Chapter 1Rebirth: Dropping the Bad Boy for the Valedictorian

The day my water broke, I lay dying on the freezing pavement, desperately dialing my husband’s number.

On the other end of the line, he was throwing a lavish birthday bash for his first love. The background was filled with loud cheers and thumping music.

He said, "Avery, drop the act. This little game of yours is getting old."

Then, he hung up.

I died just like that, abandoned on a forgotten street corner.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back in my sophomore year of high school.

The handsome, arrogant boy stood before me, his face flushed as he blocked my path at the school gates, asking me to be his girlfriend.

Looking at the face that I once loved to the bone—the same face that personally condemned me to hell—I let out a cold laugh.

"Get lost! If I ever hear something so disgusting out of your mouth again, you'll regret it!"

* * *

The students of Lincoln High were secretly gossiping: Avery Davis, the ultimate "simp" who had chased Hunter Kingston for an entire year, had finally changed her tune.

During morning homeroom, she didn't drop off his favorite iced coffee.

During basketball practice, she wasn't waiting on the sidelines with Gatorade and a towel.

Even at the library, she stopped going early to save him a seat.

"She chased him for a year, and she's just giving up like that?"

"She's probably just throwing a tantrum, waiting for Hunter to coax her."

"I bet she moved on. I heard the star quarterback from the rival prep school is after her."

Bang!

Hunter irritably slammed his AP English textbook onto his desk, his face dark. "It's homeroom! If you want to gossip, get the hell out!"

Just as the words left his mouth, I walked into the classroom.

The noisy room instantly went dead silent.

Dozens of eyes locked onto me like searchlights.

I walked straight to my desk, looking straight ahead, pulled out my chair, and sat down.

When I opened my backpack, there were two bottles of premium cold-brew coffee inside.

The housekeeper must have packed two out of habit, forgetting that I told her last night I only needed one for myself from now on.

Hunter’s best friend, Brody, poked Hunter's arm and whispered, "Avery is about to cave. I told you she couldn't last three days."

Hunter's eyes shifted, turning to look at me.

But I, right in front of him, shoved both bottles onto my desk partner's desk.

"Here, my treat."

My desk partner, Maya, looked shocked. She pointed a trembling finger at herself. "For me?"

I nodded.

Then I opened my textbook and started reading quietly.

Maya leaned over, whispering curiously, "Avery, why are you actually studying? Didn't you usually spend homeroom staring at Hunter?"

I didn't even lift my head. "I want to test back into the Honors Program next semester."

I had originally gotten into this high school with the second-highest test scores in the district. But just to be placed in the same regular-track class as Hunter, I intentionally left half my placement test blank, dropping from the AP track down to the remedial level.

But now, I had no reason to stay here.

The thought of the man sitting behind me—the man who would become my husband in nine years, yet would leave me to die on the streets while he rolled around in his first love's bed...

He caused the child carrying his bloodline to die in the cold night before ever seeing the light of this world.

I could never forgive him!

So, I was going to severe this toxic connection with my own hands.

At noon, Maya and I lined up in the cafeteria.

The cafeteria worker handed me my favorite roasted chicken and smiled. "What are you getting for Hunter today? We have that baked salmon he likes."

I paused.

Thinking back to my high school days, my pursuit of Hunter was pathetic and obsessive.

I stuffed his locker full of love letters.

I hijacked the microphone during a pep rally to confess my love to him.

Because of me, even the cafeteria staff knew his favorite foods.

In the past, I was the girl who would smash her head against a brick wall and refuse to turn back.

Looking back now, it was nothing but a joke.

I shook my head. "I'm not getting him anything."

I paused, then added, "I'm never getting him anything ever again."

The worker’s hand froze mid-air with the tongs.

I grabbed Maya and walked away, accidentally bumping into Hunter at the end of the line.

Our eyes met. He looked stunned, but I was the first to look away, brushing past him without a backward glance.

Maya muttered, "Avery, what is going on with you? Why are you suddenly freezing Hunter out?"

I sat down at a table, mixing dressing into my salad. "Nothing. I just realized that the way I was acting before was incredibly lame."