Chapter 1

To keep my family safe, I climbed all 385 stone steps to the mountaintop cathedral on my knees, praying under the scorching sun for a blessed protection amulet.

But the moment I got it, I threw it straight into the cathedral's burning incense brazier.

Because I knew my amulet had been swapped.

In my past life, my husband’s secretary was bound to an "Emotional Transfer System." I wore the swapped amulet close to my heart, and it ruined my life, turning everyone I loved against me.

My husband, who used to love me more than life itself, demanded a divorce in public and immediately married the secretary.

My daughter, who used to cling to me, screamed at me to get out and lovingly called the secretary her mother.

Even my own parents treated me like a total stranger, politely but coldly throwing me out of their house.

Overnight, I lost everything.

In a daze of despair, I was hit head-on by a massive semi-truck.

Before I took my last breath, the secretary stepped down from the truck and looked down at me.

"You idiot. You're finally dead. Now, I’ll gladly take over your perfect life."

"But I really have to thank you. If you hadn't treated that swapped amulet like a treasure, I would have never won."

I died with burning hatred. But when I opened my eyes again, I had regressed to the time before I lost everything.

There is still time. She wants my life, right?

Then I might as well hand it to her on a silver platter.

"Mommy, wakey wakey! The sun is already up!"

My daughter's sweet, crisp voice rang in my ears. The agonizing pain of being crushed by the semi-truck hadn't fully faded. I bolted upright, gasping for air.

My husband, Ethan, placed a matching couple's outfit on the edge of the bed. He grabbed my ice-cold hand, looking at me with deep concern. "Another nightmare, Chloe?"

Feeling his warm touch, I finally snapped out of my daze.

I... I was reborn?

I had returned to the day we agreed to go to St. Jude’s Cathedral to pray for blessings.

"I'm fine," I shook my head, reassuring them.

Before I died in my past life, Rachel's words kept echoing in my head.

After thinking about it for a long time, I finally understood. The reason I was abandoned by everyone was because Rachel had swapped my protection amulet. Her system transferred Ethan and my daughter's love for me over to her, turning me into a worthless stranger.

In this life, if I didn't accept her amulet, or if I simply threw it away, would she still succeed?

I thought about skipping the trip to St. Jude’s Cathedral altogether. But if we didn't go, I wouldn't know when Rachel would strike next, making it impossible to guard against.

Instead of running, why not beat her at her own game?

With a plan in mind, we headed to St. Jude’s Cathedral, just like in my previous life.

I knelt and prayed at every single one of the 385 stone steps under the blazing sun. By the time I reached the top, Rachel was already waiting inside.

When she saw us, she enthusiastically handed us some water bottles. I pretended not to see her. Beside me, Ethan silently folded the parasol he had been holding over me to block the sun. He didn't say a word.

Instead, my daughter spoke up. "Rachel, you look so tired and messy. I'm afraid if I drink your water, I'll look like that too."

Rachel's smile stiffened for a second, but she forced herself to swallow her anger.

I knew what she was waiting for. She was waiting for the priest to give me the blessed amulet.

Sure enough, just like in my past life, the moment the priest handed me the protection amulet, Rachel snatched it, offering to "hold it" for me before passing it back.

When she handed it to me, she had a relaxed, smug look on her face.

I knew the amulet had been swapped.

In my past life, it was the exact same scene. I had taken the amulet and immediately put it in my wallet, carrying it everywhere.

All to pray for my family's happiness and safety.

But from that very moment, everything began to rot.

But in this life, how could I let her have her way?

Right in front of Rachel, I quietly took the amulet. But the moment everyone looked away, I tossed it right into the cathedral's burning incense brazier.

The amulet turned to ashes.

This time, Rachel, let's see how you're going to pull this off.