Chapter 3

Before we could even finish our lunch, Hailey pulled out her phone and slid it across the table. Just like in our past life, Jessica had already posted on the campus anonymous forum, trying to dig up info on Cole Hawthorne’s schedule and preferences.

*“Looking for leads: Want to know where senior Cole Hawthorne from the Business School usually hangs out. Heard some wild rumors about him lately and just want to make a friend. Willing to pay for solid info.”*

The post looked harmless enough, but Jessica’s Snapchat DMs immediately blew up. People were sliding in with all kinds of leads, both real and fake.

She was so proud of herself, bragging to us that so many people "helping her" meant everyone believed she actually had a shot.

Well, obviously. People on campus love drama, especially when they can get paid for gossip. If I had known anything, I probably would’ve made a quick buck too.

But Jessica didn’t see it that way. She enthusiastically compiled her "intel" on Cole as if she were a detective, comparing photos and analyzing his class schedule.

She claimed she needed to know her future husband inside out to be responsible for her own life.

Hilarious. She was planning to trap a guy with a pregnancy, yet she talked about being "responsible."

If Cole knew his daily schedule was being studied like a lab specimen, he’d probably lock himself in the library forever.

As soon as we got back to the dorm, Jessica thrust her phone screen in front of our faces with a smug grin. "Look! So many people messaged me! If you guys want to try your luck, I can share some of this intel with you."

The three of us shook our heads in unison. "No, no, keep it all to yourself."

Jessica rolled her eyes. "Suit yourselves. You guys think you're so pure and above it all. Just don't get jealous of me later!"

That night, Jessica finalized her "strike plan," targeting the mysterious Cole Hawthorne.

I only found out later that Cole was famous on campus for being elusive. The rumors about him being a Mafia heir were incredibly dramatic, though no one knew what was true.

I wanted to see if, without our intervention in this life, she could actually "win" Cole over like she wanted.

Since the semester had just started, our classes were in full swing.

At first, Jessica walked to class with us, but soon, she started dressing up elaborately and going out at odd hours.

When the RA did room checks, we made up excuses to cover for her. But doing it once or twice was fine; doing it every night made the RA suspicious.

So, not even a month into the semester, Jessica got written up multiple times for curfew violations.

She didn't care at all. To her, she was working on a multi-million-dollar project. A few write-ups were just necessary sacrifices.

After two weeks of her aggressive "operations," Fall Break was just around the corner, yet Jessica still hadn't found the perfect opportunity. She started getting desperate, constantly Googling "how to attract a man fast" and "how to get pregnant quickly."

Through her sheer determination, on a late September night, Jessica ran out of the bathroom holding a pregnancy test with two distinct pink lines. She screamed, "I'm pregnant! I’m actually pregnant with Cole's baby!"

She clutched the plastic stick to her chest like it was a holy relic. "Yes! I'm finally going to be the wife of a Mafia boss!"