Chapter 1

My step-daughter got into Camfordelle University, and the first thing she did was cut me out of her life.

"I've got my real mom. You're just the homewrecker who broke up my parents' marriage," she said.

I was thrown out of her university admission party, staggering down the street in a daze, when a car slammed into me and sent me flying.

As I lay dying, I overheard her talking to her dad.

She said, "Don't save her. If she gets killed by the car, that's perfect. Our family can score a fat compensation payout."

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself back in the year just before my daughter entered high school.

Today was a special day. My relatives and friends were all congratulating me because my daughter, Jessica Saunders, had just been accepted into a prestigious high school. I was throwing a celebration party in her honor.

As everyone enjoyed the meal and made conversation, they kept praising Jessica and occasionally complimented me on how well I had raised her.

Jessica was wearing the new princess dress I'd bought her, lips curled in a sneer. She shot me a sideways glare, pure contempt written all over her face.

"Ugh, she really thinks she's something just because of me," Jessica muttered to herself. "If I ever quit studying, let's see what she's got left to brag about. Next time, maybe I'll just bomb the test on purpose. Can't wait to see Dad rip into her."

Her muttering sank into my ears, leaving my mind in a daze.

As I stared at Jessica's arrogant smirk, flashes of my previous life rushed before me—the moment I was crushed to death in that car accident.

A torrent of hatred suddenly surged from the depths of my heart.

My husband's sister, Liz Saunders, glanced at me, noticing I was lost in thought.

She said to me, "Hey, you know high school is no joke. Don't drop the ball with Jessica now. My family is trusting you with our future star. For the next years, you'd better stick by her side and keep her on track."

Before I could get a word in, Jessica shot back at Liz, her tone full of impatience and irritation.

"Can you just butt out of our family stuff? I absolutely don't want her shadowing me at school. I'll rent a house for myself. Who in their right mind would want to be stuck with her every single day?"

Liz shot Jessica a reproachful look and said, "Seriously, can't you tell when people are being nice to you? High school is no walk in the park.

"The cafeteria food is nothing compared to your mom's cooking, and live alone? Trust me, it's nowhere near as comfortable as living at home."

Snapping back to reality, I watched Liz and Jessica playing off each other, a cold sneer curling on my lips.

"She's not my mom. Just some homewrecker who barged in and wrecked my parents' marriage. My real mom is Helen Grant, not her," Jessica said.

Jessica lifted her chin, neck stiff with defiance, as she corrected Liz.

All eyes in the hall turned my way—some curious, some pitying, some downright mocking.

But of course, not a single person said a word to Jessica, the freshly top student in the city.

Liz's eyes gleamed with a mix of satisfaction and mischief, like she was settling in to watch the drama unfold.

I knew all too well; Liz and Helen were thick as thieves.

I smiled faintly, pretending to be helpless and just letting it slide.

"Jessica, you're already 15 and still acting so clueless. When I married your dad, your 'real mom' already had a kid with someone else."

Liz's lips twitched.

I offered, "Well, now that you're all grown up, I should respect your wishes. Don't worry. I definitely won't be following you around at school. We can even swear on it today. How about that?"

I put on my best loving-mother face, eyes soft and patient.

Jessica, seeing my response, thought she had me right where she wanted me. She grinned smugly. "That's more like it. Just remember, you'd better stick to your word."

"Absolutely," I said. "We've got a whole room of family and friends as witnesses, so I can't back out even if I tried."

Just a few lines, and everyone probably figured out how little I really mattered in the Saunders family.

Liz instantly got anxious. "Jessica's just a kid, sure, but aren't you supposed to know better? Don't tell me you're just going to go along with whatever she says—"

I cut her off, "Today is all about Jessica's big celebration. Whatever she wants, she gets. Come on, everyone, let's raise our glasses to Jessica for scoring first in the whole city!"

Sticking around with a high schooler was draining.

On top of hauling her to every cram school and tutoring center in the city, I had to pull together all sorts of nutritious meals and endure Jessica's never-ending sarcasm and jabs.

In my previous life, I spent years keeping her company, and those years left me looking way older than my age.

She won automatic admission to Camfordelle University, but I was the one who ended up with a nervous breakdown and chronic insomnia.

Now they want me to go back to being her unpaid live-in mom? Dream on.

Especially, I literally died because of her in my previous life.

Richard Saunders was my husband.

Jessica was his daughter from his first wife, Helen, and they split up when Jessica was only three.

Helen, meanwhile, was already secretly carrying another man's baby by then.

She didn't even care about Jessica. All she wanted was Richard's car, a sedan worth about 120 thousand dollars.

She never tried to claim the house, since it belonged to Richard's parents anyway.

By the time I married Richard, Jessica was already in second grade.

She was left in her grandmother's care back then, always running around in dirty clothes and with dried snot streaked across her cheeks—pretty much neglected.

Looking all messy like that, she was constantly teased and bullied by the other kids at school.

After I married Richard, I couldn't get pregnant for a couple of years, so I tried my best to be a real mom to Jessica.

Bit by bit, she started to become more cheerful and open.

I signed Jessica up for all kinds of pricey extracurriculars—private tutoring, hobby clubs, riding lessons, even summer camps.

After school, I walked her through her homework and worked out with her.

She went from barely scraping by in early grades to being one of the top three in her class by fourth and fifth grade.

I burned through all my savings from before I got married, pouring it all into Jessica's classes and tutors. Not once did anyone in the Saunders family bother to ask what it all cost.

Jessica's grandmother just loved to throw shade at me, always joking that I was acting fancy for no reason. She said I was only making life harder for her precious granddaughter.