Elena Reed sat at the edge of her bed, wrapped in an old fleece blanket, her phone resting lifeless in her lap.
August 19, 2020.
No matter how many times she blinked, how many times she pinched herself or splashed cold water on her face, the date remained the same.
She was back.
Alive. And awake.
The ticking of the wall clock filled the room like a countdown. To what? Revenge? Redemption?
Her eyes scanned the small apartment, her sanctuary during her early twenties. Back then, she'd thought of this place as temporary. A stepping stone. A waiting room before her perfect life began with Nathan.
God, how blind she'd been.
Nathan Hale.
Her chest burned just thinking his name.
In her last life, he was her everything, ambitious, charming, a little cold but always reassuring. He said he loved her. Promised her the world. She had believed every word.
He'd taken her loyalty and used it as a stepping stone to climb higher. And once he was at the top?
He proposed to her best friend on live TV.
Ava Lin.
Her childhood friend. Her supposed sister in everything but blood.
They'd grown up together, cried together, dreamed together. And all the while, Ava had been watching her, smiling sweetly, waiting for the moment to twist the knife.
But they hadn't stopped there.
They'd turned her family against her.
Her own stepmother, greedy for Nathan's wealth and prestige, had sided with Ava. Her father, spineless and cruel, blamed her for the scandal.
They stripped her of her dignity, her pride, her life.
She had died alone. Forgotten. A discarded footnote in someone else's fairytale.
Not this time.
Elena's eyes sharpened, the tears drying before they could fall.
She wouldn't be their pawn again.
She wouldn't fall into their traps.
She wouldn't let her love blind her to betrayal.
This time, she would play the game better.
And the first rule?
Stay far away from Nathan Hale.
She stood and walked to her vanity. The mirror reflected a younger version of herself, softer, brighter, naïve. Her skin was flawless, her eyes full of warmth. No scars. No bitterness.
She didn't recognize that girl.
And she didn't want to.
She reached into her drawer and pulled out a notebook, a blank one she'd meant to use for wedding planning.
Instead, she picked up a pen and scrawled across the first page:
RULE #1: Avoid Nathan Hale at all costs.
RULE #2: Never trust Ava Lin.
RULE #3: Take back everything they stole.
Her fingers tightened on the pen.
She had one year before everything fell apart.
One year to change her fate.
One year to make them pay.