Chapter 1

The renovation on my brand-new condo had just finished when my cousin showed up at my door, sobbing hysterically.

"The wedding venue broke the contract last minute! Please, you have to let me host my wedding at your place, or my whole life is ruined!"

I softened and agreed.

Who could have known that on the wedding day, a sex tape of the groom cheating would be broadcast right on the big screen, sending the guests into absolute chaos?

Her whole family turned around and bit the hand that fed them.

"Your apartment has terrible energy! It ruined my marriage!"

They even accused me of seducing the groom and smeared my name all over the internet.

Neighbors whispered and pointed fingers, and a wave of vicious online harassment buried me alive.

My parents couldn't hold their heads up in public, and in the end, an angry passerby shoved me into oncoming traffic, ending my life.

Now, reborn right before my cousin's wedding, I didn't hesitate. I sold the condo immediately, taking a massive loss just to get rid of it.

When my cousin came knocking again to beg for the place and got rejected, she yelled, "Are you seriously going to stand by and watch me die?!"

I shrugged innocently.

"I already sold it. If you really want to use it, why don't you go ask the new owner?"

My cousin, Chloe, knelt on the living room floor, weeping like a tragic heroine.

Tears streamed down her face as she reached out to grab the hem of my jeans.

"Please, Emma, I'm begging you!"

"The venue called and said a main pipe burst. They had to shut down for emergency repairs, so we can't hold the ceremony there!"

"If I don't pull off this wedding, how am I ever going to face Jason's family? My entire life will be ruined!"

I stared down at her, my heart hammering against my ribs as my fingers clenched into tight fists.

In my past life, she had used these exact words, striking this exact pathetic, begging pose.

Back then, I had just bought that brand-new condo. I cherished it so much I barely let anyone walk inside with shoes on.

Yet Chloe cried and begged, claiming the venue had canceled and that her lifelong happiness was on the line.

I caved. I handed her the keys.

On the day of the wedding, the giant projector suddenly started playing an explicit video of her fiancé, Jason, in bed with another woman.

The banquet hall exploded into an uproar.

Guests pointed, jeered, and some even whistled.

Chloe broke down in tears, while Jason stood on the stage acting like nothing had happened.

Worse still, Chloe’s family didn't blame Jason at all. Instead, they turned all their rage on me.

"It must be the bad energy in this place! It's so dark and toxic it made Jason lose his mind!"

The woman's face in the video wasn't clearly visible, so they insisted it was me.

"It’s you! When Jason came over to decorate the apartment, you seduced him, didn't you?!"

"The woman in that video has to be you!"

They dumped every bucket of filth right onto my head.

Chloe took everything out of context, spinning a story that painted me as a jealous, bitter cousin who intentionally ruined her marriage.

She posted the video online, instantly sparking massive public outrage.

My photos, my workplace, and my home address were all doxxed.

Countless strangers threw paint and dead rats at my front door.

They called me a home-wrecking whore and told me I deserved to burn in hell.

Our relatives cut all ties with our family, and people hurled eggs at my parents when they went out for groceries.

My mom cried every single day, terrified to step outside.

My dad’s blood pressure spiked so badly from the stress that he was hospitalized.

And then, on an afternoon when I was cornered on the sidewalk, an enraged "moral crusader" violently shoved me straight into rushing traffic.

I was hit and crushed under the wheels, dying a gruesome, agonizing death.

Thank God the heavens gave me another chance. I was reborn right before Chloe's wedding!

Looking down at her tear-streaked, pitiful face, a wave of pure nausea washed over me.

I calmly took a step back, dodging her grasping hands. "Oh, really? That does sound pretty awful."

Chloe froze, clearly not expecting that reaction.

She looked up at me, her swollen, red eyes filled with disbelief.

"Emma... w-what did you just say?"

"I said, that sounds pretty awful," I replied, taking a calm sip of water. "But what does that have to do with me?"

Sitting on the couch, Aunt Brenda finally couldn't hold back anymore and shot me a sideways glare.

"Oh, come on, Chloe, don't make things too hard for Emma. After all, that's her brand-new apartment. I heard she spent over three hundred grand on it, plus another eighty grand on renovations. That's real, hard-earned money. Anyone would be reluctant to let outsiders mess it up. If something gets damaged, she'd be heartbroken, wouldn't she?"

It sounded like she was defending Chloe, but she was really taking a passive-aggressive jab at me, subtly implying that I was cheap, petty, and heartless toward family.

A few other relatives chimed in right on cue.

Uncle Mark said, "Emma, don't be so calculating. We're all family. What's the harm in lending a hand?"

Uncle Dave added, "Exactly. The place is just sitting empty anyway. Letting Chloe use it for a day isn't going to kill you."