Chapter 1

In my previous life, I believed my jerk boyfriend Jake Thompson's lies and gave an expired protein bar to Ethan Grant, the school's valedictorian.

On the day of the SAT, Ethan never showed up.

After the test, he was waiting at the school gates, smiling bitterly. "I didn't deserve this, did I?

"Wendy, you ruined me."

The next day, it was all over social media: [Oakwood High's Valedictorian Jumps to His Death After Missing the SAT.]

*****

"Wendy, why are you pushing yourself so hard?" Jake's voice had a teasing lilt. "Even if your grades aren't good enough, we can just buy our way into some college abroad."

Jake acted like he was rolling in dough, throwing money around as if it were his to burn. The fact that it was all my family's money never seemed to cross his mind.

The memory of how Jake had tricked me into giving Ethan that expired protein bar flashed in my mind. A bolt of pure rage shot through me, and I almost went for his throat then and there.

*****

After Ethan's suicide, people online unearthed the real reason he'd missed the SAT.

It was all because of that expired protein bar—the one I gave him.

I was swept into a maelstrom of online bullying.

I asked Jake to clear my name, but he turned around and threw me under the bus.

One comment read: [Typical. Just a spoiled, entitled rich girl.]

Another chimed in with pure vitriol: [Why is she even alive? She should die! Let her jump off a building and atone for her sins!]

The onslaught didn't stop there. Even Ethan became a target.

Someone posted: [Are kids really that fragile now? He killed himself over one missed exam? Seriously?]

Another netizen scoffed: [And he's called a top student? What kind of role model jumps off a building after missing a test?]

Then the speculation turned to his family: [That whole family must be messed up. What kind of parents drive their own kid to suicide?]

What no one knew was the truth: Ethan's father had an affair while his mother was pregnant. In her grief, she came to blame the unborn Ethan for tearing their family apart.

So from the moment Ethan was born, his parents wanted nothing to do with him. He was raised entirely by his grandma.

Then, on the day of the SAT, his grandma died of a sudden heart attack. Crushed by this loss and the missed exam—a double blow—Ethan saw no way out. He jumped from a building and ended his life.

Shattered by the cyberbullying, my own mental state spiraled out of control. I, too, met a tragic end—a fatal car crash.

Jake, however, emerged as the ultimate winner from the whole tragedy. He was admitted to Aethelred University, one of the top universities, and upon graduation, landed a coveted position at a Fortune 500 company.

*****

Jake's voice snapped me back to reality. I glanced at him and scoffed, "Abroad? Please. Do you even have the cash for a plane ticket?"

"Wendy, have you always looked down on me just because I'm poor?" Jake's eyes fell, his face a mask of disappointment. "I really thought you were different from other spoiled rich girls..."

He left the rest dangling in the air, but I knew exactly what he meant.

Whenever I got pissed, he'd act like he was the real victim here. Somehow, I'd always end up biting back my anger and trying to soothe the bastard.

Jake was our grade's silver medalist, trailing only Ethan. His future looked just as promising.

I couldn't understand why he would ruin Ethan and drag me down as well.

Whenever I struggled with studying, Jake would swoop in, pull me into a hug, and murmur, "Don't force yourself, Wendy. If you don't feel like studying, then don't. I'll take care of you in the future, I promise.

"We already have one academic weapon in this relationship. No need for two. Why burn yourself out?

"We're the perfect match. I've got the brains for both of us, and you just have to be your adorable self."

Back then, love-struck and naive, I didn't see a problem. Now, I realized the real reason my grades were always in the gutter.

I had been completely lost in his mind games.

I glared at him and asked, "Why do you always discourage me from studying?"

A flicker of panic crossed Jake's face. "I just don't want you to burn out. Once I land a job, you can just stay home and live like a princess.

"Wendy, don't you want to be my princess?" Jake said, turning it around like it was all my fault.

In the past, I would've apologized for doubting him. Now, seeing him for what he truly was, nothing rose in my chest but pure disgust.

I frowned. "I'm tired of hearing the same old lines. Save your breath. Since we clearly don't share the same values, let's break up."

Transported back to this moment, I only wanted to cut him out of my life, fast.

Had I been brainwashed in my previous life? How else could I have put up with him for so long?

Just as I was sinking into self-doubt, Jake tried to grab my hand, but I instinctively pulled away.

His face darkened in an instant. "Stop with the entitled princess act, Wendy! I'm lowering myself to appease you, and you give me attitude?

"So what if you have a few more lousy bucks than me? Acting like you're royalty now, huh?

"If I ever fall out of love with you, don't you dare come crawling back to me then!"

Seeing me stay silent, he mistook it for surrender and a triumphant smirk spread across his face. "Regretting it already, huh? Fine, I'll overlook what you said. I forgive you! But no more talk of breaking up, understood?"

I gave a slow, deliberate nod. "You're right. I'm just a rich girl with a few lousy bucks. So why should you suffer? We're through. For good."

I had loved him more than I loved myself in my previous life. No wonder he was so stunned that I was the one ending things.

But I didn't care what was running through his mind anymore. I simply turned and walked away.