After my best friend got duped by a jerk and lost everything, I took her in.

I covered her meals, provided her with a place to stay, and took care of everything.

But her mom accused me of using her daughter as a free maid and demanded compensation.

I refused, and her dad and younger brother ended up pushing me off the balcony.

When I woke up again, I'd somehow traveled back in time to the day after my friend's breakup, right when she was moving into my place.

——

"Rowan, I really love this dress!"

"I can't believe it. If I hadn't been scammed by my ex and had the money to buy this dress, I'd look so sweet and lively in it!"

Ziva Daley's voice echoed in my ears, and I was stunned.

Didn't I just get pushed off the balcony by her brother and die?

Why am I seeing these old scenes?

"Rowan, why aren't you saying anything?" Ziva pushed me hard.

I lost my balance and fell to the floor, the pain snapping me back to reality.

It seems I'd been reborn, back to the day Ziva first moved in.

Clenching my fists, I remembered the frustration I felt before I died.

Ziva and I were college classmates and roommates, and she came from a really tough background.

Out of sympathy, I always helped her, and before long, we became incredibly close friends.

After graduation, she started dating someone and would frequently spend money on him and borrow from me.

It turned out that being generous with her boyfriend was just the start of her troubles. Not only did she lose her high-paying job, but she also went through multiple miscarriages.

In the end, she was left with nothing. Feeling sorry for her and concerned about her mental health, I brought her into my home to take care of her.

She was so moved and promised to repay me for being such a kind friend.

Flattered by her gratitude, I helped her out financially whenever she needed it.

If she talked about being scammed or mentioned something she wanted to buy, I'd cover the cost.

To my surprise, she told her mom that I had tricked her into coming here to be my maid.

She claimed I made her do all the housework, including washing clothes, cooking, and cleaning.

But I was the one handling all of that!

All she did was eat, drink, and play on her phone, barely lifting a finger.

"Rowan, I'm so sorry. I've just been really sensitive lately, especially after everything that's happened. You know how unstable I've been since the scam."

"You're my best friend. You wouldn't hold it against me, right?"

She then eagerly crouched down and showed me her phone. "Rowan, do you think this dress is pretty?"

I glanced at the screen and saw it was the latest LV design. It was 6,000 dollars for just two pieces of fabric!

I felt a surge of anger.

This was exactly how it went before!

She'd always had a way of hinting and suggesting how happy she'd be if she could buy something like this.

My bleeding heart fell for it, and I actually believed her.

I ended up taking 6,000 dollars from my last 6,500 dollars in savings to buy her the dress. And what did she do? After she got it, she sold it behind my back at a second-hand store.

Three days later, I had to go on a business trip and was responsible for booking my own flights and accommodations.

I didn't have enough money at the time and missed the booking window. With it being peak travel season, I almost missed the contract signing and got a severe reprimand from my boss, who demoted me.

When Ziva heard about it, she apologized with tears in her eyes and said she wished she had money to help.

Afraid she'd start brooding over her past, I ended up comforting her for a long time.

Looking back, I could kick myself!

I took a deep breath.

This time around, I'm not going to pay for her mistakes.

I'm determined not to let it happen again!

I kept my expression stern and said to Ziva, "What's wrong with you? You push me down and don't even bother to help me up!"

"If someone didn't know we were friends, they'd think we were enemies!"

"And your parents, how did they raise you? You hurt someone and can't even give a basic apology?"

I got up, giving her a pointed eye roll.

Ziva was frozen, clearly not expecting me to speak to her like this.

I'd always avoided discussing sensitive topics like her family because I didn't want to upset her or make things awkward.

Seeing me be so blunt must have really thrown her.

Sure enough, she looked at me with a fierce glare that almost scared me.

Realizing she might have overstepped, she forced a smile and tried to play the sympathetic friend. "Rowan, what's going on? Did someone at work upset you? Is that why you're taking it out on me?"

"It's okay. We're friends, right? You can let off steam with me!"

Her insincere act nearly made me sick.

How could I have been so blind before?

I called her out directly. "Oh, so you're really into playing the victim. Got it!"

With that, I turned on my heel and went back to my room.

She grabbed my arm, looking hurt. "Rowan, how can you say that about me?"

I pushed her away. "Let's stick to the point. I'm exhausted from working all day. Not everyone gets to lounge around at home."

Her expression changed rapidly, and then a loud growl came from her stomach.

She looked embarrassed and asked, "Uh, Rowan, when are you going to make dinner?"

I played dumb and looked confused. "What?"

She bit her lip, looking humiliated, and said, "I'm really hungry. When are you going to cook?"

"You're hungry, so you can't cook for yourself?"

"I've worked all day and still have to take care of you. Why should I?"

"You're not my parents. I'm not going to cater to you!"

Ziva's eyes widened in shock. She blurted out, "If you don't cook, what am I supposed to eat?"

"Either make it yourself or go hungry!"

Her face turned pale, and she screamed, "What? You know I'm afraid of fire. Are you trying to get me killed?"

In my previous life, it was always like this. No matter how busy or tired I was, I had to cook for her or order expensive takeout.

But when I was hungry, she'd come up with excuses and refuse to step into the kitchen. Even when I was sick, she wouldn't bring me a glass of water!

And she wasn't afraid of cooking. I'd seen her using expensive ingredients from my parents to cook for her family!

"Hmph, I knew you didn't really care about me. Why would anyone genuinely care for someone like me?"

With that, Ziva turned and walked away, leaving me with a defiant and stubborn back.

I let out a cold, bitter laugh inside. Here we went again.

Every time I didn't meet her demands, she played the guilt card to make me feel bad.

Forget about how much money I had lent her.

Just consider that I had taken time off work, flown across the country to pick her up, and covered all her needs, like food, lodging, and even buying her various essentials. And still, in her eyes, I wasn't being genuine!

I felt a wave of disgust and nearly gagged. I grabbed a drink of water from the table to calm myself, then turned and headed back to my room.

She could handle it however she wanted. People like her didn't deserve anyone's genuine care!

The next morning, I got up early and headed out for breakfast.

Last night, I'd woken up starving and found that all the fruit and prepared food I'd bought were gone. I didn't need to check. I knew Ziva had eaten them.

After getting ready, I was about to leave when I heard the door open.

Without looking back, I stepped toward the door.

"Rowan, I'm so hungry. Can you get me some breakfast?"

"I'm craving a KFC family bucket and two Starbucks coffees."

My frustration flared up. How could she be so entitled?

"If you want it, buy it yourself. I have to go to work!"

"Rowan, what's your problem?"

"You didn't cook last night, and I had stomach pains all night. And now you're asking me to go buy breakfast?"

I shot her a cold look and put on my shoes.

But Ziva wouldn't let it go. She grabbed my arm and demanded, "Are you going or not?"

"No, I'm not!" I said firmly.

"When did you become so selfish?"

"You made me sick all night and didn't even apologize. Now you won't even get me breakfast. This is your idea of taking care of me?"

"If you hadn't insisted on bringing me here, I wouldn't be in this situation!"

I'd been waiting for her to say that.

The moment I was reborn, I'd wanted to kick her out.

This apartment was a gift from my grandparents before they passed away.

After graduation, I moved in here for the convenience of work.

In my past life, my kindness was met with betrayal. This time, I had no intention of continuing to live with her.

But Ziva was like a stubborn stain. Unless she chose to leave, I had no way to force her out!

I didn't bother changing my shoes and just dropped my bag on the table. "Alright, pack your things now!"

"I'll help you," I said, turning toward her room to start packing her stuff and get her out as quickly as possible.

Ziva shot me a cold look, then darted into her room and slammed the door shut, locking it behind her.

"Rowan, I know you're in a bad mood lately, and I'm not holding it against you!"

"Just go to work and don't be late."

"I'll stay here and wait for you. I'm not moving out, and you can't expect me to be okay with you living alone in such a big place!"

My mood instantly soured.

I knew it!

Sigh. I'd have to keep figuring out how to get her out.

I headed to work, mulling over my next move.

After work, I had dinner with my colleagues and finally drove home.

But as soon as I walked through the door, I was greeted by a surprising scene: several neighborhood ladies were sitting on the couch, comforting Ziva.

Ziva had red eyes and looked absolutely devastated.

When they saw me, the ladies immediately frowned and turned their attention to me.

"Rowan, your friend came all the way here to be with you, and you locked her in and almost let her starve?"

"We can't be so cruel!"

"If it hadn't been for someone spotting the situation today, she might have jumped off the balcony."

"We're laying it out straight—if anything happens because of you, like a death in the neighborhood leading to a drop in property values, we'll be holding you responsible for the lose!"