Chapter 2

My heart felt as if an invisible hand were crushing it, squeezing the air from my lungs.

I took a slow, deep breath and forced a faint, fragile smile at Vanessa.

"Vanessa, you're right. Letters are pretty old-fashioned. Your idea is way better. Let's do the Confession Wall!"

Her eyes lit up instantly.

"Of course! Leave everything to me!"

I dipped my head shyly, lowering my voice to a whisper. "The thing is... I'm not really good at writing that kind of stuff, and none of my photos look that great."

"Oh, that's easy!" Vanessa patted her chest proudly. "I'll edit the text for you! And I'll take the photos! I promise you, once Chase sees it, he'll be head over heels!"

"Really? Vanessa, you’re the best friend in the world!"

I looked up, staring at her with wide, grateful eyes, letting just the right amount of tears well up.

Vanessa's ego puffed up like a balloon. She raised her chin smugly.

"We're besties! Your business is my business!"

I nodded, laughing coldly on the inside.

Yeah, besties.

If I don't drag you down into hell this time, I wouldn't be doing justice to the nightmare you gifted me in my last life.

I pulled over our shared dorm laptop and opened a blank document.

"Vanessa, could you look at this? Does this sound okay?"

I intentionally typed out clumsy, awkward sentences, perfectly acting the part of an insecure girl terrified of confessing to her crush.

Vanessa watched the screen and snorted with laughter.

"Oh, Nora, this is way too... blunt. There’s zero charm to it. Here, move, let me show you how it’s done."

She eagerly grabbed the keyboard and began hacking away at the text.

I stood behind her, watching every single letter she hammered out. The frost in my eyes deepened.

She erased all my genuine compliments, swapping them for tacky, superficial lines designed to highlight Chase's supposed wealth.

Perfect. Exactly like last time.

Once she finished her "polishing," I saved the file with effusive thanks, then made an excuse to take a shower, leaving the laptop in her hands.

What she didn't notice was my phone, propped up at a hidden angle, silently recording the entire screen.

Keep acting, Vanessa.

I’m going to make sure your performance gets the grand stage it deserves.