LOGINBlinding sunlight filtered through the curtains, spilling into the room and making Margaret instinctively squint. She opened her eyes tiredly, her entire body feeling heavy.
“Finally awake, are you?”
A familiar voice sounded from above, causing Margaret to tilt her head hazily. She immediately saw the handsome face of her brother, Cole Walker, frowning down at her.
Cole?
Hadn’t Cole died a year ago in a car accident?
And... hadn’t she already died?
What is going on?
Margaret looked around in confusion and soon realized she was in her own room at home, the pink room she loved.
Not at Hawthorne Hall, nor in the master bedroom of that mansion.
“What’s wrong? Spaced out?”
“Say something. Still mad?”
With a light tap, Cole knocked gently against Margaret’s forehead, snapping her out of her daze.
“Cole, you’re still alive?”
Margaret’s words instantly darkened Cole’s expression.
“What do you mean, Margaret? I’m your brother. Just because I don’t support your engagement to that bastard Henry, you’re cursing me to death?”
“Since when were you this cruel?”
Cole muttered angrily, leaving Margaret even more bewildered.
Engagement? She and Henry had clearly been married for three years!
“What...”
“What year is it now, Cole?”
Margaret quickly grabbed his hand, asking anxiously. Though confused, Cole still answered seriously.
“May 12th, 2020.”
Five years ago!
She had returned five years ago!
The realization struck Margaret, making her tremble with excitement. She had never expected that her final wish before death would truly come true. She had been reborn, sent back to the past!
Back to one week before her engagement to that bastard, Henry.
Everything could still be saved.
“That’s great... so great...”
Margaret murmured in delight, making Cole look at her as if she had gone mad.
“Margaret, are you okay? I support your engagement to Henry."
"From now on, I won’t put him down or look down on him anymore, alright?”
Cole sighed and relented. Margaret quickly shook her head at him, as if she had just heard something horrifying.
“No, my dear brother, don’t say something so disgusting.”
“I’m no longer that foolish girl, blindly in love with Henry. To me, he’s nothing more than a bastard.”
Cole looked Margaret up and down, then reached out to touch her forehead.
“You don’t have a fever, so why are you talking like you do?”
“Cole! I’m serious!”
Margaret puffed her cheeks in annoyance. Cole shrugged.
“Fine. Then how do you explain your engagement to Henry next week?"
"Are you canceling it?”
Margaret shook her head, the corners of her lips curling into a smug smile.
“Of course not. I’m going to give him a very special engagement ceremony.”
...
That evening, Henry came to pick Margaret up to go to a bar and meet his best friends. Though she felt disgust toward that man to her very core, Margaret still showed up and went with him, careful not to reveal anything.
When they arrived, everything was exactly the same as in her previous life. The private room was filled mostly with men, with only one woman present.
Rose Carter, Henry’s ex-girlfriend.
The same woman who had killed her in her past life.
Hatred made Margaret clench her fists until they turned pale, yet on the surface she maintained a cheerful, sociable demeanor as she greeted everyone.
“Henry, you finally brought your fiancée for us to meet.”
“Margaret is so beautiful, no wonder you’ve been hiding her like a treasure.”
Rose whistled, looking at Margaret with apparent friendliness as she offered her praise. In her past life, Margaret had mistaken it for kindness and fallen for it, even developing a favorable impression of Rose.
She had never expected it to be nothing more than deception, meant to lower her guard.
This time, Margaret simply smiled without responding and sat beside Henry. He then introduced her to everyone in the room, and they all greeted her warmly.
“Hey, come on, let’s play a game.”
“Margaret, you should join too. Consider it a way to get acquainted."
"It’s a simple game, truth or dare.”
Rose smiled sweetly, holding an empty wine bottle in her hand as she spoke excitedly.
“The rules today will be a bit more thrilling than usual. Each of us will take turns spinning the bottle. Whoever the bottle lands on is the loser."
"And they have to choose between truth or dare.”
She raised her brows slightly, her gaze seemingly drifting toward Margaret.
“And the one who spins the bottle is the winner. They get to decide the question or the dare.”
The atmosphere instantly grew lively.
With these new rules, everyone was clearly excited. Margaret gave Rose a faint smile, quickly understanding her intention.
In her previous life, Rose had taken advantage of this game to kiss Henry or to make intimate gestures with him when she lost. Then, she smugly looked at Margaret and said it was just a game, hoping Margaret wouldn’t be upset.
Back then, Margaret had felt both jealous and hurt, yet Henry had blamed her for being petty.
His friends had chimed in, saying it was completely normal.
It’s just a game, no need to take it seriously.
Clenching her fists, Margaret thought coldly that this time, she would show them exactly how this game should be played.
In the first round, one of Henry’s friends, Edward, spun the bottle, and Rose lost.
“Nice play, Edward!”
Cheers rang out, followed by eager urging for Edward to announce the punishment.
“Truth or Dare, Rose?”
Edward asked cheerfully, raising his brows with a grin. Rose pretended to be shy, biting her lip.
“Dare. Since it’s the opening, it should be a bit more exciting.”
She emphasized the word “exciting” as she licked her lips. Edward immediately caught on, his eyes lighting up.
“Then, kiss someone of the opposite sex here.”
The room instantly erupted.
“That’s exciting, Edward. Great punishment!”
“What a fun start...”
Amid the applause and cheers, voices urged Rose to carry out the dare. Margaret simply watched their performance calmly, finding it utterly ridiculous.
They really were perfectly in sync. No wonder they had been such close friends for so long.
A bunch of degenerates!
“Come on, Rose, who do you want to kiss?”
Jonathan, who was sitting beside Rose, nudged her shoulder, urging her on. The crowd burst into cheers, their gazes subtly shifting toward Henry.
“Henry...”
Rose glanced around nervously, then pressed her lips together, her face flushing red as she looked at him with feigned shyness. She stammered, her voice hesitant.
“Well, can you help me?”
Her tone was sweet and coquettish, stirring even more excitement among the others. Someone started clapping, and soon the whole group joined in.
“Henry, kiss her!”
“Kiss her! Kiss her!”
Even Henry seemed flustered at that moment. He quickly took a sip of his drink to conceal the pleasure rising within him. Meanwhile, Rose even looked toward me, blinking expectantly.
“Margaret, if Henry and I kiss, you won’t be mad, right?”
“We’re just close friends, that’s all. I’m the same with my other close friends.:
"If we could have been together, you and Henry wouldn’t be getting engaged, right?”
Rose cleared her throat lightly.
“It’s just a game anyway, don’t be so petty.”
“Why are you acting like a stranger when you see me? Not even saying a word, Margaret?”“Cat got your tongue?”The man calmly walked over to Margaret and lowered his head, looking at her with a mocking smile. Margaret’s lips trembled, but no words came out. Everything she wanted to say seemed lodged in her throat.“Why are you here, Henry?”She spoke his name in panic.At her words, a hoarse laugh escaped Henry’s lips. He raised an eyebrow.“Where I am is my business. I came to see you, are you going to forbid that?”Henry shot back, his voice dripping with sarcasm.Seeing Margaret’s disheveled appearance and the loosened buttons of her blouse, he ran his tongue across his lips. His gaze lingered on the fair skin exposed at her neck.“It’s been a long time, yet you’re still as beautiful as ever.”“Your skin even seems a little fairer than before.”The twisted look in Henry’s eyes made Margaret tremble even more. Even her scalp tingled with dread.After speaking, Henry calmly turned ar
Margaret twisted away in an attempt to avoid him, but failed. When she saw that he intended to undo more buttons, she bent forward and sank her teeth into the hand reaching toward her with all her strength.Successfully leaving behind a deep bite mark.Smack.The slap landed squarely across Margaret’s face, so hard that her ears rang and her mind went blank. Her cheek burned with pain, and the corner of her mouth felt damp, as if the blow had split her lip. A hoarse male voice rang out.“You b*tch, stop it.”“Or deal with the consequences yourself.”The man spoke as he angrily yanked Margaret’s hair. Then he pulled even harder, forcing her to look straight toward the man holding the phone.“Talk to the camera. Beg your f*cking boyfriend to save you. Hurry up!”The cold voice, as though it had come from hell itself, sent a chill through Margaret’s body. She stubbornly pressed her lips together in defiance, only to be struck by another thunderous slap.Her cheek hurt so badly that even
“Eric?”Margaret narrowed her eyes toward the source of the voice, her heart instinctively pounding in her chest. She edged backward, desperately searching for a way to escape, but it was obviously impossible.Eric let out a cold laugh and leisurely walked toward Margaret. Every step felt as though it were stomping directly on her heart.“You’re smart, Margaret. Just not smart enough to foresee danger.”The mockery in his voice was unmistakable, making Margaret even more tense.“And besides, you dared to follow me without making any preparations.”“I don’t know whether I should praise your courage or laugh at your stupidity.”Eric raised an eyebrow, unable to conceal the triumph in his tone. Margaret’s lips trembled as she stared at him warily, afraid that he might charge at her like a madman the very next second.“Where is this?”“What do you want by bringing me here?”Margaret’s voice shook as she spoke, and her eyes gradually reddened.“Or do you want money? I can give you money.”
Panic-stricken, she took a step back and clenched her hands tightly, trying to maintain an air of composure.“Follow you? What are you talking about?”“Do we even know each other?”Margaret frowned and looked straight into Eric’s eyes in apparent surprise. Eric let out a scornful chuckle and slowly advanced toward her, closing the distance step by step.“You’re quite good at pretending, Margaret. Unfortunately, you can’t fool me.”“Tell me, what’s your purpose in following me?”Eric’s sharp gaze remained fixed on Margaret without wavering. The sudden shortening of the distance between them made it hard for her to breathe.She forced herself to stand straight, but cold sweat had already broken out across her skin, and the flicker of anxiety in her eyes betrayed the calmness she was trying to project.“What purpose are you talking about? This is a café, not your home. Can’t I come here for coffee?”“And besides, why do you keep saying such strange things?”Margaret stubbornly refused to
Her fingers tightened around the coffee cup until her knuckles turned white, her gaze locked onto him without wavering. Then she quickly grabbed her shopping bags and calmly walked toward him, pretending to remain completely composed.She kept a safe distance, casually carrying her shopping bags as though they merely happened to be heading the same way.Watching the tall figure ahead of her walking briskly through the street, Margaret nervously pulled her phone from her pocket, her eyes never leaving him for even a second.Lowering her gaze, she quickly called Christopher. After only two rings, he picked up.“Chris, I found Eric...”Margaret spoke hurriedly before quickly giving him the address. By then, Eric had already entered another café nearby. Without waiting for Christopher to respond, Margaret swiftly ended the call and followed him inside.Contrary to expectations, Eric did not choose a private room. Instead, he sat down directly at a table outside, where a tall man was alre
Cole drove Margaret straight back to the company. As for that expensive basket of imported fruit, Cole naturally threw it directly into the trash.Helena no longer deserved it.Just as the two of them were about to return to Cole’s office, his phone suddenly rang. Cole and Margaret exchanged a glance, as though both had already guessed what was coming.Without saying a word, they merely nodded before silently entering Cole’s office together in perfect understanding.Bang.The moment the door closed, Cole pulled his phone from his pocket. The lit screen displayed an incoming call from Helena. His gaze immediately turned cold, while Margaret lightly tapped his shoulder in reminder. Cole let out a slow breath, inhaled deeply, and only then finally answered the call.He did not forget to turn on speakerphone so Margaret could hear their conversation as well. Helena’s sweet voice soon echoed throughout the quiet office.“Cole, what are you doing?”Helena’s tone was intimate and caring, as







