Chapter 1

A seal appeared on the back of my hand after the Grim Reaper was done speaking.

"The seal will fade with every day that passes," it said. "You'll lose your chance to start over once it completely disappears. However, if you choose to start over, you'll no longer have anything to do with your current parents. Think carefully before making your decision."

The Grim Reaper left after it was done speaking.

I hastily searched for a utility knife in my room, pressing it to my neck after I found it.

However, I couldn't bring myself to end my life. I couldn't stop thinking about how I could have misunderstood Mom's and Dad's words. Perhaps they had even cried their hearts out after I passed away during my last two lives?

My hand was shaking when I put the knife down. I left my room.

Warm smiles broke across Mom's and Dad's faces when they saw me.

"We were just talking about you, Cameron. Who do you and Hayden want to celebrate the New Year with this year?"

I forced myself to swallow the lump in my throat and asked, "Could we… could we just celebrate the New Year at home this year? Work has been really busy…"

Mom and Dad were visibly stunned before they answered, "Sure. We'll do what you want."

They smiled as they discussed how to celebrate the New Year. The harmonious atmosphere almost made me believe that I had misheard them earlier.

A few moments later, Mom and Dad rose to their feet. They told me and my adopted brother, Hayden Adley, to stay at home while they left to buy New Year gifts.

I breathed out a long sigh and comforted myself. I was completely caught off-guard when Hayden suddenly said, "I know that you heard us just now."

My heart plummeted into my gut. "What are you talking about?"

Hayden snickered. "If I were you, I would think about what I want to do for the next few days before I meet my demise. This is probably the last time that you'll get a chance to celebrate the New Year."

My Adam's apple bobbed as I stared at him. "You're pretty good at coming up with stories."

"You don't believe me?" Hayden asked, scoffing.

He languidly pulled out his phone and dialed a number. It didn't take long for the call to connect.

My mom, Emily Carter, answered, her voice echoing from the receiver when he turned on speaker mode. She sounded as gentle as ever.

"What's wrong, Hayden?"

Hayden sniffled and mumbled, "I feel a little uneasy. It truly wasn't my intention to beat him to death. I don't want to spend the New Year in prison…"

Mom immediately comforted him. "Don't be scared, sweetheart. I'm at the hospital right now, and I've made all the necessary arrangements. We just have to trick Cameron into getting involved in a staged accident. We'll be able to sweep everything under the rug by using his kidney to compensate the other party."

My dad, Jason Adley, was even more direct when he took the phone and said, "If your mom's plan doesn't work out, we'll find a way to get Cameron to take the fall for you. We've already prepared all the evidence we need."

Memories from my past two lives flashed through my mind.

After the accident in my first life, Mom told me with bloodshot eyes that my waist had been pierced by steel bars. The doctors had no choice but to surgically remove one of my kidneys because it had been severely damaged.

I believed her words at the time. Only later did I notice that the position of my wound was very low and straight. My back showed no signs of being punctured. It didn't look like I had been pierced by an external object at all.

I made up excuses for Mom and the others at the time, convincing myself that the doctors had just done a good job of patching me up.

In my second life, I was apprehended by the police without warning. However, I didn't feel even a sliver of panic because Dad was a lawyer. He knew that I had been locked behind bars for a crime I didn't commit, so I thought he would definitely find a way to clear my name.

However, no one cleared my name on my behalf, and I ended up waiting until I died in prison. In fact, Dad and the others didn't visit me even once when I was imprisoned.

It turned out that they had planned to lie to me from the very start.

Mom was still speaking on the other end of the line. Hayden hesitated for a moment before saying, "Cameron's your actual flesh and blood. Aren't you being unfair to him by treating him like this?"

Mom's voice immediately turned cold. "Your biological father did a great service for our family. It's Cameron's obligation to help you. Besides, he's the older one. It's his responsibility to shoulder more of the burden."

Hayden turned around after he hung up on Mom. When he saw me, he said, "Oh, you're still here."

The corners of my lips curled up into a self-deprecating smile. The last spark of hope in my heart had been completely extinguished. I silently took a step toward the balcony.

I was treated as nothing more than a sacrificial lamb by Mom, Dad, and Hayden every time I was reborn. As I stared at the seal on the back of my hand, I highly doubted that my tragic fate would change in the next seven days. There was no reason for me to keep dragging this out.

"It's time to end it all," I said.

I threw myself off the balcony, watching as the mocking glint in Hayden's eyes morphed into shock.