Chapter 1

At the dinner celebrating my acceptance into a top-tier graduate program, my aunt Diana stared at the acceptance letter in my hand and suddenly gave a cold laugh.

"That school really will let anyone in these days!"

The whole room went quiet.

Aunt Marge, sitting at the same table, asked quickly, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Diana threw me a glance and went on.

"It's not the kind of family shame you air in public, but they had the nerve to throw a whole dinner for this!"

"How many boyfriends has Nellie Henson gone through by now? The last one was even a Black guy!"

"Got dumped the second she'd been used up, and it's not even been a week since her abortion!"

When she finished, every pair of eyes in the room swung to Julius Simmons, the boy I'd grown up with, my partner of many years, my fiancé.

The Simmons family was one of the old established families in the area, and nothing mattered to them more than rules and reputation.

Everyone was waiting for him to turn on me.

I was shaking with anger, desperate to explain that none of it was true.

The next second, a woman glowing with white light appeared in front of me.

"Don't explain. The actor your cousin hired is right outside the door. The moment you open your mouth, he'll bring the man in and beat you to death!"

"I'm you, from your last life. Look at how I ended up and you'll understand!"

"Let them talk. The more they say, the deeper the hole they dig, and by the end it'll be them on their knees begging!"

I froze, then pulled out my phone and sent my best friend a message.

Already seated, she immediately raised the Sony camcorder in her hands and pointed it at the whole room.

I gave a cold laugh.

"Go on. What else do you know? Keep talking!"

1

The entire banquet hall went so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Nobody had expected me not to deny it, let alone tell them to keep going.

Diana Finch stalled for a beat, then looked even more pleased with herself.

"I know a lot more than you think."

"Your cousin is your own academic advisor. He's heard about every single one of your scandals!"

"Isn't that right, son?"

Connor Henson set down his chopsticks and smoothed the front of his shirt.

He looked like he was trying to hold her back, but every word was another knife in me.

"Mom, why bring all this up? Julius is right here. How's Nellie supposed to face him after this?"

"Can't we just pretend we don't know? Why does it have to get dragged out?"

Then he turned to Julius, who was standing beside me with a face like thunder.

"Julius, take it from me. Young people these days all like to have their fun."

"As long as she settles down after the wedding and devotes herself entirely to you, don't hold her past against her!"

"A woman who's had an abortion can still bear children. It doesn't lower her worth!"

The relatives below started murmuring.

"Even Connor says so. Then it's probably true!"

"A university teacher wouldn't lie, would he? An advisor's whole job is keeping students in line!"

"My God, are girls really this loose now?"

I stepped forward, ready to fire back, and the woman glowing with white light grabbed my wrist.

"Now isn't the time to strike back!"

"With people like this, you have to take them down in one blow!"

"Otherwise he'll only come at you harder next time!"

I realized I was the only one who could see her.

My parents shot up from their seats, slamming the table, about to demand why family would spread lies like this.

But I got there first.

"So by what you're saying, my aunt's whole story about me having a string of boyfriends and getting abortions for them, that came from you?"

The sleazy smile froze on Connor's face.

"Yeah, I said it!"

"But how was I supposed to know my mom couldn't keep her mouth shut!"

"Don't go blaming her for it."

Diana Finch instantly clapped her hands together and cried out, "Everyone, you be the judge! A genius girl who gets into a top graduate program sleeps around and has abortions, and we're not even allowed to say so!"

"What is the world coming to? Is telling the truth a crime now?"