Thanks to an accident, I'm somehow able to get on a phone call with the past version of me from seven years ago.

Upon hearing that I will be getting engaged to Edward Herring soon, Younger Me is so excited that she keeps rolling around in bed. She also claims that she will be the happiest woman in the world seven years later.

Am I happy, though?

I can only smile bitterly without saying anything. Then, I silently show Younger Me the old scars of the suffering and pain I've gone through in the past.

The gentle Edward is no longer here. Now, the Edward I'm with is the type who allows others to call me a manipulative bitch repeatedly and demands that I grovel to his first love, Madison Scott, and her family in a form of apology before our engagement.

"So, do you still want a future like this?"

The sparkle in Younger Me's eyes fades away instantly.

After that, my past has been rewritten.

Let's never see each other from the start, Edward Herring.

The rising starlet, Madison Scott, showed up with her family at my engagement party with Edward Herring.

Everyone's attention shifted to them in an instant. Edward let go of my hand and went over to greet her together with his mother.

Mrs. Herring, who had been wearing a cold expression just moments ago, immediately broke into a smile as she took Madison's hand. "You're finally here, Maddie."

Madison chatted with them with practiced ease.

People around us who were unaware began to grow curious about my relationship with them.

Edward's friends pointed at me and let out a chuckle. "Oh, her? She slept her way into this."

This wasn't something new.

Every time someone was curious, they would make sure to retell what happened back then.

Edward and I joined the same club back in college. I pursued him for two years, but he ended up getting together with his childhood friend, Madison.

I gave up once I knew he was taken.

But somehow, I ended up sleeping with Edward during one of our club gatherings.

That night, Madison enthusiastically offered drinks to both of us.

Unable to hold my liquor, I got drunk quickly. I clearly remember checking the room number and returning to my own room.

But the next day, she pushed open the door and barged in, catching us red-handed.

I was lying naked in Edward's bed, my body covered in hickeys.

Madison burst into tears on the spot, while he threw on his clothes, furiously demanding an explanation from me.

Everyone had known Edward as the perfect gentleman, and I was just an underclassman hopelessly obsessed with him.

No one believed my explanation. They called me a shameless, scheming bitch who was willing to do anything to get what she wanted.

The incident spread through the college's group chats when I returned to campus.

Later, Madison broke up with Edward and went abroad. I then became the target of everyone's anger.

Everyone took her side and called me a shameless homewrecker. They even reported me, and I lost both my scholarship and my graduate school admission offer.

Edward originally had no intention of getting involved with me. But when he found out I got pregnant unexpectedly, he had no choice but to take responsibility and be with me.

And just like what others said, having him didn't mean I had his heart. Being branded as the scheming woman who slept her way into Edward's life was a stain that never came off.

The guests started murmuring disdainfully after hearing the story.

"I knew it. How could someone from the Herring family marry a low-class woman like this?"

"Just look at how poor and pathetic she and her mother look. Without using dirty tricks like this, someone like her would never have had the chance to get close to the people from the elite circle."

Mom stood with me in the corner, looking at me helplessly. She whispered, "I'm sorry, Claire. If only I were more capable."

My nose stung as tears filled my eyes instantly.

Mom was a waitress and had spent her whole life serving others. That was why she always told me to study hard so that I would never have to bow my head and let people bully me the way she had in the future.

And yet here I was, dragging her into being laughed at with me at my own engagement party.

I almost wished Mom would scold me, but she never blamed me. She only held my hand with pity and let out one quiet sigh after another.

I was basically invisible the entire engagement party. They were busy networking and lining up opportunities for Madison.

It wasn't until everything was over that Edward and I went back to the Herring residence.

Once we got back, I waited until he was asleep so that I could step out onto the balcony. The night wind was cold enough to make me shiver.

I took out my phone and asked, "So what now? Do you still want me to stay?"

On the other end of the line was the younger me from seven years ago. One of us was still hopeful for the future, while the other had already gone numb.

Younger Me said, "After all, with that kind of misunderstanding that happened, maybe Ed just hasn't fully let go yet. You finally got engaged, aren't you really going to keep trying?"

I had kept the call going all day.

Even after hearing everything that had happened, Younger Me was still gently trying to persuade me.

Then again, hearing a story could never compare to living through it.

The Ed that younger me from seven years ago knew was still the upperclassman who had patiently helped me with my homework and chased off thugs who harassed me.

After a long silence, I let out a soft sigh.

Younger Me then asked, "By the way, you said Ed and I had a child together, right? Can I hear his voice?"

Her voice was filled with anticipation, but my reply came icy. "He's long dead."

By then, Madison had already debuted as an actress and had several fans at college.

They deliberately waited until I was about to give birth before pushing me down the stairs. The baby ended up dying right before he was about to be born.

Edward had originally planned to hold them responsible. But Madison called from overseas and pleaded with him on behalf of her fans.

He ended up dropping the case, even forbidding me from calling the police. He told me it was my karma that had killed the baby.

In the end, the entire thing was swept under the rug.

I stayed alone in the hospital, watching as days and nights passed, yet my eyes were fixed on nothing.

The doctor told me I had depression and encouraged me to relax and talk more with my family. I nodded in agreement and kept it to myself.

And no one had even noticed for the past few years.

When I woke up the next morning, I saw Mrs. Herring inviting Madison for breakfast once I came downstairs.

Madison had returned from being overseas two years ago. As soon as she came back, Edward used every resource the Herring family had to boost her popularity.

Mrs. Herring even blatantly brought her home to my face, lamenting how she had been schemed against by someone as despicable as me.

The two of them had been chatting happily. But the moment I walked over, Madison suddenly said, "I heard the Herrings have an heirloom bracelet that gets passed down to the daughter-in-law. Why haven't you given it to Claire yet, Angelica?"

Mrs. Herring let out a cold snort. "Does she even deserve it? Someone as shameless and despicable as her would only taint the Herring family's heirloom."

Madison put on an awkward expression, yet the delight in her eyes was impossible to hide. "But she's engaged to Edward now, Angelica. Isn't it a little inappropriate to say that?"

"What's so inappropriate about it? Don't worry, Maddie. I only acknowledge you as the Herring family's daughter-in-law. I'll never acknowledge that woman for as long as I live," Mrs. Herring replied.

She was probably furious that, despite my miscarriage and Madison's return, Edward still hadn't dumped me. He had even gone as far as getting engaged to me.

But after all these years, I was long used to it.

I quietly walked over to the side and started scrolling through my phone.

The moment I opened the app, the trending headline hit me in the face. "Rising Starlet Madison Scott Rumored to Be the Future Daughter-in-Law of the Herring Corporate."

Madison had even liked the post with her private account.

The comments section was in an uproar. Everyone was gushing over how perfect they looked together.

Madison's fans were especially smug. "Our Maddie is seriously amazing! She even managed to lock down Mr. Herring!"

I was the one who quietly typed, "But I always see another woman by Mr. Herring's side. Isn't that his girlfriend?"

The moment I posted it, I was attacked by Madison's fans.

"Who's this random bitch trying to steal Maddie's man?"

"You definitely saw it wrong, babe. If she were really his girlfriend, there's no way this topic would still be trending for this long."

"That's right. Mr. Herring is just jealous of all the handsome men around Maddie, so he's trying to secretly stake his claim."

More replies came flooding in. I scrolled down through them one by one until my fingers finally went slack.

I had thought I'd gotten used to it after all these years, yet my chest still felt suffocated.

They weren't wrong. Wasn't all this happening because Edward had silently allowed it?

On the phone, Younger Me kept trying to comfort me in a soft voice. She said that the fans were merely talking nonsense, and that Edward would definitely step in if he found out.

He had never been short on admirers. Because of that, someone had spread nasty rumors about me.

Back then, Edward had marched me right over and slapped that person across the face himself. But that was all in the past now.

"Ed…" I scoffed. "Do you really think your dear Ed would do anything?"

I made a bet with Younger Me.

The terms were simple.

Younger Me would lose if Edward made me suffer for Madison again. And I wanted her to stay far away from both of them from then on.

I wanted to change the future by changing the past.

One week from now, Younger Me would turn down the invitation to that gathering and cut off all contact with Edward.

She would graduate smoothly, secure her graduate school admission offer, and never again have to live under the weight of shame.

That night, Edward came home reeking of alcohol.

I went straight to him and demanded an explanation.

Edward glanced at me. "You're really going to make a scene over something this small?"

My hands trembled uncontrollably beneath my sleeves. For the first time in seven years, I finally lost it and shouted, "Edward! If you still can't let Madison go, then just get together with her openly!"

The moment the words left my mouth, Edward let out a cold chuckle. "Madison and I have always been open. You're the one who's always scheming and playing dirty."

"Ed—"

Edward stiffened suddenly.

That had been Younger Me speaking. I pressed on as if I'd lost all strength, saying, "I don't want to stay trapped in the past anymore. I don't want to stay trapped here."

I didn't want to keep waking up every night from nightmares filled with a baby's cries. I definitely didn't want to keep living like some kind of criminal, prone to the curses and humiliation of anyone.

I had been telling the truth when I said I really had gone back to my own room. But why had no one believed me?

But instead, Edward's face darkened. "Claire, why is a cheap slut who could crawl into a man's bed back then putting on an innocent act now?"

He grabbed my wrist so hard it hurt, shoving me down onto the bed. I struggled to get him to stop, but his movements only grew rougher.

It wasn't until my lips bled from Edward's bites and pain tore through my lower body that everything ended.

Having drunk fairly much, he was quick to succumb to sleep.

I forced myself upright and let out a bitter laugh. "You lost, Claire."

There was a long silence on the other end. After a while, Younger Me softly replied, "Alright. I'll keep my end of the bet."

…

It was Mother's Day the next day. I went to Mom's workplace, planning to pick her up after her shift so we could spend the day together.

I wasn't expecting three thugs to burst in and knock her to the ground.

Panicked, I rushed forward and threw myself over Mom to shield her.

The leader of the thugs shouted, "You old hag! You raised a homewrecking bitch who slept her way into a man's bed. I'll beat you to death!"

The bystanders who had been about to step in suddenly paused, looking at me and Mom with strange, judgmental eyes.

The other two thugs yanked me away and pinned me to the floor. I could only watch as the third man continued to punch her.

"Just come after me for everything! Leave Mom alone!" I watched as Mom got beaten up until she was covered in blood. She went from begging for mercy to eventually losing her voice.

Terrified, I cried and screamed for help, begging everyone to help us. But no one moved, not until security finally rushed in and drove them off.

With trembling hands, I called 911.

At the hospital, a nurse told me they were short-staffed. All the attending surgeons were already in surgery.

Recalling that the Herrings knew several doctors, I hastily ran to find them. But they were all gathered in one place.

There had been an accident at the theater earlier. Madison had cut her hand and was badly shaken.

Worried for her, Edward called every available doctor over to examine her.

Outside the room, I saw Madison trembling in his arms while he softly comforted her, his face full of concern.

I rushed into the hospital ward, my voice raw. "My mom's dying, Edward. Please send just one doctor to her."

Madison immediately teared up, clutching Edward's sleeve. "My chest hurts so much."

The look he gave me was sharp. "Claire, must you throw a jealous fit now when Maddie's already like this? You're even using your mom as an excuse now?"

I dropped to my knees, grabbing at his sleeves as I pleaded. "It's true. I'm not lying. My mom's in a critical condition."

Irritated, Edward snapped, "Just be patient."

I was gripped with anxiety as time dragged on. Madison didn't have a single visible injury, yet she kept insisting she felt unwell.

At long last, a doctor was finally available.

Just then, an alarm went off in the emergency room. I ran over without hesitation.

But when I got there, the heart monitor was already flatlining. As the doctors and nurses apologized to me, I collapsed to the floor, staring at Mom's motionless body in a pool of blood.

I was supposed to take her out for Mother's Day today.

Edward showed up shortly after. He was stunned when he saw the scene, finally realizing I hadn't been lying. He came to apologize to me, but I couldn't hear anything he said.

Just then, I got a call from the police, telling me that they've found the three thugs who attacked Mom.

I wiped off my tears and hurried over. I wasn't going to let them get away with this. Edward even said he would help me make them pay.

But Madison was also there when we arrived.

The moment she saw me, she rushed forward and dropped to her knees. She cried and said one of the men was her brother, that he'd only wanted to stand up for her, and had been egged on by others.

Madison cried, "I'll compensate you, Claire. Please, just let my brother go. Please don't ruin his future."

I shook her off, feeling nothing but disbelief.

When Madison saw she couldn't move me, she turned to Edward, and he agreed. "Just let it go, Claire."

I lost it and screamed, "How dare you tell me to let it go? I will never forgive them!"

Edward snapped, "Claire! Your mom wouldn't have been beaten up if you hadn't caused all that trouble back then!"

My mind went blank. For the last time, I explained weakly, "How many times do I have to tell you? I went back to my own room that night."