Chapter 1

I died on the operating table.

My only sister, Chloe, was kneeling on the cold floor, sobbing and begging the doctors to save me. But she didn't have any money.

In a fit of desperation, Chloe declared she would sell our late parents’ house.

But her boyfriend, Joel, stepped forward to stop her.

"Chloe! We agreed to sell that house to fund my startup! What about my company?"

Chloe hesitated, torn between her dying sister and her boyfriend’s future. Seeing her struggle, I made the choice for her—I let go of my final breath and died.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the exact day we were preparing to sell the house.

This time, I would never let that scumbag boyfriend get his hands on our parents’ legacy.

But later, I found out...

The one who had stolen my life-saving money wasn't the boyfriend at all. It was Chloe herself, who had planned every single detail from the very beginning!

"Elena, Joel says his company is just $500,000 short of its final funding round. Once that money is in, we’ll get huge dividends by the end of the year."

"I swear, I’ll pay you back the very second we get our return."

Chloe held my hand, tears welling up in her eyes, her voice dripping with desperation.

I stared at her, feeling dazed as I looked around the familiar living room.

Wait. Didn't I die in the hospital from a severe post-accident infection because I couldn't afford the surgery?

That sudden car crash had left me with severe internal bleeding. I needed immediate, expensive surgery.

But the medical bills totaled half a million dollars. And all the money I had saved over years of hard work had been handed over to Chloe just weeks prior.

While lying on that hospital bed, I could hear Chloe crying hysterically outside the ICU.

She claimed she had sold our parents' house and invested every penny into Joel’s startup. But Joel turned out to be a scammer who took the cash and vanished.

She wept, saying she was sorry, saying she was the one who killed me.

Looking at Chloe—the little sister I had pampered and protected since she was a baby—I couldn't bring myself to blame her.

My only fear before dying was leaving her all alone in this world to be bullied.

In the end, swallowed by endless regret and worry, I took my last breath.

Yet now... not only was I alive and well, but our house hadn't even been sold yet.

And Chloe still had that same innocent, naive look on her face from two years ago.

"Elena? Elena? What are you thinking about?"

Seeing my silence, Chloe anxiously shook my arm.

"Elena, you can't just turn your back on Joel. This money is life or death for him."

"We promised each other that as soon as his company goes public, we’ll get married."

Selling the house. The investment. The marriage.

My mind cleared instantly. This was two years ago, the exact day Chloe begged me to sell our parents’ house to support Joel’s startup.

So... I was reborn? I was back before the tragedy even started?

"Elena, say something." Chloe’s lips curved into a pout when she noticed my cold expression.

"Do you... not trust Joel?"

I suddenly pulled her into a tight embrace.

Thank God. It wasn't too late.

God had given me a second chance to see through that scumbag's lies.

This time, I would protect Chloe no matter what.

"Elena? What's wrong with you?"

Chloe was taken aback by my sudden hug, her hands freezing in mid-air.

I let her go and shook my head. "Nothing. I just think... investing everything our parents left us is too risky."

"If the business fails, we won't even have a place to live."

Chloe leaned against my shoulder, whining like a spoiled child. "I have you, Elena. I'm not scared."

"Besides, Joel is so talented. There’s no way he’ll fail."

I nodded, keeping my voice gentle. "I know."

"But people change. For your own future, we have to be smart about this."

The moment those words left my mouth, the smile on Chloe's face vanished. "Elena, what is that supposed to mean?"

"Joel isn't some stranger. He's going to be family!"

"Chloe, listen to me," I said, holding her hand firmly.

"We can't rush into this investment. Let’s observe Joel a little longer, okay?"

Just as I finished speaking, Chloe reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. She snapped.

She yanked her hand away, her eyes flashing red with anger. "Observe? What is there to observe? We've been together for three years!"

"Elena, is this because our parents died early and you're still single? Are you just jealous that I'm happy?"