Chapter 1

"I'll make sure you regret humiliating me in front of everyone tonight, Suzanna! You were acting so high and mighty back when you were exposing me—did it ever cross your mind that payback might come back one day?

"You're nothing but a cheap woman. Jared doesn't even care about you! Believe it or not—even if I left you for dead here in the middle of nowhere, he'd still take my side!"

Cindy's familiar words reached my ears, but before I could even react, blinding headlights came rushing at me. The engine roared—pain tore through my body as the car slammed into me.

That was when it hit me—I'd been reborn at the exact moment she ran me over.

Somehow, my shattered phone had dialed my boyfriend, Jared Xanderson. His cold, disgusted voice came through the speaker, "Stop calling me, Suzanna. I know you're just jealous of me and Cindy. That's why you're trying to come between us.

"It's impossible for her to run you with her car. It's worth tens of millions—she wouldn't wreck it just to run you over. I'm done believing in you, no matter what you say this time!"

He fell silent after speaking his mind, as if waiting for my reaction. However, unlike in my past life, I didn't try to explain or beg for his help, desperately trying to convince him to see Cindy's true colors.

Instead, I watched as she drove off without a second glance. I then reached out with great effort to end the call—using the last bit of battery to dial one last number.

When the line connected, I swallowed the pain tearing through my body and said, "Help me, Eric…"

My ears were ringing, unable to make out what he was saying, but I knew Eric would come.

I was the beloved younger sister of Eric Spencer—also the only daughter of the Spencer family. I was raised under strict protection.

All these years, hiding my identity just to be with Jared was already the limit of what they could tolerate. If they ever found out someone had hurt me, they wouldn't let it slide—they'd make them regret hurting me.

I was dragging my battered body toward the edge of the road when I suddenly saw Cindy's car turn around and come back. The window rolled down, and she stared at me coldly. "Looks like Jared was right—you're not dead yet."

My heart sank. I knew I wouldn't be able to survive it if she were to run over me a second time. Despair clouded me as I watched her slam her foot down on the gas.

Suddenly, a red car came speeding from the opposite direction and slammed straight into Cindy's Maybach. A man jumped out of the car and hurried over, anxiously shouting, "Are you okay, Suzanna?"

It turned out to be Jared's older brother, Mark Xanderson.

I recalled how, in my past life, he'd begged Jared for three whole days just to save me—only to be cornered in an alley by Cindy's men and beaten to death.

The memory stirred a flood of emotions within me, but guilt and gratitude topped them all.

This time, I swore I wouldn't drag Mark down with me. I wouldn't let him get hurt because of me.

There was no time to wonder why he was here. I shoved him away and said, "Don't worry about me—just go!"

However, it was too late. Over a dozen bodyguards rushed out of a car that had just stopped. They grabbed Mark and pinned him to the ground.

Cindy walked up and kicked him ruthlessly. "Where the hell did you come from, you clueless idiot? Do you know who I am? How dare you stop me from teaching this wench a lesson! Are you looking for death?"

Mark took a hard kick to the chest, and the intense pain made him break into a cold sweat. However, he mustered his strength to fight back, desperately trying to break free.

She clicked her tongue in dissatisfaction. She then grabbed a rock and hurled it down at him.

My heart ached as I saw the way Mark's head bled from the blow. I yelled, "He's Jared's older brother! Aren't you afraid Jared would come after you if you hurt him?"