Chapter 2

"Honey, just send Vivian the money. A girl needs some luxury items to fit in at school, right?"

Looking at my husband Richard’s face, I wanted nothing more than to tear him to pieces right then and there.

In my past life, after I died, my soul had lingered.

I saw Melanie, my supposedly loyal best friend, snuggling into the arms of my sophisticated husband, Richard.

She had laughed as she flipped through my will. "Finally, that annoying woman is dead. Now we can send our son, Leo, to boarding school in Switzerland."

"As for Vivian... Mr. Thomas’s club is always looking for 'fresh girls.' If we run low on cash, we’ll just send her there. She’s a useless brat, just like her mother."

Richard had nodded, his tone as casual as if they were discussing what to have for dinner. "Yes. Let's make sure she's put to good use."

Put to good use!

Those words had shattered my remaining soul into dust.

Rage erupted in my chest like hot lava, making my entire body tremble.

I had actually trusted these two monsters and left my precious daughter in their hands just so I could focus on my career!

I was so blind! So incredibly stupid!

"Chloe? Babe? Did the transfer go through?"

I snapped back to reality. I was staring into Melanie’s eyes—eyes that always looked so innocent and full of concern.

She was practically leaning over my shoulder, trying to peer at my phone screen. She smelled of a sickly-sweet perfume.

I used to think of her as a sister. Now, her scent just made me want to vomit.

It was her. This woman who called me "babe" while sucking me dry and pushing my daughter into a living hell.

I forced down the metallic taste of blood in my throat.

I couldn't panic. I couldn't let them see through me.

God gave me a second chance. I wasn't going to waste it.

Before I could speak, Richard chimed in. His voice was filled with his usual fake tenderness.

"Chloe, you look so pale. Are you too tired? Don't stress over Vivian's allowance. Let Melanie handle it."

"Melanie has plenty of free time and she’s very detail-oriented. She’ll take great care of Vivian. You just focus on your multi-million-dollar tech projects."

He spoke beautifully, but his eyes kept darting to my phone screen with pure greed.

How had I never noticed this before? His fake, hypocritical face disgusted me.

Melanie immediately played along, playfully swatting Richard's arm.

"Richard, don't say that. Chloe just loves Vivian too much."

She turned back to me, her voice softening even more.

"Chloe, just hit send. It’s just a Chanel bag. If the girl wants it, buy it for her. It's not like we're short on cash."

Chanel?

My mind flashed to a memory from my past life.

I remembered seeing Melanie’s son, Leo, playing with a limited-edition toy car that cost more than ten Chanel bags.

That toy was bought with the money I had sent for Vivian!

My heart turned to ice, but I forced a smile. "You're right. I shouldn't keep her waiting."

My thumb hovered over the screen, pretending to hit confirm.

Melanie’s breathing hitched. The corners of her mouth twitched upward, unable to hide her excitement.

Richard also let out a quiet sigh of relief, picking up his coffee mug with a smug look of satisfaction.

Just as my fingernail was about to touch the screen—

I flipped my wrist and pressed the power button on the side of the phone. The screen went black.

The smile on Melanie’s face froze. She stared at me in shock.

Richard’s hand froze mid-air, his coffee mug hovering. His brow furrowed slightly.

I looked up, meeting their searching glares, and slowly slipped the phone back into my purse.

"Actually, I think I’ll drop off Vivian’s tuition and allowance at her campus in person this time."