Chapter 1

A sharp, blinding pain shot through Chloe' s head, and the world came rushing back in a dizzying wave of noise and light. One moment, she was in a car, the smell of gasoline thick in the air, the heat of a fire searing her skin, the sound of metal twisting around her. Her sister Bella' s face, smiling from a safe distance, was the last thing she saw.

The next, she was in her old bedroom, the sterile white walls pressing in on her, a dull ache throbbing behind her eyes. She sat up, her body slick with a cold sweat, her heart hammering against her ribs. She looked down at her hands. They were smooth, unscarred, not the burned and broken things she remembered. This wasn't a hospital. This was her home, from years ago.

The realization hit her with the force of a physical blow. She wasn't dead. She was back. She had been reborn. A strange mix of shock and confusion warred within her, but beneath it all, a tiny, fierce spark of hope ignited. A second chance. A chance to do it all over again, but this time, to do it right.

The memories of her past life flooded back, a torrent of pain and betrayal. She remembered her father, a brilliant architect, driven to suicide after being framed for a building collapse he didn't cause. His reputation was destroyed, his legacy left in tatters. He had left behind two daughters, Chloe and Bella. Chloe, the older sister, had devoted her life to clearing his name, to rebuilding their family' s architecture firm from the ground up. She poured every ounce of her energy, every dollar she earned, into this singular mission.

But Bella... Bella had chosen a different path. She craved luxury, parties, a life of easy pleasure. She saw Chloe' s dedication not as a noble sacrifice but as a tedious chore. And then came Leo, a handsome, smooth-talking con artist who saw Bella' s vanity and weakness as an open door to the family's remaining wealth. He whispered poison in Bella' s ear, convincing her that Chloe was hoarding their inheritance, that she deserved a bigger piece of the pie.

Chloe remembered the fights, the constant drain on her resources as Bella demanded more and more money for her extravagant lifestyle with Leo. She remembered how Bella, guided by Leo, had systematically sabotaged her efforts. Bella leaked designs to competitors, spread rumors to investors, and forged documents to drain the company accounts. The final betrayal was the worst.

Bella had sold the last of their father's valuable architectural blueprints, the very key to restoring his name, for a pittance to fund a lavish vacation for herself and Leo. When Chloe confronted her, it led to the staged car accident. Bella had lured her to a remote road, and Leo had run her off a cliff.

They left her for dead, her life' s work in ruins, her body broken, a fire consuming what was left. The memory of Bella' s cold, triumphant smile as the flames licked at the car was seared into her soul. Rage, pure and hot, burned through her, a fire far more intense than the one that had ended her previous life.

The bedroom door creaked open, and Bella walked in, her face a mask of youthful innocence that Chloe now knew was a lie. She was wearing a brand-new designer dress, one Chloe recognized. In her past life, this was the day it all started to go wrong. This was the day Bella first came to her with an impossible demand, setting in motion the chain of events that led to her ruin.

"Chloe," Bella said, her voice dripping with practiced sweetness. "I need to talk to you about something."

The scene was identical, a perfect, painful echo of the past. Chloe felt a cold dread mix with her burning anger. The confrontation was coming, just as it had before.

Bella sat on the edge of the bed, fidgeting with the hem of her expensive dress. "Leo and I found the most amazing apartment. It' s perfect. But the down payment is a little steep. I was thinking... we still have that house our parents left us, the one by the lake. We never use it. If we sell it, I could have the money for the apartment, and you could use the rest for the company."

It was the same request, the same manipulative framing. The lake house was their last significant shared asset, a place filled with memories of their parents before the tragedy. In her past life, Chloe had refused, trying to explain its sentimental value, trying to make Bella understand the importance of preserving what little they had left. Bella had thrown a tantrum, accusing her of being selfish, of holding her back.

"And I also need you to sell some of Dad' s old shares," Bella continued, not waiting for an answer. "Leo says they' re worth a lot, and it' s not fair that you keep them locked up when I need the money now."

The audacity of it was breathtaking. Those shares were the foundation of the rebuilt company, the only leverage Chloe had. Selling them would be corporate suicide.

"If you don' t help me, Chloe," Bella said, her voice turning hard, her sweet facade cracking to reveal the petulance beneath, "then maybe we shouldn' t be sisters anymore. I' ll just have to find my own way, and you can stay here with your dusty old memories."

It was the same threat, the same emotional blackmail that had worked so well before. In her past life, Chloe had crumbled. The fear of losing her only remaining family had been too much to bear. She had given in, and it had been the first step toward her own destruction. But this wasn't her past life.

Chloe looked at her sister, truly looked at her, for the first time without the filter of familial love and obligation. She saw a selfish, greedy child cloaked in the body of a woman. She saw a pawn, easily manipulated by a con man. She saw the person who had smiled while she burned to death. The love she once felt for Bella had been incinerated in that fire, leaving behind only cold, hard ash.

Chloe stood up from the bed. She walked over to her desk, her movements calm and deliberate. She picked up her phone.

"What are you doing?" Bella asked, a flicker of uncertainty in her eyes.

"I' m calling my lawyer," Chloe said, her voice devoid of any emotion. She didn't look at Bella. She didn't need to. "I' m having him draw up the paperwork. We' re going to formalize this."

"Formalize what?" Bella asked, confused.

"You wanted to not be sisters anymore," Chloe said, her tone icy. "Fine. Let' s make it official. We will legally sever all familial ties. You will no longer be my sister in the eyes of the law."

Bella stared at her, her mouth hanging open in shock. This was not the reaction she expected. She expected tears, pleading, a reluctant agreement. She did not expect this cold, decisive action. For the first time, Bella looked genuinely scared. The power dynamic had shifted, and she was no longer in control.

Chloe felt a grim satisfaction. This was just the beginning.

The lawyer, a man named Mr. Harrison who had worked with their father for years, was surprised by the call but agreed immediately. The paperwork was drafted within hours. It was a formal declaration of disassociation, a legal document that would sever all responsibilities and claims Chloe and Bella had on each other. Chloe signed it without a moment' s hesitation. The stroke of the pen felt final, a clean break from the poison that had ruined her past life.

There was a pang of sadness, a ghost of the love she once had for the idea of a sister, but it was quickly overshadowed by a sense of liberation.

She didn't stop there. With Mr. Harrison' s help, she immediately put the lake house on the market. She priced it to sell quickly, not caring about getting the absolute top dollar. The goal was speed and separation. Within a day, she had a cash offer. She took it. The funds were transferred directly into an account that Bella could not touch.

The news reached Bella like a thunderclap. She had been at a spa with Leo, confident that Chloe would eventually cave. When she found out the house was sold and the legal papers were waiting for her, she lost control. She stormed into Chloe's office at the firm, her face contorted with rage.

"You have no right!" she screamed, sweeping a stack of blueprints off a table. They scattered across the floor, precious designs Chloe had spent weeks perfecting. "That was my house too! That was my money!"

Chloe watched her from behind her desk, a security camera in the corner of the room silently recording everything. She didn't flinch. She had installed it that morning, anticipating this very reaction.

Bella rampaged through the office, knocking over a model of a building, smashing a lamp against the wall. "You can' t do this to me! I' m your sister!"

"You are no longer my sister," Chloe said calmly, picking up her phone again. "You are a trespasser who is destroying private property."

She dialed 911.

Bella' s eyes widened in disbelief as Chloe calmly reported the disturbance. "Chloe, no! Don' t!"

But it was too late. The police arrived within minutes, finding Bella amidst the wreckage, still shouting incoherently. They cuffed her and led her away, her protests echoing down the hallway.

Later that evening, Chloe received a call. It was from the police station. Bella had been bailed out. The person who posted her bail was Leo. Chloe wasn't surprised. The players were the same, but this time, she knew the rules of the game. The trouble was just beginning, but now, she was ready for it.