Chapter 1

The moment the billionaire parents brought me through the door, Linda Veil pulled me aside and hissed in my ear:

"Know your place. Get out of my house on your own, or I'll have someone kill you."

In my previous life I'd cowered. This time, I hit back.

I shook off the hug she was pretending to give me and burst into wailing sobs.

"I don't want to live anymore. This world is terrifying."

Then I pulled out a knife and slashed my wrist. Blood sprayed everywhere. The billionaire mansion became a crime scene in seconds.

Mom and Dad completely lost it, frantically calling emergency doctors to get me transfused.

They barely pulled me back from the edge when Jason slipped into my hospital room.

He ripped out my IV drip and wrapped his hands around my throat.

"If you ever set Linda up again, I'll carve up your face and burn out your voice. Then we'll see how much trouble you can stir up in front of Mom and Dad."

Nobody threatened me. I wasn’t taking that from anyone.

I covered my ears and screamed at the top of my lungs.

The nurse who came running mistook Jason for some kind of maniac. Security beat him until he was howling, eyes gone blank.

Linda wasn't done. She volunteered to handle my meals personally.

Three days straight, every plate she brought was either rancid meat or spoiled leftovers.

When she came again, I was so fed up I dumped the whole tray in her face.

Jason went ballistic and dragged me up, demanding I kneel and apologize to Linda.

I reached back and pulled out my personal alarm stun gun.

Mom and Dad walked in at that exact moment and nearly had heart attacks.

"Stop it, both of you!"

The second those words landed, I collapsed. My energy for the day was simply gone.

When I came to, a circle of stone-faced people sat around my hospital bed.

Dad spoke first, voice low.

"Tell me. What started it this time?"

Jason jumped in immediately: "Eve is completely out of line! She threw food in Linda's face on purpose; she was trying to ruin her looks. She's just jealous that Linda has a better life than her!"

Linda sniffled softly on the side.

"I don't know what I did to make her hate me so much the second she got here. My skin is smooth and she's all rough and sallow. Maybe she's jealous I'm prettier."

The two of them were perfectly coordinated.

Mom's brow tightened. The look she gave me didn't bother hiding the blame.

"Eve, I understand it hasn't been easy living on your own. But do you really need to go after Linda like this?"

Three against one. Like I'd committed some unforgivable sin.

I gripped the corner of the blanket, the rage creeping up slowly from somewhere deep.

In my previous life, their polished, two-faced fronts had messed with my head. I'd actually start wondering if I'd done something wrong.

But it never mattered what I said or did. The moment Linda cried, Jason would attack me. Mom and Dad would side with her. They'd use their authority to crush me, throw me in the dark room at the drop of a hat.

The memories made me shake back then.

Not anymore.