Chapter 1

My brother thought my wife was gorgeous and sweet, and that my life was better than his in every way. Even though our parents spoiled him rotten since we were kids, his jealousy drove him insane. One night, he lost his mind, grabbed me, and dragged me off the edge of a rooftop.

To my shock, we survived—only we had traveled back in time and swapped bodies. He became me, and I became him.

He used my early-admission grades to get into a top university. He used my identity to get close to the girl who would become my wife. He even used my past successful business ideas to pitch to investors, bragging about it right to my face. He thought I’d be furious. He had no idea I was absolutely thrilled to hand my old life over to him.

Because my seemingly perfect, glamorous life was actually a toxic, exhausting nightmare. Now that someone had willingly taken it off my hands, I only had one thing to say to him: "Thanks for jumping into the fiery pit for me!"

"Ethan, you know what? I’ve been jealous of you my entire life," Lucas said. "Jealous of everything you have. Your smart brain, your perfect life, and your incredibly hot wife, Chloe. I always felt like if I were in your shoes, I’d do way better than you."

Hearing those words from Lucas made my stomach turn.

We hadn't seen each other in a long time. Suddenly, Lucas had asked to catch up over some drinks. He set up a table on the rooftop of his apartment, bought some takeout, and we started drinking.

We were only a few drinks in, and Lucas was already complaining like a broken record, bringing up ancient history.

He actually believed that if he became me, he’d have a perfect life. He had no idea that the pain and torment I endured were far worse than he could ever imagine.

I looked at him, wanting to tell him that life isn't a simple trade. You don't magically become happy just by stepping into someone else’s shoes.

But what could I say?

Faced with Lucas's manic, jealous glare, I just kept drinking, one glass after another.

All my bitterness was drowned in the alcohol.

Seeing my silence, Lucas's eyes grew red. "Ethan, to be honest, I have nowhere left to run."

"What do you mean?" The alcohol was hitting me, making my head fuzzy.

"Everyone looks down on me! I just wanted to prove myself! I borrowed money for a business and ended up drowning in debt. To pay it off, I started gambling, and now I owe a fortune to loan sharks..."

His face contorted with rage.

He suddenly smashed his beer bottle against the ground and screamed, "It's not fair! Why does everything go smoothly for you, while I'm always the loser? If I'm going down, I'm taking you with me!"

"What are you talking about? You're drunk—"

Before I could finish, Lucas grabbed me. That was when I noticed the fresh needle marks on his arm.

Was this idiot high?

Taking advantage of my drunken state, Lucas wrapped his arms around me and leaped off the rooftop!

"Hahahahaha!" his maniacal laughter echoed in my ears.

The night wind rushed past. In those few seconds of falling, my mind finally cleared.

But it was too late.

I felt a mix of regret and a strange, peaceful sense of release as I hit the ground. My consciousness faded into pitch black.

...

I don't know how much time passed before a familiar voice called out.

"Hey, wake up! The teacher is coming!"

I opened my eyes and looked around. I was slouched over a desk in a classroom. I had actually traveled back to high school!

But why was I sitting in the very back row, right next to the trash can?

Just then, a boy in the front row turned around to look at me. It was my own high school face!

I looked down at my desk. The name written on the textbook was: Lucas Miller.

It took me a long moment to realize what had happened. My brother and I had both traveled back in time, and we had swapped bodies!

He smirked at me, his eyes full of smug triumph.

Clearly, Lucas had finally gotten the life he had always dreamed of. He must be ecstatic right now.

But he had no idea that his nightmare was just beginning.

"What are you staring at?"

The familiar voice called out again.

I turned my head. Sitting right next to me was Hazel Brooks—Lucas’s future wife, and my future sister-in-law.

She grew up in a trailer park on the outskirts of town. Her family was extremely poor. Even though she lived far away, she had to commute every day because she couldn't afford the dorms or meal plans. After school, she had to rush home to help her parents with physical labor to make ends meet.

I remembered hearing that she only slept three or four hours a night, waking up at 5:00 AM, and tried to catch up during lunch breaks.

Despite working incredibly hard, her grades were always terrible.

After all, human energy is limited. Without enough sleep, how could she focus in class? She never had time to finish her homework at home, so she was constantly sent to the back of the classroom by the teacher.

Back in high school, Hazel was actually very cute in a pure, natural way. But Lucas always looked down on her, calling her a country bumpkin and complaining about her dark circles. He thought she made him look bad.

He preferred girls who dressed provocatively, or rebellious girls who hung out at clubs.

I didn't know how they ended up together and got married. I was away at college back then, so I didn't pay much attention to their relationship.

Now, rubbing my temples to suppress my racing thoughts, I let out a light laugh and said, "Nothing."

Lucas's life was actually much easier than mine.

Since he didn't appreciate it, I would gladly take it!

With final exams just around the corner, I knew I could catch up easily. I still had all my knowledge from my previous life; reviewing wouldn't be hard.

But Lucas had spent three years slacking off. Even if you gave him another three years, he'd have to start from scratch. And there was only a month left before the finals!

Our paths were about to diverge once again.