Episode 3

Instill kindness within oneself, erase the persistent memories, for this morning we must strive to continuously better ourselves.

"Good morning, deceitful world!" Renata exclaimed as she flung open her bedroom balcony window.

The mother of one. Correction. The young girl at the ripe age of twenty appeared quite spirited this morning.

Although Renata found it hard to believe, she was experiencing it firsthand—her soul had transferred into the body of an antagonistic character in a novel.

What Renata understood was that previously, Angel had been in a car accident while attempting to run over Sanaya, blinded by a fury fueled by jealousy.

Angel was deeply in love with Alvaro. They had been together for four years and were close to getting engaged. But Sanaya had brazenly taken Alvaro away from her. Naturally, Angel was enraged. To be fair, Sanaya wasn’t exactly innocent either. However, as the protagonist of the story, everyone was sure to sympathize more with the gentle and loving woman.

Angel’s fate was truly sorrowful, unrecognized by her own father, who always regarded her as a bringer of misfortune. This began when Angel was five, her mother died saving her from an oncoming truck. Rendra, who loved his wife deeply, perpetually blamed Angel for the tragedy. This resentment towards his own daughter continued to grow. Rendra even favored Sanaya, who was not his biological child.

After years of wallowing in grief over his wife's death, Rendra had remarried a widow with a child—Sanaya’s mother. Initially, Angel was elated at the prospect of a new mother, thinking the arrival of Santy and Sanaya would help her father accept his wife's death and love her. But Sanaya ended up taking everything from Angel—the affection of her father and her lover.

No wonder Angel harbored such hatred for Sanaya, to the point where the girl considered ending her life, unable to bear the pressure and loathing from those around her.

At heart, Angel was a fragile girl, swayed by jealousy and envy.

Why did Renata know this? Because fragments of Angel’s memories kept surfacing in her mind, and of course, she was familiar with the novel’s plot.

"Angel, your life was so burdensome. I regret ever hating you," Renata mused, gazing at the clouds drifting by.

"I, Renata Carissa, vow to mend your troubled fate, because you and I both deserve happiness," Renata murmured as if conversing with Angel.

Even if it meant altering the fixed course of the novel, Renata was determined to keep that promise to herself and to Angel.

Once she fulfilled her promise, Renata hoped to pass away peacefully and reunite with her Jefra, who surely awaited her in heaven.

Renata then got up to prepare for her new life as Angelica Renata Tan.

"First, I need to shed this homewrecker image attributed to me."

*Knock... Knock*...

The sound of knocking paused Renata's steps toward the bathroom. She abandoned her original intention, moving towards the door instead. She then opened the white-painted door.

*Cklek*

The door swung open after Renata turned the handle.

"Zayn?"

Zayn, the one responsible for the knocking, stood before Renata, who gazed at the well-dressed man in an expensive suit with confusion.

"Your phone, Renata," Zayn said, extending a brand-new smartphone, "I've fixed it because it was damaged in the accident."

Gratefully, Renata accepted the offered device. She had almost forgotten the importance of a mobile phone, no matter the world. It would facilitate Renata’s search for information about Angel’s close associates and other useful data.

"Thank you, Zayn," Renata said with a sweet smile.

Zayn returned the gesture with a faint smile. "I'm glad to see you smiling more often lately."

"Because smiling is a form of worship!" Angel exclaimed enthusiastically.

"Fortunately."

"Hmm?" Renata was puzzled by Zayn's comment.

What's fortunate?

"Nothing," Zayn ruffled Renata's hair. He was simply grateful for the joviality his sister now showed.

"You always like to mess up my hair," Renata grumbled, pouting.

Zayn couldn't contain his laughter at Renata's comically sulky expression. The ice, it seemed, was finally thawing.

With several blinks, Renata regarded him, "Wow, Zayn, you are also handsome when you laugh," she candidly remarked.

"Ehmn," Zayn cleared his throat to stop his laughter, his face flushing slightly, "Well, you should go shower and get ready. Don't you have work?"

Renata gently smacked her forehead, "Oh no, I almost forgot! I could be late if I don't hurry!" She exclaimed amusingly.

Zayn chuckled softly at her antics.

Elsewhere, just around the corner near the staircase and not far from the siblings' conversation, someone was watching with disfavor and envy. Her hands clenched so tightly her knuckles whitened.

"Angel," she hissed.

After her brief exchange with Zayn, Renata quickly proceeded to her delayed bathing ritual.

She was due to return to work today after taking some days off due to the accident.

Even though she was just twenty, instead of pursuing higher education, she had chosen to work right away. Renata couldn't comprehend Angel's mindset of prioritizing love over education and her future.

Angel worked at the family company of Alvaro, Tj Corp. The reason was, of course, to be near Alvaro. Although she had sacrificed a great deal for a man who sadly was already married, and despite being deemed useless by her father, Angel was intelligent. Proof was in her ability to easily secure an Admin job at the top company by leveraging her perfect high school diploma.

"Should I just resign? I couldn't care less about chasing Alvaro like Angel did. I'll resign and go back to college."

That seemed like the best choice. Renata planned to pursue a medical degree specializing in mental health. She intended to become a Psychiatrist, like in her previous life.

Renata opened her wardrobe, shocked to find clothes that were revealing and bordering on scanty.

Oh, Renata had forgotten Angel’s preference for wearing provocative dresses and heavy makeup. The thought of dressing as a temptress made her shudder.

She resolved to discard Angel's revealing outfits and replace them with comfortable clothes of her own choosing.

Then Renata rifled through the wardrobe, settling on a conservative outfit—a white blouse paired with a cream-colored suit and mini skirt. After getting dressed, she applied light makeup to her pale, cheese-like complexion and finished with a stroke of pink lipstick over her full lips. Her black hair was tied back in a half-up style, adding a touch of sweetness.