Chapter 2

2

Becca leaned in close to me, her voice a low hiss. "How do you like my earrings, Macy? Jasper gave them to me as a token of his love."

She was trying to get a rise out of me. Luckily, I already knew the truth, and my heart was cold. I didn't care about Jasper anymore.

I suddenly broke into a fit of coughing. It wasn't fake; I had caught a nasty cold a few days ago, and my lungs felt like they were on fire.

Becca thought she'd successfully upset me. She looked smug and pretended to be worried. "Macy, are you sick? Let me get you some hot water."

She poured a cup of scalding water and walked toward me. Then, she faked a trip, aiming the boiling water right at my face.

In my last life, she'd used this exact trick to scald me, leaving my face blistered. Jasper hadn't blamed her once; he'd just scolded me for being clumsy.

This time, she wouldn't get her way. Not a chance.

I dodged at the last second and stuck my foot out. She stumbled and lost her balance. The cup of water flew through the air and splashed all over my mother-in-law.

The old woman, who had been sitting there looking all dignified, let out a piercing shriek. She started jumping around, shaking the water off like a wet hen.

Becca panicked. She never expected to offend the woman she was trying to impress.

My mother-in-law was a greedy woman who obsessed over her clothes. She was wearing an expensive, custom-made silk blouse she'd just bought for today. Now, it was ruined.

The old woman exploded. She lunged forward and slapped Becca across the face so hard it left her spinning.

"Jasper! What kind of trash did you bring home?" she screamed. "A woman like this will ruin our family's reputation!"

Jasper scrambled to apologize, too terrified to stand up for his mistress. I stepped toward Becca and ripped the jade earring right off her ear. She didn't deserve to wear my mother's jewelry.