Chapter 1

On Christmas Eve, my best friend invited me to a private party.

During the night, my husband showed up dressed as Santa Claus to celebrate our wedding anniversary.

Overjoyed, I ended up drinking a few extra glasses of champagne.

The next morning, I woke up with a splitting headache,

Only to find that I had been doxxed and was trending number one across the internet.

A viral headline read: “Billionaire Heiress Brutally Slaps Intern Waitress at Party, Driving Her to Suicide.”

Countless trolls flooded my comments telling me to drop dead,

And some unhinged extremists even camped outside my house, pelting my door with rotten eggs and garbage.

Because I had drank way too much, I had zero memory of what happened.

That was when my best friend stepped forward publicly:

“Please don’t blame Scarlett. That’s just who she is.

The waitress accidentally spilled something on her dress, so Scarlett got up and slapped her right across the face.”

“Even though Scarlett was spoiled rotten as an heiress growing up, treating people like dirt is unacceptable. As her friend, I’m truly disgusted by her behavior.”

To make matters worse, my husband also came forward to condemn me:

“She’s arrogant at home, but I never imagined she’d be this vile in public. I’m filing for divorce immediately!”

Between the two of them, they nailed me straight to the cross.

Soon after, the dead girl's enraged family kidnapped me, demanding a million dollars in ransom from my husband.

Nathan rejected their demand without a second thought and called the cops.

Driven completely insane, the kidnappers executed me, chopped off my limbs, and threw me into the open ocean.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back on Christmas Eve...

“Merry Christmas! Happy Christmas, babe!”

I snapped awake amidst the laughter and noise of the party. When my vision cleared, I saw my husband standing right in front of me dressed as Santa Claus.

In his hands was an outrageously expensive diamond necklace.

My best friend clapped and cheered beside him. The whole VIP room was buzzing.

I was certain right then: I had been reborn, back on Christmas Eve.

In my past life, my best friend of ten years had invited me here, repeatedly promising me a huge surprise.

I had already guessed it would be from my husband, since tonight was our two-year anniversary.

When he appeared in that Santa costume, I had been genuinely touched.

That night, the two of them kept pushing drinks on me until I blacked out.

The next morning, I woke up with a pounding migraine, only to find myself viciously canceled on Ins.

A viral video showed me visibly drunk, stumbling to my feet and violently slapping a young waitress.

People in the clip tried to pull me back, but I lunged to hit her again just before the video cut out.

Soon after, rumors blew up that the waitress, Fiona, couldn't handle the humiliation and hung herself in the locker room.

I had had no memory of the incident. My mind was completely blank.

And that was when my best friend stood in front of the cameras:

“Everyone, please don't be too harsh on Scarlett. She’s always had this temper.

She’s looked down on poor people her whole life. That girl was working shifts to pay her way through school. She just got a tiny stain on Scarlett’s dress, and Scarlett humiliated and beat her.”

“Scarlett was raised with a silver spoon, but doing something so psychotic is sickening. As her friend, I’m ashamed to know her.”

Shortly after that, the girl's furious family kidnapped me. I begged Nathan to pay the ransom to get me out.

I never expected him to refuse outright and threaten to call the police.

In the end, the panicked kidnappers killed me. To destroy the evidence, they hacked off my limbs and tossed my body into the ocean.

Right after my death, my husband claimed my billions and immediately got together with my best friend.

Ripping myself away from those horrifying memories, my eyes burned with cold fury.

I had always held my alcohol well. There was no way I would ever do something so outrageous.

This was a setup from the very beginning.

I kept my face completely neutral and took the necklace.

“Scarlett, I’m so jealous of you,” Chloe said beside me, her voice dripping with fake sweetness. “Having such a wealthy, caring husband.”

In my past life, I considered her my sister. I took every word she said as a genuine compliment.

Listening to her now, every syllable reeked of sarcasm and pure, rotting jealousy.

Seeing that the mood was supposedly set, the two of them started refilling my glass over and over.

I knew right away that this wine was drugged. I couldn't touch a single drop.

Pretending to drink greedily, I spat every sip into another cup hidden behind my napkin.

Moments later, I faked glazed eyes and stumbled to my feet.

“I can’t... I drank way too much. You guys stay and have fun. I’m heading home.”

Seeing me act wasted, Nathan made a fake show of stepping forward to steady me, but Chloe cut him off with a subtle cough.