Chapter 1

I went back to the day before Jessica Miller stole my ID documents to marry Michael Sanders.

She thought Michael, her online boyfriend, was some rich guy online. She just wanted his money. So she swiped my ID documents and married him.

But when she realized he was just pretending to be loaded, she dumped him and disappeared.

Michael showed up at school looking for her, shouting my name. Since Jessica and I look almost identical, the moment he saw me, he just started swinging.

Then he started spreading rumors at school, calling me a slut and saying I cheated on him, making him the laughingstock.

When a teacher tried to stop him, he flashed our marriage license with both our names on it.

The teacher was at a loss, thinking it was just some family drama, so he let Michael haul me out of school.

He forced me to his hometown.

There, he made me sleep with other men.

Every day was the same: beaten, sleep with other men, beaten again.

Even being pregnant didn't stop it.

In the end, I bled out while giving birth.

Then I opened my eyes, and I was back at school before Jessica ever got her hands on my ID documents.

*****

"Hannah, hand over your ID documents for a sec. I'm heading to the mall to sign up for a membership card. If I use both our IDs, I can rack up extra points and grab a free skincare set," Jessica said.

I was still in a haze, my nerves still reeling from the pain of my previous life. Before I knew it, I blurted out, "No."

"Fine, be like that." She scoffed.

I stared at her, who was pouting and whining. Hadn't she been off the grid for years just to avoid Michael?

Gone were the filthy, rundown shack and that awful smell. Wait, was I really back in my dorm?

Then it hit me. This had to be right before she took my ID documents and married Michael.

Just remembering all that made my hatred for her surge. I glared at her, wishing I could just tear her apart.

Too bad she was so caught up in her makeup routine, she didn't even notice the death glare I was giving her.

"I'm heading out to dinner with my boyfriend," Jessica said, checking herself out in the mirror with a smug little smile.

"I'm going somewhere super fancy tonight. I was actually going to let you all tag along, give you a glimpse of how some people actually live. But never mind. If you're going to act like that stupid ID is some kind of treasure, well, it just screams 'broke,' honestly," she snarked.

She gave me a dismissive look, grabbed her bag, and strutted out of the dorm.

So she was heading out to meet Michael?

I watched her walk down the stairs, paused for a moment, then grabbed my phone and followed her out.

There were always those sketchy ads for getting ID documents made around campus. I just picked one at random, called the number, and asked if they could make one. The guy on the other end told me to send over my info.

I managed to get the class roster—the one with all the personal data. Right there next to Jessica's name was her social security number. Then I thought of a name—"Hanna Evens"—similar to my name "Hannah Evans." It would sound the same if said out loud, but look different on paper. Then I photoshopped my ID photo a bit.

Jessica went for my ID because we looked almost identical. She even copied my outfits, bought the same clothes, and got her hair cut just like mine. From behind, even our classmates mixed us up.

I edited out my signature tear-shaped mole in the photo and adjusted my features to look a bit more like Jessica. Now the photo could pass for either of us.

I sent everything to the guy making the ID, told him I needed it by tomorrow, and offered extra cash to rush it.

After shelling out triple the usual price, I picked up my brand-new ID documents the next morning.

Jessica never came back last night. I bet she hit it off with her "rich" boyfriend and decided to have her little fairytale moment.

Like any free afternoon, I went to the library. My ID sat in its cardholder in my dorm drawer, not even locked away.

That night, when I got back to the dorm with my roommates, I noticed my ID documents were gone from my cardholder.

Clearly, Jessica was not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed. She didn't even bother to double-check the ID documents she stole. It had her own number, not even my name on it. She had absolutely no clue.