It was the day before summer vacation in our third year of university when Sophie Evans, my roommate, burst into the room with a huge grin on her face.

Bursting with excitement, she announced a trip to Europe for all of us.

"My boyfriend's covering everything. Our flights, food, and lodging are all free. You guys just wait and enjoy yourselves!"

I couldn't believe it.

It sounded way too good to be true, like one of those human trafficking schemes. Panic set in, so I quickly suggested we check out my family’s new hot spring hotel instead.

After all, Sophie wasn’t just my roommate—she’d been my best friend since high school. The thought of her walking into something dangerous was unbearable to me.

Later that day, she was scrolling through her phone and saw pictures of her foreign boyfriend showing off his wealth.

Without missing a beat, she snapped at me. "You're just jealous that I found a rich boyfriend, especially now that I'm going to marry into an aristocratic family. Don't be a buzzkill, Megan! Gosh, you're trying to ruin it for me!"

I quickly apologized, but Sophie completely brushed it off. She then went online and spread a rumor that our hot springs caused people to develop skin diseases.

And that was when everything started falling apart.

The hotel we’d worked so hard to open was shut down within a week.

The stress it caused was too much for my parents. They both fell ill, were hospitalized, and passed away shortly after.

I couldn’t handle it.

I broke.

And in a daze, I wandered into traffic and was hit by a truck.

Then, I woke up.

That’s when I realized I was back to the moment when Sophie first announced her trip to Europe.

——

"My boyfriend's taking us to Europe, and all expenses are covered. Our flights, food, and lodging are all free. You guys just wait and enjoy yourselves!"

Sophie grinned like the Cheshire cat, fiddling with her new iPhone as she proudly shared the news the day before summer break.

As soon as Rachel and Whitney heard about the free European trip, they jumped up, practically bouncing with excitement.

Rachel raised an eyebrow. “Wait, Sophie, you’ve never even met him in person, and he’s willing to spend all that money on you?”

“What do you know?” Sophie shot back, snapping a selfie in the mirror, way too pleased with herself. “We’re in love! He’s a European aristocrat who loves American girls. He’s already sent me money to buy stuff worth tens of thousands. Plus, he has a manor in Slovakia and a private beach. Maybe you’ll meet some handsome European guys while you’re there.”

“Oh wow, he sounds amazing, Sophs! I’m so jealous!” Whitney said, practically squealing.

That's when Rachel and Whitney, both single and desperate for romance, immediately started packing, their heads full of fantasies about meeting their foreign suitors.

Suddenly, Sophie turned to me, flashing that innocent, expectant smile. "Megan, why aren't you packing yet?"

I stared at her, my irritation bubbling up so much I could barely control myself.

I honestly wanted to strangle her.

But I took a deep breath and kept my cool. "I get motion sickness, so I will have to pass on this trip with you, Sophie."

Sophie's face dropped in disappointment. "What? Come on, don't be such a loser! You've never even left the state! How could you pass up an opportunity like this?"

I turned on my heel and walked out, explaining, "My family's business is short-staffed. I'll be helping them during the summer break."

As I reached the door, I heard Sophie grumbling behind me.

"Seriously? I invite you to join me on a free trip, and you act like this? What an ungrateful bitch."

Immediately, Rachel and Whitney rushed to comfort her.

Eager to stay in Sophie's good graces, Rachel chimed in, "She's just a small-town girl who can't appreciate the finer things. We'll have more fun without her."

Whitney, with an even bolder tone, added, "She'd rather go home and work at a factory. Let's not stop her."

I didn't reply. Instead, I pinched myself to calm my nerves and regain composure.

Besides, I had been here before. I was reborn.

In my past life, just like the summer before, Sophie had shared her plans to travel to Europe with her online boyfriend the day before. She claimed Slovakia was the 'heart of Europe,' the perfect summer destination.

I'd always been into horror movies, so I knew that human trafficking was a major problem in that area, especially for American girls. It was often a theme in the bloody, disturbing films I watched. I warned Sophie that online relationships like hers could be risky and might even be a cover for human trafficking.

Coincidentally, my family's hot spring hotel had just opened, so I invited everyone to spend the summer with me instead. My parents had invested their entire life savings into the hotel, taking out loans for upscale renovations and even channeling spring water from the mountains to create a wellness spa.

Summer vacations surged in popularity, resulting in my family's hotel being completely booked. To prevent my roommates from going to Europe, I begged my mom to reserve two private hot spring suites for them.

Usually, these suites cost a thousand bucks a night, but since my mom knew they were my roommates, she not only offered them free lodging and meals but also had my dad prepare a set of high-end skincare products for each of them.

In exchange for the cosmetics, the three of them agreed to come to my house.

At first, everything went smoothly. We all got along fine, and the atmosphere was comfortable.

But a few days later, Sophie saw a post from her online boyfriend on Instagram. He was hosting a yacht party and handing out $10,000 in cash to each girl there.

The next thing I knew, Sophie exploded.

"It's your fault! You had to drag me to this crappy hotel!"

Her eyes were red, and in a fit of fury, she threw her phone at me, hitting me in the face.

"If it weren't for you, I could've gotten a share of that money!"

Rachel and Whitney, who had been on their phones, checking the exchange rate online, turned pale.

"That's over $10,000! Enough to buy a small apartment!" Whitney gasped.

Sophie glared at me, her teeth clenched, and spat out, "You're just jealous that I found a rich boyfriend, and now you're trying to ruin my chance to marry into a wealthy family!"

It was painfully clear: her dream was falling apart, and it was an unpleasant sight. The three of them created a major disruption in the hotel, shouting and arguing loudly, disturbing all the other guests.

To avoid making it worse, my mom tried to calm things down quietly at first.

But Sophie wasn't having it. She went straight for the money.

"$10,000 each. You'll pay for what we've lost, and then we'll leave," Sophie demanded.

My dad, who had already been on edge, had had enough.

He called the police, and they were kicked out of the hotel.

After Sophie left, she uploaded a video online, alleging she had developed a skin disease at my family's hotel and cautioning others to avoid it.

The video quickly gained traction, and soon Sophie was defaming me on the school's forum, accusing me of exploiting female college students to draw customers to our hotel.

Her lies incited the online community, and before I knew it, a surge of outraged internet users started filing complaints against our hotel with the authorities.

My family's hotel, which had just opened a week prior, struggled to cope with the relentless inspections from each department.

What was once a thriving business quickly spiraled into turmoil.

Things only worsened when people online dug up and shared my parents' private information, leading to harassment aimed at nearly everyone associated with us.

I pleaded with Sophie to stop, to let us move on and leave us in peace, but instead, she forced me to kneel and apologize in front of her.

She recorded the entire incident and shared it in our class.

Everyone assumed I was at fault, and Sophie, true to form, exploited the situation, profiting from the attention this scandal attracted.

The pressure of mounting loans and the relentless online harassment became too much for my parents. They fell into deep depression and were soon hospitalized.

Not long after, they both passed away.

A once-happy family was torn apart—all because I made the mistake of inviting my roommates home out of kindness.

The constant pain and overwhelming stress pushed me into a complete mental breakdown.

In my dazed state, I wandered into traffic and was struck by a truck, killing me instantly.

Thinking about everything that happened before I was reborn, I decided to pack my bags and go home tonight.

I couldn't bear to face that situation again. This is my opportunity to correct my mistakes, and I won't let them slip away.

But as soon as I walked into the dorm, I found Sophie, Rachel, and Whitney discussing changing their travel plans to Slovakia.

Just when I walked into the dorm, I found Sophie, Rachel, and Whitney discussing changing their travel plans to Slovakia.

I quickly lowered my head, trying to avoid getting dragged into their mess.

I just wanted to escape it all.

But then, Sophie walked over to me, flashing that same smug smile she always wore.

"We're best friends, and I won't hold it against you," she said, her voice sweet and fake. "The tickets are already booked. The train leaves at 10 AM tomorrow, and there's a direct flight to Slovakia from here. My boyfriend bought the plane tickets, but you'll need to cover the high-speed train ticket. It's €100. Just Venmo me the payment."

I completely lost control as I spoke in anger. "What right do you have to use my personal information to buy tickets?!"

Sophie's face turned bright red with anger. "Are you out of your mind? I'm being nice, inviting you on this trip, and now you're making it sound like it's a problem?"

Sophie had always helped us buy tickets when we traveled together, so all of our ticket information was saved on her phone. But this time, something felt off.

A wave of dread washed over me.

Without thinking, I snatched the phone from her hand and quickly deleted my personal info from the ticketing app.

I tossed the phone back at her and sharply asked, "Who brings their roommates along when they're on a date with their boyfriend? What exactly are you up to?"

For a brief moment, panic flashed across Sophie's face, but it was gone as quickly as it came. She straightened up, trying to regain control, and put on her usual fake confidence.

With a haughty sneer, Sophie shot back, "Ugh, you're so petty. You can't stand seeing me be generous, can you? I consider everyone my sister. What's wrong with thinking of you when something good comes my way? Honestly, you deserve to be single."

Of course, Rachel and Whitney immediately jumped to her defense.

Rachel, rolling her eyes at me, added, "Megan, you're seriously heartless. Sophie said it was a rare opportunity, and she didn't want you to miss out, so she bought the tickets for you. And now you're biting the hand that fed you?"

Whitney, with a smug smirk, joined in, "It's good to see your true colors finally, Megan. We won't be friends with you anymore after this."

"Friends?" I couldn't help but let out a cold, humorless laugh. "A friend wouldn't act as a middleman to make a profit. You buy a €15 train ticket and charge them €100?"

Sophie was always the type to grab every chance to make a quick buck, and I had ignored it before, mostly because my family was well-off.

But now? I wasn't going to tolerate it any longer.

Before Sophie could respond, Rachel and Whitney immediately rushed to justify her actions.

"Sophie took us abroad. Buying tickets was tough work. What's wrong with charging a small handling fee?" Rachel defended.

Whitney, with her usual icy tone, added, "You're just jealous Sophie found a rich boyfriend. Megan, you're really disgusting."

It's nearly impossible to reason with people who've already made up their minds—and even worse when they've been actively involved in tearing my family apart online.

I didn't bother to argue anymore.

Instead, I grabbed my valuables, shoved them in my bag, and went to bed, trying to block out the perturbation within me.

...

The next morning, they were up before me.

As they got dressed and left the dorm, every word they said dripped with mockery. I ignored them, waiting until they'd all left before I dragged my luggage out the door.

Just as I arrived at the school gate, I noticed a crowd gathered around a luxury sports car, taking pictures.

Among the crowd were two European-American men, both easily over six feet tall, standing out like sore thumbs.

My three roommates fawned over them, acting like little puppies.

I froze for a second. I hadn't expected the so-called European 'rich boyfriend' to show up in person.

I was about to walk past them, but then, as if on cue, one of the men, his arm around Sophie, locked eyes with me.

In perfect English, he called out my name. "Megan! Sophie's friend!"

Sophie's face immediately flashed with a hint of displeasure, but she quickly grabbed my hand, trying to redirect my attention.

"This is my best friend. She's been dancing since elementary school."

She introduced me to the two men, who eyed me up and down with those ambiguous, knowing smiles.

Rachel and Whitney were so captivated by their looks that they couldn't stop gushing.

Sophie explained, "We heard you weren't coming, but since you were worried about safety, he came to pick us up specifically." Then, she tried pulling me to the car, and she added, "My boyfriend came all the way here to pick us up. Don't be so stubborn."