Chapter 1My best friend's husband? Total psycho. Beat her black and blue.
Last life, I took her in. Hid her at my place, risked EVERYTHING.
And when he showed up banging on my door? She turned on me.
Sobbing, she told him: "SHE made me run!"
That bastard shoved me off my eighth-floor balcony. Splat. Dead.
But she told the cops: "Accident."
Because of it, she had dirt on him. Blackmail material. Got exactly what she wanted—playing rich wife, living large.
When people asked about the abuse? She threw ME under the bus.
"It's HER fault," she'd say. "Always telling me to leave him. That's why things got so bad."
Even said: "She deserved it."
Pinned it all on me. A dead woman.
I was so pissed my soul almost shattered.
But karma's real. I got a second chance.
And this time... I am her reckoning!
...
My phone buzzed on the nightstand while I was rubbing lotion into my hands.
The name "Jenna" lit up the screen. I let out a cold laugh.
So I really WAS back.
Back to ten years ago—the night she called me sobbing, begging me to save her.
Last time? I panicked so hard I put my shoes on the wrong feet. Grabbed my coat and bolted out the door.
Terrified her husband would beat her worse if I didn't get there fast enough.
I cooked for her. Cleaned her wounds. Held her while she cried.
And what did I get?
Shoved off an eighth-floor balcony by that psycho. Dead on impact. Bones shattered.
This time? No way in HELL I'd make the same mistake.
The phone kept buzzing. Loud. Insistent.
Just like her desperate cries for help back then.
Last time I answered on the first ring.
This time, I took my sweet time finishing up with my lotion.
Then I casually picked up the phone and tapped answer.
"Rae! Rae... please, you have to help me!"
There it was.
The second I picked up, her voice came through—thick with tears.
Broken. Desperate. The kind that made your chest tighten.
But now I didn't feel a damn thing.
She owed me. And I was going to make her PAY for every fucking second of it!
Chapter 2
"Rae! Kyle—he BEAT me! Locked me outside in some alley—said he's gonna come back and—and finish me off once he sobers up! You're the ONLY one I can call! Please, PLEASE come get me! I can't—I can't tell anyone else..."
Before? I would've been heartbroken. Racing out the door.
Now? I just leaned back against my headboard.
Scrolling lazily through my phone.
Found a news article about Kyle attending some business gala tomorrow.
I said flatly, "Jenna, couples fight. It happens. You'll kiss and make up by morning. That's just marriage."
Her crying stopped for a second.
Like she couldn't process what I'd just said.
"Rae? What are you talking about?! He hit me so hard I think he cracked my ribs! Please just come get me and let me crash at your place!"
"Oh, sorry. Can't tonight. Got plans."
I yawned on purpose, rubbed my eyes.
"Meeting my boss to revise a proposal. Can't bail. And honestly? Kyle's just got a temper. He loves you to death—he's not actually gonna KILL you, right?
Plus this is between you two. I shouldn't butt in. What if people say I'm stirring up trouble? Ruining your marriage? That wouldn't be good for anyone. Don't you think?"
I made sure to say "stirring up trouble" real slow. Real clear.
Sure enough, she paused.
Even her sobbing quieted down.
She clearly didn't expect me—someone who used to do whatever she wanted—to say something like that.
After a long silence, she started crying again. Harder this time. More pitiful:
"Rae, are you mad at me? Is this about me ditching you at that job fair? I'm sorry, okay? I'm SO sorry. Please just come get me. I'm scared..."
Listening to her cry just made me want to laugh.
Last life, I fell for this helpless act every single time.
This life? Fuck her!
I touched my wrist. Could still feel the bruises Kyle left when he grabbed me. The way my bones shattered when I hit the ground.
I said softly, "How could I ever be mad at you? I just think... your husband's so successful. His family's loaded. You should stick with him and make it work. I'm nobody. An outsider. I shouldn't get involved. If you're really that scared, call the cops. They'll help you way more than I ever could. Right?"
Then, without waiting for her to respond, I hung up.
Put my phone on silent. Tossed it aside.
I had zero interest in wasting another word on this snake.
I picked up my glass of lemon water and took a sip.
Watched the scattered pedestrians below through the window. Pressed my hand to my chest.
My heart was beating. Steady. Strong.
I was alive. And that felt GOOD.
Last life, Jenna used the dirt she had on Kyle—for killing ME—to get exactly what she wanted. A life of luxury as a rich wife.
And when people brought up my death? She'd defend that murderer.
She'd say things like:
"It's all in the past. Honestly, Rae was the one who kept pushing me to leave him. That's what made things so tense between us. But if she hadn't kept meddling, maybe none of this would've happened. I guess... it was just meant to be."
Meant to be?
Yeah. Sure. Meant to be.
She said it was all MY fault for egging her on.
Said I deserved to die.
Fine.
This time, I'm staying OUT of it.
I'll just sit back and watch.
Without me standing between her and Kyle, let's see if she can still live that charmed life—
holding him in the palm of her hand, while playing the perfect rich wife.
Chapter 3
Half an hour later, my phone finally shut up.
Jenna stopped calling. Guess Kyle dragged her back home. Or maybe she found some other sucker to save her.
Either way? Not my problem.
I slipped on my shoes and headed out. Hit up the boba shop downstairs, ordered my usual boba milk tea.
Grabbed a window seat and pulled up job sites on my phone.
Last life, I lost my dream job because I was too busy playing hero for Jenna. Hiding her from Kyle. Cleaning up her mess.
This time? I was taking my life BACK.
That evening, I was scrolling through a local forum when I saw a post.
Title: "WTF—Guy Beating His Wife in Broad Daylight on Main Street. Is NO ONE Gonna Do Anything??"
I clicked it. The video loaded.
And there they were. Kyle and Jenna.
In the clip, Kyle had her by the hair, smashing her head against a brick wall. Over and over.
She was screaming. Thrashing. A whole crowd stood around trying to talk him down, but nobody dared get close.
Because Kyle right now? Looked like a straight-up psycho.
The post said someone called the cops.
I nearly laughed out loud.
Cops? Yeah, right.
The Harlow family ran this city. And Kyle had rage disorder.
As long as Jenna stayed with him, this would happen every. Single. Day.
Last life, Kyle only "got better" because he found other people to beat on instead of her.
But this time?
Looked like Jenna was gonna take ALL that rage herself.
I sipped my tea, scrolling past the comments. People arguing about whether to intervene. Whether it was "their business."
I leaned back in my chair and smiled.
Not my circus. Not my monkeys.
She wanted to be Mrs. Harlow so bad? Well, here's what that bought her.
I exited the forum and went back to my job search.
Just waiting to see what kind of SHOW she'd put on next.
