Chapter 1

Zoey Robinson was the newest member of the ski club and my boyfriend's secret lover. She had the classic persona down pat—all doe-eyed innocence and flirty charm.

On the day of the championship finals, Zoey switched out my skis when no one was looking.

As I launched down the slope, my skis suddenly went haywire. I was flung into the air, slamming into the safety barriers at full speed.

Zoey came running over, wearing a mask of concern. However, her words betrayed her true nature.

“Scarlett, with you gone, no one will ever underestimate me again. Your boyfriend, your place in the club, they’ll all be mine!”

She bent down, her voice dropping into a fake-sweet whisper. “Be a dear and just die for me, won’t you?”

Unbearable resentment and fury burned like wildfire in my chest.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back at the starting line of the competition.

The icy wind blew, but a strange warmth coursed through me. Looking up at the snow-capped peaks, the crash replayed in my mind as if it had just happened.

Was this a dream? Or had I really come back to life?

The referee’s starting whistle snapped me out of my daze.

As I glanced at my competitor, Lily Wilson, a sense of deja vu hit me like a ton of bricks. Her stance was identical to what I remembered.

I subconsciously pushed off the platform. However, I adjusted my trajectory slightly, slowing down as I hit a tricky section of the course.

The crowd was buzzing with excitement, their cheers echoing across the snowy slopes. I was the favorite to win the race.

However, as I slowed my pace, I noticed Zoey off to the side of the course; her face twisted into a deep frown.

My thoughts raced and my skis began to lose control again, just like before.

This time, I didn’t force them back on track. The skis flew out from under me, flying straight toward the edge of the course.

Zoey’s luck took a sudden turn for the worse. Standing at the innermost edge of the track, the rogue skis slammed into her leg with brutal force.

The crowd fell silent. The referee called for an immediate pause in the race.

I looked at the shattered skis, then at Zoey moaning in pain.

It wasn’t a dream. I had really been reborn!

Clutching my ski poles tightly, I swore to myself that Zoey would pay for what she’d done!

Coach Tucker rushed to examine the broken skis. With his years of experience, he didn’t need long to figure out that the wax on the base had been tampered with.

However, the competition was already underway.

After some discussion with the officials, Coach Tucker informed me I could swap out my skis and restart the race, though it would cost me a penalty in points.

These skis had been in my possession the entire time, except for one moment. Just before the race, Zoey had volunteered to hold them for me while I stepped into the locker room.

On a hunch, I immediately asked Coach Tucker to request access to the security footage to ensure it wouldn’t be deleted.

Realizing the seriousness of the situation, Coach Tucker didn’t hesitate. He left in a hurry to handle it.

Meanwhile, paramedics arrived to carry Zoey off the course.

The referee signaled for everyone to prepare, announcing that the competition would resume shortly.

To everyone’s surprise, instead of heading toward the exit, the medics carried Zoey straight back onto the track.

Before the referee could intervene, my boyfriend, Aaron Jones, shoved the referee aside.

I frowned, recalling Zoey’s parting words before my death. It was clear she had been after Aaron for a long time.

Looking at him now, rushing down from the spectator stands toward Zoey with self-righteous fury, as if ready to defend her honor, it all started to make sense.

How pathetic I had been in my past life, completely blind to the truth.

The two people I trusted the most had been sneaking around right under my nose.

Now that I knew, the signs were glaringly obvious.

Aaron only ever treated me well when Zoey was around. He’d go out of his way to buy drinks for everyone, but only if she was there. He never had time to watch me train unless I invited Zoey along.

How laughable it was that I had once naively believed Aaron’s excuses about being too busy with work.

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through my shoulder, yanking me back to reality.

I glared at Aaron as he withdrew the hand he had slapped me on the shoulder.

For a brief moment, guilt flashed across Aaron’s face, but it was quickly replaced by an accusatory glare.

“What kind of skier are you? You almost killed Zoey!”

“And now you don’t even have the decency to apologize? Typical behavior for someone who grew up without a mother. You have no manners at all.”

His words hit me like a bucket of ice water, drenching me from head to toe.

My mom had died in an avalanche, saving me when I was a child. It was a wound that had never healed, and now Aaron had twisted it into a weapon against me.

Before I could respond, Lily stormed over. She had seen Aaron hitting me from afar and rushed up to shove him aside.

“What was that for?! Her skis were obviously broken. How is it Scarlett’s fault?

“Besides, the race isn’t even over yet! Don’t you know the rules? You can’t just storm in like this. Once the race is done, the appropriate people will handle it.”

Faced with Lily’s confrontation, Aaron faltered. From the stretcher, Zoey carefully tugged at his sleeve, her voice soft and pitiful.

“Aaron, it’s my fault. I’m so clumsy... I mess everything up.

“I just wanted to take a few pictures of Scarlett. It’s no big deal if I got hit.”