Chapter 1
I found a ring. The moment I slipped it on, Liam Sterling, the hottest guy on campus, fell head over heels for me, pursuing me with a furious intensity.
I was just… average. Yet, he swore I was the most beautiful girl in the world. Even his friends thought he’d lost his mind, scoffing that love was truly blind, that he’d mistaken a dull pebble for a dazzling diamond.
After six months with Liam, I gradually began to accept this bizarre reality. My defenses crumbled. I let my guard down, opened my heart, and went home with him. But the next morning, my ring was gone. Liam, his eyes wide with panic, shoved me away. “Who are you?” he demanded, his voice laced with terror.
He broke up with me, painting me as some kind of monster to his friends. “The Sarah I knew wasn’t like this,” he snarled, a visceral disgust twisting his features “It’s sick. I actually spent half a year with that woman.”
Time rewound. The ring had flung me back six months. It turned out this magical artifact could transform me into my crush’s ideal woman. I stared at the ring, a profound unease settling in my chest. This time, I didn’t put it on. Instead, I locked it away, vowing never to touch it again.
What I hadn’t expected was that Liam had been dragged back in time with me.
1
After ditching Chloe Evans, she surprisingly didn’t go to the party that night.
“Liam didn’t even show up,” she mumbled, looking utterly crestfallen. “He’s apparently sick or something…”
I paused, then offered a few words of comfort. “Maybe next time, then.”
Chloe latched onto my arm, pouting. “Sarah, you have to come with me to the next gathering. It’s always all guys, and I’m the only girl. It’s so awkward.”
I chuckled, gently pushing her hand away. “Why don’t you ask Lucy to go with you instead?”
Chloe’s expression flickered. “She’s not going. Please, Sarah, please say you’ll come. I’m begging you!”
I knew exactly why Chloe was so desperate to drag me along. Lucy Miller was stunning, and Chloe couldn’t stand anyone stealing her thunder. I, on the other hand, was perfectly plain – a dutiful backdrop, easy to overlook.
In my previous life, I’d gone with Chloe to that very gathering. But everyone there had been utterly floored. Liam hadn’t even glanced at Chloe. Instead, his gaze had been utterly fixated on me, the unassuming sidekick.
After the party, Liam had launched into a whirlwind courtship. At first, I couldn’t wrap my head around it. I figured it was just some twisted game, a prank cooked up by the campus royalty. But Liam’s relentless pursuit and genuine demeanor slowly chipped away at my skepticism.
He was undeniably good to me. No matter how much his friends warned him off, he remained steadfast. I saw the sincerity in his eyes, and little by little, he won me
over. We became a couple.
But the moment I truly gave him my heart, after a night of shared intimacy, Liam transformed.
He shrieked, practically throwing me out of his apartment, swearing he’d never seen me before in his life. I felt like I’d fallen straight into hell. Back at the dorm, I realized my ring was gone. I had no choice but to return to Liam’s place to find it.
When I got back, Liam was surrounded by his friends. His face was a mask of repulsion, pure nausea etched into every line. “The Sarah I knew wasn’t like this,” he spewed, his voice raw with disgust. “It’s sick. I actually spent half a year with that woman! What the hell happened?!”
I stood frozen in the doorway, my soul feeling ripped from my body.
The next second, time rewound. I was back before Liam had ever even known me. That very ring, the one that had dropped from my finger, now sat quietly in my
desk drawer.
I tore open the packaging and pulled out the instructions nestled inside the box.
This ring possesses magic. Wear it, and you will become the ideal version of your secret crush.
The explanation stated that because my “mission” to win Liam over had failed, the ring had sent me back six months. I stared at the ring, a profound unease churni- ng within me. But I didn’t put it on again. Instead, I locked it away in my closet, vowing never to touch it.
