Chapter 1

"Nancy? Nancy!" someone frantically called out my name.

By the time I snapped back to reality, I realized that Frederick Linton, the man who should've been at Elaine Anders' award ceremony, was sitting right in front of me.

I hesitantly touched my wrists. The bones and joints that had been shattered when I fell from the rooftop were now completely intact.

Had I… been given a second chance at life?

"What's wrong, Nancy? You've been distracted for a while now. Have you been staying up too late working on your report?" Frederick asked.

After a brief pause, he added, "Oh, right. Didn't I ask you to bring your report over so I could help you take a look at it? Did you bring it with you?"

Once he mentioned the report again, I knew for certain that I had been reborn.

In my previous life, Frederick had used the same excuse to ask me for my report. He had told me he'd make some final revisions for me and urged me to get some rest.

I'd never been wary of him, so I trusted him without a second thought. I never imagined that he'd hand my work over to his childhood friend, Elaine.

Working together, they used my work to publish a research paper before I did. Because I knew nothing about it, I went ahead and published my own paper afterward, only for them to accuse me of plagiarism.

No one listened to my explanations. When the story spread across the Internet, I faced a wave of online criticism and harassment. As a result, I ended up developing a severe case of depression.

When I confronted Frederick about it, he merely glanced at me with indifference.

"You've always had excellent grades, and you've won countless awards since you were a kid. Why can't you just let Elaine have this one?

"Stop making a fuss. It's just a few nasty comments. If you ignore them, the whole thing will blow over soon enough," he spat irritably.

Because of my work, Elaine went on to make a name for herself in the academic community. I, on the other hand, couldn't withstand the relentless insults that were being hurled at me. In the end, I ended my own life by jumping from a rooftop.

I died on the very day Frederick proposed to Elaine at her award ceremony.

Memories of my past life came rushing back to me. For a moment, it was as if I could still feel the agony of my bones and organs being torn apart.

Suppressing the wave of physical discomfort, I shook my head and lied to Frederick, "No. I forgot to bring it."

"You forgot?" he snapped. "How many times do I have to remind you? Why can't you do such a simple task? How stupid are you?"

Not this again.

Every time I failed to do something Frederick asked of me, he'd berate me and put me down.

In my previous life, I was foolishly in love with him. So, I kept swallowing my pride and lowering myself to maintain our relationship.

It wasn't until I was on the verge of death that I learned that he had been in love with Elaine for years. To him, I was merely a second choice—and a pawn he used to make Elaine jealous.

Now that fate had given me a second chance, I refused to let myself live such a pathetic life again.

I let out a small scoff. Then, I calmly pulled my hand free from Frederick's grasp. "Why are you getting so worked up? Weren't you just going to help me check the document for typos?"

After a split second, I continued, "Besides, you can't really understand what I wrote about anyway. So, your revision won't really make a difference. Unless… you wanted to use my report for something else?"

I didn't know if my comments had hit too close to home or if this was the first time I had ever spoken to him in such a mocking way. Either way, Frederick's expression instantly hardened.

He froze for a moment. Then, he wrapped his arms around me and put on an awkward smile. "Of course not. I just lost my composure because I'm concerned about you. You can just hand me the report the next time we meet."

"Anyway, enough about that." He quickly changed the subject. "Elaine and the rest are waiting for us at the restaurant. Come on—let's head there together."

At the mention of the restaurant, I recalled the dinner I was supposed to attend in my past life. Back then, I had turned down the invitation because I was busy looking for references for my research paper. In my absence, Frederick and Elaine painted me as a jealous, antisocial woman.

I watched Frederick avoid my gaze and flashed him a fake smile.

Now that I knew exactly what was coming, I was determined to give them a taste of their own medicine and make them pay for everything they had done.