over my shoulders.

His jacket was huge, wrapping around me like a blanket. It still carried his warmth, and that familiar mix of tobacco and laundry detergent.

I froze.

"I don't need it..." I reached out to take the jacket off.

"Keep it on," he said, his tone leaving no room for argument. "You're already shivering."

"I'm not cold."

"Your lips are turning blue."

I fell silent.

He was right. I'd always been sensitive to the cold, and with the temperature dropping so suddenly on this rainy September night, I was freezing.

"Thanks," I finally relented. "I'll wash it and give it back to you tomorrow."

He didn't say anything, stepped back to the other end of the porch, keeping several feet away between us.

Neither of us spoke; the only sound was the rain drumming down around us.

After a while, he suddenly spoke up, "Emily, do you know me?"

I froze for a second. "What do you mean?"

"The way you look at me is weird," Jason said, turning his head so the streetlight cast half his face in shadow. "You're not looking at me like I'm a stranger.

"It's more like you're staring at someone you really can't stand."

My heart skipped a beat.

He was way too perceptive.

"You're imagining things," I said, turning my gaze to the rain outside. "We've never met before."

"I know," he replied. "That's why it feels so weird."

He didn't ask anything else.