During spring break, my family's housekeeper's son, Ethan Shaw, steals my black card and takes the entire class on a luxury trip to Norkin.

He books out an entire fireworks show to impress my girlfriend, Claire Sanders. Then, he treats everyone to first-class tickets for the cruise while basking in the spotlight.

But when I discover he's using my card and confront him, he teams up with my girlfriend to twist the story. They accuse me of being jealous of him. Cornered on the deck, I'm about to pull out my phone to prove it when Ethan suddenly shoves me over the railing. I'm left hanging by one desperate hand.

His voice is ice-cold. "Lucas is just picking a fight because he's after my money. I can't sleep soundly with him around."

On Ethan's signal, his lackey crushes my fingers one by one until my grip fails. I fall into the open sea, ending as food for the fish.

When I open my eyes, I find myself back on the day Ethan is booking the fireworks show. Watching him revel in the spotlight, I take out my phone and call the bank to cancel the card.

This time, I want to see just how he plays the lavish big shot.

"Since everyone likes it, I'll just book us an entire fireworks show."

Ethan Shaw made the grand announcement right in front of everyone and booked an entire event. It immediately drew a wave of admiration from the group.

"That's our Ethan for you."

"Seriously, he just makes it happen. I've never even been to a proper fireworks show."

"If he hadn't taken us along, we might never have had an opportunity like this."

Generosity and wealth had become his personal brand on this trip.

I saw the admiration in Claire Sanders' eyes. She seemed to have completely forgotten she was my girlfriend. Rather than acting like it, she was full of resentment toward me.

"Lucas Hart, look at Ethan. He just spent tens of thousands like pocket change. You could never measure up."

My expression turned icy as a torrent of thoughts surged within me.

Ethan was a joke. He wouldn't be here today without me.

Ethan's mother, Maria Warren, was my family's live-in housekeeper. While I had always known exactly who he was, he'd never seen me anywhere but at school. Out of respect for his mother, I quietly looked out for him.

After learning my family was wealthy, he used his mom's access to sneak into the villa and steal a black card. He had no idea it was mine and just thought it belonged to her employer.

In Ethan's eyes, I was just another moderately well-off classmate. Now, he was using my card and my money to flirt with Claire. It was a chain of events I knew that would lead to my death. The thought made my fists clench, my knuckles cracking.

Seeing that my expression had darkened, one of my classmates immediately started picking on me.

"Hey, Lucas. I heard your family's pretty well-off too. How come you've never treated us to a trip abroad?"

As soon as one of them started, the rest were eager to pile on.

"Yeah. Why bring such a nasty attitude? You're only here because of Ethan too. What's with the ungrateful act?"

A chorus of agreement followed.

Their money-grubbing faces made me laugh inwardly. I had never confirmed the rumors that I was rich. I just kept a low profile, as my parents had always taught me not to flaunt what I had. Yet even that made some people see me as pretentious.

"Who are you trying to fool? If you can't afford it, just say so. It's not like we'd laugh."

"Exactly. We're only here because Ethan's footing the bill, right?"

Ethan listened to them taunt me for a while before finally raising a hand to stop them.

"Alright, everyone. I'm not perfect myself, so let's not be too hard on Lucas. We're all here to have a good time. That's what matters most."

It was such a hypocritical act. Everyone beamed at his performance, turning their flattery up to the max.

At the same time, mocking glances settled over Claire and me. I knew exactly what they were thinking. To them, it was just another sign that I couldn't even keep my own girlfriend's attention, which made my usual low-profile demeanor look like nothing but a pathetic act.

But Ethan had been spending my money this whole time. Of course, I had every right to be here. Was I supposed to be grateful for spending my own money?

The sheer idiocy of it almost made me laugh. I dismissed them and turned my attention away, failing to notice the deep, furious flush rising on Claire's face.

The sound was sharp as a whip. She had stepped forward and slapped me hard across the cheek. "Why do you have to wear that scowl when we're all trying to have fun? Apologize to Ethan right now," she snapped.

I could only stare at her, completely stunned.

The sting on the right side of my face was burning hot. I pressed my tongue against the inside of my cheek.

"You hit me?" I asked in disbelief.

Claire's anger flared at my reaction, and she nodded without a trace of hesitation.

"Yes, I did. Who are you making that face for? You have no money, but you're jealous of everyone. You've been eating Ethan's food and drinking his drinks this whole trip. Where's your gratitude?"

Her words were merciless, making it clear in front of everyone that I didn't measure up to him.

"...And I'm supposed to be grateful to him?"

The absurdity hit me. Every dollar being spent here was mine. Was I now supposed to be grateful for spending my own money?

Our argument only made things more entertaining for the rest of them. They chimed in with sarcastic attempts at peacemaking.

"Come on. Don't fight. We're all here to have a good time. Just talk it out."

"Lucas has always been like this. Why are you getting so worked up, Claire?"

"Yeah. Let's just focus on having fun together."

Seeing this, Ethan stepped forward with his fake concern. "I'm sorry. I should've planned things better. Claire, don't be upset. We're all here to get along. Lucas, why are you making her so angry?"

Her face flushed at his words.

I looked at her and didn't see a trace of guilt toward me in her expression. My gaze instantly turned icy.

Ethan was only able to get away with this because my black card was linked to my mobile payments, with transaction alerts sent straight to my parents' phones. For years, neither my parents nor I had ever cross-checked the statements.

He had found this loophole and was spending freely because of it. I couldn't hold back my anger anymore and was about to expose him on the spot, but then I stopped short.

In my past life, I'd exposed him exactly like this, and no one had believed me.

Ethan had even twisted it around and accused me of being jealous of his wealth. But the unmistakable guilt on his face was something I remembered to this day.

He must have realized right then that it was my black card he'd stolen, and the plan to kill me probably started taking shape in his mind right after. That was why he ultimately conspired with the others to murder me, leaving my body in the open sea.

Remembering the brutal way I died in my last life, I knew I couldn't let things end the same way again. Now that I had been given a second chance, I would make every single one of them pay.

With that thought, I didn't say another word. I turned coldly and walked straight out of the venue where the fireworks show would be taking place.

Everyone looked surprised to see me leave. After all, we had traveled abroad together, and here I was, walking off alone in a foreign country. From behind me, I could hear the muttered taunts and scornful laughter of my classmates.

"What's wrong, Lucas? Feeling insecure? Where do you even think you're going?"

"Lucas, come back. It's dangerous for you to be alone in a foreign country."

"That's right. Just apologize and come back. No one will hold it against you."

Claire frowned when she saw me leave.

"Lucas!" she called out.

For a moment, I thought she might follow, but she didn't.

I smirked bitterly to myself. It was definitely the right call not to have told her about my family background. She probably only got together with me because of the rumors. If that were the case, then this relationship wasn't worth holding onto.

…

That night, someone who couldn't resist stirring things up sent me photos of Claire and Ethan embracing under the fireworks. Thousands of sparks lit the sky above them as they gazed into each other's eyes. Another second and they would have kissed.

I'd seen it coming, but the sight of her betrayal still sent a chill through me, and my chest tightened. After all, I had been serious about this relationship.

A moment later, Claire sent me a message.

"Lucas, I've had enough of you. Let's break up."

Seeing the words "break up" made my chest tighten with a weird, unplaceable feeling. I lowered my gaze and quickly typed out a brief reply.

"Fine. Let's break up, then."

Claire clearly hadn't expected such a decisive answer. She instantly became flustered and angry.

"What's gotten into you? We've been dating on and off for a year. Don't you have any feelings for me?"

I stared at her disgruntled response, confused. Wasn't she the one who wanted to break up? Now, she was upset that I agreed. At this rate, she'd probably be unhappy no matter what I said.

A sudden wave of exasperation with her hit me. I didn't respond and just blocked her, not wanting to listen to her endless complaints.

Just then, my phone buzzed with a message from my mom. After sending her a quick reply, her call came through.

"Hey, Mom."

"Lucas, your dad mentioned you're abroad right now. Are you about to board the cruise?"

I listened absentmindedly while packing my luggage.

Her warm, eager voice came through the speaker. "Do you remember Richard Sullivan, our old family friend? His daughter is on that same cruise for a vacation. Would you like to get to know her?"

I was slightly taken aback, but I knew exactly what she meant.

My parents had been trying to introduce me to the Sullivan family's daughter for a while. I'd always rejected them—partly because of Claire and partly because I never liked the idea of an arranged marriage.

But now, there was no real reason to refuse. I was going to be there anyway, and I'd have a front-row seat to the drama tomorrow. So, I agreed without much thought.

"Got it, Mom. Her name's Sophia Sullivan, right?"

Mom sounded delighted by how quickly I'd agreed this time. "Yes, that's her name. You met her at the last cocktail party. You remember her, right? Have fun together, and I'll let her know you'll be there."

Hearing the barely concealed hope in her voice, I felt a mix of amusement and mild exasperation. I was still so young, and she was already matchmaking me.

…

The next morning, I headed to the dock. As soon as I arrived, I spotted the familiar crowd. Even from a distance, I could hear their enthusiastic chatter.

"Ethan, yesterday's five-star hotel totally blew my mind."

"No kidding. The rooms were amazing."

"Ethan, are we really sailing back in first class today?"

Listening to their fawning compliments, I couldn't help smirking. I wonder how they had the nerve to tag along for the free ride. Before they knew Ethan had money, most of them didn't even give him the time of day.

If they were looking forward to today's itinerary, so was I.

A few sharp-eyed classmates noticed me approaching, and the snide comments began instantly.

"Lucas? What are you doing here? Where'd you sleep last night? Not on a park bench, I hope?"

The others gradually turned to look. Some couldn't hold back their derisive snorts.

"Hey! Why are you here? You're not trying to mooch a ticket home, are you?"

"Can't afford the trip back alone, huh? If it was gonna come down to this anyway, why bother with yesterday's drama?"

Ethan saw what was happening and immediately put on a show, pretending to calm everyone down.

"Alright, everyone. That's enough. Lucas, let's just put yesterday behind us. We're all classmates, after all. No point ending the trip on a sour note."

His "big-heartedness" immediately won him another round of praise.

"That's our Ethan. If it were me, I'd leave Lucas to sort it out himself."

"Exactly. Some people just don't know their place."

Ethan slowly approached me, his tone dripping with false sincerity. "Tell you what. I'll get you an economy ticket, so you can return with us."

His words were earnest, but the offer was still condescending.

"No, thanks." I frowned and rejected him outright, not bothering to guess what game he was playing.

My refusal left everyone stunned, and Claire looked even more displeased. "Lucas, must you be so ungrateful? How can you be so shameless when we're trying to be civil? What are you even doing here, then? Are you just trying to piss us off?"

I caught sight of her holding hands with Ethan and kept my face blank on purpose.

Just then, someone tapped my shoulder.

"Lucas Hart?"