Chapter 1

"Nancy Smith, actually John Brown and I have been together for a long time. He brought you out hiking just to get rid of you for good."

I collapsed at the bottom of the slope, looking up at my best friend, Susan Taylor. Just a second ago, she had pushed me from behind.

The sharp pain from my right ankle made my face turn pale. I tried to get up, but I had no strength at all.

My lips trembling, I looked toward my boyfriend John on the other side. "John, is what she said true?"

John put his arm around Susan's waist, his tone cold. "Nancy, all you do is work. You're just like a robot. Being with you is so boring. I've had enough."

"But didn't we agree to get married next year?" My voice shook uncontrollably.

Susan laughed softly, stroking her belly. "Get married? That'll be me marrying John. I'm already pregnant with John's baby. We're about to be a family of three."

"You've been planning this all along?" I bit my teeth, my face growing paler, my eyes filled with intense hatred.

John sneered, opened my backpack, and threw all the first aid supplies and drinking water off the cliff.

"The signal's bad here, and it's remote. Even if the fall doesn't kill you, you'll freeze to death before the rescue team finds you." He didn't finish, but I already understood their vicious intent—they wanted to leave me to die on this snowy mountain!

Susan snuggled into John's arms, her voice sweet. "John, let's go. Stop wasting time on her."

The two left together, leaving me alone, shivering in the cold wind. I tried to stand up, but my feet were too painful to support any weight.

Just as my consciousness began to fade, a thunderous roar came from the distance.

An avalanche!

A white wave of snow rushed toward me like a giant beast. I dragged my injured foot forward with difficulty, but the snow quickly buried my legs.

Just as I was about to be completely swallowed by the snow, a familiar figure broke through the snow curtain and rushed toward me.

"Nancy! Hang on!" I opened my eyes wide. Through the heavy snow, I saw a familiar handsome face.

It was Michael Johnson! The heir to the Johnson Group, whom I had publicly rejected and been at odds with.

"Why are you here?" I asked with difficulty, my voice choked. "Leave quickly, it's dangerous here!"

Michael ignored my words, took off his coat and wrapped it around me, then picked me up. "Shut up, I'm getting you out of here!"

But at that moment, a huge roar came from overhead. A larger avalanche poured down, instantly swallowing both of us.

Michael held me tightly in his arms, using his back to bear most of the impact.

"Michael, why did you come? After how I treated you..." My voice choked.

In the last moment before losing consciousness, I seemed to hear him roar in my ear, "Because I love you!"

...

"Nancy, wake up! The Johnsons are here, the engagement party is about to start! If you don't leave now, it'll be too late!"

I slowly opened my eyes and saw Susan sitting by the bed, looking at me anxiously.

This scene felt so familiar.

I sat up abruptly and looked around. The surroundings were clearly a hotel room, and I was only wearing a silk nightgown.

I was reborn? Reborn to the day of the engagement party!

In my past life, it was at this party that I publicly rejected the engagement, eloped with John, humiliated the Johnson family, made Michael the laughingstock of the entire city, and ultimately met my tragic end buried in the snowy mountains.

"Nancy?" Seeing me sitting there silently, Susan called out again.

I looked up at her face, pretending to care but unable to hide her urgency. A cold chill rose in my eyes.

In this life, everything would be different!

I suppressed the bone-deep hatred in my heart and said calmly, "I know. Go out first. I'll come out after I change."

Susan was stunned, clearly not expecting me to be so calm. She frowned and reminded me, "Nancy, didn't you say that today you were going to go with John..."

"I said I know." I interrupted her, my tone colder. "Please leave!"

After Susan reluctantly left, I walked to the mirror and looked at myself, five years younger. I gently touched my cheek.

'Michael, in this life, I won't let you down again,' I thought.

I opened the closet. Inside was a black satin dress that looked more suitable for a funeral than an engagement party.

This was chosen by Susan, who said black suited my dignified temperament.

I couldn't help but sneer. I picked up my phone and called my assistant. "Go to the Chanel counter immediately and buy that red velvet dress. Yes, the one I looked at but didn't buy. Deliver it to the hotel within half an hour."

In less than twenty minutes, the dress arrived. I put on the red dress, carefully styled myself, and smiled at my radiant reflection in the mirror.

When I walked out of the room, Susan, who was waiting outside, was instantly stunned.

A flash of undeniable amazement crossed her eyes, quickly replaced by intense jealousy.

She rushed forward, her tone deliberately concerned and confused. "Nancy, why are you dressed like this? Isn't this color too bright? It's not what we agreed on. That black one was so much more dignified."

I stopped and looked at Susan, a half-smile on my lips. "I was too accommodating of your opinion before. Now that I think about it, that black dress was outdated and dull. If I really wore it out, people would question my taste and think I couldn't even pick out a decent dress."

Then, with a pointed look up and down at Susan's pink, girlish dress, I sneered. "Speaking of which, pink is indeed sweet. But Susan, if I remember correctly, you're three years older than me, right? This color on you seems a bit inappropriate."

Susan was speechless, especially the sarcasm about age, which precisely hit her sore spot.

Looking at me, radiant and commanding, then comparing it to her own deliberately youthful pink outfit, her face turned pale.

I didn't look at her anymore and walked past her with large strides.

When I appeared at the banquet hall entrance in my red dress, the entire room fell silent. Everyone was stunned by my striking beauty.

Michael was standing in the center of the hall. When he turned and saw me, his blue eyes also flashed with undisguised amazement.

My eyes welled up with tears. I walked straight toward him and, under everyone's surprised gaze, gently took his arm.

I gave him a sweet smile, then faced all the guests and said clearly and firmly, "Thank you all for coming to my and Michael's engagement party today. I announce that our wedding will be held in one week."