During Christmas break, my boyfriend, Trevor Hayes, asks me to stop by and feed the dog that his childhood friend, Evelyn Summers, keeps at her place.

I bring a bag of kibble over. But the second I open the door, a huge pit bull lunges at me and bites into my face and arms.

Luckily, a neighbor hears me screaming and pulls me out of its jaws, but the damage is already done. The scars will stay with me forever.

I break down, but Trevor blames me instead. "You must've done something wrong when you fed Mojo and set him off. You just got a scar, but Mojo's dead!"

The weight of it all crushes me until I climb a rooftop and jump.

After dying, I see Trevor holding Evelyn in his arms.

"Honey, you're so clever. Starving Mojo for a few days really worked. Now, she's dead. We can finally be together."

When I open my eyes again, I'm back on the day Trevor asks me to go feed that dog.

"Hannie, don't forget to feed Evie's dog today."

Trevor Hayes' voice came through the phone—the voice I would never forget.

I stood frozen, unable to believe what I was seeing.

Outside the window, "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" played faintly, as if the holidays refused to end.

I rushed to the mirror. My skin was smooth again, and the scar was completely gone.

Then, it hit me. I, Hannah Shaw, had come back to life.

"Hannie, are you still there?" Trevor asked, raising his voice when I didn't answer.

"I'm not feeling well today. I can't make it. Tell her to find someone else," I said flatly.

Trevor sounded annoyed. "No way! Evie went to Hanoe Island for the holidays. If you don't go, Mojo will starve. You always feed stray cats. What's the big deal about a dog?"

I let out a cold laugh. "A dog bit me when I was a kid. I'm afraid of dogs, so I'm not going. Tell her to find someone online."

"No. Evie lives alone. She can't just let a stranger into her home. You're a woman, too. How can you not get that?"

When I didn't budge, he softened his tone. "If you're not feeling well, just stay home. I'll bring the dog over. You can watch him for a few days, and I'll pay you for it. Deal?"

My stomach dropped all over again.

I was currently staying at my parents' house. If that dog came here, the three of us would be doomed!

Damn it! Did he even have a heart?

I forced out a laugh. "Forget it. Didn't you drive out of town with your dad? I'll feed the dog. And keep your money. We're not strangers."

He laughed in return. "Thanks for helping Evie out. When she's back, I'll make sure she treats you to dinner."

When I hung up, I pressed a hand to my chest, trying to steady my breathing.

Christmas wasn't over yet. My parents were visiting relatives, and the presents still sat piled under the tree.

Staring at the gifts, an idea hit me.

Moments later, I drove to Trevor's house. I showed up at their door with two bottles of red wine and a gift basket.

Only Trevor's mother, Lydia Barker, was home. She hadn't gone back for Christmas in years because she and her in-laws were always at odds.

Maybe that was why she couldn't stand the idea of me as her future daughter-in-law.

"Trevor hasn't decided to marry you. Don't bring gifts here. Take them back," she said coldly.

I smiled and replied, "Even if I'm not married to Trevor yet, it's only right for me to visit. I can't take back a gift once I've given it. If you don't like these, I'll take you out shopping. You can pick whatever you want."

I kept a sincere look on my face. Lydia couldn't find a way to say no.

When she heard she could buy whatever she wanted, she hesitated for a moment. Then, I took her out anyway.

I sat in the car, gripping the steering wheel as memories from my past life flashed through my mind.

When I started dating Trevor, I'd known about his childhood friend, Evelyn Summers. But he always kept his distance from her, so I never thought much of it.

In my past life, Evelyn and her family went on vacation to Hanoe Island and left her dog, Mojo, with Trevor.

But when Trevor returned to his hometown with his father to spend Christmas with his grandparents, the job ended up falling on me.

Evelyn looked delicate and sweet, so I thought her dog would be small and docile.

But when I got to her house and turned the knob, the door burst open with a huge force, knocking me backward onto the floor.

Before I could get up, a massive pit bull lunged at me, pinning me down as its teeth sank into my flesh. Pain surged through me as my flesh was torn away. I could only scream and fight to get free.

Just then, a neighbor heard my screams. He rushed over with a knife and struck the dog across the head.

The pit bull yelped and let go. The neighbor quickly dragged me into his house, then called an ambulance and the police.

Even with a gash on its head, the dog kept barking in the stairwell. The paramedics didn't dare come up.

Eventually, the police shot the dog so they could reach me. Then, they rushed me to the hospital.

A chunk of flesh had been ripped from my face, leaving a gaping wound. Even worse, the dog had bitten off and swallowed my fingers. And there was no way to fix that.

Before I could look for Evelyn, she came to the hospital.

"Hannah, I'm so sorry. I don't know why Mojo would bite you. He's always been such a good dog," she sobbed, dropping to her knees beside my bed.

Just then, Trevor rushed in, pulled Evelyn to her feet, and shielded her behind him. His brows drew together as he looked down at me.

"You must've done something wrong when you fed Mojo and set him off. Evie nearly passed out crying when she heard you were hurt. Stop being petty and just let it go."

Then, he added, as if doing me a favor, "Even if your face is ruined, I won't abandon you."

When I didn't nod along, he snapped and shoved a mirror at me. "Look at you! Who else would want you besides me? If you keep this up, we're over!"

My heart sank as I looked at my ruined face in the mirror. I searched online and learned that a wound that deep could be repaired, but it would never look the same.

After that, I smashed every mirror in my house and stopped going outside. In the end, I fell into a deep depression and jumped from the rooftop.

After I died, my soul drifted to Trevor. I watched him pull Evelyn into his arms.

When they heard I was gone, they both smiled like they had been waiting for the news.

Evelyn even cooed, "Honey, you're so clever. Starving Mojo for a few days really worked. We hoped he'd kill her, but she actually survived. Now, she's dead. We can finally be together."

That was when I realized they had planned it all from the start.

I swore that if I ever got another chance, I would make them pay.

God must have heard me, because I came back to life.

Now that I had been given a second chance, I would drag them both down to hell.

I drove Lydia to the mall. By the time we came out, night had already fallen.

Meanwhile, Evelyn checked her home cameras and saw that I still hadn't shown up to feed the dog. She assumed I had bailed and hurried to call Trevor.

I was about to drive Lydia home when Trevor's name lit up my screen. I put the call on speaker so she could hear.

"Hannie, didn't you say you'd feed Evelyn's dog? Did you forget?"

I pretended to be surprised. "Oh, yeah! I would've forgotten if you hadn't called. I'll go now."

Trevor grunted. "Hurry up, then. Don't drag it out."

After I hung up, I gave Lydia an apologetic look. "Sorry, Mrs. Hayes. Evelyn asked me to feed her dog, but I forgot. How about we stop by her place first, then I'll take you home?"

Lydia had practically watched Evelyn grow up, so she cared for her far more than she ever did for me. When she heard we were going to Evelyn's place, she agreed without a second thought.

All that shopping finally paid off. I had managed to get her to come to Evelyn's place with me.

In my past life, after I was disfigured, Lydia came over just to humiliate me and tell me to stay away from Trevor. She said she would never let an ugly woman like me set foot in their house and even claimed that Evelyn had always been her choice for a daughter-in-law. She blamed me for getting in the way.

When we reached Evelyn's apartment and were about to step into the elevator, I turned to Lydia. "I think I left my phone in the car. Why don't you go up first?"

Right then, the elevator doors slid open. So, Lydia went in.

I stayed where I was, smiling at Lydia as the elevator doors closed.

A moment later, I took another elevator to the floor below Evelyn's place and slipped up the fire stairs.

I had just stepped into the stairwell when a bloodcurdling scream tore through the hallway.

"Help!"

I stayed in the stairwell. Even with the door between us, Lydia's screams pierced my ears, mixed with furious barking.

I pressed against the fire door, afraid the dog would catch my scent, and called the police immediately.

Lydia's screams drew the neighbors, but maybe fate had shifted this time. The kind neighbor who had saved me before wasn't home, and no one else dared to step in.

Pit bulls were fighting dogs and were already banned in the city. I had no idea how Evelyn had even gotten one.

When that dog reared up, it stood as tall as a grown woman. It had also been starved for days. Maybe Lydia wasn't enough to fill its stomach.

The police arrived quickly. It took a struggle, but they finally put the dog down.

Lydia lay there covered in wounds. She clearly hadn't gotten off easy.

When the apartment manager saw the scene, his legs nearly gave out. He called Evelyn right away.

"Ms. Summers, your dog attacked someone. You need to come back immediately!"

Evelyn sounded almost excited. "How could that happen? I'm on my way!"

She had no idea I wasn't the one who'd been mauled.