Chapter 1

I did everything to be a good friend, only to be treated as my so-called best friend’s scapegoat.

When her husband found cigarette ash in their house, she claimed I was the one smoking.

When she snuck off for a private rendezvous with her lover, she told him she was celebrating my birthday.

And when she got pregnant, she pinned the blame on me again, declaring I was consumed with jealousy—that I had spiked her drink and hired someone to violate her.

Enraged, her husband marched to my doorstep wielding a blade and hacked me to death.

When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to the exact day she had asked me to cover for her affair.

Chapter 1

“It’s just a tiny favor, what’s the big deal? Are you my best friend or no?

“I really have an emergency. Do you really want to stand by and watch my marriage fall apart?

“Come on, I’m counting on you again!”

My best friend Chloe Crawford’s voice squawked through the speaker. Not waiting for my reply, she hanged up on me.

Before I could even process what had happened, violent pounding shattered the quiet at my front door.

The next second, a deafening bang echoed through the hallway as the heavy wood was kicked wide open.

Chloe’s husband, Julian Bennett, burst inside in a blind fury, flanked by a gang of burly men.

The moment he crossed the threshold, he pointed a shaking finger at my face, screaming at me as spit flew everywhere.

“Look at that! My wife’s cursed best friend!

“Chloe was such a devoted, sweet little wife!

“But ever since meeting this woman, it was as if she turned into another person. Stopped doing housework, picked up smoking and drinking. Now she spends all day outside and barely comes home! My perfectly good wife was utterly corrupted!

“Today’s supposed to be our wedding anniversary! I worked so hard to get everything ready, but this woman threatened suicide just to force my wife to come celebrate her birthday. Talk about a toxic friend!”

After hurling his accusation, Julian glared at me with vicious hatred, bellowing furiously:

“Chloe isn’t answering her phone, ignoring my texts, and now her line is dead! Where the hell are you hiding her?”

At Julian’s outcry, the imposing men behind him immediately began murmuring, casting disdainful, revolted sneers in my direction.

“She looks pretty enough, but what a total jinx!”

“Seriously, what’s wrong with the woman? Does she get high on ruining other people’s marriage?”

“If my wife had a friend like this, I’d beat her half to death! Julian’s being way too soft!”

…

Staring at the eerily familiar scene unfolding around me, shock crashed over me as I realized I had been reborn.

I had returned to the exact day Chloe went off to meet her lover and demanded I cover her tracks!

Because I had agreed to help, Julian’s fury reached a tipping point when Chloe eventually got pregnant and pinned the blame on me. Driven mad by rage, he showed up at my door with a blade and hacked me to death in cold blood.

In that past life, Chloe had done exactly what she just did—calling me under the guise of an urgent emergency to demand I cover for her.

She pulled every moral card in the deck, claiming refusing to help would make me a fake friend and the sole cause of their marital strife.

Piling one guilt trip after another on me, she left me with no choice but to agree.

Yet after everything, when she fell pregnant, she used me as her scapegoat, sending me to a brutal, gruesome end.

Now that I thought of it, that had been far from the first time Chloe used me as her excuse.

The habit started long ago.

She blamed me for shattering Julian’s prized watch, claiming I had dropped it while visiting their house.

When she snuck her lover, Marcus Thorne, into their home behind Julian’s back and the adulterer left cigarette ash scattered around, she swore up and down that I was the one who smoked.

Chapter 2

She had even ditched Julian on their wedding anniversary to hook up with Marcus, spinning a lie that she was out celebrating my birthday.

Yet when she came to me, her pitch was totally different—claiming some sudden emergency and begging me to cover for her.

She played both sides like a fiddle, running circles around both her husband and friend.

Every single time she threw me under the bus, she would play the victim, crying about how paranoid and violent Julian was. She swore he would beat her and that I was her only way out.

Seeing how remorseful she acted, I let it slide every time.

I was too softhearted, and that cost me my life.

Because of that very hookup, she ended up pregnant with Marcus’s baby.

When Julian found out, she claimed I was consumed with jealousy—that I had spiked her drink and set her up to get assaulted.

Julian, who already hated my guts, lost his mind, showed up at my house with a cleaver and hacked me down in cold blood.

Even now, I could still feel the agonizing blade tearing through my throat. Just thinking about it sent shivers down my spine.

After I bled out, Chloe snuggled up next to her husband, gloating over my corpse before helping him dump my body out in the middle of nowhere.

“Babe, she totally deserved it! That’s what she gets for always trying to drive a wedge between us!”

Only then did I realize she had been whispering poisonous lies into his ear all along, painting me as the villain tearing their marriage apart. No wonder he loathed me so horribly.

What a sick joke. I did everything she asked, only to be used like a fool.

Thank God fate gave me a second chance.

I was done being a fool, and I sure as hell wouldn’t agree to be her excuse again.

When I snapped back to reality, Julian was still screaming at the top of his lungs.

“Hand my wife over right now!”

In my past life, desperate to cover for her, I spun lie after lie, claiming she had just stepped out to pick up a birthday cake for me.

I had even tried to play peacemaker, reminding him that it was my birthday and begging him not to cause a scene.

To keep her cover intact, I even offered to pay Julian compensation for taking up her time on their anniversary.

He was quick to agree, shaking me down for thirty grand on the spot—more than half a year’s salary.

Yet for Chloe’s sake, I didn’t even blink. I sent the money right over.

And how did my generosity get rewarded? With a gruesome death.

Thanks to my playing along, her secret rendezvous remained a secret, eventually leading to her pregnancy.

Later, she claimed I had laced her drink out of pure envy, using the sum of money as proof to seal the verdict.

“If you didn’t hire someone to ruin me, if your conscience was clear, why on earth did you send us all that money?”

Because of that, everyone turned on me. Friends and family disowned and avoided me like the plague.

And in the end, I was butchered and tossed in the open like some animal parts.

Not this time. I was done keeping her secrets.

I let out a cold laugh, enunciating every word with icy sharpness: “How should I know where your wife is? You ought to ask her yourself.”

Reaching into my bag, I pulled out my ID and shoved it in his face.

“See for yourself. My birthday is October 20. You keep barking that I dragged her over here, but today isn’t even my birthday!

“On top of that, you’re claiming I’m hiding her here? Take a good look around—do you see a hiding spot?”

My words left the crowd stunned.

One of the heavy-set guys nudged Julian’s elbow, whispering under his breath:

“Julian, man, this place looks totally empty. Plus, it really isn’t her birthday. Are you sure we didn’t get the wrong idea?”

Chapter 3

I thought they would have the sense to back off, but Julian just glared, his brows twitching as he sneered:

“Are you calling my wife a liar?

“So what if it isn’t your birthday? You could still pull some other trick to lure her out!

“If she isn’t hidden here, then you obviously sent her off somewhere else! Who knows what kind of sick games you dragged my wife into?

“Because of you, she didn’t give a toss about our anniversary!”

Bellowing in my face, Julian roared, “You call Chloe back right now, or this will get ugly!”

What a clown.

Chloe wasn’t anywhere in my apartment. Did he expect me to pull a woman out of thin air?

Seeing me stand there motionless, Julian flew into a rage, snatching up a vase beside him and smashing it onto the floor, again spitting menace:

“If I don’t see my wife today, I’m tearing your damn house down!”

Turning around, he rallied the gang with a wave of his hand.

“Get to work, guys! Smash shit until she opens her damn mouth!”

I tried to step in and stop them, but I was completely overpowered. Towering over me, those muscle-bound goons forced their way into my home like a pack of bandits pillaging a village.

They destroyed every single item in their sight, breaking my antique vases and tearing my precious art pieces to shreds.

Sounds of splintering wood and popping glass echoed everywhere, and within seconds, the floor was carpeted in chaos—fragments of fine china, broken teapots, torn vintage scrolls...

Many of the pieces were rare collectibles my parents had brought back as gifts from abroad, and seeing them destroyed set my blood boiling with fury.

Just then, one of the men caught sight of an alabaster vase sitting on my shelf, right next to several diamond-studded and gold accessories.

Their eyes instantly gleamed with unfiltered greed as they snatched up the alabaster piece and the heavy gold chains.

“Well, damn. Didn’t expect this chick to have stuff this valuable lying around!”

“This is real alabaster—must be worth a fortune! And check out this watch, it’s covered in diamonds!”

“This gold chain’s got serious weight, too. Where does she get all this money?”

“Probably knockoffs! Even so, this stuff’s not cheap!”

Blinded by avarice, they pocketed my valuables all while chatting cheerfully.

Watching their brazen act of theft, my temper flared as I barked with rage:

“This is home invasion, robbery, and felony destruction of property! I can call the cops right now and put every single one of you behind bars!”

They paused for a brief second, then burst into uproarious laughter, smashing things even harder with sleazy smugness.

“What are you gonna do about it?”

“Call the cops on us? Think again, silly!”

Julian shoved me violently to the floor, then stood over me with a murderous scowl.

“Before you get the chance to call the cops, we’ll sue you for malicious deception. You tricked and spirited my wife away to God knows where!

“Besides, where did you get this kind of money anyway? Probably selling your body, right?

“You should be grateful we haven’t turned you in for prostitution. Still wanna call the cops? Let’s see who they’re eager to drag away!

“Also, this is dirty money—we’re doing the Lord’s work!

“Keep at it, boys! We’re doing the world a favor!”

Emboldened by his words, the thugs went completely wild, tearing my place apart, plundering every expensive item they could find, murmuring under their breath, “We struck gold! Big money!”

The force of the push hurled me headfirst into the sharp corner of the table. A huge knot swelled on my forehead, sending a wave of blinding pain and dizziness over my vision. It took me a long while to regain my senses.

Chapter 4

I glared at them with suppressed fury. These bottom-feeders were utterly devoid of basic human decency.

Since they were playing dirty, I had no reason to hold back.

While they were completely absorbed in plundering my place, I pulled out my phone to dial 911.

“Doing the Lord’s work, huh? Perfect—let’s see what the cops have to say about that!” I was raging inside.

Before I could hit call, Julian reached over and snatched my phone, hurling it across the room. The next instant, a vicious, cracking slap landed on my face.

“This should show you how to behave! I’ve had enough of your bullshit!

“If it weren’t for the fact that you’re Chloe’s bestie, I would’ve chopped you up ages ago!

“Calling the cops? You’re begging for this!”

Stars exploded across my vision as blood trickled from the corner of my mouth, my cheek throbbing with white-hot pain.

Just as I was about to bite back, one of the thugs chimed in, suggesting they film my disheveled state and stream it online to humiliate me.

“Great idea. Let’s do it!”

A sickening, cruel smirk spread across Julian’s face. He immediately barked at his men to pin me down while he fired up a livestream on his phone.

Positioning himself in front of the lens, Julian put on a masterclass in playing the victim, twisting the truth and spinning flat-out lies.

He painted me as the toxic best friend who did nothing but poison his wife’s mind against him.

He claimed I corrupted his sweet wife, sending her into habits of smoking, drinking and eventually abandoning him on their anniversary just to celebrate my birthday. And that she went missing after arriving at my place.

To make matters worse, he started fabricating disgusting rumors on the spot, asserting that I was getting paid to sleep around with married men. How else, he argued, could a single young woman afford such a luxury apartment full of high-end collectibles?

The livestream exploded instantly. Shockwaves ripped through the comment section as viewers flooded the chat.

Male viewers immediately showered Julian with sympathy:

“I feel for you, man. Your wife has a shit taste for picking her as a bestie.”

“My girlfriend’s toxic bestie is the bane of my existence. Always brainwashing her, trash-talking me, nearly driving us to a breakup!”

“A toxic bestie is literally public enemy number one for every guy out there!”

Meanwhile, female viewers, green with envy over my lifestyle, threw shade and passive-aggressive insults across the screen:

“Young girls these days have zero shame, playing home-wreckers to buy themselves nice stuff.”

“I know right? No way she earns all of that with a day job. Look at the luxury brands—she’s definitely some rich guy’s plaything!”

“I just loathe side chicks. They should all rot in hell!”

Naturally, a few commenters had even wilder theories:

“Man, you better watch your back. Maybe this girl is obsessed with you and trying to sabotage your marriage so she can have you!”

“For real! Haven’t you heard the saying? Keep your friends close, but away from your man!”

At that, Julian let out a smug chuckle. He grabbed my chin, squeezing hard as his eyes swept over me with disgust.

“Vivian, do you actually have a thing for me?

“Too bad I don’t care for sluts. Chloe told me all about how wild and loose you are. I can’t even imagine your body count.”

I clenched my fists so hard my knuckles turned white.

Chloe really never missed a single chance to throw me under the bus. She was the one sleeping around and living a double life, yet she pinned that reputation onto me.

What an utter fool I was to have ever called her my friend.

Julian’s smug smirk made my stomach churn, and I jerked my head back to break free from his filthy grip.

While he sat there spouting nonsense about me being loose, I couldn’t help but wonder—what kind of pathetic look would land on his face when he found out what Chloe was doing this instant?

Chapter 5

Meanwhile, the comment section degenerated into total hysteria, with netizens egging Julian on to destroy my home.

“That piece of trash deserves to have her place leveled! Teach her a lesson!”

“That’s right! We’ll drop a gift every time you smash something!”

Right on cue, donations started pouring in, sending the livestream’s earnings skyrocketing by the second.

Watching the money rolling in, Julian forgot all about looking for Chloe. He went on a manic rampage, smashing literally anything and everything within sight.

The thugs too ignored me entirely as they pulled out their own phones to start livestreams and join in on the destruction.

“Alright bros! Drop some big bucks in the chat and name whatever you want me to smash next! We’re putting this bitch in her place!”

I tried again to stop them, only to get kicked viciously out of the way.

Taking advantage of their distraction, I crept toward my phone, grabbed it, and swiftly texted the emergency line.

As the rampage continued, a few sharp-eyed viewers tried to stop them from their indiscriminate destruction.

“Wait! That antique teapot must be five figures!”

“That painting is a rare collector’s piece. It must cost a fortune!”

Julian and his crew merely scoffed in disdain.

“Just a pile of cheap knockoffs. The woman could never afford the real deal. Don’t get played!”

With a harsh laugh, he slammed the teapot onto the floor, sending it shattered into pieces, then tore the rare painting straight down the middle.

Egged on by the stream’s pay-to-play demands, they swept through my vanity like a tornado, wiping off all my high-end cosmetics, leaving glass bottles and serum jars shattered everywhere.

They even took a hammer to my fine wines, reducing priceless vintages into crimson puddles.

My blood boiled with sheer fury, but what came next pushed me past the point of sanity.

Once my home was practically reduced to rubble, Julian’s eyes landed on an exquisitely carved rosewood box sitting on a corner table.

The second he reached out for it, panic and rage erupted inside me as I screamed out: “Stop! Don’t touch that!”

It was my mother’s ashes contained in that box.

I lunged forward, desperate to snatch the box out of his grasp.

Seeing my panicked reaction, Julian’s cruel amusement only spiked.

“Oh, you care so much about this thing? Guess I must smash it then!”

The chat exploded with gleeful malice, viewers raining down donations just to see him break the box.

Julian raised an eyebrow, casting me a sickening, mocking smirk.

Just as my fingers were about to reach the box, he dropped it. The box hit the ground, splitting into several pieces as a cloud of grey ash scattered all across the floor.

“Mom!”

My eyes turned blood-red as I threw myself onto the floor like a madwoman, trying desperately to scoop the ashes back into the splintered box, but it was all in vain.

A sharp sting hit my nose, then hot tears spilled in streams down my face.

Julian stood over me, spewing ridicule: “I thought it was something valuable! Just some powder, what’s the big deal? You’re acting like I killed your mom!”

Taken over by thunderous rage, I sprang up and slammed two vicious slaps across his face.

The blows left his cheeks instantly swollen and bruised.

“You bastards deserve to rot in hell! You wouldn’t even spare the dead! That was my mother!

“So you had a thrill destroying my home. Now get ready to cough up compensation!”

Humiliated in front of his entire stream audience, all reason left Julian as he raised his fist to strike me back.

“Bullshit! Your mom’s not dead! Chloe literally attended her birthday party three days ago—she’s alive and well! Stop lying to my face!

“Chloe even asked me for five grand to get her a gift!”

My hands clenched into tight, trembling fists.

Chapter 6

Three days ago—wasn’t that when Chloe and Marcus were on their romantic getaway?

It was one thing for her to throw me under the bus, but she had the nerve to drag my late mother into her web of lies!

Just as my rage was about to boil over, the police arrived, putting an end to the chaos.

“Who sent the distress text message? What exactly is going on here?”

Julian shot me a venomous glare. I opened my mouth to speak, but he beat me to it, playing the victim and launching a shameless false accusation.

“Officers, you came just in time! This woman is my wife’s best friend. She tricked my wife into coming here, and she’s been missing ever since. I was worried sick and couldn’t get a hold of her, so I came over to search the place.

“While looking for my wife, I found out this woman’s running an escort business out of her home! Officers, you can’t let her walk free!”

I let out an incredulous laugh then fired back:

“You forced your way into my home under the pretense of looking for your wife, maliciously destroyed my private property and stole my jewelry.

“On top of that, you assaulted me physically, even ran a livestream to spread slanderous lies about me. All of that will send you behind bars for a very long time!”

Julian’s face turned pale, though he barked back: “You’re making things up! Do you have any proof? I have witnesses!”

The moment the words left his mouth, the thugs stepped forward one after another to back him up, claiming I was lying through my teeth.

When one officer turned to me and asked if I had any evidence to back up my claims, I remained silent.

Seeing me fall quiet, Julian beamed with smug triumph and urged the policemen:

“Please, take her away! You can’t let a criminal like her roam the street!”

Under the thugs’ mocking stares, my lips curled into a smile as I pulled up the feed from my home security system.

“You want proof? My cameras caught every single thing you did on tape!”

Handing the footage over to the police, I continued:

“They broke into my apartment out of nowhere and ransacked the place.”

I then laid out the entire sequence of events in detail. After reviewing the footage, the senior officer turned toward the thugs, his eyes cold and lethal.

“Outrageous! This is a blatant violation of the law!”

Julian had never expected me to have a card up my sleeve. His face turned sour at once, but still he refused to yield.

“I mean, you can’t blame it all on me! If she hadn’t kidnapped my wife, I wouldn’t have smashed any of her stuff!

“I can’t reach my wife at all! She must have done something to her!

“Where are you hiding her? What did you do to my Chloe?”

Where else could she possibly be? Out on a date with her secret lover, that was where.

Telling myself that, still I maintained a look of innocent concern.

“I genuinely have no idea where Chloe is. She only told me it was an emergency and begged me to cover for her, but she never specified where she was going.

“I haven’t been able to reach her either. Could something have happened to her?”

With that, I pleaded with the officers to help locate Chloe’s whereabouts.

I was done covering her dirty little secret. Now was the time to unveil her true colors to the world.

To speed up the search, I suggested leveraging the power of social media, posting online an urgent missing person alert.

The police acted immediately.

Before long, a response popped up in the inbox, with an attached photo.

When the file was opened, everyone in the room froze on the spot.

In the photo, Chloe was arm in arm with a strange man, the two exchanging an intimate smile—right in front of the entrance of a hotel.