Chapter 1

My best friend was our school's "it girl."

So when she accused me of cheating on our college entrance exams, nobody believed she was the one who slipped cheat sheets into my shoes.

My scores were revoked. When my dad tried to use his connections to investigate the truth, an anonymous whistleblower letter sent him straight to federal prison.

My mom suffered a fatal heart attack from the shock.

Drowning in despair and clinical depression, I couldn't face the wreckage of my life and jumped from the hospital roof.

It wasn't until my final moments that I learned she had orchestrated every single piece of it.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back at the start of senior year, staring right at Hailey’s radiant, two-faced smile.

She seemed to have forgotten: her lavish lifestyle was funded entirely by me.

And this time, her luck has run out.

"Hey everyone! First day of senior year—how about we all go out to celebrate?"

The noisy chatter jolted me awake. The scene before me made my head spin.

Surrounded by a crowd, Hailey smiled brightly. Dressed in head-to-toe designer clothes, she carried herself with the effortless poise of a billionaire heiress.

Naturally, everyone was drawn to this gorgeous, generous girl, flocking around her like moths to a flame.

Once the plans were set, Hailey glided over to me and took my arm affectionately. "Serena, you’ll come with us, right?"

The other students just thought she was being sweet, admiring her even more.

Only when nobody was looking did Hailey lean in, whispering coldly into my ear, "Serena, I’m only doing this to help you socialize. You wouldn’t embarrass me, would you?"

At that moment, reality hit me: I had really been reborn.

Her sweet smile and gentle tone only made me want to throw up.

Hailey was a master manipulator. She constantly threw money around to buy friends.

Yet she never genuinely invited me—she only did it when forced to keep up appearances.

She always claimed she was doing it to help me make friends so I wouldn't be a loner.

In reality, she was the mastermind behind my social isolation.

She played the innocent victim, constantly feeding lies and driving wedges between me and our peers, making me look like the bad guy.

I was naturally introverted and had no other friends besides her.

By the time I noticed people treating me like an outcast, it was already too late.

In my past life, I was naive and blind to human malice. Hurt and confused by the cold shoulders, I vented all my frustrations to Hailey.

Back then, Hailey would pretend to be outraged on my behalf, claiming the others were blind.

Looking back, if she truly cared, why didn't she ever defend me in public?

With her popularity, a few words from her could have changed everything.

Instead, I stayed trapped in her web of lies for years.

During the college entrance exams, I felt something in my shoe, but before I could check, Hailey reported me for cheating.

With the "evidence" planted and her false testimony, my scores were nullified. Years of hard work went down the drain.

Only then did I realize my "best friend" was a venomous snake.

My dad tried everything to clear my name, but an anonymous tip framed him for bribery, landing him behind bars.

My mom suffered a massive heart attack from grief.

My happy family was destroyed, my future wiped out, and my spirit crushed by the ultimate betrayal. I fell into severe depression.

Without my family, the days in treatment were pure agony.

I cried every day, refusing help until I finally found myself standing on the edge of the hospital roof.

That was when Hailey appeared, dripping in luxury.

With a smug, mocking sneer, she confessed to everything—framing me and destroying my father.

She hated me because of my wealth and the unconditional love my parents gave me—things she could never have.

So she decided to tear it all down: my family, my parents, and me.