Chapter 1

In my last life, my own sister killed me with a hammer.

As I bled out on the living room floor, I finally realized something.

My thirty-one years of life had been nothing but a stepping stone for her.

I was just the "responsible child" my mother raised to clean up her messes.

The second I opened my eyes in this new life, my phone buzzed with a call from "Elara."

She told me excitedly that she had just undergone a surgery to ensure her marriage into the Grant family.

I listened, a cold smile tugging at the corners of my mouth.

"That's great, Elara. I wish you the best of luck."

I hung up, opened my laptop, and logged into an account named LilyAnon77.

Tyler Watts, are you ready to meet the woman of your dreams?

1

When the phone rang, I was in the kitchen boiling some pasta.

The device vibrated in my apron pocket, and the name "Elara" flashed on the screen.

I stared at it for three long seconds.

In my previous life, this call came at 9:17 PM. I had answered it, and she had cried and laughed, telling me she did "something big."

She spent half an hour rambling about the clinic and the pain of the surgery.

Back then, my first instinct was to lecture her. I told her she couldn't lie to the Grants, that it was a scam, and she'd get caught.

She had gone silent for five seconds before laughing. "Cora, you're just too honest for your own good."

Then she hung up.

Later, she met Tyler, who dumped her at the ER entrance.

And after that, she came home and swung that hammer at my head.

In this life, the phone rang at the exact same time. 9:17 PM.

I wiped my hands and answered.

"Cora, I did something huge today."

Her voice was thick with pride and that twisted high she got from stepping over others. I'd heard it for thirty-one years.

"What happened?" I asked.

My tone was filled with genuine, heartfelt curiosity.

I was truly curious about how she would ruin herself this time.

"I had someone help me with… you know, a little surgery downstairs," she whispered, buzzing with excitement.

"It's for William Grant, the heir to the Grant fortune. Mom said they require their future daughter-in-law to be flawless, with zero scandals…"

She didn't finish the sentence, but I understood.

William Grant was the only son of one of Pennsylvania's oldest political dynasties. His grandfather was a senator, his father the current District Attorney, and his mother sat on the board of the most prestigious prep schools.

That family didn't choose a bride based on beauty or wealth.

They wanted "purity."

They wanted a woman whose reputation was as white as an uncreased sheet of paper.

To hook this big fish, Elara went to have her innocence surgically restored.

In my last life, I tried to stop her. I told her it was fraud and that if the Grants found out, she'd be ruined.

She didn't listen.

She kept messing around with her trashy ex, Tyler Watts. Their reckless behavior caused her serious physical damage.

Eventually, the Grant family's mandatory pre-wedding medical check revealed the truth. The engagement was called off instantly.

She took all that rage out on me.

One hammer.

I died on that floor. Before my vision blurred, I saw her standing in the doorway, the hammer in her hand.

She didn't look scared. She looked… relieved.

It was as if someone had finally taken the fall for all her misery.

"That's impressive," I said this time, my voice carrying a hint of genuine praise. "You'll need to be extra careful during recovery so the Grants don't notice anything."

"Of course!" she chirped. "Don't worry, Cora. I've got this under control."

Under control.

I pulled the phone away and stared at the screen, a soft laugh escaping my lips.

In this life, I'm not going to let you stay in control.

I sat in the kitchen after hanging up. The pasta had turned to mush, and the water had boiled over, putting out the flame. I didn't care.

I pulled a second phone from my pocket.

It was an old iPhone with a cracked screen, paid for with cash. It wasn't linked to my identity.

I logged into an account.

Username: LilyAnon77.

Profile picture: A single white rose.

Bio: "Explorer of pleasure. Sharing real experiences. No promos."

This account was a trap tailored specifically for Tyler Watts.