I was beaten by my husband so severely that I ended up in the ICU, unable to speak.

But I managed to scrawl a few words on paper:

"It’s okay, love can ease the pain."

My mother was so furious that she passed out right there.

My life was hanging by a thread, and even as I lost consciousness, I was still defending him.

Before my mind fully faded, I felt warm fingers lifting my eyelids, followed by a blinding flashlight shining directly into my eyes.

A soothing voice, tinged with regret, echoed.

"This girl... someone must have put a curse on her."

And with that, I slipped completely into darkness.

I was reborn.

Back to three years ago, on my friend Tessa's birthday. I accompanied her to a bar to celebrate. But when the night ended, we ran into a group of thugs who tried to harass us. That was when I met Marcus Flynn, the hero who came to our rescue, and I instantly fell for him.

But what followed was the memory of his fists repeatedly swinging toward me.

I screamed in fear!

"Elena?" Tessa startled at my reaction, pulling me aside and asking with concern, "Are you okay? Did you drink too much? Is your head hurting?"

I nodded, "Tessa, maybe we should head home. I just remembered something..."

There was something I needed to confirm at home, urgently.

Tessa hesitated, clearly unwilling.

"We were supposed to stay out later tonight. It’s not even 10 PM yet."

But seeing my state, she softened. "Alright, stay here for a moment. I'll use the restroom, and then we’ll head home."

I looked at her gratefully.

Whether in this life or the last, she had always been my best friend.

In my previous life, when everyone turned their backs on me, it was only she who stood by my side, doing everything she could to help me in my hardest times.

Even when Marcus nearly beat me to death, I was the first one to call her.

Two minutes later, Tessa returned.

She smiled, linking her arm with mine, "Let’s go, Elena."

We walked out of the hotel, crossing the long corridor.

The hallway wasn’t too bad during the day, but at night, likely to match the hotel’s atmosphere, the lights were dim, barely enough to see the way.

I quickened my pace.

But just as I did, a group of people suddenly emerged from the corner.

My heart skipped a beat.

It seemed that some things couldn’t be avoided, even if I were reborn.

But now, as I looked at the familiar faces I had seen in my past life, I realized they were nothing more than a group of naive students.

They just dressed more socially, and their expressions were intentionally smug and aggressive.

But their eyes... revealed nothing but foolishness.

A thought suddenly popped into my mind—maybe they weren't real "thugs" after all.

Seeing Tessa, who was on the verge of tears, I pulled her behind me and calmly faced the leader of the group.

"Who sent you?"

The guy paused, surprised, as if he’d been caught off guard.

I smirked coldly.

As expected.

I continued, "How much are they paying you? I’ll double it."

I pulled out my wallet and flashed him a glimpse of the stack of hundred-dollar bills inside, then tossed it at his feet.

He hesitated for a moment before crouching down to pick it up.

After confirming the amount, he exchanged confused glances with the others around him.

Clearly, this situation was outside the scope of what he had expected.

Just then, a brave voice rang out from the end of the corridor.

"Stop! Let them go!"

That voice was far too familiar to me.

Even though I had been reborn, hearing it still made me tremble uncontrollably.

A fearful shudder.

The cruel words from my past flooded my mind—

"Elena Vance, when you marry a chicken, follow the chicken. When you marry a dog, follow the dog. You married me, so my word is law."

"I’ve never seen anyone as worthless as you. I treat you like shit, yet you open your heart to me. I guess it really works, huh?"

"No money? No money, I’ll beat you until you have some!"

...

I closed my eyes for a moment. When I opened them again, I saw that face.

Marcus from three years ago. The Marcus I had first met—the hero who rescued me, the one I fell for at first sight.

The Marcus who later nearly killed me.

So, you're back.

However, Marcus's roar at that moment was somewhat awkward.

He stormed over, full of anger, but froze in place.

The group of people, each holding several yuan bills, were grinning at me like a bunch of fools, almost ready to call me "sis."

Before leaving, the lead guy even waved and called out to me.

"Hey, beautiful, if you ever need anything, just call me. I'm always available!"

Marcus was completely stunned.

Of course, he was stunned.

Because this was not what he had expected.

According to the events of my past life, I should have been trembling in fear, crying and begging for mercy from this group of "thugs."

Then Marcus would have swooped in like a hero, chased them off single-handedly, and gently squatted in front of me with a warm smile, saying, "It's alright, little girl."

In my past life, I was overwhelmed by the shock and joy of suddenly falling in love, my heart racing with excitement, feeling like that moment had sealed my happiness for the rest of my life.

But now, I felt like I had just eaten shit.

— This ordinary, dark-skinned, nearly my height double-crosser.

How could I have ever liked him?

I raised an eyebrow and deliberately said, "Are you with them too? I’m out of money now, so why don’t you go ask them for a cut?"

Marcus's face turned pale.

I ignored him and grabbed Tessa, walking away.

The farther I walked, the more certain I felt.

Since Elena Vance is back, I’ll sort everything out, one step at a time.

Those who’ve been secretly plotting against me? I’ll drag them all into the light.

I still remember, just before I lost consciousness in my past life, someone whispered in my ear.

"This girl was cursed."

Yes, I was indeed cursed.

Even though I had fallen head over heels for Marcus in my past life, I wasn’t some na?ve, inexperienced fool. I knew what love was, and I wasn’t easily swayed by fleeting emotions.

But later, I became more and more obsessed with Marcus, unable to imagine life without him. I even endured his mistreatment willingly.

That wasn’t something I would ever do.

The only explanation is that someone had interfered with my feelings.

I stood anxiously by the roadside, waiting for a taxi, when Tessa suddenly spoke up beside me.

"Elena, you really weren’t scared at all?"

Her voice was still trembling slightly, clearly shaken by what had just happened.

I reassured her, "It's a lawful society. As long as money can solve the problem, there's nothing to fear. Don’t think about it anymore, okay?"

After a pause, Tessa added, "But I think… the guy who came up behind us didn’t seem like he was with them... From his expression, he looked really concerned for us, like he wanted to help. And don’t you think... he was pretty handsome?"

I suddenly turned to look at Tessa.

Her flawless face held a clear, pure gaze.

But there was also a hint of something… something unsettling that caught me off guard.

Maybe my expression scared her, because the hint of suspicion quickly faded, and she flashed a sweet, typical smile.

"Oh my gosh, I’m such a fangirl. I get all distracted when I see a handsome guy. Elena, you can’t laugh at me."

I tugged at the corner of my mouth, my heart sinking like a stone.

Suddenly, I remembered—

I never go to bars. It was Tessa who suggested we go, wanting to experience the fun of a bar on her birthday, so I decided to join her.

In my past life, when I met that group of "thugs," it was already very late—around 2 or 3 AM, after Tessa and I had been at the bar for hours.

But this time, even though I had left early, they were still there.

And Tessa’s trip to the bathroom right before we left...

And her intentional defense of Marcus just now.

The night breeze brushed my face, and at that moment, I didn’t even dare to turn and look at my once best friend.

Tessa, could you have...

Been involved in the plan to destroy my life?

When I got home, it was still before midnight...

I punched in the passcode and went inside. With so much on my mind, I didn’t bother calling for any maids.

I was about to head upstairs to freshen up when I heard rustling noises coming from the garden downstairs.

It was my stepmother, Selene Cross.

"How could this fail?" Her voice sounded frazzled. "Wasn’t everything arranged?"

"Did she really just leave like that?"

"She thought you were with them? Idiot, if you can’t even handle this, how the hell are you gonna make any money?"

"Next time? When will that be, huh? Fine, we’ll discuss it and let you know."

I caught two crucial words—"we" and "discuss."

The people conspiring against me, the ones who cursed me, weren’t just Selene.

I rushed back to my room and started scribbling a list of people who might have plotted my downfall.

Selene, Tessa...

As I wrote down Tessa’s name, I still couldn’t help but feel a pang of pain.

I looked up, only to freeze.

On the desk was a family photo.

My dad, Selene, me, and...

My half-sister, Lydia Cross.

In my past life, she had been the one whispering in my ear, convincing me that Marcus was a perfect man, even teaching me how to get my parents to accept him if I just went ahead and made it happen.

Since she thought Marcus was such a great catch,

Then I’ll make sure to make her happy.

I hope they live happily ever after.

The next day, I arranged to meet my mom for dinner.

My mom is an executive at Vance Group, holding an equal stake in the company as my dad.

Even though they’ve been divorced, Vance Group will always have a place for my mom.

Maybe that's what they mean by love and how men can betray you, but money and career never will.

My dad, after receiving the divorce papers, immediately took Selene to get their marriage certificate.

This turned my dad into a laughingstock in the business world. Many partners were polite to him in public, but privately, they couldn't help but laugh at how he had been charmed by some sorceress.

Wait a minute...

Charmed by a sorceress?

Now I’m certain that Selene was one of the ones who cast that spell on me. But could it be possible that she tested it on my dad first, before turning her attention to me?

After all, my dad's fortune and company still have half of their shares in my mom's hands. She must want to use me to drain my mom’s money.

A chill ran down my spine.

My mom sat down across from me, her gaze cold.

"Did you skip class again? I told you..."

"Sorry, Mom."

My sudden apology left my mom stunned.

When my parents divorced, I chose to stay with my dad, mostly to annoy Selene and find ways to get under her skin.

I didn’t expect to be swayed by her, lured by a man named Marcus, and turned against my mom at every turn.

Like my dad, I too had betrayed her, caught between Selene and her manipulations.

I deserve to feel ashamed.

Seizing the moment while my mom was in a daze, I said, "Mom, I’ll listen to you. Once I get into a university abroad, let’s leave this place together, okay?"

My mom stared at me for a long time, her eyes red, before she finally nodded.

In my past life, I gave up my future, my dignity, and even my life.

Now, it’s their turn.

After saying goodbye to my mom, I went straight to Mercy General Hospital.

The problem was, I’d never been hospitalized in this life, so there was no record of my visits. I couldn’t find the doctor who had said that last line to me.

Just when I was about to lose hope, someone walked toward me.

He stared at me for a long time and then suddenly smiled softly.

I was confused at first, but then I quickly realized. Grabbing him, I dragged him into a hallway.

"You know everything, don’t you?"

I glanced at his nameplate.

Head of Neurosurgery, Dr. Malcolm Pierce.

"You should be dead," he said, locking eyes with me. "But you were unwilling to accept your fate. And someone cast a love spell on you, which unexpectedly shortened your original lifespan. There was no record of your death, so you’re alive again."

"Love spell?" I asked, feeling uneasy. "Can you tell me if someone has cast one on me right now?"

He shook his head. "The spell from your past life was extremely powerful. It requires at least 81 days to take effect. Once you’re under the spell, you won’t wake up unless you're dead or near death. There’s no way to break it."

No wonder, in my previous life, I only woke up after Marcus had killed me.

"So how does this spell work? How can I stop it?"

He gave me a brief glance. "The most powerful love spell is one where both parties' fluids are mixed with water, soaking dolls representing you both for forty-nine days. Then, every day, you burn a strand of both your hair in front of an altar. On the 81st day, the spell is complete."

I could feel the clarity settling in my mind.

No wonder, in my past life, someone had suggested to me that I make things official with Marcus.

My eyes narrowed, and a plan began to form.

When I returned home, Lydia was already back.

She smiled sweetly when she saw me. "Sister!"

I narrowed my eyes and gave her a subtle smile in return.

In my past life, I was so stupid, I genuinely believed that this person, who called me "sister" so affectionately, truly cared for me.

But then she convinced me to give up on studying abroad and stay with Marcus, while she happily took my money to travel the world.

Snapping out of my thoughts, I saw Lydia’s sweet face and suddenly decided to test her.

"I’m so tired lately. I was thinking about going to Disneyland tomorrow for a bit of fun," I said.

Lydia smiled and nodded. "Have fun, sister!"

The next morning, I "coincidentally" ran into Marcus at the entrance of Disneyland.

"Hey? It’s you? What a coincidence!" Marcus walked over and extended his hand. "Since we’ve met, I really want to explain. That day, I wasn’t with them. I was just passing by, and when I saw you guys in danger, I tried to help."

I listened coldly, keeping a smile on my face.

"I see. I misunderstood you that day. Sorry about that," I said, sizing him up. "But next time, if something like this happens, don’t try to play hero. I can tell by your build that if you can’t save someone, you might end up getting yourself hurt."

The smile on Marcus’s face, which had once been gentle, froze.

He gritted his teeth and forced a smile. "Are you alone? Since we’ve met like this, why don’t we hang out together?"

I casually smiled. "Sure."

A moment later, Marcus spoke gently.

"I’ve already queued up for an hour. I had someone watch my spot, so let’s go straight to the roller coaster now."

He did his homework, knowing I liked thrill rides.

I waved my hand dismissively. "No need for all that. I have a VIP pass—no waiting."

Marcus froze.

A few moments later, he stubbornly continued, "I bought the Stella Luna backpack. I heard you…"

"I have too many at home. I don’t have space for more," I interrupted, pointing behind him. "Besides, I like Lingna Bell now."

Marcus clenched his jaw, trying everything he could to win me over.

"I brought your favorite orange juice."

I pointed casually toward a five-star restaurant in the park.

"I only drink fresh juice."