In my previous life, my best friend, Zoe Lewis, cried as she stripped and exposed her back, which was covered in shockingly dense, round, and hole-shaped scars.
I was shocked to watch Zoe's smooth back become a huge ashtray.
I suppressed my anger and persuaded her to break up with the asshole, Felix Hastings.
Unexpectedly, I realized that Zoe was suddenly pretending to be a nice girl.
Not only did she not break up with Felix, but she recorded my words as evidence for him.
Six months later, I had my throat slit by this asshole and bled to death.
Zoe was indifferent to me, and she immediately married a rich man. She made a ton of money and got a legendary life by becoming an influencer through live streaming and sadfishing.
If I had a second life, I would have stopped them from breaking up.
I would make it tough on Zoe and Felix.
"Olivia, Felix did not only cheat on me but hit me. Boohoo, what should I do?"
Zoe was about to strip and expose her back when she finished crying, but I gently held her hand and said, "I'm not going to see it. Who wouldn't make a mistake? He must have something else in mind, and you should forgive him and comfort him with love."
Zoe was confused, and she didn't know how to answer me.
She subconsciously thought I should feel sorry for her and advise her to break up after seeing her medals of love.
That was what happened in my previous life. She secretly recorded my words and told the asshole that I forced her to break up.
In truth, she had been sneaking around with the rich guy for a long time.
She knew that she would be killed or injured to get rid of her poor and perverted boyfriend, so she wanted me to be the scapegoat.
Half a year later, I was on my way to her lavish wedding when Felix slit my throat.
It was a brutal and bloody scene that I would never forget till now.
As I was dying, I stared wide-eyed and looked at Felix in disbelief as he kept snarling at me with his knife in his hand.
"Zoe wouldn't have married someone else if you hadn't stirred things up. You ruined me!"
With the netizens in attendance, Zoe burst into tears as she advocated for her best friend's deep affection and made herself an influencer while it was popular. She made a ton of money and had a legendary life by becoming an influencer through live streaming and sadfishing.
Whenever Zoe reminisced about her misery, her rich husband would always put his arms around her tenderly. "You're just too kind, carrying everything on your shoulders, and I don't blame you. Olivia didn't do it for you, and she was just unlucky."
Thinking of this, I covered my neck and tried to suppress the hatred in my mind.
Now with my persuasion, Zoe couldn't go ahead with his previous plan.
Felix kept calling Zoe.
Zoe's eyes were filled with panic. "I'm afraid to answer his calls. Will he beat me to death?"
But I was reborn.
I would definitely stop them from breaking up and making this tough for both of them.
"It's better to answer it, and he'll apologize to you. Who wouldn't make a mistake? You're the most understanding girl, so just comfort him with love. A fault confessed is half redressed."
I pressed down on the green answer button with my finger.
"Are you Zoe's boyfriend? It's normal for couples to argue and fight, so you should soothe her. I'll drop her off at the subway entrance, so come and pick her up."
I wouldn't let Felix know where my home was in case he came to me after being provoked by Zoe.
In this life, would Zoe still be safe and in peace without me as her scapegoat?
Zoe probably would never have expected the man to be a typical psychopath anyway.
Felix's ex-girlfriend was deceived into going to a deep forest where her throat was slit and buried alive, and her whereabouts remained unknown.
He never truly loved Zoe. He was highly possessive because she was submissive to him and had the highest education amongst his previous girlfriends.
Zoe always thought Felix was like this because he wasn't valued by his family, so she decided to use her great love to toughen him up.
He was born a bad guy, and he grew up with a twisted mind. Before he graduated from junior high school, he thought he was brilliant, so he started gambling and fooling around with different women, and he was good for nothing.
In my previous life, when he was asked why he killed me, he playfully replied, "She was nosy enough to break up Zoe and I, and she was going to call the police to arrest me!
"Ha-ha-ha, she would never know till death that every time she advised Zoe to break up, Zoe would play the recordings to me.
"Zoe never wanted to break up with me, but Olivia would mention Zoe's family, and she advised Zoe to marry a rich guy.
"I was going to kill Zoe and escape, but Olivia was being nosey. She ruined my happiness, so why couldn't she pay for it? Ha-ha-ha, her whereabouts were still revealed to me by Zoe."
No wonder Zoe was so busy with her wedding, but she asked me to share my location, and Felix couldn't get away that day. She had set this all up in advance, and I felt furious.
I shouldn't have persuaded Zoe, who was so benevolent, to break up with Felix, but I hadn't contacted her family, much less introduced her to a rich guy.
The next day, she was up to other tricks and came knocking on my door with Felix.
"Olivia, you used to say that Felix was a jerk for being violent, poor, and perverted. You said I was with a man like him for charity and I should break up with him.
"When I went back last night, he hit me again. Do you think I should break up with him?"
I was shocked.
Zoe was breaking up with a murderer, and she wanted me to be a scapegoat.
The hatred in my mind almost devoured me. I was going to get my revenge, and the worst thing that could happen would be dragging them down to hell with me.
"Zoe, I didn't know you guys well before. Now I realize that Felix just loves you so much that he has these excessive behaviors. To err is human, right?
"You kept saying that you were going to change him with love and you were doing fine. He's just kidding around, so don't give up so easily.
"I think Felix is fine, and he will make you happy."
Zoe was trying to be nice when they broke up, and she wanted me to offend the asshole Felix, so I would definitely persuade them to be together and keep those two jerks together forever to avoid hurting anyone else.
“He hit me everywhere I had hair and clothes to cover.” After saying that, Zoe showed me the bulge on her head and the bruises under her clothes.
I felt secretly delighted and tried my best to suppress my grin.
“I've known you for so long, so I know your disposition. Where's your kindness? Don't blame Felix for your own bruises, and it's not good for his reputation.”
Sure enough, I saw that pervert's eyes filled with joy.
He always looked dumb outwardly, but his mind was full of sickness and brutality.
My persuasion made Felix think he was hiding it well.
Zoe was angry, and she had another plan in mind.
“Olivia, I've been short of money lately. The rent is due soon, and Felix hasn't gotten a job. Would you mind taking us in?”
I had never met anyone as shameless as Zoe, but I did my best to remain kind.
“My rent is due in six months, and the company is planning to expand the business by dispatching me to Clifford. I want my money back, but the landlord won't give it to me. Why don't you guys help me out?”
Zoe stood on her tiptoes and looked towards my house.
I stepped aside graciously.
I thought, “Don't be silly. I wouldn't live here even if I had six months of rent left.”
A murderer could come and slit my throat at any time, and a bitch could bring him to slit my throat at any time. Even if I got ten million dollars, I wouldn't live here.
Seeing that I had literally packed everything in the house into boxes and placed them on the floor, Zoe's face showed a satisfied smile.
“I'm so sorry to see you leave. You can give me the keys, and I'll get the rent back for you. I'll call you as soon as I get it.”
“You're truly my best friend.”
I pretended to be touched.
In truth, she used to take my toothpaste, shampoo, and other items away from me when we were in college. I knew I wouldn't get any of that rent money, and she would stay here for six months for free.
“It's not that I don't want to stay. You know my family has been sick lately, and I've run out of money, so I'll get a better paycheck if I go to Clifford. I am indeed so poor that I can hardly afford to eat. Zoe, how about you lend me some money first?”
Hearing that I want to lend some money, Zoe, who had just taken advantage of me, subconsciously let go of the hand that was holding my arm.
“We can't help you with that, but you're welcome to come back for dinner anytime.”
I sneered in my mind.
Zoe held back the ecstasy of taking advantage of me and took Felix home to move their stuff.
Before they left, Felix made a creepy face at me, laughing with his mouth and crying with his eyes.
I felt horrible all of a sudden.
It was important to save my life.
After sending Zoe away, I resigned from my boss.
The boss didn't embarrass me, and a freshly graduated intern was dispensable to him.
I moved overnight. I couldn't go back to my hometown because Zoe knew where my home was, and I didn't want to drag my parents into it.
I found a place to stay in the suburbs next to a police station. I bought some books and prepared to learn something new.
I had a few easy days until my landlord, Shawn Marion, called.
I purposely waited a long time and didn't answer until Shawn's second call.
Shawn's sound, filled with superiority, rang in my ears.
“Olivia, where did you go? I'm not changing the housing contract, so tell these two to get out.”
I sneered, thinking, “Why don't you let them leave? It's the hardest thing to ask them to leave.”
Speaking of Shawn, he was a native in Stanton, and he especially looked down on us, who were from rural areas outside of the city, and he always wanted to have something with the pretty female tenants due to his wealth.
He was a typical stingy man. None of those women would get anything from him when they slept with each other.
In my previous life, Shawn thought I was poor, so he made it clear or implied several times that I would use my body to cover the rent, but I refused.
Seeing that Zoe was kind in appearance, Shawn thought he could get her, but he was easily turned down by Zoe by using Felix, so he was annoyed to kick them out.
“But I still have rent for six months. You can just give them the money, and they'll leave.”
That was really the best way to solve the problem.
“You'll never get a refund. I didn't count the cost of appliance loss with you, and the rent has gone up all around, so your rent is going up at least 15 percent...”
I was stupid in my previous life and caused Shawn to take a part in it.
I told Zoe in fear that Shawn was a lecher, who wanted to sleep with me. He even used a spare key and snuck into my room at midnight to watch me sleep.
Zoe, however, looked excited and kind. “Oh, my dear, the rich guy in Stanton has a crush on you. I feel so excited!”
Seeing that I was so angry that I wanted to break with Zoe, she apologized to me. Then, in the name of protecting me, Zoe brought Felix to live with me shamelessly.
They frequently fought and argued at midnight, and I always stood up for Zoe, making Felix disgusted with me, hate me, and be misled by Zoe.
I often went to work with dark circles around my eyes, and I made mistakes at work so often that I didn't even have a chance to become a regular worker. I didn't get paid during my internship, and I was supported by my parents. I was out working for nothing, but I still had to support both of them.
What was even more ridiculous was that Zoe was playing pathetic to me and asking me to spy on Felix, while she was going for every chance to hook up with Shawn.
In my previous life, Zoe moved out right away because she broke up with Felix, and I did so immediately.
When I saw the electronic wedding invitation, I realized that the rich guy she was talking about was Shawn. l was so innocent to be glad for her that she successfully got and changed the jerk, Shawn.
Thinking about it, I didn't feel like talking nonsense to Shawn, so I just hung up.
I opened my chat logs with Zoe.
She had sent me so many messages in the past few days.
Zoe: [Olivia, I miss you so much. Look, you can move back in, and I'll lend you some money for emergencies.]
Zoe: [You can pay me back later when you get money. I'm not in a hurry.]
Zoe: [Why don't you say something, Olivia? Did I offend you?]
Zoe: [Answer the phone. Where are you?]