In my previous life, I tried everything to talk my love-obsessed best friend out of staying with her abusive boyfriend.

On the surface she agreed with me, but behind my back she sent him screenshots of all our chats.

“Look,” she told him, “Wendy says you’ll never change and I should leave you.”

“But I believe you will change, right?”

Later, in order to protect her, I was stabbed more than a dozen times by that same bastard and died.

She helped him clean up the scene, lied for him in court, and even dumped all the blame on me.

I floated above them and watched everything, so furious I could practically bleed from every pore.

When I opened my eyes again, I had been reborn—back to the day before my best friend agreed to date that abuser.

Did I die?

Yes. I died under my best friend’s boyfriend’s knife.

All I remembered was the blood-soaked floor, the murderer’s twisted face brandishing the blade, and the hysterical shrieks of my best friend, Daphne Donnelly.

That feeling of your body turning cold bit by bit, unable to move, only able to feel life draining away—that kind of pain, I would never forget.

I died for Daphne.

Her psycho boyfriend showed up with a knife, demanding she go back with him.

He beat her every day. She refused to divorce him, yet called me in tears every time to complain.

“Wendy, I can’t go on! I really can’t live like this anymore!”

“Mason Fletcher is a fucking lunatic! He’s going to beat me to death!”

“What do I do? It’s all my fault, I should have listened to you and left him ages ago!”

Every time, I would patiently coax her, telling her that leaving now was better than never.

“No, I can’t. I really love him!”

“Actually, he used to put medicine on my bruises after he hit me, but lately I’ve had to do it myself. He doesn’t care anymore! Do you think… maybe he doesn’t love me anymore?”

“Wendy, you always say abusers never change, but that’s because you don’t understand us. I can feel Mason slowly being softened by me. Maybe I’ve already moved him, you know?”

Even with my good temper, I was stunned into silence.

“Do whatever the hell you want then. I’m done with you.”

I hung up furiously.

From the first time Mason hit her, I had urged her to leave him. Over the years, I’d practically worn my lips out, and it never did a damn thing.

If they had just kept their mess behind closed doors, fine. But she always came crying to me, over and over, telling me all their bullshit, how cruel Mason was, how hard he hit, swearing every single time that this time she would definitely break up with him.

And every time, they got back together all lovey-dovey.

Eventually my patience ran dry. I decided she could live however she wanted. I wouldn’t interfere anymore.

Until that day, when Daphne knocked on my door and hid in my apartment, refusing to leave.

She said she was terrified. Mason wanted to kill her.

I wanted to call the police, but Daphne wouldn’t let me. She said she was pregnant with Mason’s child, and if he got a criminal record, it would affect the baby’s future.

She dropped to her knees and begged me to let her stay for a few days. Just a few days, she said. Once Mason calmed down, everything would be fine.

In the end, I lost to my own soft heart and let her stay.

Later, Mason showed up at my place with a knife in his hand. Daphne was scared out of her mind and dumped everything on me.

“It’s her, Mason! It’s all her! She’s the one who’s been driving a wedge between us, she keeps telling me to leave you!”

“I was bewitched by her! She can’t stand to see us happy, she wants us broken up. It’s all because of her that I left you! Mason, I’m sorry, I was wrong, please forgive me, okay?”

“Don’t hit me—hit her! She’s the one egging me on! She’s the real culprit!”

I stared at her in shock.

Daphne was scared shitless, curled up in the corner, hugging her head and sobbing.

I tried to explain things to Mason, but he didn’t even give me the chance. His foot slammed into my stomach.

“This is all because of you, isn’t it?”

“All these years, you’ve just never been able to stand me, right? What the hell did I ever do to you? You just had to turn me into some lonely piece of shit?”

“Don’t look at Daphne like that. She showed me your messages and recordings. Every word you said, I heard it.”

My heart went cold. Daphne guiltily avoided my eyes.

“Don’t look at me, Wendy. All I gave Mason were your own words. What, you dare to say it but don’t dare admit it now?”

Mason leaned in close to my ear, his lips brushing my skin as he let out a low chuckle.

“You know, my parents were torn apart by a nosy little bitch just like you.”

“If they hadn’t divorced, my dad wouldn’t have died…”

His gaze turned suddenly vicious, and he drove the knife straight into my abdomen.

“People like you… deserve to die.”

“Ah!”

I shot up from my seat, heart pounding, cold sweat sliding down my forehead.

…The nightmare again.

“Wendy, what are you yelling for? You do realize we’re in class, don’t you?”

The teacher on the podium hugged her book to her chest and glared at me, resentment written all over her face. Around me, my classmates glanced over with teasing, mocking looks.

“…Sorry, ma’am.”

Maybe she saw how pale I was, because she didn’t press the issue. She just rolled her eyes and went back to the lesson.

I stared blankly at the blackboard, not taking in a single word.

It’s been a while since I was reborn, but the terror from the moment I died still clung to me like a shadow.

And what disgusted me even more was Daphne.

In my last life, after Mason stabbed me again and again, Daphne was scared out of her mind. She dropped to her knees, kowtowing frantically, promising over and over she’d never dare do anything again.

To prove her loyalty to Mason, she actually snatched the knife from his hand and stabbed my already mangled corpse several more times.

Later, she even took the initiative to help Mason dispose of my body and clean up the scene. Not only did she help him fabricate an alibi, she also stole the money I’d hidden in my locker and gave it to him so he could lie low for a while…

Up in the sky, watching it all, I was so furious I was practically bleeding from every orifice.

Fortunately, heaven opened one eye for me and granted me a second chance.

This time…

I turned my head to look at Daphne, who was absentmindedly twirling her pen, and smiled.

Daphne, puzzled, curved her lips at me in a stiff little smile.

A moment later, a crumpled ball of paper landed on my desk.

“Wendy… do you think I should say yes to Mason? I heard he’s kind of unstable and that he’s even tortured cats before.”

I picked up my pen and wrote in bold, flowing strokes:

“Of course you should. Where else are you going to find such a catch if you let him slip away?”

“I believe you can heal him.”

Daphne’s grades were excellent—everyone knew that.

Our families had been neighbors since we were kids. And Daphne had always been the “perfect daughter” my parents loved to compare me to.

In my previous life, thanks to my relentless nagging, Daphne managed to finish the college entrance exams and even scored pretty well.

So even though she later kept getting tangled up with Mason, with her education, at least she could still make a living.

This time, without my nagging, Daphne completely let herself go. She hadn’t shown up to class for days.

During that time, she’d sent me tons of photos of Mason taking her out drinking, racing cars, and clubbing, showing off like crazy. I responded to every single one with over-the-top praise.

“Wow! He’s so handsome! I’m seriously jealous, Daphne. You actually landed such a gorgeous boyfriend like Mason.”

“Now this is what youth is supposed to look like. Unlike me, stuck in this classroom every day. What a waste of time.”

I had her so flattered her tail was practically up in the clouds. She tossed me a generous line: “I’ll take you out to see the world when I have time.”

I put my phone down and went back to burning the midnight oil.

I’d abandoned my high school studies for too long; picking them back up all at once was definitely rough.

But even if it’s only for Daphne’s sake, I’ll keep going.

In my last life, she’d used her actions to teach me exactly how important an education is.

Daphne had been missing from school for days. The teacher couldn’t reach her and came to me for information. To everything, I only answered, “No idea,” “I don’t know,” “Maybe.”

Helpless, the teacher had no choice but to summon Daphne’s parents.

When Daphne showed up again, everyone’s jaws practically hit the floor.

Hair dyed in some garish punk color, heavy smoky eye makeup, bizarre clothes—and worst of all, she’d actually had Mason’s name tattooed on her arm.

Using the excuse of helping the teacher sort homework, I watched with my own eyes as Daphne got a mixed double beating from her parents.

“Are you out of your mind? What the hell is this hair? Your father and I work ourselves to the bone to send you to school, and you—what, you just run around like a delinquent every day?”

“If your teacher hadn’t called us, we wouldn’t even know you’ve been hanging around with some thug! Do you not care about your future anymore? How can you have so little self-respect? How did I give birth to something like you?”

Daphne dodged her parents’ blows, but her mouth didn’t let up for a second.

“What do you know? He’s not a thug—he’s the one who loves me most in this whole world!”

“So what about my future? It’s not like I’ve stopped studying. My grades are great. What’s wrong with going out to have some fun for a few days?”

“And besides, I’m almost nineteen! Whoever I’m with has nothing to do with you. Mind your own business, will you?”

Her dad clutched his chest, almost fainting from rage.

“You… get out! Get out of my sight! From now on, I don’t have a daughter like you!”

Daphne gave him a flat, indifferent look.

“Fine, I’ll leave. You think I care about you two? All you ever care about is my grades. Have you ever cared what I actually want? In this world… only Mason really treats me well.”

“And anyway, what’s the point of going to school now? After college you still end up working for somebody else.”

“Feudal. Old-fashioned.”

Rolling her eyes, Daphne stormed off.

I looked out through the classroom window and saw Mason waiting for her on his motorcycle at the school gate, cigarette dangling from his lips, sleazy as hell.

In full view of the other students, Daphne climbed onto the back of his bike. The way she held her head high, chest out, you’d think she was proud of it.

I let out a cold little laugh and drew my gaze back.

I was genuinely curious just how far Daphne could go on a path she’d chosen for herself.

Just then, Daphne’s mother suddenly turned to me, tears streaming down her face. She grabbed my hand.

“Wendy… you’re Wendy, right?”

“Good girl, you and Daphne have been close since you were little. Tell me, what happened to her? How did she suddenly become like this…?”

I stared into Mrs. Donnelly’s grief-stricken eyes and said nothing.

A commotion suddenly broke out around us.

Daphne’s father clutched his chest and collapsed, falling straight to the floor.

The ambulance arrived quickly, and with the teachers on-site performing CPR right away, Mr. Donnelly pulled through.

I bought some fruit and set it by his hospital bed. Looking at the gray at his temples, I felt a sour twist in my chest.

Whatever Daphne was like, her parents had always treated me well.

When I was a kid, my mom and dad were always busy with work and often forgot to make me dinner. Mr. and Mrs. Donnelly would warmly invite me to eat with them. They were afraid I’d be scared sleeping alone, so they’d send Daphne over with snacks to keep me company.

So, in my last life, part of the reason I poured my heart out for Daphne was because of her parents.

“Wendy…” Mr. Donnelly gripped my hand, tears streaming down his lined face.

“You and Daphne grew up together… Could you ask her to come see me?”

“She’s older now… If I sit down and talk to her properly, maybe she’ll understand…”

I wanted to tell him it was useless. Daphne was beyond saving.

In my previous life, when Daphne took Mason home to meet her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Donnelly had strongly opposed their relationship.

And who could blame them? Daphne had just graduated from a prestigious university, while Mason was some lowlife without a proper job—and he hit women.

But for Mason’s sake, Daphne still cut ties with them.

Later, when Mr. Donnelly died from a heart attack, she didn’t even go back for one last look.