Chapter 1

On the day we finish our SATs, my snobbish deskmate, Ava Levine, insists that we film a graduation confession video together.

I reluctantly agree out of courtesy, but to our surprise, the video goes viral overnight.

Hooked on her newfound fame, she forces her way into my home and demands that I give up my spot at a top university to become an influencer with her.

When I refuse, she starts a livestream at midnight, drawing an audience of a hundred thousand. With fake bruises painted on her body, she bursts into tears and accuses me of sexually assaulting her after I pretend to confess my feelings for her. She also claims that I hold her captive and abuse her.

Her fanatical fans dox me overnight. They splatter red paint across my home and send me razor blades in the mail.

In the ensuing chaos, one of her fans pushes my mom down the stairs, taking her life instantly. Before I can even clear my name, a speeding car runs me over on my way to the police station.

A wave of excruciating pain tears through me. Then, my eyes snap open.

I'm back on the day our exams are over, just as Ava holds up her phone and pleads, "Just pretend to say yes, please. I'm begging you."

Chapter 1

"Zane Sinclair! Be a man. Just pretend to confess your feelings for me on camera. It's not like it'll cost you anything!"

Ava Levine leaned in so close that she was practically pressed against my arm.

Just seconds ago, I'd felt the excruciating pain of heavy tires crushing my ribs.

Now, I was sitting unharmed in my senior-year classroom. Ava stood right in front of me, holding up her phone and pouting.

I'd been reborn.

"Come on, just do it! I'm already recording!" Ava urged, shoving her phone closer to my face. "Look at the camera and say, 'Ava, I've had a crush on you all through high school.'"

A few classmates began egging us on.

"Come on, Zane. The campus belle is giving you a chance. Don't be so ungrateful!"

"Yeah, it's just a quick video for fun. Why the long face?"

In my past life, I'd been too timid to say no under that kind of peer pressure. Blushing furiously, I'd reluctantly played along.

Ava had posted the video online with the caption "The Coldhearted Top Student Has Been Secretly In Love with the Clumsy Beauty for Three Years".

Overnight, it had gone viral and earned her 300,000 followers. From then on, she'd leeched off me and milked me for everything I was worth.

That single video had cost Mom her life and left me as nothing more than a mangled heap of flesh.

I took a deep breath, struggling to contain the rage boiling inside me.

With a sharp flick of my wrist, I slapped the phone right out of Ava's hand. It clattered onto the desk, leaving a crack across the screen.

"Zane Sinclair! Are you out of your mind? You broke my brand-new phone!" Ava shrieked.

I stared at her coldly.

"Stop flattering yourself. I haven't even bothered to remember what your face looks like. And you think I've had a crush on you? Who do you think you are?" I sneered.

The entire classroom fell silent.

Ava stared at me in complete disbelief, tears welling up in her eyes.

"How… How could you say something so cruel?" she whimpered, her voice trembling. "I just thought we could make a video together since we're graduating soon…"

Henry Wright, our class president, immediately jumped to her defense.

He pointed a finger in my face and snapped, "Zane, don't get so full of yourself! So what if your grades are good? Ava is doing you a favor by asking you to record a video with her. What kind of man treats his classmate like this?"

Henry was obsessed with Ava. Everyone knew it.

I shot to my feet, grabbed his finger, and bent it sharply downward. He doubled over in pain, grimacing as he tried to pull away.

"If you care so much about her, why don't you record it with her yourself? Do you think anyone online would want to look at your ugly mug?" I sneered.

I released his hand and turned to Ava, who was still playing the victim.

"Others might not know what you're really like, but I do. Back in our sophomore year, you called a guy from another class poor and threw the breakfast he'd bought you straight into the trash in front of everyone."

I added, stepping closer, "And back in the first semester of our senior year, you lied to your parents about needing money for tutoring just so you could buy a designer handbag."

I let out a cold laugh. "Now, you've figured out that I'll probably score well on the SAT. So you want to ride my coattails and cash in on my reputation as a top student before the results even come out?"

I tilted my head at her mockingly. "Nice little scheme. Too bad you picked the wrong target."

Ava's face drained of color. Her lips trembled, but she couldn't get a single word out.

The way our classmates looked at her changed almost instantly.

Without another word, I grabbed my bag and walked out of the classroom.

The moment I stepped through the school gates, I pulled out my phone and deleted Ava from my Facebook, Instagram, and contacts.

I'd been given a second chance at life. I wasn't about to let that vile woman get anywhere near me again. If she dared to cross me again, I'd make her regret it.

Chapter 2

I sprinted all the way home and shoved open the worn metal security door. The moment I stepped inside, the savory aroma of beef stew greeted me.

Mom came out from the kitchen in a faded yellow apron, carrying a bowl of stew.

"Zane, you're home! How did the exam go?" she asked with a beaming smile, setting the bowl on the table. "I made you some beef stew to help keep your energy up after all that studying."

I looked at the gray strands at her temples and the fine wrinkles around her eyes. My eyes stung, and my throat tightened.

In my past life, that group of crazed fans had cornered Mom in the stairwell.

They'd yanked her hair, spat in her face, and shoved her down the stairs. As she tumbled down, the back of her head had slammed against the concrete steps. Blood had pooled around her.

I strode forward and wrapped my arms tightly around her.

"Mom, I did really well on the exam," I whispered. "Things are going to get better for us."

Mom froze for a second, startled by the sudden affection. Then, she smiled and patted my back.

"Look at you! You must be worked up after the exam. Go wash your hands. Dinner's ready." She chuckled warmly.

After dinner, I grabbed all the money I'd saved and hurried out.

I hired the best locksmith in the neighborhood to replace our old security door with a reinforced steel door. I also had it fitted with a top-of-the-line biometric lock.

Next, I discreetly installed a high-definition security camera equipped with night vision and audio recording in a blind spot in the hallway.

Better safe than sorry. In my past life, I'd learned that lesson the hard way.

Two weeks later, the SAT scores came out.

I scored 1590, placing me among the top scorers in the state.

Local media came to interview me, and my school hung banners celebrating my achievement. Overnight, I became something of a local celebrity.

Ava, on the other hand, hadn't even scored high enough to get into a trade school.

I thought blocking her would put an end to our connection, but I'd underestimated just how shameless some people could be.

Three days after the results came out, I was filling out my college application form at home when a commotion suddenly erupted downstairs.

I hurried to the window and looked down. Ava stood outside in a revealing spaghetti-strap dress, holding up a selfie stick. Behind her was a group of sketchy-looking men and women carrying ring lights and microphones.

She'd actually tracked down my address.

"Hey, everyone. This is where that heartless bastard lives. I can't take it anymore. I'm here today to get the justice I deserve!"

Ava dabbed at her eyes in front of the camera. Her voice blared through a portable loudspeaker, loud enough to echo across the entire apartment complex.

A small crowd of residents had already gathered to watch the drama unfold.

I opened the streaming app and immediately found Ava's livestream. To my surprise, she already had over 20,000 viewers.

As it turned out, although she hadn't gotten my confession video, she'd secretly edited the footage of me knocking her phone out of her hand in the classroom.

She'd posted the clip with a trashy caption—"I supported my boyfriend for three years, only for him to become the top scorer and dump me in front of everyone just because my grades weren't good enough."

The video had racked up over 500,000 likes.

Now, riding that wave of attention, she'd come straight to my place to put me on the spot.

"Just look at this run-down building!" Ava cried. "For all three years of high school, I scrimped and saved to buy him everything, from his study guides to his clothes!"

She paused dramatically, wiping at her eyes before continuing.

"I worked so hard to support him that I had to sacrifice my own studies. And the moment he became the top scorer, he dumped me! Zane Sinclair! You heartless scoundrel! Get your ass down here right now!"

The comment section flooded with messages within seconds.

"What a scumbag! How does someone like him deserve to be the top scorer? We need to expose him!"

"I feel so bad for her. She's been through so much."

"Let's make this go viral. His university needs to expel him!"

The veins on the back of my hand bulged as I gripped the mouse.

Ava was certainly good at making up lies and twisting the truth to play the victim. Plus, that whole crew of influencers was like a pack of flies drawn to the smell of blood, willing to do anything for views and online traffic.

Instead of getting angry, I let out a cold laugh and picked up my phone to call the police.

"Hello. A group of people is causing trouble in my apartment complex. They're disturbing the residents and spreading malicious rumors. Yes, the address is…"

After hanging up, I walked into the kitchen and grabbed a bucket full of dark, murky water left over from mopping the floor the day before.

If Ava was so desperate for attention, I'd give her something worth going viral for.

Chapter 3

I grabbed the bucket of filthy water, which reeked of mold and stale grease, and headed downstairs.

The moment I pushed open the stairwell door, several cameras were shoved right into my face.

Ava's eyes lit up the moment she saw me. She pinched her thigh hard, then came rushing toward me with tears streaming down her face.

"Zane Sinclair! You finally showed your face! Give me back the three years of my youth!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.

Behind her, a heavily tattooed guy named Ethan Carson raised his microphone and shouted, "Guys, the scumbag is here! Get a good look at his pathetic face!"

I didn't waste a word on them. My arm muscles tensed as I swung the bucket toward Ava and the group of influencers.

The filthy water flew through the air and drenched them all.

Ava took the full force of the splash. Dirty water streamed down her hair and into her eyes. Her mascara ran down her face, making her look like something out of a horror movie.

To make matters worse, a few soggy vegetable leaves clung to her spaghetti straps.

The influencers holding the equipment weren't spared, either. Water seeped into their ring lights. The lights crackled with an ominous electrical buzz, then began to smoke and short-circuit.

"What the heck! How dare you throw water on me!" Ethan roared. He wiped a handful of muddy grime off his face, clenched his fists, and charged toward me.

I grabbed the iron shovel leaning by the stairwell entrance and slammed it against the ground.

"Come on! I dare you to take one more step!" I snapped. "You're trespassing on private property and causing a public disturbance. If I beat you to death right now, it'll count as self-defense!"

I glared at Ethan. My sudden move caught him off guard, and he froze in his tracks.

Ava shrieked and pointed an accusing finger at me. "Zane, have you lost your mind? Hundreds of thousands of people are watching this livestream, and you actually dare to hit a woman?"

She turned back to her phone, her voice rising into an ear-splitting screech.

"He's going to hit a woman! Look at this abuser!"

The comment section erupted, but I couldn't have cared less.

Just then, sirens wailed in the distance. Two police cars pulled up at the entrance to the apartment complex.

Several officers marched toward us, their expressions stern.

"What's going on here? Who called the police?" one of them demanded, scanning the scene.

I immediately dropped the shovel and pointed at Ava.

"Officer, these people have been making a racket and disturbing the residents. They've also been spreading lies about me online and damaging my reputation," I said calmly.

The moment Ava saw the officers, she slipped right back to her usual helpless, pitiful act. She covered her face and burst into tears.

"Officer, please don't listen to him!" she sobbed. "We're just a couple going through a breakup. He looked down on me because I didn't get into college. Not only did he dump me, but he also threw filthy water all over me!"

Ethan quickly chimed in. "That's right. It's just a lovers' quarrel. We're her family. We're here to stand up for her."

The officer frowned as he looked at the mess scattered across the ground and the crowd of onlookers.

"Even if this is a personal dispute, you can't go around causing a scene like this! All of you are coming to the station so we can sort this out!" he snapped.

At the police station, I insisted that they open a case and investigate Ava for defamation.

However, Ava stubbornly refused to admit any wrongdoing. She claimed the caption on her video was just an emotional outburst and argued that she hadn't mentioned me by name.

Without clear evidence that her post amounted to defamation, and with no financial losses to point to, the police could only give them a verbal warning.

The moment we walked out of the station, Ava dropped her helpless act. She stepped closer to me and lowered her voice.

"Zane, are you getting mad already? The real show hasn't even started," she murmured, her voice dripping with malice.

"Believe it or not, all I have to do is shed a couple of tears, and those idiots online will tear you apart. I'm going to turn you, the top scorer, into a public enemy. I'll make sure you never get into university," she added, sneering.

I stared at her twisted, greedy face without flinching.

"Go ahead," I replied.

Then, I walked away without looking back.

That evening, a heavily edited version of the video showing me throwing water on Ava shot to the top of the trending charts.

The caption read, "Top scorer exposed as a violent lunatic? Female victim doused in filthy water and threatened while seeking justice!"

The comment section erupted into chaos.

Overnight, tens of thousands of self-proclaimed do-gooders launched a frenzied doxxing campaign against me.

Chapter 4

In less than 24 hours, my personal information had been exposed for the whole world to see. My ID number, home address, and even Mom's work schedule at the supermarket had been posted all over social media.

Early the next morning, I headed out to grab breakfast.

Something squished under my foot.

A huge dead rat—gutted, its belly split wide open—hung from the doorknob. Its intestines spilled onto the floor, and thick, crimson blood streaked the steel door.

Beside the rat, someone had spray-painted a few words in red.

"Abuser! Go to hell!"

The narrow hallway reeked of blood.

Mom came out after hearing the noise. The moment she saw what was outside our door, her knees buckled, and she nearly collapsed.

"W-What's going on? Zane, who on earth have we offended?" she stammered.

I clenched my teeth and caught her before she could fall. My throat felt painfully dry.

"Mom, it's nothing. Just some lunatics playing a sick prank." I steadied her, forcing myself to stay calm. "Don't go to work at the supermarket today. I already called your boss and got you the day off."

Fighting back the nausea churning in my stomach, I disposed of the dead rat and grabbed a mop to scrub away the blood.

Back in my room, I turned on my computer.

Ava was livestreaming. She had caked her face in pale makeup and deliberately painted fake bruises near the corners of her eyes.

Her livestream had already attracted more than 300,000 viewers.

"Everyone, I'm really scared," Ava whimpered, her voice trembling. "Zane didn't just hit me. He even hacked into my computer and threatened to change my college applications. He said he'd make sure I couldn't even get into a community college…"

She paused and lowered her eyes, as if she could barely bear to talk about it.

"I also have a creepy stalker diary he wrote back in his sophomore year. He knows I'm exposing him tonight, so he's desperately trying to get people to come after me!"

The comments flooded in, packed with threats and calls for violence.

"We need to wipe this scum off the face of the earth!"

"Don't be scared. We've got your back!"

"Guys, I have his address. Anyone local, come with me tonight. We're going to smash his place and deliver some justice!"

Her blatant lies had brought out the worst in her fanatical followers.

Just then, my phone buzzed. A text from an unknown number appeared on the screen.

"Zane, we stuffed your mother's locker at the supermarket full of shit. Your house is next. Apologize to Ava now, or we're going to kill your whole family."

I tightened my grip on the phone, digging my fingernails into my palms.

In my past life, Mom had died because of these brainwashed lunatics.

And now, they were back.

By 9:00 pm, it was pitch black outside.

A jumble of footsteps echoed through the stairwell, mixed with the harsh scrape of metal dragging across the floor.

"This is the one! Smash it!" a rough voice roared.

Heavy objects slammed violently against the steel door, each blow reverberating through the apartment. Chunks of plaster broke off the wall around the door and rained down onto the floor.

"Zane Sinclair! Get your ass out here!" a male voice bellowed from the other side of the door. "Come out now, or I'll burn this place down!"

Mom huddled in the corner of the couch, covering her ears as she trembled uncontrollably. Her face had gone deathly pale.

"Zane, call the police. Please…" she pleaded.

I gently patted the back of her hand, then walked over to my desk and turned on my computer.

The pounding grew louder and more frantic. The steel door was sturdy, but even it couldn't withstand that kind of brute force forever. Cracks had begun to form around the doorframe.

Ava stood right outside in the hallway, livestreaming the whole thing with barely concealed excitement.

"Guys, justice is finally being served! We're going to make him pay today!"

The iron hinges shrieked as the door began to give way.

In the hallway, Ava started her triumphant countdown.

"Three! Two! One! Smash it!"

Sitting calmly in front of my computer, I smirked and finally played the trump card I'd been holding.