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.