chapter 1

My roommate was obsessed with her crush. To catch his eye, she found a shady, cut-rate plastic surgery clinic online and decided she'd get work done over summer break.

I tried to talk her out of it. The place looked like a back-alley shop, and I told her she'd be better off spending her time on something that actually improved her—her grades, her confidence, anything but this.

In the end, she listened to me and dropped the idea.

But when the new semester started, her crush confessed to me.

That was when she turned on me. She said I had deliberately stopped her from getting surgery just so I could steal him.

She got the other roommates to gang up on me. We argued on the rooftop, and she accidentally pushed me off the building.

The next time I opened my eyes, I'd gone back in time—to the day she first brought up surgery.

...

I blinked awake, looking around to find myself lying on my dorm bed.

My heart thudded. I was really back.

At my side, my roommate, Lydia Adams, shook my arm and shoved her phone into my face.

She asked, "Grace, do you think I should get plastic surgery? My crush said he only goes for pretty girls. What do you think of this clinic? They have a student discount—double eyelid surgery is only five hundred dollars."

Still foggy from the shock, I didn't respond. Lydia's face tightened and jabbed me with her elbow.

She called out, "Hey, are you even listening? Or do you not take me seriously as a friend?"

Her words sent a chill down my spine.

I remembered too well. Last time, I'd treated her as a real friend. She told me she wanted surgery over the summer because her crush liked pretty girls.

But her family wasn't well-off, and she couldn't afford a real hospital, so she found a cheap one online.

I thought it sounded sketchy and tried to talk her out of it all night.

I told her, "Those doctors might not even be legit. If a guy really loves you, he'll love everything about you, not just your looks. You'd be better off reading some books and working on yourself."

In the end, Lydia listened and spent her summer studying instead of getting surgery.

And then, after school started again, her crush confessed to me.

Even though I turned him down, she flew into a rage. She branded me a schemer who had deliberately blocked her surgery so I could steal him.

She got the other girls in our dorm to bully me. They locked me out of our dorm room on purpose, and even took photos of me getting into a car, posting them on the campus forum saying I was some old guy's sugar baby.

One day, things exploded. I couldn't take it anymore. On the rooftop, our argument spiraled out of control. She shoved me. My body went over the edge.

The memory made my chest ache with fury.

I looked at Lydia's impatient face and curved my lips into a faint smile. My voice came out calm, almost flat. I said, "Of course you're my friend. Honestly, that place doesn't look half bad. If you're serious, why not try it?"

Lydia frowned and replied with a suspicious look, "Wait. Grace, you used to be totally against me doing this. Why the sudden change?"

I gently pulled my arm free from her grip, keeping my face neutral. I explained, "I was being narrow-minded before. If you want to be prettier, why should I stop you? Besides, what guy doesn't like a beautiful girl?"

At that, Lydia's hesitation melted. Her eyes lit up with determination.

She straightened her shoulders, her voice almost giddy. She answered, "You're right. I'll set up the appointment today. Once break starts, I'm doing it."

Watching her get all excited, I couldn't help but sneer inside.

If I remembered correctly, that clinic would soon be exposed for using unlicensed doctors and fake drugs.

They'd vanish overnight after ruining more than a few girls' faces.

And this time, I'd be here to watch it happen. I couldn't wait to see what kind of disaster she'd turn into.