In the darkness, Emily Bennett suddenly opened her eyes.

Her clear brown eyes were filled with regret and pain.

The memory of the car accident still lingered in her mind, but the next moment, the searing pain in her body yanked her back to reality.

"Ugh..."

She let out a cry of pain, but before she could process it, a warm kiss covered her lips. As the man's increasingly forceful movements overwhelmed her, she had no strength left to resist. Tears streamed down uncontrollably. The long night felt endless.

When the man finally released her, lying beside her, she gathered the strength to ask in a trembling voice, "Who are you?"

Her hoarse voice barely escaped, and before she could listen for a response, exhaustion overcame her, and she fell into a weak slumber.

The man seemed to whisper something in her ear, but his voice was as rough as hers—hoarse and trembling, sending a chill through her.

Daybreak arrived.

The soreness in her body made Emily Bennett's head feel heavy. But the next second, the events of the previous night came crashing back into her mind. Her eyes shot over to see James Anderson lying beside her, his chest exposed.

It was him.

Emily sucked in a breath, but the tears flowed freely. Why had she been reborn to this night?

Her sobs stirred James from his sleep. He opened his eyes and saw her, tears streaking down her face as she clutched the sheets. His eyes widened in panic, and he scrambled back, falling off the bed.

"Y-You..."

He looked down at his exposed chest, noticing the bruises and marks on Emily's shoulders and neck that the sheets failed to hide.

Memories of last night flooded his mind. His face turned pale. He'd been tricked.

Emily continued sobbing, and James rushed to grab his clothes, but before he could put them on, the door swung open, and Kate, along with a few classmates, walked in. They froze at the sight, shocked.

"What the—"

A girl screamed and quickly covered her eyes. James, stunned, looked up at the crowd, his face turning even redder. He stammered, "Listen to me..."

He rushed forward in a panic, but his half-dressed state only made things worse. The others hurriedly ran out.

James, still embarrassed, dressed quickly before turning to Emily, who had stopped crying, her face now cold and composed.

Emily had calmed herself, finally realizing what had happened. She had been reborn—to the night that had ruined her life. Initially, she was pained by the timing of her rebirth, wishing she had been reborn sooner. But now, she realized this was a better moment. Before everything went wrong, before the storm of betrayal, this night was the starting point.

Kate had once again brought her classmates into the situation, just like in her past life, when she was eighteen.

Seeing Kate now, the regret and pain she once felt turned to hatred. At eighteen, she was the shining beauty—homecoming queen, only daughter of a prestigious family, even if her grades weren't the best. Everyone admired her, and she stood high above others.

But that night ruined everything. Her reputation shattered. When she became pregnant, James refused to take responsibility, publicly humiliating her. Her father, furious, cast her out, marrying his lover, Lorraine. And to her horror, Lorraine turned out to be Kate's mother.

Her tragic future was all a result of Lorraine's manipulation, using her daughter, Kate, as a pawn.