My best friend, Rosie Lloyd, was a marriage counselor. She cheated on her husband and begged me to cover for her.

She kept swearing it was just a drunken mistake, and now, unable to handle the guilt, she was threatening suicide. Feeling sorry for her, I agreed to explain things to her husband, Carlos Carlson.

But the very next moment, she flipped the script and accused me of drugging her.

Carlos believed her without question. He even showed up at my door with a posse, ready to make me pay.

He barked, "You're nothing but a backstabbing witch. I'm going to make sure everyone knows who you really are."

I tried to explain that Rosie had asked me to help her, but she was quick to deny everything.

She said, "Ella, I trusted you like a sister. And now you're trying to destroy me? You're slandering me.

"If I did anything like you're claiming, just show me some proof, and I swear I'll end my life to make it right."

Of course, there was no proof. And Carlos got angrier. Even my boyfriend called me disgusting.

In the middle of all this chaos, I got shoved off the balcony. And when they found my body, they said I'd killed myself out of guilt for all the wrong I'd done.

Then I was reborn on the day Rosie first came to me for help.

She grabbed my hand and pleaded, "Ella, you have to save me, please."

...

"Ella, I just went to the bar because I was feeling down, and I had too much to drink. When I woke up, I was lying next to a guy," Rosie sobbed, sitting on my couch.

She looked devastated.

She continued, "I didn't come home all night, and Carlos' been calling me nonstop, asking where I was. My life is over.

"What should I do? My parents will kill me if they find out. I can't live with this shame. Maybe, I should just jump off a bridge. That would solve everything, right?"

In my last life, those words had sent me into a panic. I'd begged her not to do anything reckless, terrified she might harm herself.

But now, I knew better. I took a deep breath, processing the fact that I'd been reborn.

As I sat there, silent, Rosie put on her best show, crying even harder.

She said, "Ella, do you think I deserve to die? Is that why you're so quiet? I must be a horrible person, right?

"You were always the kindest person in our class, always willing to help anyone. That's why I came to you. I didn't know who else to turn to."

Then she glanced at the balcony.

She continued, "You live on the 20th floor, right? If I jumped from here, that would be the end, wouldn't it?"

I didn't answer. Instead, I casually checked my phone, making sure of the date.

Then, gently but firmly, I pried her hand off mine.

She stared at me in shock. I turned to look out the window.

I said, "If you jumped from here, your bones would shatter the moment you hit the ground.

"Your body would spread out like a sack of meat.

"Your face and your features would be mashed together with your organs.

"But if you weren't lucky, you might hit a tree branch or power line on the way down. You'd get to feel what real pain is."

I turned back to look at her.

Rosie was dumbfounded, her mouth hanging open.

It took her a moment to find her voice.

She asked, "Ella, what are you saying? That's creepy."

I smiled coldly.

"Creepy?" I thought back to how happy she'd been when she saw my dead body in my last life.

I had always been the "nice girl" in every group. Ever since school, people liked me because I was easygoing and always willing to help.

If someone had a problem, they came to me.

But I was never that close to Rosie. We only started hanging out after we graduated and ended up working in the same city.

I'd had dinner with her and Carlos maybe twice before that night she showed up at my place, crying her eyes out.

Honestly, I was surprised to see her. But in my last life, the moment I saw her tears, I believed her story.

She'd said she was just in a bad mood, so she'd gone to the bar with some friends and had too much to drink.

But she blacked out and woke up next to some guy. By the time she came to, it was too late.

She didn't come home all night, and Carlos had called her a million times.

Now, her family and friends were all asking where she'd been.

To make things worse, she'd found a video of herself on social media

It showed she was drunk and grinding on a stranger.

Those hanging out with her denied everything, claiming she'd left the bar halfway through.

She didn't know what to say to Carlos or face everything.

So, she came to me, begging for help.

Rosie was a well-known marriage counselor.

She had over a million followers on various social media platforms.

If Carlos found out, her career and her marriage would be over.

I'd listened to her story and agreed to cover up for her.

I had been truly worried about her.

She'd clung to me, desperate.

She said, "I know I messed up, but I love Carlos so much. I can't lose him.

"This was a mistake. If anyone finds out, I'll lose all my clients. They'll think I'm a fraud."

She was so convincing, even swore up and down it was a one-time thing.

I thought it was just a mistake, and I didn't want to see her life ruined over one bad decision.

So, I agreed to cover for her.

I said, "Rosie, listen. I'll help you this time, but this is it. If anything happens again, you're on your own.

"And as a marriage counselor, you should know better. Don't do something like this again."

She nodded furiously, thanking me over and over.

She promised she would live well with Carlos and would not do stupid things again.

And just like that, I picked up the phone when Carlos called.

I told a lie about how Rosie had been with me the whole night at the bar.

Before leaving, Rosie hugged me and called me the best woman in the world.

She said, "Ella, this will be our little secret. Please, don't tell anyone."

I didn't want to get involved in anyone else's marriage, but I nodded, trying to be a good friend.

I thought that would be the end of it.

But the very next morning, I woke up to my phone ringing off the hook.

I'd missed at least ten calls.

When I finally answered, the angry voice of a man came through.

He yelled, "Ella. Is this how you treat your friend?

"Rosie's about to jump off a building because of you. You'd better get here now."

Rosie's wild night out at the bar quickly made its way to the top of the trending list.

She was a marriage counselor who preached fidelity and reconciliation.

Her raucous behavior behind the scenes instantly drew a flood of ridicule in the comments on her social media accounts.

Standing on the rooftop of her apartment building, Rosie recorded a video to set the record straight.

She stated, "I'm Rosie Lloyd. I was drunk because my friend spiked my drink. But since none of you believe me, I might as well die."

By including hashtags about suicide and current trends, Rosie's video spread like wildfire.

Soon, crowds gathered outside her building, drawn by morbid curiosity.

Her husband and parents sobbed uncontrollably downstairs, and the firefighters arrived, setting up safety measures.

From the rooftop, Rosie screamed, her voice cracking in desperation.

She said, "What do those videos prove? I was set up. They got me drunk on purpose.

"Why are you doing this to me? I don't want to leave Carlos. Are you all trying to push me to my death?"

Without another word, she jumped, landing right on the air cushion the firefighters had prepared.

Then she was rushed to the hospital.

Almost simultaneously, the tone of the comments on her social media flipped.

[Jumped off a building to protect her marriage. What dedication!]

[Marriage counselor saves her marriage with a heroic leap.]

[Her toxic friend is the real villain here.]

As trolls flooded the internet with similar messages, the video of Rosie jumping became viral.

Content creators seized the moment, cutting and remixing the footage. They tried to dig me out.

Eventually, Carlos identified me as the "toxic friend".

Then I found myself the target of an online witch hunt.

[Ella knew Rosie couldn't handle her alcohol and still dragged her to the bar. Ella got her drunk just to ruin her marriage. What a snake!]

[She's just jealous because she's single. That kind of person deserves the worst.]

When Rosie woke up in the hospital, her first words were not to blame me.

She said, "Ella didn't mean it, I'm sure. Please, everyone, let this go."

She said it with such grace and magnanimity that she fainted again right after.

Carlos recorded the scene and posted it online.

This sparked a new wave of outrage at me. People praised Rosie's kind nature, while the internet tore me apart.

Even my boyfriend posted a video announcing he was done with me.

He even joined Carlos to confront me.

Soon after, I was fired from my job when my boss saw the news.

Carlos led a mob that gathered outside my door, demanding I pay for what I'd done.

No one believed me, no matter how much I explained.

Desperate, I called Rosie and begged her to tell the truth.

But Rosie sounded frail and confused.

She asked, "Are you mistaken? When did I ever ask you to help me lie to Carlos?"