Chapter 1

After being reborn, I’m working hard to become the kind of woman Jamie Huntington hates most.

He’s into girls with long hair, all sweet and demure.

So, I chopped off my waist-length locks and started spending my nights surfing, snowboarding, partying with my friends.

Last life, I married him only to find out he was in love with his adoptive sister, Amy Huntington.

His mom threatened to disown him if he didn’t break it off with her, forcing him to marry me.

It was only because I looked a little like Amy.

After the wedding, he was always cold to me, always sneaking around with Amy.

I cried, I fought, and finally, on the way to file for divorce, I died in a car accident, full of bitterness and regret.

Now that I’m back, my best friend doesn’t get it.

“Are you doing all this to get Jamie’s attention?” she asked.

“Nope. I’m doing it to get away from him.”

It was my girl, Lily’s, birthday.

She invited me to the party.

When I walked into the room, it was already wild.

No one even noticed me.

That is until I got to Lily’s side.

“Whoa, Riley, you cut your hair?!”

Lily’s got a voice that carries.

When she yelled, everyone turned to look.

The room went silent.

All eyes locked on my chin-length bob.

They looked shocked.

I acted like I didn’t see it.

Just smiled.

“Yeah, just got it done. The stylist said it really suits me. You like?”

“It’s cute.”

“It looks great.”

Some scattered agreement.

The ones who said it was cute kept glancing in one particular direction.

“I don’t think it looks good at all.”

The blunt comment cut through the flattery like a knife.

It was Amy Huntington and she clapped her hand over her mouth like she messed up.

She looked genuinely flustered.

“Oh, sorry, Riley. I just blurted out what I was thinking. You know me, always gotta speak my mind. You’re not mad, are you?”

Before I could even answer, Jamie stood up.

He repeated what she said, but aimed at me.

“Yeah, I agree. It looks awful.”

It was like he was protecting her at all costs.

The atmosphere in the room got awkward.

I just shrugged.

“That’s okay. I like it.”

Jamie pulled me outside.

We stood facing each other in the hallway.

The lights made his face hard to read.

But I could feel the anger simmering beneath his words.

“Riley, what the hell? Why’d you chop off your hair? I told you I liked it long. As your girlfriend, you should–”

“Jamie.”

I cut him off.

“We’re done.”

The air froze for a second.

He frowned, started to say something.

Then we heard Lily and Amy arguing inside the party.

Jamie’s frown deepened.

He scoffed, tossed out a “Whatever,” and stormed back to the party.

Watching him go, I breathed a sigh of relief.

Jamie and I met in high school.

Freshman year, I broke my leg dancing and had to use crutches.

Because of that, I got bullied a lot.

They called me “Crippled Riley” behind my back.

They’d try to trip me.

One day, they stole my homework and laughed when I cried because I couldn’t catch them. That’s when Jamie stepped in.

You know how you can fall for someone in a specific moment?

Jamie didn’t just help me, he looked out for me all through high school.

Even after my leg healed, following him around felt like a habit.

Everyone knew I was head over heels for him.

He casually mentioned he liked long hair, and I started growing mine.

He said girls should be sweet and quiet, so I quit the dance team, stopped snowboarding, stopped surfing.

I gave up my friends, my hobbies, and molded myself into exactly what he wanted.

Finally, it worked. He asked me to be his girlfriend and even introduced me to his family.

They had an adopted daughter named Amy.

When I met Amy, she latched onto Jamie’s arm, all smiles.

“Riley, you’re so pretty! My bro’s a lucky guy. Haha, Riley and I even look alike.”

It sounded innocent, but there was an edge to it. I didn’t think too much of it.

I also didn’t notice Jamie’s face freeze for a split second.

Last life, Jamie and I got married.

But after the wedding, he was always distant.

Then Amy sent me a video of them together, doing things only a couple should do. That’s when I found out the truth.

In the video, they were having sex, not giving a damn who saw them.

Amy’s taunting words cut me deep.

“If it wasn’t for my mom, I’d be Mrs. Huntington!”

“You think marrying him means you won? Think again. He doesn’t love you. You’re just a replacement for me!”

I was so shocked and angry I threw up blood.

I grabbed my divorce papers and went to find Jamie.

But I crashed on the way and died, full of hate.

Now I’m back, reborn.

Back to the start of college.

This time, I’m gonna be the kind of girl Jamie can’t stand.

I’m done being his ugly replacement.

When I got back to the party, Amy was crying in Jamie’s arms.

Jamie looked furious and snapped at Lily. “Lily, apologize to my sister.”

Lily stood her ground.

“I’m not apologizing to that two-faced bitch!”

“Your sister started it by talking shit about Riley! If I’m apologizing, she’s apologizing to Riley first!”

Amy’s eyes got all red and watery.

“I just said what I thought…is that so wrong?”

She looked up, tears welling in her eyes.

Like she was suffering the worst injustice.

Lily wasn’t having it.

“Well, I’m saying you’re a bitch, and you’re a snake, and that’s the truth too! So I’m not wrong either!”

“Lily! That’s enough!”

Jamie yelled, stepping forward, towering over her.

Lily didn’t flinch.

That’s when they all saw me.

Amy’s eyes flickered with something like triumph.

“Riley, you’re finally here.”

I’d already pieced together what happened from the others.

After Jamie and I went outside, Amy started gossiping about me.

She said I was stingy and mean.

It was because one time, Jamie and I went to the Bahamas, and Amy wanted to tag along.

I politely told her I wanted some alone time with Jamie.

But Amy didn’t seem to get it. She came anyway.

The first day, Amy didn’t want to go out because she was afraid of the sun. So, Jamie stayed in the hotel with her and played video games all day.

The second day, we finally convinced her to leave the hotel.

Then she started complaining about her stomach and her head. So, Jamie booked the earliest flight home.

The trip I’d been planning for months was ruined.

I got angry and snapped at Amy.

Amy started crying.

“I’m sorry, Riley. I just wanted to bond with my future sister-in-law. I didn’t mean to ruin anything.”

Jamie stepped in to defend her, but he was clearly on Amy’s side.

“Amy’s just trying to be nice… Besides, Amy’s family. If we get married, she’ll be your sister too. Can’t you cut her some slack?”

Family. Sister.

Those words made me back down, again.

Because back then, I really loved Jamie. I wanted to be a real family with him.

I was willing to change myself, give up who I was, to be with him.

I was even willing to swallow my pride and put up with Amy’s BS.

But Amy was never satisfied.

She’d talk behind my back.

“Maybe it’s just me, but I think Riley’s being a little bitchy, getting mad over something like that… It makes her seem so mean.”

And Lily overheard.

Lily couldn’t take it anymore and blew up at Amy.

Now, seeing me walk in, Amy wasn’t embarrassed at all.

She looked almost smug.

“Riley, I was just saying what I thought. You’re not mad, right? Can’t you control your friend? She’s blowing this way out of proportion. Isn’t she just trying to cause problems between us?”

She glanced at Lily, smirking.

She was sure I’d do what I always did: cave, apologize, and put Jamie first.

Even if it meant turning on my best friend.

But she was about to be disappointed.

I looked her in the eye, and I said, clearly and carefully.

“Yes. I am.”

Everyone froze.

Even Lily looked surprised.

Her eyes widened.

She stared at me.

I smiled at her.

Amy looked like she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

She twisted her mouth into a fake smile.

“Riley, what did you just say?”

“I said I’m mad. Talking shit behind my back? Is that how you were raised?”

Amy’s face turned red.

She gave Jamie a pathetic, pleading look.

Tears welled up in her eyes.

Jamie’s handsome face hardened.

But then, something seemed to change his mind.

He just said coldly,

“So, you changed your hair, and I said it didn’t look good. Don’t get your panties in a bunch. But don’t go too far.”

“Calm down, and come see me when you’re ready to talk.”

With that, he grabbed Amy’s hand and left.

I almost laughed.

In his mind.

I was breaking up with him, fighting with Amy, all just because I was being dramatic.

He never thought I was serious.

After they left.

Lily gave me a worried look.

“I’m so sorry, Riley. I didn’t mean to make Jamie mad at you. Maybe I should go apologize to Amy. They can yell at me, hit me, I don’t care!”

Lily was genuinely concerned.

She knew how important Jamie was to me.

I’d do anything for him.

But that was before.

I grabbed her hand.

“Don’t go. Jamie and I broke up.”

Lily’s eyes widened.

“Seriously??”

“Yeah, seriously.”

I gave Lily a quick hug.

I rested my chin on her shoulder, and I almost started crying.

Lily and I had known each other since we were kids.

She got sick and lost all her hair. The other kids made fun of her.

I was the one who beat up anyone who made her cry.

Lily depended on me.

And we liked the same things.

Like snowboarding, surfing, stuff like that.

We became best friends.

But when I met Jamie, everything changed.

I grew my hair out and tried to be sweet and quiet.

I stopped surfing, stopped snowboarding, stopped dancing.

My friends slowly drifted away.

Lily was the only one who stayed.

Real friendship doesn’t need words.

“Lily, thanks for not giving up on me.”

Lily just looked embarrassed.

She patted my shoulder.

“It’s just a breakup. Don’t worry. There are plenty of fish in the sea. I’ll find you someone even better!”

I didn’t take Lily’s words too seriously.

The first thing I did back at school was drop the art club and join the dance club.

I handed in my withdrawal form to the teacher. The other members were there, including Amy.

One of them asked, “Why is Riley quitting? Doesn’t she know it’ll affect her grades?”

Another girl answered.

“What do you expect? She’s been trying to be like Amy, but she can’t keep up. She’s cracking under the pressure.”

The girl was Amy’s roommate, so she was obviously on Amy’s side.

Amy looked pleased, but not too pleased.

I knew she didn’t want me to quit.

Because this was her comfort zone.

The one place she could always beat me.

Amy had been drawing since she was a kid. She was good.

I was just a dabbler.

When I started dating Jamie, he said it was elegant and refined if a girl knew how to draw.

So, I gave up everything else.

I focused on art.

But I hadn’t been doing it as long as Amy.

There was no way I could compete with her.

College clubs are brutal.

Especially when activities are tied to your GPA.

Amy was one of the best artists in the club, so she could arrange everything for herself.

One time, she asked me to go get the art supplies, and I ended up getting splattered with paint “by accident.”

Pictures of me covered in paint ended up on the school forum, and everyone laughed at me.

Of course, she didn’t want me to leave the club.

She couldn’t help asking.

“Does Jamie know you’re quitting the art club?”

“Who gives a flying fuck?!” I answered.

Amy didn’t expect me to be so rude.

I didn’t give her a chance to respond.

I grabbed my approval form from the teacher and walked out.

The next few days were peaceful.

I focused on myself.

I hung out with Lily and the girls.

Then, one night, Jamie called.

He sounded pitiful.

“Riley, I’ve got a stomach ache. Can you bring me my medicine?”

Jamie had a bad stomach.

He got sick a lot, forgot his pills, and would always call me to bring them to him.

I said coldly,

“Jamie, have you forgotten we broke up?”

Jamie was silent for a moment.

He sounded frustrated.

“Can’t you just drop it? I’m giving you an out here. Why are you being so stubborn?”

“I was wrong that day. I shouldn’t have said you looked bad in front of everyone.”

“You’ve been upset long enough. I’m apologizing to you.”

His tone was so condescending, like him apologizing was the biggest favor he could do me.

I didn’t get angry.

When you’re completely done with someone, nothing they say or do matters anymore.

“Jamie, I broke up with you. I mean it.”

I hung up before he could answer.

I sat there for a while, alone.

And finally, I took a deep breath.

Maybe it was my attitude that finally made Jamie realize we were done.

He stopped calling.

But Lily was being so mysterious. She told me to meet her, that she had a surprise for me.

She made me dress up and do my makeup.

I picked out a Ralph Lauren dress.

When I got there, I saw Lily waving.

And standing next to her was a guy.

“Mason Edwards!”

I hurried over and said hi.

I tried to ask Lily what was going on, how Mason ended up here.

Mason was a senior in our department, and a popular guy.

He was handsome, smart, and rich.

Every girl wanted him.

But he was known for being cold and distant.

I didn’t know why he was here with Lily.

“Is this your boyfriend?”

I pulled Lily aside.

Lily looked serious.

“No, he’s your boyfriend.”

Me: ?

When she saw my confused face, Lily laughed and explained.

“I told you I’d find you someone better. I posted on social media, looking for guys who were interested. I put your picture up. If they were interested, they could contact me. And then Mason hit me up.”

“And how did I get Mason’s number? Last time we had a meeting, I asked him a question, and we just added each other.”

“Ugh, that’s not the point. The point is, this is your blind date. Work it, girl. I’m counting on you.”

Me: …

Lily was a terrible wing woman!

No matter how much I glared at her, she just ignored me.

She handed us two tickets to the amusement park, waved at Mason, and ran off.

I was so embarrassed.

Mason seemed to sense my discomfort.

He handed me a bottle of water and said. “Don’t stress. Just think of it as hanging out with a friend. Have you been here before?”

He seemed so relaxed.

Just like his personality, he was easygoing and kind.

I started to relax too.

I figured Mason had something to ask me.

That’s why he asked Lily to set us up.

Otherwise, he’d have girls lining up for him.

He wouldn’t need a blind date.

I let loose.

I went on my favorite rides, waited for Mason to make his move.

Mason was patient.

And he was thoughtful.

I liked the thrill rides.

But I was wearing a dress, which wasn’t ideal.

Mason took off his jacket and put it over my legs.

It made me think of the time Jamie and I came to the amusement park.

When I wanted to go on those rides, he would complain.

“Those are too dangerous!”

“You’re wearing a dress. You can’t do that!”

People are so different.

Just as I was thinking of Jamie, it was like I heard him.

I turned around and saw Amy hanging off his arm.

And then.

They looked right at me.

Me: …