Out of nowhere, my bestie, Heather Joshua, splashed scalding coffee all over me.
My new dress was a complete disaster in seconds.
"Oh my god, Olivia, I'm so sorry! That was totally accidental," she exclaimed while frantically grabbing napkins.
She furiously dabbed at the scorching burns on my skin.
The intense pain hit me hard, and that's when it hit me—I was reborn.
In my previous life, I was the outcast, bullied by everyone in class.
Heather was the only one brave enough to hang out with me, despite the social risks.
I went out of my way for her and would have given her the moon if I could.
Yet she repaid me by blinding me with acid.
She took advantage of my blindness to seduce my husband right in front of me and then slept with him, turning my life into a nightmare.
Together, they plotted behind my back, buying up expensive life insurance on me.
My death in a so-called "accident" made them rich—my husband, Zach, and his next wife, Heather.
"Oh no, what am I like? I'm always such a klutz..."
Heather continued with her charade of an apology.
My classmates rallied around her, comforting her.
Seeing I was just standing there, Heather thought I was upset.
A couple of classmates couldn't hide their irritation, muttering under their breath.
"Come on, Olivia, it's just a dress. Why the long face?"
"Heather's just too nice, too soft-hearted..."
They all seemed to be on Heather's side.
The mix of their words and Heather's fake tears was suffocating.
With tears welling up, Heather asked, "What can I do to make it up to you? Want to slap me as payback?"
SMACK!
Out of anger, I slapped Heather hard across the face.
A bright red imprint instantly appeared on her pale cheek, swelling on one side.
She went from furious to pitiful in a flash.
The entire class was in shock.
They stared in silence, too taken aback to say anything.
It wasn't until the teacher walked in that they scattered.
In class, Heather sat in front of me, her shoulders heaving with silent sobs.
The students whispered not so secretly.
"Olivia really is a snake, always so toxic."
"No wonder she's a loner, who'd want to hang with her?"
"Only Heather could put up with someone like that."
...
I just rolled my eyes and paid attention to my lesson.
Acted like I was deaf to their gossip.
Soon, my phone vibrated with a text.
It was from Heather: [Really sorry, Olivia. I didn't realize the dress meant so much to you. I'll skip meeting your boyfriend today.]
Suddenly, I remembered—today was the same day Heather first met Zach in my previous life.
The rage I felt thinking about their past actions choked me.
I couldn't let her miss this chance to confront my cheating ex.
My supposedly loyal friend.
I texted back: [Hey, no worries! I was just upset about looking like a mess in front of my boyfriend. Sorry for snapping at you.]
After a pause, Heather didn't respond, so I added: [And hey, maybe just keep today's drama between us? Don't want my boyfriend to get the wrong idea about me.]
[Of course, girl, we're tight like that. I forgive you,] she finally replied.
Perfect. Hook, line, and sinker.
2When Heather finally saw my boyfriend, Zach, her act became even more exaggerated.
"Wow, Olivia, is this hunk really your boyfriend? So tall, so hot—I'm green with envy!"
"You're not so bad yourself, Heather," Zach said with a cocky smile.
It was the same old scene as the past life.
The naive old me thought they were just getting along for my sake.
I couldn't help but scoff, "You like him that much? He's all yours."
I stealthily pushed Heather, sending her stumbling right into Zach's arms.
She crashed into him, and he caught her, his body tensing with a mix of shock and thrill.
There they were, the perfect picture of bliss.
I burst out laughing.
This was it, Heather—my old destiny is now yours.
As for me? I'm turning over a new leaf.
My comment broke their cozy moment.
They quickly pulled apart, each looking embarrassed.
Feigning innocence, I asked, "Heather, why'd you have to hug my boyfriend like that?"
Desperate not to look bad in front of Zach, Heather flailed, "It wasn't me—it was you who pushed!"
I fluttered my eyelashes at her innocently, "Why on earth would I push my bestie into my boyfriend's arms? I was only kidding about giving him to you!"
"I did not throw myself at him!"
"No one said you did. Sounds like you're confessing to something, huh?"
"You—!" Heather was seething.
If Zach weren't there, she'd probably have slapped me.
Watching her caught between rage and helplessness was secretly thrilling.
"Alright, enough. Let's drop it, for my sake," Zach chimed in, playing the misunderstood hero caught between two feuding beauties.
"This bump, it's making the cheek you slapped earlier hurt again," Heather complained, then caught herself, "Oh shoot! Sorry, I wasn't supposed to mention that to Zach... just slipped out."
"What slap? You look fine to me like you've just put on some blush," Zach commented, admiring Heather's face.
Heather looked my way, a bit stuck, pretending to be tongue-tied.
I casually told Zach, "She spilled her coffee on my dress, so I returned the favor with a slap."
Heather was speechless.
I gently closed her mouth and added, "To make up for my overreaction, why don't you drive her home, babe?"
"Zach, please take good care of Heather for me," I said, then confidently walked away, leaving the private space for them.
Good luck tonight, may your evening be productive.
"Olivia..."
Zach called after I had taken only a few steps.
"You're my girlfriend. How could I leave you?"
Really now?
Acting as a loyal boyfriend already?
"You had a reason to hit her, and I trust you completely, babe."
Just hearing him say "babe" made me shudder.
In my past life, my insecurity led me to obey his every command.
After he got rich, he became a true devil.
The torment I endured at his hands was unspeakable.
Now, I watched calmly as he played his part, wondering what his angle was this time.
3I was barely up on Saturday morning when a text from Zach popped up.
He was all: [Make sure you dress up today; we're having lunch with my folks.]
Flashback to my previous life. Zach rushed to introduce me to his parents, and we got hitched right after graduation. But after that, he showed his true colors.
Just the thought of my ex-mother-in-law was enough to make me queasy.
Last time, I gave it all up for love—no dowry, brought property and a car into the marriage.
I figured my sacrifice would make him appreciate me, but it only led to deeper deceit.
And his mom was just the same.
Before the wedding, she couldn't praise me enough.
Once I was part of the family, she flipped like a switch—always had me slaving away or berated me for not popping out grandkids.
She was head over heels for Heather, always praising her as the perfect daughter-in-law.
Her blatant favoritism made my insecurities worse.
Desperate for her approval, I used my dowry to help out financially, only to be repaid with betrayal and my eventual demise.
Seeing her smile, and crow's feet nearly catching flies, I fantasized about dunking her head in a toilet.
Zach gave me the eye to bring out the gift I'd prepped.
Right, the "gift."
I handed over the fancy gift box, mentally preparing for the drama to unfold.
My would-be mother-in-law took the gift but didn't open it right away, which irked me.
"Auntie, go on, open it up," I urged.
"Oh, dear, it's bad form to open presents right away."
Her smile was so wide it nearly split her face.
Then it hit me—I'd mistakenly called her mother-in-law. Well, it wasn't official yet.
"My bad, Mrs. Joshua. Back home, it's common to call elders 'auntie,' just slipped out."
Her smile quickly vanished.
Despite her reluctance, she finally opened the gift in front of me.
"Wow, this is that hot new luxury face cream, right? Thanks, Olivia!"
Wait, what?
I was sure I'd packed a dead rat!
How did it turn into the same high-end face cream as last time?
I caught Zach's eye, and we locked gazes—I knew immediately.
He'd switched it out.
He'd go to great lengths to lock this down.
"Olivia, what's your mom's job?"
"She farms."
Her face fell.
Zach leaned in and murmured, "Local government worker."
The auntie's smile snapped back, "And your dad?"
"He's between jobs."
"Oh?" Her eyes bulged a bit.
Zach whispered again, "Actually, he made a killing in the stock market last year."
Her grin came back even wider.
Man, her acting could win awards.
4"By the way, that face cream set me back $1,580. Make sure you reimburse me," Zach said the second we left the restaurant.
His nerve! Right after we got out, he was already hitting me up for cash.
I glared at him, "Dream on. You're not getting another penny."
Typical Zach—every time I got money, he'd swoop in to "manage" it for me.
"You just won that $8,000 scholarship, right?" he prodded.
I stared him down, realization dawning.
His affection was always just skin-deep—it was always about the cash.
"Get lost," I snapped.
I was done with his games.
In my last life, today was supposed to be a high school reunion with Heather and the crew.
I couldn't wait to show up and drop some punches in the faces of the bullies.
I'd been honing my newfound taekwondo skills after the rebirth.
Today was the day!
I spun on my heel to leave.
But Zach blocked my path.
"Since when do you bite back?" he teased, reaching to pinch my cheek.
I knocked his hand away, revulsion clear on my face.
I squinted at him, my voice firm, "From today on, you won't see a dime from me."
Zach's smirk remained, but a cold shadow passed over his eyes.
"What happened to our plan? Your money was supposed to help fund our wedding."
I almost wanted to slap my past self for being so naive.
Grow some brain, former Olivia!
I had handed him every dime during school, all my scholarships, then my salary—believing we were building a future.
He turned those funds into stocks, rode the bull market, and bought a house that all became premarital assets.
It wasn't until my death I found out the house was only in his name.
"Yeah, keep dreaming," I retorted.
"Fund our wedding? Consider it a donation to your family's altar."
"We're done. You're a dumpster fire."
Zach's eyes flared with fury, a vein throbbing on his temple.
Oh, is the mask slipping now?
I arched an eyebrow, challenging him.
"You think you can break up with me?" he looked down at me, using his height to intimidate me.
Memories of his past abuse flashed before me, stirring a wave of fear.
His fist clenched, ready to strike.
I dodged swiftly, my training kicking in, and I bolted at a speed only light could chase after.
His roars of anger and the sound of his phone smashing echoed behind me.
So exhilarating!