Chapter 1

My best friend's house was uninhabitable after a hurricane, so she begged me to take her whole family in for a while.

I figured she was my only real friend.

Letting them stay a few days wouldn't hurt.

But once the whole family had moved in.

The red wine I'd been saving, the designer things I'd just bought.

All of it disappeared, taken by my best friend and her brother.

My expensive jewelry started vanishing too, piece after piece.

When I finally understood how serious it had gotten.

I told them to leave.

That very night.

My best friend's brother forced himself on me.

And my best friend, along with their parents.

Just stood in the doorway with their arms crossed, laughing.

In the end I was strangled to death.

Their family buried my body under a tree in the garden.

Then forged a suicide note and seized everything I owned.

When I opened my eyes again.

I was back a few days before Lewis Simmons assaulted me.

I slipped quietly out of bed and left the bedroom, meaning to catch them while they were still asleep.

And burn this house to the ground.

...

The moment I stepped out of my room, the living room was pitch black and dead quiet.

I crept toward the storage room on the balls of my feet.

Remembering the humiliation of my last life.

I decided to make the whole family pay.

They loved taking over my house, didn't they?

Then I'd set it on fire.

And burn them all with it.

After I dug the gas can out of the storage room.

And turned to leave.

The living room light flicked on.

I froze where I stood, my heart stopping cold.

Because there, at the turn of the staircase.

A pair of cold eyes was fixed on me.

"Irma Pruitt."

"You're still up this late?"

"Can't sleep again?"

My best friend's mother came toward me, looking puzzled.

The smile on her face was gentle and kind.

But to me.

That smile was pure ice.

Because she was the one who ordered her son to assault me.

I forced a hard swallow.

And pushed a faint smile onto my face.

"Maura Simmons, why are you awake?"

"Oh, I couldn't sleep."

"Lewis and his girlfriend are on the verge of breaking up."

"He cried all night."

I knew about this. In my last life I'd even comforted Lewis, told him not to take it so hard.

Only for him to turn his eyes on me the very next day.

"Her family thinks we're too poor."

"They don't want to marry their daughter off to Lewis."

"As his parents, it eats at us too."

"Who doesn't want to be rich?"

"But rich people are the few, aren't they?"

I nodded. "Maura, maybe Lewis just hasn't met the right one yet. Don't worry yourself over it."

"Well."

My best friend's mother let out a long sigh.

"Hm?"

Only then did she notice the gas can in my hand.

"Irma, what's that you're carrying?"

"It almost looks like a gas can."

My heart slammed against my ribs all at once.

The cold sweat came before I could stop it.

If she caught on to what I meant to do.

There was a very good chance I wouldn't live to see the morning sun.

"Maura, I remembered my car's low on gas. I was worried I wouldn't make it to a station tomorrow."

"So since I couldn't sleep, I figured I'd top it off."

She took the gas can out of my hand.

"You're a young lady of this house. Leave the heavy, dirty work for Lewis to do tomorrow."

"I'll go make you a glass of milk."

A moment later.

She handed me the milk she'd fixed.

"A glass of milk helps you sleep."

I stared at the milk.

But I couldn't bring myself to reach for it.

Because I knew.

She'd put something in it.