Chapter 1

Given a second chance at life, I dropped my secret identity on a live music competition show.

In my past life, my boyfriend and I formed an indie band to compete on the biggest reality music show in the country.

Yet on live television, his so-called innocent childhood sweetheart framed me for using dark occult curses.

She claimed I kept a voodoo spirit doll to siphon artistic genius from real songwriters, alleging that anyone collaborating with me would lose their inspiration while I plagiarized their work.

My boyfriend, who had originally planned to propose to me on stage, began making catastrophic mistakes during the auditions, singing off-key and failing to write a single coherent lyric.

Before the season even reached the halfway mark, we faced imminent elimination.

In a fit of blind rage, he dumped me right there on camera and formed a new duo with his sweetheart.

When I confronted them backstage, they publicly humiliated me.

“A vile, calculating monster like you isn’t worthy of sharing a stage with us!”

Crushed by nationwide cyberbullying, I was forced to withdraw from the competition and hit with massive penalty fees for breach of contract.

Penniless and broken, I eventually froze to death on a snowy street corner.

When I opened my eyes again, I was right back to the very day they accused me of dark witchcraft and plagiarism on live television.

1

Logan and I were adjusting our instruments on stage, ready to perform, when a piercing scream tore through the studio.

“Hazel is using dark occult magic! I saw it with my own eyes!”

Chloe Campbell, Logan’s precious childhood best friend, charged onto the main stage from the audience.

She snatched the microphone right out of my hand and faced the live broadcast cameras.

“I knew something was wrong with Hazel these past few days!”

“And sure enough, look at what I found hidden under her mattress this morning!”

She thrust a creepy fabric doll into the air, wrapped in strange occult symbols.

The entire studio erupted into chaos, with the live audience and judges casting horrified, wary glances in my direction.

The showrunner, sensing massive viral ratings, immediately ordered a tight close-up on the doll to display every creepy detail to millions of viewers online.

Chloe pressed on with tears streaming down her cheeks.

“I consulted a spiritual expert, and they confirmed this dark artifact is designed to steal artistic fortune and talent! Anyone who gets close to her will have their creative inspiration sucked dry!”

The moment the words left her mouth, a high E-string on Logan’s custom acoustic guitar snapped with a sharp twang.

The director instantly switched to a dramatic close-up of the broken string.

The live chat exploded into pure frenzy.

“Holy crap... is this for real?”

“Isn’t Logan’s guitar custom-built with top-tier materials? A string like that doesn’t just snap on its own unless...”

“This has got to be scripted drama! There’s no way the timing is that perfect!”

Viewers flooded the chat, completely glued to the screen as the drama unfolded.

Because of the eerie atmosphere, the other contestants and celebrity judges visibly recoiled, wanting nothing to do with me.

I was primarily a composer and songwriter rather than a powerhouse vocalist, so surviving the elimination round required a stage partner.

In the suffocating silence, everyone turned their eyes toward the man standing beside me, my boyfriend, Logan.

Feeling the weight of countless stares, Logan slowly raised his hand to adjust his microphone stand.

The very next second, the microphone slipped through his fingers and crashed onto the floor, sending a deafening screech through the speakers.

The judges and audience winced, clapping their hands over their ears.

Chloe shrieked at the top of her lungs, “The curse is taking effect! Logan, get away from her right now, or she will drain every ounce of your talent!”

She pivoted toward the production crew with righteous indignation.

“Director, how could you let a fraud like this on the show?! Kick her off the set before she ruins the rest of our careers!”

The comment section rallied behind her completely.

“If I were a contestant, I’d be terrified out of my mind.”

“Better safe than sorry, kick her off already!”

Chloe shot me a smug, triumphant smirk.

“You see that, Hazel? If you have any dignity left, you’ll pack your bags and leave instead of leeching off other artists.”

“This is a prestigious music showcase, not a playground for talentless hacks who rely on cheap parlor tricks to get ahead.”

I watched her hypocritical performance with ice-cold detachment.

“Spreading rumors is easy when you have a mouth, Chloe. Where is your actual proof that this doll belongs to me?”

Chloe offered a confident, mocking smile.

“Do we even need proof? Let Logan play a track with you right now, and everyone will see the truth.”