If Vanessa had entered the foster home earlier or taken the time to get to know people, she would've figured out that I was the infamous "unlucky one" in the group. Maybe then she wouldn't have envied my "good luck" and chosen to swap with me.

I was five when I was sent to the foster home. From the day I was born, everyone in the village called me a "jinx" and wouldn't even let me step into their homes. They claimed that while my mom was pregnant, a passing fortune teller warned her that the child she was carrying had a cursed fate, doomed to bring bad luck to everyone, including herself. My mom didn't believe it and insisted on giving birth to me.

When I was just three months old, my dad developed a gambling addiction. Within a month, he'd lost everything we had. After that, he started drinking heavily, and whenever he lost at gambling, he'd take out his frustrations on my mom. When I was three, he beat her to death in a drunken rage. He went into hiding for a week but was eventually caught by the police. Everyone said that both my mom and dad were ruined because of me, the "jinx."

My grandmother didn't believe it, so she took me in. But within two years, she had a sudden heart attack and collapsed in the garden, never waking up again. My uncles thought I was bad luck and wouldn't even let me attend her funeral. They dumped me at the foster home and warned me not to tell anyone I was related to them.

I guess losing all my luck sharpened my memory because I can still recall everything that happened before I turned five. But I told everyone at the foster home that I didn't remember who I was or where I came from.

Even after I got to the foster home, my streak of bad luck continued. While everyone sat under a tree enjoying the breeze, a stray dog would randomly charge at me; freshly laundered clothes would get blown away, but it only happened to mine; when gifts were handed out, mine would either be broken or nonexistent. And let's not even talk about the countless falls and shattered dishes. The kids at the foster home often called me the "unlucky one." But after teasing me, they'd always share their clothes and toys with me and help me solve any problems. At Mercy Foster Home, we were like one big family.

Vanessa, however, saw things differently. She arrived at nine, and people said she'd come from a well-off family. From the moment she stepped foot into the foster home, she carried herself like she was above everyone else. She didn't play with us and even kept her distance at school. The only time she got close to us was on her tenth birthday, when she gave Amber a hairpin and took her luck in return.

That day, I also got something—a "leeching system." It told me I could siphon off the luck from the host of the "luck swap system." But, just like Vanessa's system had its conditions, mine came with strings attached, too. I had to stay within 300 feet of the host—Vanessa—the closer, the better.

Thanks to the luck I leeched, I finally started to turn my fortunes around. To stay within Vanessa's range, I studied hard, getting into the same high school and later the same college as her. After graduation, I stayed in New York to maintain the "best friend" façade.

It's thanks to her that I escaped my cursed fate. If she hadn't set her sights on me, I probably would've continued trailing behind her, quietly leeching enough luck to stay balanced.

But, unfortunately… there were no "ifs" in life.

After the luck swap ended, Vanessa no longer stuck to me like she used to. I only found out through others that she and Nathan Chambers had called off their engagement—just weeks before their wedding.

Nathan was a moderately wealthy trust fund kid from New York. He had been chasing after Vanessa relentlessly since their freshman year of college. Initially, the gap in their backgrounds was a problem. But once Vanessa was "reunited" with her wealthy family, the Warrens, thanks to the pendant she "found," they suddenly became a perfect match. Right after graduation, both families hurriedly set up their engagement.

Over the years, Nathan earned a reputation as a "devoted boyfriend," and they were hailed as a "model couple." So why the sudden split?

"Apparently, there's this new girl around who looks a lot like Vanessa," Leona Fuller said, her laughter almost spilling out of her tailored suit as she eyed me curiously. "She's supposedly Nathan's high school sweetheart—the one who moved overseas right after they graduated. They were forced to break up, and both never got over each other.

"Now that she's back, Nathan rekindled things with her and broke it off with Vanessa. Word is, Vanessa was just a stand-in for his 'true love.' And now that the real deal's back, who needs a copy?"

When she saw that I genuinely didn't know any of this, Leona finally stopped laughing so hard.

Ever since Vanessa became the Warren family's daughter, she flaunted her status at school like a queen bee. She loved to show off her designer clothes and brag about how much Nathan adored her. Aside from those she marked as potential "luck sources," she looked down on most people. Naturally, she made plenty of enemies along the way.

So, once word got out that she'd been dumped for a "better model," the gossip spread like wildfire. Since everyone knew I was close to her, people kept asking me to confirm the rumors. But between being swamped with work and no longer needing to stay in her orbit for luck, I hadn't really kept in touch with Vanessa lately.

That said, I did hear she's been spending a lot of time recently with Freddie Thomson.

—My boyfriend.

I ran into Vanessa again in Freddie's office. It was our one-year anniversary.

The moment Freddie's assistant saw me, he froze with that classic "Oh no, the boss is cheating, and the girlfriend's here—what do I do?" look. Ignoring his attempts to stop me, I pushed the door open.

Vanessa was inside, wiping away tears with red, puffy eyes, looking utterly pitiful. "Sienna, please don't get the wrong idea. I'm just asking Freddie for some advice on my startup." She stood up, and the deep V-neck of her dress dipped even lower, leaving little to the imagination.

As if that weren't enough to fuel suspicion, she conveniently twisted her ankle, stumbling straight into Freddie's arms. "I can't seem to do anything right. No wonder Nathan left me. I just wanted to be like you, Sienna—independent and successful, not having to rely on anyone. But I keep failing at everything I try. Freddie, don't you think someone like me is just hopelessly unattractive? Sienna, are you avoiding me because I'm such a failure?"

She was crying like some tragic heroine, and Freddie stood there awkwardly, his arms hovering around her while his eyes filled with concern. "Sienna, how could you neglect Vanessa when she needs you? You're her best friend—you should be supporting her right now." Even Freddie began to criticize me.

I almost laughed at the absurdity of it all. Vanessa looked every bit the damsel in distress, yet she was the last person who needed my support. "I've been so swamped with work that I only just heard about the broken engagement today. I'm so sorry, Vanessa. Are you okay? Why didn't you tell me?"

Playing along, I put on my "best-concerned friend" face, acting completely oblivious to the overly cozy vibes between them. But Freddie still wasn't satisfied. Huffing in annoyance, he took the ice pack from his assistant and knelt down to tend to Vanessa's ankle. "Vanessa considers you her closest friend, and you can't even show her basic concern. Sienna, I know you're career-focused, but that doesn't mean you can't be a little more caring."

He sighed as if scolding a clueless child, completely forgetting that I was his actual girlfriend. Vanessa winced in exaggerated pain, but I caught the smug little smile curling at the corner of her lips—the same one she had the night she successfully swapped our fates.

I bowed my head, pretending to listen obediently while soaking in the spectacle. It was almost perfect, really. I ought to be grateful to Vanessa. First, she graciously relieved me of my "jinxed" life. And now, she was trying to steal away the very guy I'd been racking my brain on how to ditch.