Chapter 1

"Sophia, what took you so long?" My best friend, Alice Wilson, complained the moment she saw me.As I looked up at her standing on the fitting platform in a gorgeous wedding dress, my emotions churned inside.Just ten minutes ago, fresh off my rebirth, I had overheard her fiance, Matthew Price, making out with his female friend, Fiona Lane, in the adjacent dressing room again.My immediate impulse was to run back and tell Alice, but the memory of my past life's tragic end froze me in my tracks.Then, Fiona's coy, seductive voice drifted out from the fitting room. "Are you really going to play Alice's explicit photos at the wedding?"My heart skipped a beat as I heard Matthew chuckle indifferently. "Anything to make you happy. Besides, once I have that over her, she'll be way easier to control. We still have a use for her, after all."Fiona giggled. "You're terrible. Thank goodness I'm not the one marrying you.""Sophia, you look terrible. What's wrong?" Alice's question snapped

Chapter 2

The day after the fitting, Alice called again. "Sophia, I want to buy a gold bangle. Come shopping with me."Hearing her whiny tone now only made me feel annoyed and disgusted.I frowned and asked, "Are you buying it for your wedding? Why isn't Matthew going with you to pick it out?"Alice fell silent for a few seconds before laughing it off. "Oh, I'm a modern and independent woman. I don't want to ask him for everything. How about…"Alice dragged out her words, and her tone turned coy yet blatantly entitled. "You buy it for me?"If this were my past self, treasuring our years of friendship, I would have agreed without hesitation and bought her a heavy, stunning piece.But not this time.I didn't take the bait. Instead, I feigned righteous indignation and pressed her. "Silly, how can you ask for nothing at all? Besides, even if you didn't ask, is Matthew really giving you nothing?"At that, Alice let out a sweet chuckle. "Of course not! He gave me an entire company! He said I'l

Chapter 3

After failing to get the gold bracelet from me, Alice stopped reaching out altogether. She was clearly sulking, waiting for me to give in first.We used to argue and give each other the silent treatment, but I could never last more than two days before I gave in and apologized.I genuinely didn't want to lose her as a best friend.This time, though, I was more than ready to lose her. Or rather, I had already lost her long ago.Even without me reaching out, Alice finally cracked.At 2:00 am on the eve of her wedding, a ringing phone woke me from a deep sleep.I checked the screen to find over a dozen missed calls.The moment I pressed accept, deafening club music blasted through the receiver.Alice shouted at the top of her lungs on the other end, "What took you so long to pick up? Transfer 30 thousand dollars to me! Now!"I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "What? What do you need that much cash for?"Alice kept screaming over the noise, while my frown grew deeper by the s

Chapter 4

The whole venue immediately erupted into one gasp after another.Looks of surprise, sympathy, pity, and malice all blended together, fixed on Alice standing on the stage."Turn it off! Turn it off now!" Alice screamed hysterically on stage.Clutching her heavy dress, she bolted out of the hall.It took several more minutes before the screen finally went dark.By then, plenty of nosy guests had already captured this "accident" on their phones.Alice didn't show her face again after running off, and Matthew left the hall with a dark expression.But right before he exited, I saw him throw Fiona a subtle eyebrow raise, and she flicked a sly wink right back.Although the bride and groom had left, the hall only grew livelier. Guests abandoned all restraint and snickered out loud."Holy hell! What kind of shitshow is this?""What a scene! My wedding gift was worth every single cent today.""So what's the story here?""Who knows? Will those two be filing for divorce tomorrow?""Da

Chapter 5

I was still sleeping in when a frantic pounding on the door jolted me awake.The moment I opened it, Alice rushed in, her eyes red from crying. "Sophia, you have to help me this time! I really can't pay off these credit card bills!"Frowning, I asked, "Where's Matthew? Didn't you max out those cards for him? Why isn't he paying them back?"Alice pouted as tears spilled over once more. "Matthew… is still in Myravelle…""It's not like Myravelle doesn't have internet. Sending you money takes two seconds," I shot back immediately.Alice broke into louder, ragged sobs and choked between her words. "He… He said the client payments haven't cleared yet and told me to figure something out on my own."I tried to object, but now he's completely ghosting me. He won't reply to my texts and won't pick up my calls."Watching Alice cower in fear like this, I felt a tangled mess of emotions.Who would have thought that her sweet, proud bridal glow from just a month ago could evaporate without a

Chapter 6

Seeing me like this, Alice froze for a moment. She looked at me with a whirlwind of emotion in her eyes, seemingly at a loss for how to respond.After a long silence as we stared at each other, she suddenly lowered her head and muttered in a low voice, "Forget it. I'll figure something out myself."With that, she turned to leave.The moment she pulled open the door, I called out to her, "Don't go swiping any more credit cards or taking out online loans. The interest will just snowball out of control. If worse comes to worst, sell that apartment you had before the marriage."Alice paused at the doorway for a few seconds. Ultimately, she said nothing, walked out, and pulled the door shut.As I stared at the closed door, every ounce of strength drained from my body, and I collapsed onto the couch.I knew that the door to Alice and my friendship had closed for good right there.The road ahead was long, and from here on out, we were bound to walk separate paths.…Yet over half a y