Chapter 2

The very next day after he proposed to me, Samantha, who'd been living abroad for years, just happened to bump into him. And that night, they hooked up.

And of course, the paparazzi caught them getting cozy, and those photos blew up all over the internet.

Everyone was laughing at me, his fiancée, while he just told everyone that he and Samantha were truly in love.

He said he never cared about me at all. I was just someone to talk to when he was bored and lonely.

I called Samantha, begging her not to break up my marriage.

She wanted to meet face-to-face, and on my way there, I got hit by a car and was left paralyzed.

Later, I found out it was all Samantha's scheme. She wanted to take my place to marry Jason.

And Jason just turned a blind eye to everything she did, as if he was perfectly fine with it.

I was lying in the hospital bed when Samantha strutted in, looking all high and mighty.

She actually thanked me for molding Jason into the ideal man for her.

She tossed me the divorce papers Jason had already signed, along with her medical report showing she was pregnant.

She gently stroked her belly, her eyes gentle and smug, and told me she was expecting, and Jason couldn't wait to be a dad.

After all, his paralyzed wife could never give him a child.

The day they got married, they live-streamed the wedding to the world. It was a massive event.

Watching the two of them beaming with happiness, I set my room ablaze and let the fire swallow me whole.

After I died, Jason went to my grave, dropped to his knees, and sobbed for the cameras, broadcasting his grief and our memories to anyone who'd listen.

The internet crowned him the most devoted, perfect man alive again.

See? I trained Jason so well that he couldn't even let me rest in peace. He had to milk my death for more clout.

Now, seeing Jason again, it felt surreal, like I was living in some twisted dream.

I was the one who made him who he is, and he left me with nothing.

This time, I wouldn't make the same mistake.

No one would ever pour three years of their life into creating a demon, only to have them ruin you in the end.

In this life, there was no way Jason Grant was ever going to become a top model.

"Didn't you hear me, fatso? Get to it!" one of the guys yelled.

He shoved Jason hard, snatched a bottle off the table, and raised it like he was about to smash it down.

I just sat there quietly, watching it all go down. Jason just shrank into the corner, fists clenched tight, silent as ever.

Samantha slouched back, enjoying the show, her gaze sliding over to me.

"Catherine, aren't you and Jason super tight? Why not let him confess to you? Maybe you two can just settle for each other and give us all a good laugh," she snarked.

Jason's head shot up, desperation flickering in his eyes, like he'd just found a lifeline in a storm.

"Sorry, I've already got a boyfriend," I replied, sounding totally casual.

I chuckled softly, not bothered in the slightest.

"And Jason? Yeah, not my type." I tossed out, barely sparing him a glance.

Jason just stared at me, lips pale as a ghost. All that stubborn pride he'd been holding onto shattered in an instant, leaving him looking totally stunned, like he couldn't believe what he'd just heard.

If this was the old me, I never would've said something so savage. That would've been way too cruel.

Especially to someone as insecure as Jason. In my last life, sure, he was a total train wreck on the outside.

But deep down, he was kind, caring, and never gave up. Even when everyone else treated him like trash, I still chose to be his friend.

But Jason, you really think someone you pushed to rock bottom would ever smile at you again?

"A boyfriend? Don't make me laugh. I've never seen you with any guy," one of the guys scoffed.

"Catherine, come on, as if anyone's actually into you," another guy sneered.