Chapter 1

My wife and her lover murdered me. As I lay dying, she leaned in and whispered in my ear, "The baby is his. I never loved you. Marrying you was just my backup plan!"

Years ago, I couldn't bear to see her getting bullied by the school jock, so I stepped in to save her.

Little did I know, she actually fell in love with her bully, enjoying every bit of his toxic abuse.

Under their mocking glares, I slowly closed my eyes.

But when I opened them again, I was back in high school—specifically, the exact day the bully was cornering her in the parking lot. This time, I decided to pull up a chair and enjoy the show: "Go ahead, abuse her. I’ll just treat this as a free movie!"

"Damn it, this bastard is hard to kill!"

A beefy guy with bleached blonde hair stood behind me, wrapping a thick electrical cord around my neck and pulling it back with all his might!

The wire dug deep into my flesh. No matter how hard I clawed at it, I couldn't loosen it even a millimeter. Instead, I only ended up tearing my own throat into a bloody mess.

My lungs burned like fire, convulsing violently from the lack of oxygen. I opened my mouth wide, desperate for air, but not a single breath came.

My vision began to go black, and the shadow of death crept over me.

Right then, the bedroom door clicked open.

My sweet, beautiful wife, Melanie Davis, appeared at the door. Her eyes widened in shock.

Hope flared inside me. I desperately gestured to her, silently begging her to call the cops.

But the next words from behind me turned my blood to ice.

"Bitch, get over here and help me hold him down!" Marcus Carter barked.

And Melanie, my supposedly elegant wife, actually walked over submissively. She threw her weight onto my arms and legs, pinning me down so I couldn't struggle anymore!

Why?!

My eyes bulged as I stared at her in utter disbelief.

Perhaps reading the confusion in my eyes, Melanie leaned down and kissed Marcus right in front of me, her hands already wandering inappropriately.

Marcus grunted impatiently, "Not now! I'm busy, bitch. I'll satisfy you later! Help me finish this first!"

Melanie kept her weight on me, whispering in my ear, "Do you still remember Marcus?"

I tried to turn my head in shock, but the man behind me didn't give me the chance.

Yes. I had always found him vaguely familiar. With Melanie’s reminder, it finally clicked. The man strangling me was none other than Marcus Carter—the high school bully who used to harass her!

How?

When did they start sleeping behind my back? And why would Melanie do this to me?!

I couldn't ask a single question now. My vision tunneled, darkness encroaching, and my strength faded into nothingness.

Melanie leaned even closer, her breath hot against my ear as she whispered, "The baby is his. I never loved you. Marrying you was just my backup plan because you were rich and stupid!"

With that, she let out a delighted, mocking laugh!

From the hallway, our daughter’s crying echoed. Maybe the noise had scared her. But I had no time to worry about that. My vision went completely black, and my consciousness plunged into absolute darkness.

***

I didn't know how much time had passed.

"Hey! Why are you spacing out? Wait, did you seriously fall asleep?"

A familiar voice called out near my ear.

I blinked my eyes open. I was sitting in a familiar classroom. Outside the window, the final bell of the day was ringing. Teenagers in high school clothes were laughing and chatting as they packed up. I looked down and saw myself in the same school hoodie.

Did I... travel back in time?

Back to high school?

"Hey, I'm talking to you!"

A slender, pale hand waved in front of my face.

I turned my head. My desk partner was staring at me with a frown. It was none other than my future wife, Melanie Davis!

For a moment, I didn't know how to react.

But in this lifetime, I already knew that beneath her innocent, angel-like facade hid a rotten, filthy heart.

"Don't forget, you have to walk me to my car today. I’m scared I’ll run into Marcus again!"

Melanie said as she began packing her backpack.

Her words triggered a flood of dusty memories.

Melanie and I had been lab partners since junior year. Back then, I was completely head-over-heels for her. I would drive twenty minutes out of my way every single morning just to get her favorite Starbucks order, and I practically did all her AP science projects. I spent so much money on her that I was always broke.

To put it bluntly, I was her ultimate simp.

For the past couple of days, Marcus had been bothering her. She wanted me to walk her out today specifically to use me as a shield against him.

In my past life, I thought Melanie genuinely detested Marcus. But now I knew better.

Whatever sick game they were playing, I wasn’t going to be their pawn anymore.

I shook my head and said, "Go on without me. I have some stuff to take care of."

As soon as the words left my mouth, Leo Barnes, Melanie’s childhood friend, popped out of nowhere. "Melanie, I can walk you out. We park in the same lot anyway."

Leo had always played the "best friend" card, texting Melanie 24/7. Whenever Melanie and I had a disagreement, he’d immediately swoop in to comfort her while subtly talking trash about me.

He was the textbook "Nice Guy," always trying to show how sweet and caring he was.

But unfortunately for Leo, he was about to run straight into a brick wall today.