My best friend, Mira Bolton, got into an online relationship with three rich men while impersonating me. One of them was an heir to an extremely wealthy family, the second one was a domineering pilot, while the last one was a cold and aloof professor who taught medicine.

In order to siphon money from them, Mira told them that she wanted to marry them, but they'd have to pay her family three million dollars each as a form of monetary gift.

After they agreed to Mira's proposal, she used my ID to register in three different marriages with them at respective times.

Mira was terrified that she'd suffer from a fate worse than death when her wrongdoings were exposed. Right after she received the money, she told them she had cancer and needed to fly overseas to get it treated. That was how she disappeared with millions of dollars under her name.

Eventually, they tracked me down using the information from my ID card.

Daniel Newton, the rich heir, asked me icily, "Didn't you fly overseas to get your cancer treated?"

I looked very confused by his question. Only then did they realize they had gotten tricked by Mira.

Enraged, Daniel had me kidnapped and thrown into a rural village all the way in the mountains.

Kevin Luther, the pilot, broke my legs and told me that I could forget about escaping from the mountains forever.

Felix McQuinn, the professor, felt that it wasn't big enough of a punishment for me, so he personally removed my kidney from my body.

In the village, I was reduced to a plaything meant for the villagers to toy with. In the end, I caught STDs and died in a filthy pig pen.

When I wake up again, I've returned after Mira stole my identity and got into a relationship with them.

"It's time to get up, Alyssa Sawyer! The sun's already shining in the sky!"

I jolted awake at the sound of someone hammering on my door. Sweat drenched my back when I heard that familiar voice.

I scanned my surroundings and noticed that I was in my rented apartment. Only then did I realize that I had been reborn.

"I ordered delivery, Aly. Let's eat together."

I slowly got up from my bed as the voice resounded through the door.

Mira Bolton and I had moved into this apartment together after we graduated. She was my best friend. I treated her as if she were family, but she was also the one who sent me to my death.

I was nearly overwhelmed with the urge to tear her face apart with my bare hands when I looked at her innocent expression. Instead, I curled my hands into tight fists, digging my nails painfully into my palms.

Suppressing the hatred festering in my heart, I walked over to the dining table.

"Hurry and eat. The food's going to get cold soon," Mira said. "Oh, that's right. Can I borrow your ID, Aly? Don't you have an annual membership for entry into Mt. Dawnbreak? I want to go hiking, so I'd like to borrow your ID to enter the area."

My ID?

My heart throbbed when I heard Mira's request. I hastily pulled out my phone and looked at the date.

It was May 19th—three months before I met my demise at the hands of the three men in my past life.

It turned out that Mira had already started planning to impersonate me a long time ago.

In my past life, after I lent my ID to Mira, she returned it to me the next day after she was done with her hike. She disappeared for a long time after that.

It was only when I suddenly got the urge to visit my parents that I learned that the ID she returned to me was fake. When I presented my ID at the high-speed railway station, I was informed that my ID was fake because it didn't have a chip.

Not long after that, the heir of the richest family in Bayville and two other men found me. They accused me of being a liar. Not only that, but each of them had a marriage certificate that had my name on it. They even had my photos.

There was nothing else I could do but repeatedly explain myself to them. I told them that I wasn't a liar, and I was most definitely not married. In fact, I didn't even know them!

However, the three men ignored my explanations and ordered their bodyguards to abduct me. They broke my legs and removed one of my kidneys before leaving me in an unnamed village in the mountains to be tortured day in and day out.

Days of abuse turned into years.

As for Mira, she fled to another country and lived a carefree life after using my identity to trick the three men into giving her money.

I placed down my fork and said, "I left my ID in the office. I'll give it to you later after work."

Mira didn't ponder my answer too long. She easily agreed.

After she left the apartment, I immediately called my supervisor and applied for two weeks of leave.

I stared at Mira's laptop that she had left on her desk. The first three passwords I entered were wrong, but I managed to gain access when I typed in her date of birth.

Her chat application booted up by itself, which made things much easier for me since I didn't have to hire a hacker to access it.

I finally realized how fake Mira was when the application loaded. She was using the same profile photo as me, and she also copied all the posts that I uploaded without changing a single thing.

The selfies that I took and uploaded ended up becoming hers too.

Mira wasn't very pretty. She had a lot of spots and acne scars on her face. As a result, her self-esteem was low, and she didn't dare show her real face. To satisfy her own vanity, she constantly stole my photos and claimed that the woman in them was her.

In my past life, I didn't mind too much when I found out that she had been stealing my photos because we were best friends. However, after giving it more thought, I realized that I had unknowingly invited misfortune upon myself.

I scrolled through her chats and eventually found the three men.

They were still flirting with each other for the time being.

Mira had given them pretty interesting nicknames.

"Wallet No. 1: Daniel Newton (The Brainless Heir of the Richest Family in Bayville)."

"Wallet No. 2: Kevin Luther (The Not-So-Wealthy Pilot)."

"Wallet No. 3: Felix McQuinn (Medical Professor With a Cold Exterior and Spicy Center)."

I looked through Mira's chats with them and had to admit that she was an expert at capturing a man's heart.

She was cold and aloof when she spoke to Daniel.

"I'm not interested in money. I just want a partner who resonates with me."

She was gentle and understanding when she spoke to Kevin.

"I'm so worried about you. You have to send me a message when you land. Let me know as soon as possible that you're safe."

She was alluring and seductive when she spoke to Felix.

"I bought these pajamas just for you. Do you want to take a look? Do you want to feel its texture?"

Mira successfully had all three men wrapped around her finger with her honeyed words.

The laptop chimed.

Daniel had just sent a message.

"When are we meeting?"

I briefly mulled over my thoughts but ultimately decided to refrain from replying.

I needed to plan out everything first if I wanted to take my revenge. It was too soon for me to take action now.

I exited the chat application and closed the laptop.

After lunch, I left the apartment and tracked down a place that could produce fake documents. After paying them a premium to expedite the process, I made a copy of my ID.

I was suddenly reminded of another reason why Mira managed to impersonate me after I prepared everything that I needed.

It wasn't only because she had my ID. More importantly, she was a special effects makeup artist who also livestreamed her process.

Mira would usually plant herself in the living room after work and start doing her makeup in front of the camera. She was able to transform herself into a completely different person just by using her assortment of tools and products,

If my guess was correct, Mira must have transformed herself into me whenever she met the three men in my past life.

After Mira returned from work that night, she didn't even bother having dinner first before asking me for my ID.

"Did you bring your ID back, Aly?"

I pretended to rummage through my bag before I pulled out the fake ID that I had made that day.

Mira took it from me and tucked it away somewhere.

Satisfaction spread through me when I thought about how she would just be exchanging the fake ID for another fake ID.

The next day, Mira left the apartment, pretending that she was going on a hike. She only came back late at night.

I caught a flicker of glee at my impending misfortune in her eyes when she returned the ID to me.

…

In the days that followed, I snooped through Mira's chats with the three men whenever she was at work. Their conversations became more and more explicit with each day that passed.

All three of them wanted to meet Mira in person.

Mira was a smart woman. She decided to start with Daniel first, the brainless heir of the richest family in Bayville.

"Are you that desperate to meet me? Can't we just keep chatting online?"

"I'll give you the handbag you like if you meet me in person."

"I don't care about materialistic things. An emotional connection is my priority. If I'm truly interested in you, I won't care even if you're as poor as dirt."

"I'm sorry. I was being too shallow. I'm begging you. Let's meet in person. Just once. I really want to see you."

After playing coy for a few more minutes, Mira finally agreed to Daniel's request.

They agreed to meet at Gold Sphere the next day. It was the most high-end shopping mall in the city and was full of branded stores.

It was laughable how Mira had insisted that she wasn't interested in money.

The nickname that she gave to Daniel was quite fitting—he truly wasn't the brightest tool in the shed.

Mira dressed simply the next day. She wore a clean, white shirt and a pair of jeans, completing her outfit with a canvas sling bag that was nearly bulging at the seams.

When I snuck a look inside the bag, I realized that it was full of makeup products.

I didn't expose Mira just yet. The show was just beginning, after all.

After disguising myself, I put on a surgical mask and followed Mira to Gold Sphere.

At around 11:00 am, I saw myself enter the mall with a man from the entrance on the first floor.

Mira looked identical to me at that moment. Meanwhile, the man next to her was the same man who had left me in the mountains in my past life.

Daniel looked at Mira adoringly as he led her into a branded store. She put on a show of being unwilling to browse the products, prompting him to coax her into trying on the clothes and shoes.

Mira's expression remained unchanging as if she wasn't convinced in the slightest. Her reaction caused Daniel to panic, and he guided her to the second floor.

"I know you're not interested in these things, Aly, but I can't let you leave empty-handed. Why don't you choose a bag? Do it for me, please?

"This necklace suits you so well, Aly. I'm not good at choosing these things, but the jewel is quite large. Why don't I give this to you as your birthday present? Please accept it for my sake. We've known each other for so long, after all.

"This ring looks so pretty on your finger, Aly. It's practically made for you."

I tailed them and listened to Daniel beg Mira again and again.

The two of them continued their little game of tug-of-war for quite some time before Mira finally accepted Daniel's gifts. She didn't forget to wear a reluctant expression when she did.

In the end, Daniel bought five bags, three necklaces, and two rings for her.

I saw Mira grinning widely to herself when she thought no one was looking.

"I'll just pretend that you're temporarily storing these things at my place for now, Danny. I normally don't dress up, so I won't have any use for these bags or jewelry."

"Fine. As long as you're willing to accept these gifts."

I pulled out my flask and asked the waiter in one of the nearby cafes to fill it with hot water.

Mira and Daniel had just exited the store when I stepped out of the cafe. They were carrying several large bags with them.

"I hope you enjoy the surprise that I prepared for you today, Mira," I thought to myself. "Daniel's a ruthless and paranoid man. I'm going to make sure that he sees you for who you really are!"

I hurried toward them. Pretending to accidentally bump into someone, I aimed the flask at Mira's head and let it slip through my fingers.

The hot water cascaded down on Mira.

Mira screamed. "My face! It burns!"

She used both hands to cover her face as she sank to her knees and wailed in pain.

Daniel hastily grabbed some tissues and tried to wipe her face, setting off a chain reaction that couldn't be stopped.

The tissue became covered with a reddish and yellowish paste in an instant.

Daniel was stunned as he alternated his gaze between the tissue and Mira.

Mira finally realized what was happening at that moment. She was too scared to raise her head. Her eyes were darting around behind the gaps between her fingers.

After deciding on her escape route, she ignored the searing pain in her face and leaped to her feet, attempting to make a break for it.

"Where do you think you're going, Aly?" an icy voice asked from behind her.