Echoes of Betrayal: Rewriting My Destiny Chapter 1

On my best friend’s 22nd birthday, she was harassed by a drunkard. As a Taekwondo black belt, I stepped in to protect her and accidentally killed the man.

But in court, she refused to testify on my behalf.

I was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to three years in prison.

When I was finally released, I discovered that my best friend had married my boyfriend—and they already had a two-year-old daughter.

They even conspired to marry me off to her abusive, divorced older brother.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the exact day of my best friend’s 22nd birthday.

* * *

One second I was getting into a fatal car crash due to my deteriorating mental state, and the next, I opened my eyes to find myself sitting in my own bedroom.

Looking at the date on my phone, I confirmed that I had indeed traveled back three years in time. I was back on the day of Mia’s 22nd birthday.

I stared at my reflection in the mirror. To attend the birthday dinner of the girl who had been my best friend since middle school, I had spent hours meticulously dressing up.

There were two unread messages on my phone.

One was from Mia. She sent a location pin, followed by a voice memo. I tapped it, and her sickeningly sweet voice played.

“Hey bestie, I booked this restaurant. Don’t go to the wrong place!”

The other message was from my boyfriend, Caleb.

[Harper, are you ready? I’m almost at your place.]

I rolled my eyes internally.

In my past life, I thought they just didn’t interact much. Hearing people joke that a girl’s best friend is like a second mother-in-law, I had even pitched in my own money to buy Mia an expensive designer necklace under Caleb’s name, hoping they would get along well.

Who knew that by the time I got out of my three-year prison sentence, their child would already be two years old? Doing the math, she was already pregnant with his baby right now.

Fighting the urge to curse them both out, I texted Mia back.

[Bestie, I accidentally sprained my ankle and need to go to the urgent care. I’m so sorry I have to miss your birthday. I’ll make it up to you later!]

My family was much wealthier than Mia’s, and she had milked me for countless perks over the years, which was why she always acted so obedient and sweet to my face.

She quickly sent back a barrage of concerned voice memos. I didn’t click on them. I was afraid hearing her sugary voice would literally make me throw up.

I then texted Caleb: [I’m not feeling well. Just go without me.]

Before he could reply, I put his notifications on Do Not Disturb.

I looked back at the gifts on my bed. The necklace was supposed to be from Caleb, and the designer bag was my gift to her.

Neither of them were styles I actually liked.

So, I grabbed both bags and went straight to the boutiques to return them.