Megan Hurley orchestrated a bullying scheme to drive a wedge between me and my childhood friend, Eugene. I fell into her trap as she intended, but only saved Eugene Carson. The thugs she hired, however, proved reckless. As a result, she accidentally died. This enraged Eugene to the point of hatred. He was convinced I had set up the bullying that led to Megan's death. On our wedding anniversary, he pushed me off a high building, his face twisted with relentless fury. "This is what you owe me and Megan. Sherlyn, you deserve to die!" When I opened my eyes again, I found myself back on the day of the bullying. This time, I didn't intervene. Later, he knocked on my window in the rain, saying hoarsely in despair, "Sherlyn, why do you no longer care about me?"

1

On our wedding anniversary, Eugene tied me up on the rooftop of an unfinished building.

He sat calmly before me, playing a video with deliberate slowness.

In the video, my father knelt repeatedly, begging Eugene for my sake.

My eyes burned with rage, but Eugene kicked me violently, snapping, "Do you feel distressed seeing your father like this? But how can it compare to even a fraction of the sorrow I felt when I lost Megan?"

The sudden pain caused me to arch my back, and darkness clouded my vision, almost sending me into unconsciousness, yet I was powerless to scream.

Earlier, Eugene had silenced me with boiling oil, turning my breath into a torment.

The pleasure of making me suffer was evident on Eugene's face.

He grasped my chin, his eyes bloodshot, his hatred brimming. "Sherlyn, how could you be so despicable as to have Mega bullied to death? Sherlyn, why didn't you die instead of her?"

He shouted the last line, roaring like a beast at me.

"Megan?" I thought, struggling to recall the face that matched the name.

Finally, a youthful, pretty, and vivacious face emerged from my memory.

It dawned on me. Eugene not only loved Megan deeply, but he also believed that I had orchestrated that bullying.

2

Eugene and I grew up together.

In our third year of high school, we both made it to the elite class, ready to fight our last year for our dream universities.

With my current abilities, I was guaranteed admission to my dream school, with a shot at the best two schools.

Under my supervision and tutoring, Eugene could easily make it to a nice university too.

It all depended on whether he could hold on for this final year.

But then, Megan transferred to our school.

She was beautiful, fair, and slender, with a smile that curved her eyes into crescents.

She wore a modified school uniform that accentuated her figure to perfection.

At 17 or 18, boys were full of passion.

Countless boys had their eyes on Megan, Eugene among them.

His parents were strict, not allowing him to make any mistakes.

The vigorous Megan was like a rose blooming in his ivory tower, irresistible to him.

When Megan arrived, I was secretly in love with Eugene.

I couldn't bear to see him fall from grace under Megan's influence.

So, I repeatedly tried to prevent their interactions.

After a few failed attempts, Megan grew to hate me.

She confronted me in the stairwell, away from others. "Sherlyn, just wait and see. Eugene will be mine sooner or later."

Little did I expect that she would stage a bullying scheme, specifically targeting her and Eugene, to frame me and drive us apart.

What a childish and foolish act!

Yet both Eugene and I fell for it.

I saved Eugene that day, but Megan died accidentally in that alley due to the thugs' recklessness.

As I recalled the past, Eugene closed his eyes, hiding the sadness in them. "Sherlyn, you killed Megan."

3

I calmed down and looked into Eugene's furious eyes, shaking my head frantically.

I tried to convince him that I hadn't orchestrated the bullying.

Eugene bent down, pressing a burning cigarette onto my cheek, his smile sinister. "Sherlyn, your father is already waiting for you in hell."

Chills ran down my spine, and tears streamed uncontrollably down my cheeks.

A suffocating ache welled up in my chest as if my internal organs were being sliced by sharp knives.

"You killed Megan, and this is what you deserve. If you hadn't planned that bullying, Megan and I wouldn't be separated by death."

The first sentence was spoken through gritted teeth, filled with seething hatred.

But the second sounded calm, tinged with barely perceptible agony.

I knelt on the ground, staring at him.

Tears flowed into my mouth, leaving a bitter taste.

That was truly hateful and ridiculous. I laughed at Eugene for degrading to the point of loving a scheming woman who tried to destroy everything he had. I laughed at myself even more, for not misjudging people and thus bringing harm to my family.

Ignoring the pain radiating through my body, I gritted my teeth and pushed myself up, leaning on the window ledge. As I approached Eugene, I suddenly leaped forward and bit his ear.

Eugene, enraged by my action, kicked me viciously on the foot.

A piercing pain shot through my ankle, and I stumbled back a few steps. Suddenly, my body was suspended in mid-air, plummeting downwards...

In a daze, I saw Eugene give me a cold, mocking smile. "Sherlyn, this is your karma! If there's a next life, I'll definitely correct my mistake and never let go of Megan again. As for you, go to hell and reunite with your damn father!'

4

The pain of my bones shattering and piercing through my internal organs pulled at my nerves.

The sensation of falling made me gasp for breath.

After a wave of intense dizziness, my vision gradually cleared.

I saw Eugene at the age of 18.

He was pinned to the ground by a group of people, forced to lie there panting helplessly.

His exposed skin was covered in bruises.

And Megan, who was held down on one knee, faced Eugene and cried pitifully.

I stood at the entrance of the alley and watched for a moment.

Sensing my gaze, Eugene struggled to turn to look at me.

His eyes lit up with a glimmer of hope.

His voice was hoarse. "Sherlyn, save me quickly."

The scene was the same as in my previous life, and I clenched my fists tightly.

So, I was reborn, back to ten years ago.

The fear of falling from the high building and the suffocating pain still gripped my heart.

Looking at the desperate plea for help in Eugene's eyes, I only felt hatred and ridicule.

I thought, ”Eugene, this time, I will never interfere in your disgusting love game. You deserve to rot to death in this dark alley."

Ignoring Eugene's plea, I turned around without hesitation and walked towards the school.

In this lifetime, he deserved all the misery brought by Megan.

5

The next day, I had just arrived at the classroom for morning self-study when Eden Tanner, my head teacher, hurriedly called me into the office. "Sherlyn, there's something I want to ask you."

Seeing Eugene standing with downcast eyes beside the desk and Jaycee Hampton, Eugene's mother, standing beside him with an angry expression, I instantly understood what was going on.

Upon seeing me, Eden cleared his throat. But before he could speak, Jaycee rushed forward with a furious face.

She raised her hand and slapped me hard on the face. "Sherlyn, I'm so disappointed in you!"

She swung her arm again for another blow, but Eden stopped her sternly. "Mrs. Carson, what are you doing? Let's talk calmly."

My face stung with pain, and my head buzzed.

I covered my face and looked up coldly.

Jaycee, standing not far away, was filled with resentment, pointing at me and scolding, "Sherlyn, how could you be so vicious? Look what the thugs you hired did to Eugene."

I turned to look at Eugene, who was still glaring at me, and sneered inwardly.

It seemed he had not explained that he got injured while protecting Megan.

I put down my hand, revealing a bright red handprint on my cheek. "Eugene, since you were beaten up, why didn't you call the police?"

My question plunged the office into silence once again.

Eugene's gaze fell on my face, and a fleeting trace of nervousness flashed in his eyes.

Instantly, I understood. He was worried that Jaycee would find out about Megan.

After all, Jaycee had a strong desire to control him.

If she knew about his signs of puppy love, she would probably beat him half to death.

I met Eugene's warning gaze and slowly took out my phone. "Now that you insist I hired those guys, let's call the police."

Seeing that I was serious, Eugene, who had been silent throughout, suddenly said, "You can't do that!"

He glared at me fiercely and gritted his teeth. "Mom, Sherlyn and I grew up together. Making a big deal out of this will hurt the relationship between our two families."

Jaycee's expression changed drastically. She probably remembered something.

At this point, the Carson family had already declined and needed my family's help.

6

After comforting his mother, Eugene bowed deeply to Eden.

"Mr. Tanner, sorry for disturbing you. Let's just leave it at that." Eugene then turned to me with a faint smile. "Sherlyn, stop it. I'm not going to hold you accountable."

I thought, "Ugh, how did I not see through his act in my previous life?" I felt a wave of nausea. "Eugene, what gives you the right to hold me accountable? And who said I was trying to prove my innocence?"

Without hesitation, I called the police and stated firmly, "Sir, I've been assaulted at school. I need help."

Upon hearing this, Jaycee stared at me in disbelief, her face livid with anger. "Sherlyn, why are you like this now?"

She said the same thing to me in my past life.

After Eugene suppressed my family in my previous life, I barged into their home to seek Jaycee's help. But she ignored our past friendship, saying calmly, "You made Eugene lose his beloved girl. He hates you, and I naturally can't help you. Besides, Sherlyn, why are you like this now? You broke into our home without any manners."

This time, facing Jaycee's fury, I chuckled lightly, " Mrs. Carson, one must pay the price for their mistakes."

As we exited the police station, my father arrived in a hurry.

I thought I could hide my emotions well in this new life. But the moment I saw him, I broke down.

Seeing me cry, my father grew agitated, ready to beat Eugene up outside the police station.

After I stopped him, he looked at me with red eyes and worries. "My sweetie, how's your face? Does it hurt?"

He glared at Jaycee, who was trembling like a quail, and shouted angrily, "Are you out of your mind? How dare you hurt my daughter! Just wait. I'll cancel our cooperation immediately!"

Eugene quickly stepped before his mother, looking earnestly at my father. "Mr. Preston, please cool down. My mother panicked out of concern. After all, Sherlyn sent people to attack me, and my mother was just worried about me."

Eugene then approached me, showing his wounded arm and sighing deeply, "Sherlyn, look, I'm hurt too. Don't be mad."

Glancing at my father's face, Eugene continued, "I know you acted impulsively because you like me so much. But Megan and I are just classmates. As the class monitor, I helped her with her studies under Mr. Tanner's instruction, and that's all. No matter how jealous you are, you can't send people to attack us."

How manipulative he was! Just a few words painted me as a willful young lady.

Suppressing my urge to hit him, I raised my eyebrows and looked at him meaningfully. "Who says I like you? Stop flattering yourself."

Eugene looked stunned. "What did you say?"

He quickly regained his composure, assuming I was just angry. He shook his head with a resigned smile. "Knock it off, Sherlyn. You've always liked me, and we are engaged."

I tightened my face and interrupted him coldly, "I'm sorry, Eugene, but I'm going to cancel our engagement."

His eyes widened in shock as he stepped forward, gripping my arm tightly. "Sherlyn, don't be ridiculous. I told you she was just a friend."

I smiled and gently pulled my hand away, pressing it hard against his wound. Eugene winced in pain, his face turning pale.

I grinned wider. "Listen carefully, Eugene. I don't like you, and I won't marry you. I didn't send anyone to attack you. You should ask Megan for clarity. Remember to tell her if she dares slander me again, I'll bring a lawyer to her doorstep."

Glancing him up and down, I said with utmost resentment, "As for you, just rot in your stupid love until you die!"