Chapter 1

A hurricane was hitting the city. The floor-to-ceiling glass in the corporate lobby shattered with a deafening crash.

Instinctively, I moved. In my past life, I reached out to grab my coworker, but she used my momentum to tumble right into our boss’s arms, screaming:

"Someone pushed me!"

I was the only one standing near her. Dozens of eyes locked onto me, and no matter what I said, nobody believed me.

Back then, that single accusation ruined me. The entire office bullied and isolated me until I was forced out, eventually spiraling into clinical depression and jumping from the roof.

Only later did I discover they were sleeping together all along. I had accidentally walked in on them hooking up, and they had plotted my downfall ever since.

Now, opening my eyes again, the howling wind whipped into the lobby. The two of them were already exchanging sneaky glances, ready to perform their little routine.

Fine. Let's see how well your act plays out this time.

The moment the glass shattered, I moved.

Except this time, I didn't reach out.

Instead, I took a step back, letting the rain-soaked gale slice past my arm.

"Ahhh—!"

A blood-curdling scream erupted alongside the explosion of glass.

It wasn't me, of course. It was Mandy—who was supposed to fall gracefully into our boss’s embrace.

She clearly hadn't anticipated me dodging her rehearsed choreography. Thrown completely off balance, she tipped backward into empty air.

There were no warm, waiting arms to catch her.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of our Project Director, Mark. He was standing about two steps away, holding a paper coffee cup, an expression of sheer panic frozen on his face.

He lunged forward to grab her, but his fingers only brushed Mandy’s elbow.

"Crash!"

His coffee hit the marble floor, dark brown liquid splattering across the slick tiles.

Mandy slammed violently onto the ground. Jagged shards tore through her expensive wool skirt, and dark red blood instantly seeped through her ripped pantyhose around her ankle.

The wind roared through the open lobby, leaving debris everywhere.

A few coworkers who hadn't made it out before the storm stood rooted to the spot in shock.

The AC was blasting cold air, blending with the smell of rain, ozone, and dust.

Mandy was sprawled on the floor in absolute misery. When she lifted her head, her pristine makeup was ruined, strands of wet hair plastered to her forehead. A flicker of disbelief and pure venom flashed in her eyes before being masked by a flood of tears.

She tried to scramble up, but a sharp pain in her leg sent her collapsing back down.

"Mandy!"

Snapping out of his daze, Mark rushed over with a pale face. Tossing his briefcase aside, he slid his arms under her shoulders and hauled her halfway into his chest.

They clung to each other in a ridiculously intimate position.

"Chloe!" Mark’s voice cracked with fury and poorly disguised guilt.

"You were standing right next to her! Why didn't you catch her? Did you do that on purpose?!"

Here it was.

The exact script from my previous life.

The exact same accusation, the exact same self-righteous tone.

Even that impatient, desperate urge to pin the blame on me was identical.

I lifted my chin slightly, looking over Mark’s trembling shoulders straight into Mandy’s tearful, malicious eyes.

"Catch her?" I asked calmly, letting just the right amount of genuine confusion lace my tone.

"Mark, when the glass broke, Mandy was standing at least three feet away from me. What was I supposed to catch? Thin air?"

"You're lying!"

Mandy shrieked. Pushing against Mark's arm, she tried to stumble up, tears streaming down her face even harder.

"You were... you were closest to me! When the glass shattered, I panicked and tried to back away, but you—you dodged and deliberately shoved me! That's why I fell!"

She pointed an accusatory, shaking finger at me. "You’ve always resented me for taking the lead on the Apex Project! You're petty and jealous because someone's doing better than you!"

"You took advantage of this storm to humiliate me in the lobby—or worse, to hurt me so I couldn't go on-site!"