Chapter 1Free Shopping

I walked into the supermarket, my phone live-streaming, and shot the camera a defiant grin.

"Alright, folks, today I'm going on a zero-dollar shopping spree."

The live chat exploded. "Are you insane? Live-streaming yourself stealing? You trying to get arrested?"

I ignored the comments, piling things into my shopping cart with a manic energy. Once it was full, I just pushed the cart straight out the door and ran.

It didn't take long for the police to track me down using my stream's location data.

In my past life, my twin sister murdered her billionaire ex-boyfriend and then vanished with her new lover.

I was home alone, with no alibi, no one to prove the killer wasn't me. They sentenced me to death.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day of the murder.

If she could forge evidence to place me at the scene, then I would use the entire internet and the police department's own records to prove my alibi.

At the exact time of the murder, I would be sitting in a police precinct holding cell for shoplifting.

This time, I was going to make damn sure she was the one with nowhere left to run.

* * *

I stood at the entrance of Brighton's Market, my fingers trembling slightly as I tapped my phone to go live. My own pale, nervous face stared back at me from the screen.

Taking a deep breath, I forced a wild, exaggerated smile.

"Hey everyone! Today, we're doing a five-finger discount haul!"

The live chat instantly blew up.

【Has this streamer lost her mind? Is this how people try to go viral now?】

【Shoplifting at a supermarket? Enjoy your jail cell!】

【Already reported. You're welcome.】

I ignored the torrent of comments scrolling past and pushed a cart straight toward the snack aisle. The red lights of the security cameras blinked down at me, feeling just like the cold, accusatory lenses in the courtroom of my past life.

My throat tightened, but my hands were steady as I began grabbing things off the shelves with frantic purpose. My cart quickly filled with high-priced items designed to look cheap: bulky bags of chips, boxes of cookies, and cases of water. Things that didn't cost a fortune but took up a massive amount of space.

The comments kept flying.

【She’s just grabbing cheap junk. Nothing valuable.】

【Yeah, this is totally for clout. Even a full cart of that stuff won't be more than a hundred bucks.】

【But is she actually going to walk out without paying? Even if it's under a hundred, she'll still get arrested.】

【Lame. If you're gonna steal, steal something big. What's the point of this?】

【It's probably just an act. She'll go pay for it in a minute. People will do anything to get famous these days.】

The debate sent my viewer count soaring. A crowd was gathering online to watch me furiously load up my cart. Since I had my location services on, people quickly identified the exact store, and the supermarket's security guards started watching me, though they didn't intervene yet.

Feeling the eyes of the world on me, I let out a loud laugh and shouted at my phone.

"Okay, folks, watch closely! I'm heading to the checkout now!"

With that, I shoved the heaping cart forward and sprinted for the exit.

The security alarm shrieked to life the second I passed the threshold.

I didn't care. I just kept running, feeling the frantic footsteps of someone chasing me from behind.

The live chat went insane again.

【HOLY CRAP, SHE'S FOR REAL.】

【Is this staged? Did she really just walk out without paying?】

【LOL, look at the security guard behind her! He ran so fast his shoe fell off! This can't be an act.】

【COPS ARE HERE!! Look!!】

I glanced up and saw them. Two police officers, hands on their holsters, standing directly in my path. They must have gotten the call the moment I started my "shopping spree."

Before they could even shout, I let go of the cart, sending it rolling away, and raised my hands high above my head.

"Don't shoot! I surrender! Take me in."

The younger officer frowned, confused by my bizarrely cooperative attitude, while the older one had already pulled out his handcuffs. The cold kiss of metal on my wrist sent a shiver through me—the exact same sensation as my arrest in my past life. But this time, it was my choice.

"Take her away," the officer said curtly.

As I was escorted to the patrol car, I made a point to look back at the supermarket's entrance camera. The angle would have perfectly captured the exact time I was taken into custody: 3:27 PM. Plenty early.

As the car pulled away, I saw several bystanders filming with their phones.

Good. Their videos would become another link in the chain of my evidence.

I leaned back against the seat, closed my eyes, and let the tide of memory pull me under.