Chapter Three : sisters warning

“I don't make promises to satisfy your jealousy.”

I walked past her before she could respond.

My heart was pounding, but I kept moving.

I wanted to believe that refusing Alexander would be enough to separate me from my old life. I wanted to believe my sister's choices would no longer affect mine.

But we were still twins.

We shared the same family, the same school, and a past neither of us could escape simply by pretending it had never happened.

As I reached the staircase, a basketball rolled across the floor and stopped against my shoe.

I bent to pick it up.

“Hey. Pass it here.”

The voice came from behind me.

I turned.

A tall boy stood at the end of the corridor, wearing his school uniform with the sleeves rolled up. His dark eyes were fixed on the ball, and his expression suggested he wasn't accustomed to repeating himself.

Ethan Blackwood.

My sister's boyfriend from our first life.

The boy she had complained about for years.

The boy I had secretly wondered about whenever I saw him standing alone after a game, his face unreadable while everyone else celebrated.

I held out the ball.

He walked over and took it from my hands.

For a second, our eyes met.

Something about his expression made me uncomfortable. Not because he frightened me, but because I remembered how differently my sister had described him from how I had imagined him.

“You're Margaret, right?” he asked.

I nodded.

“Your sister said you were in a bad mood today.”

Of course she had.

I forced a small smile. “She talks about me a lot.”

“Apparently.”

He tucked the ball beneath his arm.

Then he looked at me again, his gaze briefly settling on my face.

“Whatever happened, don't take it out on the people around you.”

I stared at him.

The words sounded almost like a warning.

Before I could reply, he turned and walked away.

I watched him disappear down the corridor.

In my previous life, I had thought Alexander was the kind of man every woman wanted and Ethan was the kind of man every woman should avoid.

Now, for the first time, I wondered whether I had been wrong about both of them.

And I had a feeling this second life was going to prove it.

By lunchtime, I had made three decisions.

I would stop trying to please everyone.

I would focus on my education and build a future that belonged to me.

And I would stay away from Alexander Hayes.

The third decision should have been the easiest.

Unfortunately, Alexander seemed determined to make it difficult.

I had barely entered the cafeteria when I heard my name.

“Margaret!”

I stopped.

Alexander was sitting at one of the tables near the windows, surrounded by several classmates. His uniform was immaculate, his smile effortless, and his posture relaxed.

He looked exactly as I remembered him.

That was the frightening part.

He looked like the boy who had once held my hand beneath the table while telling our friends that I was the only girl he could ever love. He looked like the man who had later accused me of embarrassing him simply because I had spoken to someone he disliked.

I reminded myself that appearances were not proof of goodness.

“Come and sit with us,” he called.

Several people turned to look at me.

I hated that familiar pressure, the expectation that I should smile and accept because refusing him would make me look rude.

In my previous life, I had always been careful about his reputation. I didn't want people to think I was ungrateful or difficult, so I swallowed my discomfort and did whatever would keep everyone happy.

Not anymore.

“I'm sitting with my friends,” I replied.

Alexander glanced at the empty chair beside him.

“There's a seat here.”

“I can see that.”

Someone at his table chuckled.

Alexander smiled as though he found my response amusing, but I noticed the slight tightening around his eyes.

“What's gotten into you today?”

“Nothing. I'm just hungry.”

I walked away before he could ask another question.

My classmate, Chloe, was waiting at a smaller table near the opposite wall. She waved enthusiastically when she saw me.

“Finally! I thought you were going to spend the entire lunch period talking to Alexander.”

I sat opposite her.

“Why would I do that?”

Chloe stared at me as though I had announced that the school building was floating.

“Because he's Alexander Hayes.”

“And?”

“And he's handsome, rich, popular, and practically every girl in this school has a crush on him.”

“Then he has enough people to talk to.”

Chloe burst out laughing.

“Oh, you're definitely acting strange today.”

I smiled faintly and opened my lunch container

She continued talking about an upcoming school event. According to her, the school was preparing for an interschool basketball tournament, followed by a dance performance and a small social gathering for students.

The tournament was expected to attract a lot of attention because several wealthy families had children participating.

“Ethan Blackwood is playing, of course,” Chloe said. “He's the captain. Apparently, some scouts might attend the final.”

I paused with my fork halfway to my mouth.

“Ethan is the captain?”

“Didn't you know? He's practically the best player in the school.”

“I didn't pay much attention.”

Chloe gave me a suspicious look.

“That's strange. Your sister talks about him constantly.”

I lowered my fork.

“Does she?”

“Mostly complaints.” Chloe rolled her eyes. “She says he's arrogant, demanding, and impossible to please. But she still follows him around whenever he has a game.”

I didn't know what to say.

My sister had spent our previous life complaining about Ethan while envying my relationship with Alexander. She had wanted a boyfriend who would shower her with attention, buy her gifts, and make her feel like the most important person in the world.

Ethan wasn't that kind of man.

At least, not from what I had seen.

But I remembered something else about their relationship.