In my past life, I pinched pennies to support my boyfriend through college. He promised me everything, vowing to marry me once he graduated, even taking my virginity with assurances of a shared future. But the year he graduated, he broke up with me suddenly and married a city girl. Heartbroken, I crashed his wedding, causing chaos. He saw me as the one ruining his perfect day. Afraid I'd keep disrupting his life, he orchestrated my death in a car accident.

Reborn now, I find him just about to sign up for university entrance exams, worried over tuition fees. I smiled and said, "Why worry? Go ahead and take the exams. I'll take care of the tuition."

---

"Zendaya, I've signed up for the university entrance exams," Damian Reed said, clearly worried.

"You know I'm a good student; if I take the exam, I'm sure to pass. But my family... we're struggling financially..." His handsome yet slightly sinister face made my entire body tremble with anger.

In my previous life, Damian registered for the exams and came to me with the same concerns about tuition. College students in the '80s were few and far between. Knowing he was bright, I couldn't stand to see him worry about tuition, so I promised to pay his expenses for four years. But after his graduation, instead of the future he promised, he sent a letter asking to break up. I couldn’t believe it and confronted him, only to be thrown out.

"Don't you know your place? I'm a university graduate now; how could a village girl like you ever be worthy of me?" he sneered. He was actually marrying a wealthy city girl. He threw some money at me, insulting me, and had me kicked out. With no other options, I crashed his wedding. He felt humiliated, fearing I'd keep haunting him, so he had his mother wait for me on the road back to our village, where they ran me over.

Back then, in the '80s, our village didn’t even have surveillance cameras. When my body was finally discovered a month later, it was no longer recognizable. People just thought I had slipped and fallen. The village mayor, Simon Murray, had some men bury me, and that was the end of it.

Anger flared within me as I stared at the detestable face in front of me, my fists clenched tightly.

"Zendaya, are you listening?" Damian's voice was full of impatience as he reached out to embrace me.

Feeling sick, I instinctively stepped away from his touch. He looked puzzled and asked cautiously, "Zendaya Ellis, what's wrong?"

I glared at him coldly.

Only after my death did I realize that Damian's supposed financial struggles were a sham. His family had other plans. His younger brother, Kye, wasn’t going anywhere, but he had a girlfriend he'd been with for three years. The family intended to save their money for Kye's wedding. Damian, as the college student, was expected to have a bright future and wouldn't need help finding a partner. So they targeted me, the fool, asking me to fund his education with empty promises of marriage.

I thought my devotion and sacrifices meant something, but all they earned me was a gruesome death.

Now reborn, I vowed to make them pay, to make them suffer like I did.

With that, I sneered at Damian, questioning loudly, "Can't afford tuition? But I heard your mom's using the family money to pay for your brother Kye's wedding, isn’t she? A wedding like that needs at least a thousand dollars, doesn't it? That amount could cover your tuition and living expenses for years. How is it you don't have money for college?"

Damian was drenched in cold sweat. He stammered, "Zendaya, how did you find out?" His gaze dropped, embarrassment evident in his words.

"Yes, they did set aside some money for my brother, but wasn't that because Legacy’s brother is getting married? She pressured Kye to prepare a dowry, threatening to break up if he didn't. Kye doesn’t exactly have many options. If Legacy leaves him, where else would he find another girlfriend? My mom thought it best to send the gift over to her soon, just to secure their engagement. That way, we wouldn’t worry about her leaving."

He shifted nervously, his eyes darting around, unable to meet mine. I stared at him until he was visibly sweating from anxiety. Then, I suddenly burst into laughter, patting his hand reassuringly. "Don't worry, as long as you get into college, I'll support you through it, even if I have to live on bread and water."

His face momentarily lit up with hope. "Really? What about the gift for Legacy?"

"Of course, that money is meant for Legacy," I said, offering him a comforting smile. "As your brother’s future sister-in-law, it’s my responsibility to help out the family."

Then I added, "But if the gift is for her brother’s wedding, what if she takes the money and runs? It might be wise for her to have a child with your family soon. That would give you some peace of mind."

"A child..." he hesitated for a moment, then a look of determination crossed his face. "That’s easy enough. I’ll have my brother bring her home a few times. That should do it."

I let my smile fade, clenching my fists so tightly my knuckles turned white. In my past life, Damian’s mother had planned to run me over with a car, and it was Legacy who had led the townsfolk away to another part of town. It was all so Damian could make a name for himself in the city and, presumably, bring them along to enjoy a better life. They were terrified I'd ruin his prospects and shatter their dreams of wealth.

This time around, none of those who betrayed me would get away with it.

Damian left after getting the confirmation he wanted from me, looking completely satisfied. As soon as he was gone, I felt utterly drained and exhausted.

Back then, to support his college education, I endured countless hardships. I even moved to the city just to be closer to his school, taking a job washing dishes nearby to earn a bit of extra money. When I handed him the money in person, he bluntly told me not to show up again, claiming I would distract him from his studies. So, I stayed away, mailing him the money whenever I had saved enough.

The rent in the city was high, and I hardly had any money left for myself. I had no choice but to share a large house on the outskirts with several other women who had also come to the city for work. My daily commute on foot took two hours, but I couldn’t justify spending money on bus fare. I constantly thought that every penny I saved spared Damian from additional hardship.

I believed that once he became successful, I’d finally get to enjoy a good life. That conviction was my strength for four long years. When he finally graduated, I heard he had landed a job at a newspaper. I was full of hope, waiting for him to come and marry me. But then came the shocking news — he was getting married, and his bride was the daughter of the newspaper director.

It felt as if my world had crashed down. I went to his wedding, causing a scene and breaking anything I could find. In response, he had someone throw ten dollars at me, telling me to go back to where I came from. I stared at that flimsy ten-dollar bill, feeling the world spinning around me. Over the past four years, his tuition alone had cost me over eight hundred dollars. On top of that, he insisted on living well, so he wouldn’t be looked down upon by his peers. After all those years of sacrifice, all I got was a measly ten-dollar bill.

He had sworn on everything that he’d marry me as soon as he graduated, even convincing me to give him my most precious first time. Remembering how foolishly I had trusted him, my nose tingled, and I couldn’t stop the tears. How could I have been so naive for a man? I must have been asking for it.

I wiped away my tears and pulled out a few books from the cabinet. In my past, I had gone to the city to buy him several study guides for college entrance exams, planning to give them to him on his birthday. But now, such a gift was pointless. I washed my hands and sat down to read through the books.

The material wasn’t unfamiliar to me. In my previous life, I feared growing too distant from Damian once he graduated. So, after work, I would hide under the covers, nibbling on dinner rolls and studying. When I came across something I didn’t understand, I would wait for a break from washing dishes to ask the college students working part-time at the café. They were always enthusiastic, patiently explaining whatever I asked.

At the time, I thought that when Damian and I eventually got married, he’d be pleasantly surprised to find out I wasn’t just an uneducated country girl. But now, I am grateful for the efforts of my past self. Although I died once, it laid a path for my new life.