Whispers of Smoke: A Second Chance at Life

The other people also asked me to not be rash.

I hung my head and said nothing, but my eyes were cold.

In the previous cycle, when Jeremy and Joy accused me falsely of cheating, the others were not so sincere when they asked me to not be rash. They sided with Jeremy and told him to divorce me as soon as possible so that he would not become a laughingstock.

“Jeremy, if you say that Alania cheated, you have to provide proof. She even gave up on inheriting her parents’ wealth. If you accuse her without proof, I won’t forgive you!”

Joy pushed Jeremy to sit beside me while she sat down beside him. She grabbed his ear and pretended to yell at him angrily. Anyone not in the know would think that they were the married couple in question.

While it sounded as if Joy was feeling indignant for me, she was really forcing Jeremy to bring out the proof showing that I was “cheating” on him.

I twirled the hair that hung loose beside my ear to hide the mocking sneer on my lips.

The moment before I died in the previous cycle, I learned that my birthday party was actually the execution ground they had prepared for me.

After my parents died in an accident, they left behind a massive fortune for me.

But I trusted Jeremy too much. Not only did I not notarize the inheritance, but also treated it as matrimonial assets.

I thought that this would give us an extra layer of security, but it ended up bringing me death.

This time, I was not only going to reclaim all of my inheritance, but also going to bankrupt these two murderers and make them get what they deserved!

Jeremy’s expression remained dark. He brought out a photo on his phone that showed me sitting with a man in a cafe while talking and laughing with him. We looked like we were really familiar with each other.

“If I didn’t have proof, how would I dare say such a thing in front of so many people? Look at this!”

I snickered. So, they had actually been setting this up from that moment on.

When the people heard my laughter, they were stunned. They could not understand why I would react this way.

“Joy, why don’t you tell them what my relationship with this man is.”

I leaned against the sofa with my legs crossed and my chin propped on a hand as I tilted my head toward Joy.

She let go of Jeremy and grumbled in a seemingly troubled fashion, “How could I say that? We never matched stories before this!”

Then, as if she sensed everyone’s gazes on her, she immediately covered her mouth. Panic flashed in her eyes. “That’s not what I meant. Don’t misunderstand…”

After a brief pause, she gave me a resigned look. “Sorry, Alania. I don’t think I can help you anymore.”

I did not say anything during the entire thing and just watched her quietly as she put on her show.

I wanted to know just how sincere she was during our seven years of friendship.

By the looks of it, I was too naive and mistook this venomous viper for a harmless pet. That was why I ended up dying so tragically in the previous cycle.

“That’s fine. If you can’t help me, someone else will.”

I did not stop smiling and dialed a number.

The moment the call went through, the person on the other end asked anxiously, “Miss Nelson, have you managed to contact Joy?”

Joy’s expression changed, and she stared at me fixedly. A brief flash of panic appeared in her eyes.

With my back turned to the others, I mouthed a few words to her. Joy bit down on her lip; she appeared conflicted.

After some time, just when I was about to speak, Joy suddenly said, “Thomas, I’m here. I have something to take care of. Once I’m back, I’ll call you.”

Right before everyone’s puzzled gazes, I hung up and shrugged before wiggling my eyebrows at Joy.

She grabbed the hem of her dress and, with great reluctance, said in a quivering voice, “I’m sorry, everyone. I lied. The person in the photo is my blind date. Alania had gone with me for my blind date.”