Chapter 2
Just like last time, despite having Wendy, Martin's crushing debt forced his hand. He married into the Mitchell family.
The wedding was supposed to be a quiet affair, but Wendy, unable to resist showing off, made sure the news got back to Jenny.
Jenny finally seemed to remember I existed. She promptly arranged for me to transfer schools.
She sat me down seriously.
"Olivia," she said with newfound purpose. "You have to study hard. You have to succeed and make me proud."
I just nodded, playing the part of the obedient daughter.
In my past life, Martin was so dominated by his new wife that he wouldn't lift a finger to help me. Even when she made me quit school to act as a hostess for her clients, plying them with alcohol, he just kept his mouth shut.
Now that I had been reborn, I was going to treasure this chance at an education.
I gave a brief introduction to my new class, and the teacher pointed me to an empty desk.
The bell rang, and students began trickling back in. I was leaning over to organize my things when a familiar voice cut through the noise.
"Hey. Move it."
I looked up, and my breath caught in my throat. It was a face I knew all too well.
It was Ryan Roberts, my husband in my previous life and the son of my stepmom's closest friend.
Legend had it that Ryan's parents had died saving Karen Mitchell, my stepmom, so she treated him like a prince.
He was frowning, sizing me up. I quickly snapped back to reality and slid my chair over so that he could squeeze past. The second he sat down, I dropped my gaze, hoping he wouldn't recognize me or sense anything strange.
Thankfully, after a brief glance, he lost interest. A wave of relief washed over me.
The moment the bell rang for the end of class, Wendy's sweet voice floated in from the hall.
"Ryan!"
Her beaming smile died the instant she saw me.
"Olivia?" she demanded. "What are you doing here?"
Fate just couldn't resist throwing us together.
Wendy's face contorted the moment she noticed Ryan's interest in me.
After casting a venomous look my way, she instantly clung to his arm, her voice turning sickly sweet.
"Ryan, this is my gold-digging sister. You'd better stay far away from her. She's like a leech. Once she latches on, you'll never get her off."
Her eyes darted around, a malicious idea sparking within them. She let out a scornful little laugh.
"Olivia, you claimed you weren't interested in Ryan. Now look at you, chasing him all the way to his school.
"Just save it. You're stuck with that useless mother of yours now. As if Ryan would ever look twice at someone like you."
Her voice dropped to a menacing whisper. "Shameless. Stay away from him, or I'll make you regret it.
"You gold-digger."
As the other students started whispering and giving me weird looks, Wendy shot me a satisfied smirk and dragged Ryan out of the classroom.
I wasn't some sixteen-year-old kid anymore. Their petty drama meant nothing to me.
Wendy was convinced my glamorous past life was all thanks to Ryan. So, this time, she was going to get to him first. With him on her side, she figured Karen would be no problem.
What she didn't know was that Ryan was no Prince Charming. He was a monster.
And honestly, I was grateful to her. She was taking the monster's attention off me.
I had already lived that nightmare once. I would rather die than go through it again.