Chapter 1
The voice of the Archangel Gabriel thundered through the Heavenly Court, making Berenice's soul and mine tremble uncontrollably before the golden Judgement Seat.
"The fate of your past life, I shall show you once more."
The moment the screen of light unfolded, I almost screamed—that critical, fatal decision moment resurfaced:
My sister, Berenice, frowned, her tone dripping with disdain. "A poor screenwriter? Writing scripts no one watches all day? I don't want to see him! Candice, you go send him away for me. Tell him I'm busy."
Then came my first shocking encounter with Adrian in the coffee shop…
That gentle, kind, immensely talented man was nothing like the "boring poor screenwriter" my sister had described. My heart stirred in that instant—I had betrayed my sister. What followed was our love, the car accident, our deaths…
"Sis…" My soul trembled, immense guilt threatening to tear me apart. "It's all my fault… it's all because I betrayed you…"
Berenice whipped her head around. Her soul energy fluctuated violently; I could tell she was emotional, but her expression was complex, utterly incomprehensible to me.
"Your fault? No, Candice, it was my fault! It was my utterly stupid decision!" she interrupted me sharply, her voice piercingly shrill. "But I suffered ten thousand times more than you! Do you have any idea? Not only did I have to bear the pain of missing out on him, but I also had to watch you marry him and live happily for ten years! Ten! Years!"
I stared at her, shocked, unable to comprehend why her pain sounded so… different.
And her next words felt like a bucket of ice water dumped over my soul.
"And me? I missed out on a billionaire because of one snobbish remark!"
"A bi… billionaire?" I was stunned, my soul seeming to freeze for an instant.
"Adrian Mitchell! The heir to Mitchell Entertainment! Hollywood's youngest golden boy producer!" Berenice's voice rose sharply, filled with a bitter resentment, yet strangely mixed with a fanatical, almost covetous fervor. "I found out later! I was tortured by regret and jealousy every single day! That should have been mine! My status! My wealth! My life! All of it, because of you!"
So… that was it? The root of her pain was here? An overwhelming sense of absurdity washed over me, but deeper still was a crippling sense of shame.
Yes. The true mistake was mine. I was supposed to send that "poor screenwriter" away for her, but I fell for him instead. Through a twist of fate, I had stolen my sister's… chance at a Cinderella story.
Gabriel slowly raised his hand, light gathering in his palm. "This dispute is pointless. I shall grant you one final chance. You will be reborn, retaining your complete memories, returning to that pivotal day. But remember—this is the last chance. Choose your true path."
The blaring alarm on my phone yanked me from the suffocating nightmare back to reality.
I shot up in bed, my chest heaving, my body drenched in cold sweat. The familiar cracked ceiling, that stubborn water stain in the corner, this was the small apartment we rented in 2023!
Trembling, I grabbed my phone from the nightstand. The screen lit up—March 15, 2023, 6:30 AM.
This afternoon was the day I first met Adrian!
I had truly been reborn!
The tremor from my soul's judgment hadn't fully subsided, and the guilt from my past life came crashing down on me, more intense than the moment of my death.
I remember what would happen this afternoon. Berenice would receive a date invitation from JustDreaming_LA, and then she would say to me in that impatient tone: "Candice, you go send that poor screenwriter away for me. Tell him I'm busy."
In my past life, I agreed. Because Berenice had always protected me since we were kids, I thought it was just a small favor, a simple rejection.
But the moment I saw Adrian in the coffee shop, everything changed. He was gentle, kind, immensely talented—nothing like the "boring poor screenwriter" Berenice described. And I… I shamefully felt my heart stir in that instant.
Later, we fell in love, got married. And Berenice… hated me for a lifetime.
"It's all my fault," I clenched my fists, my nails digging deep into my palms, the slight sting reminding me of the reality of it all.
In this life, I must make amends. I must return everything to her, hand that 'opportunity' that rightfully belonged to her back to her, intact.
I mechanically got up and walked to the tiny kitchen. This was our daily routine—I prepared breakfast; Berenice was responsible for earning money to support us. Even reborn, some habits were deeply ingrained.
I took out eggs and bread. As the pan heated on the stove, I heard unusual sounds from the next room—not the lazy tossing and turning, but a hurried, excited rustling, filled with an impatient eagerness.
Berenice was awake? And she sounded… unusually alert and excited?
Soon, footsteps sounded—not the usual lazy drag, but light, quick, and purposeful steps with a clear goal.
"Candice!"
She practically burst into the kitchen, her face radiant with a dazzling light I had never seen before, a glow full of ambition and desire.
"Change of plans!" she said quickly, her tone leaving no room for argument. "Today, I'm going to see JustDreaming_LA in person!"
The spatula in my hand trembled slightly. JustDreaming_LA—that was Adrian's username on the dating site. Berenice remembered that name, proving she too had been reborn with her memories!
"You're right…" I responded softly, trying to keep my voice steady, though my heart felt gripped by an invisible hand.
"Do you know how stupid I was in my past life?!" Berenice slammed her hand on the table excitedly, making the plates rattle and startling me so much I nearly dropped the frying pan. Her eyes held no self-reproach, only a raw, gut-wrenching regret for missing out on a windfall.
"Adrian Mitchell! The heir to Mitchell Entertainment! I was actually fooled by his 'poor screenwriter' humble act! Letting you snatch up that huge bargain!"
She grabbed my wrist, her grip so tight it hurt. "In this life, I won't miss out again! Once I snag him, this damn poor life of ours is over!"
My heart ached sharply. Berenice was right. That opportunity should have been hers. It was I who…
"Indeed, it should have been you who went to see him…" My voice trembled. I lowered my head, not daring to meet her eyes.
"Exactly!" A look of triumphant certainty flashed in Berenice's eyes, a sharpness that scared me a little. "Adrian and his money will definitely fall for me! After all, I was the one who had an online romance with him for three months! And now I know his true identity, I know how to capture his heart—and his wallet!"
These words felt like an ice-cold dagger, piercing straight through my heart.
Yes. The one who had the online romance was Berenice. The me from my past life was just a shameful betrayer.
But in this life, what my sister wanted never seemed to be the love I had found, but the glittering label behind that love.