Chapter 1

I was the only one in my family cursed—or blessed—with the ability to reset my life upon death.

Even before I could properly talk, my mother would cover the grimy walls with lottery numbers written in charcoal, forcing me to memorize them.

If I mispronounced or misremembered a number, my mother would take a needle and meticulously stitch the incorrect digits onto my arm, each jab a painful reminder, meant to "deepen my memory."

By the time I turned six, I had memorized every lottery number from every drawing since my birth.

For the first time in my life, my father actually took me to town. He even bought me an ice cream, fulfilling a long-held wish.

But it was also that day my father, beaming with an eerie excitement, led me to the edge of a desolate cliff.

"Maya, you've enjoyed such a privileged life. Now it's time to pay us back."

The next second, my father shoved me off the steep precipice.

When I opened my eyes again, I had reset to my three-year-old self.

My parents stood over me, their faces alight with eager anticipation.

"Maya, what are today's winning lottery numbers?"