Chapter 2

"Anya, I want to find a part-time job in the city this summer. Can I stay at your place?"

"I can clean and cook for you. You know my family doesn't have much money, so that's all I can offer."

Seeing Scarlett, with her usual sweet-but-sly demeanor, I couldn't help but shiver.

That deep-seated terror, etched into my very bones, made me hug myself tightly, desperate to find shelter.

Only when I stepped inside the academic building did my heart finally return to a normal rhythm.

"Anya, if you didn't want me to stay, fine, but why are you avoiding me?"

"Yes, your house is huge, a standalone mansion with a garden. Not like me, who doesn't even have a place to call my own in this city. But that's no excuse to look down on me!"

Scarlett's voice wasn't loud, but her tearful act made every passing student stop and stare.

It was exactly like this in my previous life. She used the public opinion of our classmates to force me to take her home.

She was pretty and always spoke with that sweet, manipulative tone. The guys in class absolutely fell for her act.

Even though we were roommates, we weren't really friends. I'm more introverted and usually kept to myself, rarely exchanging more than a few words with her.

But she constantly ridiculed me behind my back, calling me a hick and saying my clothes were totally unfashionable, like something from the sticks.

She even told our other two roommates, Chloe and Harper, not to talk to me, saying it would 'drag them down.'

From then on, it was always the three of them, and me, alone.

I didn't care about any of that; I was used to being by myself.

Until one time, when I was video chatting with my dad in our dorm, she saw my house and asked, dramatically, "OMG, Anya, your house is a mansion?"

"Your dad's so young and handsome! Is he, like, a CEO or something?"

I tried to explain that it was just a modest, single-story house with a small yard, definitely not a mansion.

And my dad was just a regular employee.

I wasn't lying. That small mansion was left to my mom by my grandma. After my mom passed away, it was just my dad and me living there.

But she didn't believe me. After that, she started calling me "Anya" affectionately.

She even began talking to me more in the dorm, often sharing her snacks.

Perhaps my personality was too cold, because soon enough, she reverted to her old self.

But then I noticed she started having more money. She often wore new clothes, new jewelry, and even carried designer bags.

I thought she'd found a good part-time job, but then I saw my mom's bracelet on her wrist. That's when I understood.

"Give it back! That's not yours!"

I grabbed Scarlett's arm, trying to yank the bracelet off, but she shoved me to the floor.

"This is a gift from my boyfriend! Have some shame! You see something nice and claim it's yours? Why don't you claim this bag is yours too? Oh, wait, you're a hick, you wouldn't recognize it!"

After Scarlett finished speaking, Chloe and Harper burst into laughter.

"Yeah, hilarious!"

"Scarlett's bracelet, and you're saying it's yours!"

Even a fool like me could figure out what was happening. My dad, that old pervert, must have given it to Scarlett.

No wonder she'd suddenly gotten so rich. She was leeching off my dad!

"Tell Scarlett to give me back that bracelet!"

"Otherwise, I'll expose you to your company! They'll find out exactly what kind of man you are!"

My dad didn't care about my mom or me, but he cared about his reputation.

Sure enough, Scarlett returned the bracelet soon after. She wanted to smash it, but she was probably afraid she couldn't afford to replace it, so she gently placed it in front of me.

"Hmph, I don't care! Your dad will buy me an even bigger one!"

I ignored her, carefully putting the bracelet away.

My dad probably wouldn't buy her a real one; he'd just get a cheap fake for a couple hundred bucks. After all the money he spent on her bags, he wouldn't want to 'invest' too much more.

Before today, we hadn't spoken for a month.

In my previous life, once she moved into my house, her true colors immediately showed, and her manipulative charm had my dad completely under her spell.

Despite the atrocious weather outside, freezing everything, he ruthlessly sent me out for supplies, afraid I'd interrupt their time together.

I still remember, when the hailstones started, I knelt at the front door, begging them to open up and let me in.

But no one answered. I was simply beaten to death by the hail.

As my last breath left my body, I saw my dad, arm around Scarlett, emerge from the house. Bundled in thick winter coats, they stared at my bloodied form, completely emotionless.

Scarlett looked down at my corpse with disdain, her voice overly dramatic.

"Oh, honey~ Why didn't Anya knock when she got to the door?"

"It's all your fault for being so impatient, otherwise we could have come out to check on her sooner."

"It was her fate. Besides, with this awful weather, who knows how long it'll last? One less mouth to feed."

Then, my dad stepped over my hail-pitted body, picked up some scattered food from the ground, and walked away.

My entire body ached, a phantom pain. I shook my head hard, trying to clear the memory.

Seeing that I hadn't responded, Scarlett, once again, spouted her usual 'innocent victim' nonsense.

"Anya, I'm beneath you. I don't deserve to be your friend."