Chapter 1

The Student Council President missed too many classes and failed his finals. He came to my office, eyes red, begging for an apology.

He promised he would never miss another lecture next semester and pleaded with me to bump up his grade. I felt soft-hearted and agreed to help him.

But that very night, I became the lead story on the national news. On the screen, he sobbed, claiming I had forced him into a non-consensual, indecent relationship.

He even produced a medical report for severe depression to gain public sympathy. Although there wasn't enough physical evidence to convict me, the internet turned into a lynch mob against the "predatory professor."

The Dean fired me, my parents disowned me, and my boyfriend dumped me in the most public way possible. Unable to bear the weight of the world's hatred, I jumped from the rooftop to end it all.

Now, I've been given a second chance. I've woken up on the very day the Student Council President came to my office to beg.

A knock sounded at the door...

1

"Professor Vance, I am so incredibly sorry. The Student Council took up all my time this semester. I didn't mean to skip your classes."

"If I fail this course, I'll lose my full-ride scholarship. My chance at Law School will be gone."

"Please, I'm begging you. Can you just review my final grade? Just give me a passing mark. That's all I need."

In my past life, he had pleaded with me just like this, tears streaming down his face. Normally, any professor would have kicked a student out for missing half the semester.

Review the score? In his dreams.

He reached out, tugging at my sleeve like a hurt puppy.

"Professor Vance, you're the most understanding teacher on campus. Everyone says so. You know I'm the Student Council President. If I fail, no one will respect me anymore. I'll lose my leadership."

This was classic moral kidnapping. If Caleb Sterling was truly afraid of being a laughingstock, he should have followed the rules.

He just wanted a free ride. Seeing that I wasn't reacting, Caleb pulled out his ultimate weapon from my previous life.

"Professor Vance, please! Just ten more points. If I fail, I'll jump off this building right now!"

Jump off...

In my last life, I was the one who actually jumped from this very building.

I am Clara Vance, an Associate Professor of Economics at St. Jude's University. Because I kept my classes engaging and had a kind heart, students used to call me "Saint Clara."

I loved my job. I never imagined one of my own students would use such a vicious, lethal scheme against me.

In my first life, Caleb Sterling was the Golden Boy of the campus. He was tall, handsome, and an influencer with tens of thousands of followers.

He used his status as a reason to skip classes constantly. My teaching assistants reported his absences to me every single week.

The Student Council President failing a core class wasn't just a personal failure; it was a scandal. Especially since he spent every meeting lecturing others about discipline.

During the last meeting, a freshman had actually stood up and mocked him.

"You're failing your own finals, Caleb. Why should we listen to a word you say?"

That slap to his ego had turned him into the campus joke. That was why he had crawled to my office, swallowed his pride, and begged.

Back then, I thought of him as my boyfriend's younger cousin. I tried to counsel him, to comfort him, and I felt conflicted about the grades.

Giving him points was unfair to every student who actually showed up. But he cried and swore he would change.

"Professor Vance, you're an angel. Just... don't tell anyone you helped me, okay? I have my pride," he had whispered.

To protect his dignity, I promised to keep it a secret. I thought I had saved a young man's future.

But that night, my phone exploded. The headline "St. Jude's Professor Predates on Male Student" was everywhere.

Caleb was on the rooftop, covered in mysterious bruises, broadcasting a live stream to his followers. The news picked it up instantly, and it hit the top of the trending charts.

The Dean, the fire department, and the police were all there. Caleb stood there in a white shirt, the fabric contrasting with the dark marks on his neck.

The wind whipped his hair as he sobbed into the camera. His female fans were losing their minds in the comments.

"Professor Vance called me to her office," he choked out. "As soon as I walked in, she locked the door. She threatened me."

"She told me if I didn't do... those things with her, she'd fail me. She said she'd ruin my career before it started!"

Caleb held up a medical diagnosis for severe depression toward the lens.

"Under Clara Vance's long-term harassment and abuse, I've broken down. I'm sorry, everyone. I can't do this anymore."

He ran toward the edge just as a firefighter tackled him. The livestream chat went nuclear.

"I checked her bio. She's 32 and single. No wonder she's a predator."

"An Associate Professor? Imagine how many other students she's preyed on."

Within hours, three of the top ten hashtags were about me. Caleb's failing grade was now seen as a tool of my "sexual coercion."

One day I was a respected academic. the next, I was a monster.

Caleb's fans signed petitions to have me fired and demanded his grades be fixed. I tried to beg him to tell the truth, to clear my name.

But in front of the University board, he looked at me like I was a demon.

"Professor Vance, are you still trying to threaten me into silence?"