Chapter 2

My heart hammered against my ribs, a wild drumbeat of pure shock.

I stared at Tiffany, at her bright, smiling face, the face I had last seen melting in flames.

It wasn't possible.

I was dead. We were both dead.

I looked down at my hands. They were pale and trembling, but they were whole. No burns, no scars.

I looked around the room again. My side of the room was messy, with textbooks and clothes piled on a chair. Her side was perfect, with expensive skincare products lined up on her desk.

It was exactly as it had been two years ago, right before everything went wrong.

"Chloe? You're staring. Is something wrong?" Tiffany asked, her voice filled with a fake concern that now made my stomach turn.

I swallowed hard, trying to make my voice work.

"No. Just... just a weird dream," I managed to say.

The date on her digital clock confirmed it.

I had gone back in time.

I was back at the very beginning.

I felt a wave of nausea. The memories of the fire, of my parents, of the club, they were all still so real, so raw.

But I also felt something else, a cold, sharp feeling that cut through the panic.

A chance.

I had been given a second chance.

Not just to live, but to fight back.

Tiffany finished her eyeliner and turned to face me fully, leaning back in her chair.

"Hey, I was meaning to talk to you about something," she started, her tone casual.

I knew what was coming.

My whole body tensed. This was it.

"You know how you're always stressed about money, right? Working those two jobs must suck."

I just nodded, my eyes fixed on her.

"Well, my family runs this online lending platform. It's super easy. You could get like, ten grand, probably by tomorrow. It would solve all your problems," she said, waving her hand like it was nothing.

There it was. The same exact offer. The poison disguised as medicine.

In my past life, I had hesitated. I had asked questions about the interest rate, about the terms. I had been cautious.

And because of that caution, she had pushed harder, made more promises, and lied more convincingly.

I remembered the consequences of that path.

I remembered being forced into that dark, filthy room at the nightclub.

I remembered the leering faces of the men.

I remembered the hollow feeling in my chest when the Dean told me I was expelled.

I remembered the phone call telling me my father was gone.

The memory was a physical pain, a ghost clawing at my insides.

But this time, I knew something I didn't know before.

During the endless, hopeless nights after my parents' deaths, when I was planning my revenge, I had done nothing but research.

I learned everything I could about Tiffany's family and their business.

And I discovered a critical flaw in their scheme.

The loans they offered were predatory. The interest rates were so high they were illegal in most states. The contracts were filled with unenforceable clauses.

Legally, the debt wasn't real.

The whole business was a scam that relied on shame and fear. They scared people into paying debts they didn't actually owe.

A slow, cold smile started to form in my mind.

The system that destroyed me was a house of cards.

And this time, I was going to be the one to kick it over.

I looked at Tiffany, forcing the hatred down, burying it deep inside me.

I needed to play my part.

I let out a shaky breath, making it look like I was overwhelmed with relief.

"Really? Tiffany, are you serious?" I asked, putting a hopeful tremble in my voice.

She beamed, seeing the bait was taken.

"Of course! We're roommates, right? I want to help you."

"I... I don't know what to say," I said, looking down at my hands as if I were shy and uncertain. "That would change everything for me."

"It's no big deal," she said, already pulling up the website on her laptop. "Just give me your ID and social security number, and I'll handle the rest. You'll be rich by tomorrow."

I met her eyes, a mask of gratitude painted on my face.

Inside, the fire I had died in was still burning.

But this time, it was a cold fire.

A fire of pure, calculated revenge.

"Okay," I said, my voice soft. "Thank you, Tiffany. You're a true friend."