Chapter 1Reborn To Destroy The Girl Who Ruined My Son

In my previous life, the campus belle accused my son of selling her private photos.

The Dean of Students called me into her office, her face set in a mask of professional disdain. "Your son is suspected of distributing obscene materials. The university strongly suggests he withdraws voluntarily before things get legal."

My son, Lucas, dropped to his knees, his voice cracking. "Mom! Check my phone! I didn't do it! I swear!"

But Seraphina, the girl, knew how to cry. The university feared a PR nightmare, and I—I was terrified of my son's future being flushed down the drain. In that life, I played the coward. I begged her for a private settlement. She took fifty thousand dollars and promised to drop the matter.

A month later, she posted the bank transfer receipts online.

"They tried to buy my silence with blood money," she wrote. "But I only want justice."

The post went viral. Lucas was doxed, harassed, and hounded out of school. Six months later, the police busted an actual photo-trafficking ring. By then, it was too late. Lucas had developed severe dissociative identity disorder. He ended his life in a cold, lonely room.

I fought for an appeal, for a public apology, but I was shut down. "He's already dead," they told me. "Stop causing trouble."

I spent every waking hour posting the truth, but the media only cared about the headline: "Brave Girl Stands Up to Campus Predator." Eventually, I held a press conference to clear his name, only to be stabbed to death by a "vigilante" in the parking lot.

I opened my eyes and I was back in that office.

"Mrs. Mercer, your son stole my photos. You have to make this right," Seraphina sobbed, dabbing at her eyes with a silk tissue.

I looked at her, and I smiled. It was a cold, sharp thing.

"Let's call the police," I said. "Let them investigate every single byte of data from the very beginning."

The color drained from Seraphina's face instantly.

Seraphina’s eyes were still rimmed with red, her knuckles white as she gripped her tissues.

Ms. Carter, the advisor, was the first to snap. "Elena, don't be impulsive. Once the police are involved, there is no turning back."

I looked her dead in the eye. "Turning back from what? My son being labeled a criminal, or the university’s ranking being affected by a scandal?"

Ms. Carter flinched. "That’s uncalled for. We are trying to do what’s best for Lucas."

I almost laughed. In my last life, she said the exact same thing. For his own good. That was why she forced him to write a confession and drop out. And after my son died, she posted on her social media: "May every child be treated with tenderness by the world."

Lucas was sitting against the wall, his face a ghostly pale. He looked up at me, his voice barely a rasp. "Mom... I didn't."

"I know," I said.

I walked over and picked up his phone. "From this moment on, do not touch a phone. Do not touch a computer. Do not send a single private message to anyone. If anyone asks you anything, you tell them we are waiting for the police."

Lucas froze, his eyes wide. "Mom... you believe me?"

"I do."

In my previous life, I said it too late, and I acted too soft. In this life, I was going to be the shield he never had.

Seraphina spoke up, her voice a fragile whisper. "Mrs. Mercer, if you call the police... those photos will be seen by even more people."

She was clever. With one sentence, she firmly re-established herself as the victim.

I turned to her. "I trust the police more than I trust a few people passing around screenshots in a faculty office."

She bit her lip. Ms. Carter immediately jumped back in. "Seraphina is already in so much pain. What you're doing is secondary trauma."

"Ms. Carter." I pulled out my phone and hit 'Record.' "Are you saying the university has decided to skip a legal investigation and move straight to a verdict?"

Ms. Carter’s mouth snapped shut.

The office door swung open. Dean Harrison walked in, followed by the university’s legal counsel and campus security. He saw my phone recording and his brow furrowed.

"Mrs. Mercer, there’s no need for this level of hostility."

I didn't blink. "Dean Harrison, has the university contacted the authorities yet?"

"The administration feels an internal resolution is more appropriate at this stage."

"Why?"

"It involves a female student’s privacy. And the university’s reputation."

"Is that reputation worth more than my son’s innocence?"

His face darkened. "Don't be extreme. There are already rumors circulating online. If this blows up further, it won't be good for Lucas."

Lucas looked up, his voice trembling. "I didn't do it. I only helped her reset her password and set up two-factor authentication! We were in the public library the whole time!"

Seraphina whimpered, "Lucas, you fixed my laptop. You helped me recover my account. But those photos were only in my cloud drive. You were the only one who had access."

The weight of everyone’s gaze shifted onto my son. In my last life, this was the moment everyone went silent.

A tech-savvy boy. Access to the account. Explicit photos leaked. It was a perfect puzzle.

I looked at Seraphina. "You say the photos were in the cloud. Then please, provide your cloud login history to the police."

Seraphina’s eyes flickered. "I... I don't know how to check that."

"The police do."

Her face went another shade whiter.

Dean Harrison finally lost his patience. "Mrs. Mercer, we are trying to give you an out. If Lucas withdraws voluntarily, Seraphina won't press charges, and the school will keep the disciplinary record private."

"I refuse."

The office went deathly quiet. Dean Harrison stared at me, his eyes cold. "Then you will have to live with the consequences."

"Fine."

I dialed 911 and hit the speakerphone. "Hello, I’d like to report a crime."

Ms. Carter lunged toward me. "Elena!"