In high school, Ella fell hard for Danny—the school's favorite bad boy.
But when Dakota found out? Total lockdown. Grounded for days.
By the time she tracked Danny down again, he didn't even flinch.
He just shrugged. "I'm into Hannah now. Look at her—body, face, everything. Only a ten like that deserves me. Go back to your buzzkill mom. She's like Mother Gothel or something."
He chased me for months. I ignored him, but that didn't matter.
Ella? Completely crushed.
That's when her hate for me really kicked in.
After high school, she bailed overseas. Didn't come back until grad school ended, when Dakota dragged her to some fancy banquet.
That's where she spotted Finley Epston—Northport's crown prince. Money, charm, untouchable.
She was ready to make her move until Dakota cut her off, voice cold: Finley wasn't the right match.
Ella snapped. "Mom! You ruin everything! Every guy I like, you tear apart! Do you just not want me happy?"
She ignored Dakota and chased Finley anyway.
But then she found out—he was already with me.
Finley went down on one knee on national TV. Cameras flashing. "Hannah Crowe, I'll love you forever."
Ella's eyes went bloodshot. Pure jealousy.
She'd always wanted to destroy me—she just never had the chance. Not until I went into labor at her hospital.
That's when she did it. Scalpel in hand. Took out me and my baby in one move.
But she never enjoyed Finley or my life. Before it even started, she fell to her death. Alone, at home.
Now fate hit reset.
This time, she clung to Lindsay without blinking.
Her tiny fingers gripped mine, eyes stormy. "Hannah, this time Finley's mine. You're stuck with psycho Dakota. I've got Lindsay—she'll get me early surgery, and I'll have the kind of face guys worship."
***
Lindsay had an eye for beauty, no doubt.
Last time, she started reshaping me in middle school. Early surgeries turned me into her little masterpiece.
But Ella had no clue what it felt like—lying on that table month after month, scalpels cutting skin, the brutal recovery, the constant exhaustion.
By the time I got pregnant, I'd lost count of how many times my nose got redone. I could smell rot in it every single day.
Just another lovely side effect.
Lindsay didn't do it out of love. She had a plan.
I was her shiny pawn. A face to flaunt. A moneymaker.
My looks, my body—they were bait for powerful, predatory men she wanted to impress.
Ella never saw that. All she saw was me strutting through luxury spots, marrying a billionaire, living the dream.
The memory made me shake.
And Finley? Worse than Lindsay.
If Ella wanted that nightmare, she could have it.
She made her choice.
***
I went home with Dakota and became Hannah Hart.
She was strict—no chewing with your mouth open, no junk food, no drama friends, no dating.
But weirdly? I was happy.
In my last life, I was just a pawn. Love wasn't even on the table.
This time, someone actually cared. Like, really cared. And honestly? I'd never felt luckier.
***
Fast forward—high school again.
Ella? Already halfway to pop star mode, thanks to Lindsay's obsession with plastic surgery. Way too glam for a teenager.
