Chapter 5

When the jeweler opened the box to reveal a set of cheap, gold-plated trinkets wrapped in red velvet, the entire room fell silent.

Not even Aria said a word.

Honestly, even I couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief.

No wonder Colin didn’t want to store them in a bank or have anyone verify them. He couldn’t even be bothered to spring for convincing props—he was trying to frame me with the cheapest fake gold imaginable.

And yet, these fake gold bars were the reason I lost my life in my last life.

I couldn’t help but wonder what terrible thing I must have done in a past life to deserve being tangled up with people like Aria and Colin in this one.

Colin’s entire family sat there with faces as pale as ghosts, unable to say a word.

My aunt and uncle, furious and humiliated, tried to drag Aria out of the restaurant, but Aria just sat in her chair, sobbing uncontrollably, refusing to leave.

“Colin, explain this! Tell me this isn’t true!” she cried.

But Colin stayed silent, refusing to meet her gaze.

I didn’t waste any more time watching their drama unfold. I grabbed my parents and left the restaurant, leaving them to sort out their mess on their own.