Reborn to Ruin My Backstabbing Fiancé

Taking advantage of an empty lab, the newly joined junior lab member, Chloe, sneaked pictures of our confidential research data and bragged about it online. "Only twenty-three. No help from parents, just pure hustle. Made it into the top-tier lab." Overnight, it blew up into a massive scandal. I took the security footage to Chloe to figure out damage control, but my fiancé, Derek, pulled her behind his back: "Chloe just joined the project. If this gets out, her career is finished. You have so many published papers under your belt—taking the blame won't hurt you. The department will protect you." I flatly refused. "Leaking classified data is a serious crime. No one can protect anyone. We need to work on mitigating the fallout right now." They exchanged a dark look, then forced me to drink poisoned water. Suffocation and tearing agony swept through my body in an instant. I died in utter despair. After my death, my spirit watched helplessly as they pinned everything on me and stole my life's research to skyrocket their own careers. The moment my soul began to dissipate, I was pulled back. I woke up on the exact day Chloe asked to stay behind alone in the lab. The day I died was actually my birthday. Derek hadn't answered a single one of my texts all morning. I kept hoping he would call and explain he had just been swamped. I waited and waited. All I got in the end was a furious call from our advisor: "Summer! Why is our team's classified data plastered all over the internet?!" After hanging up, I quickly tracked down the trending video and checked the lab's security cameras. The footage made it undeniable: Chloe had done it. I went to her with the tape, only to be murdered by the two of them. I used to wonder what dying felt like. Now I knew. It was bone-chilling cold and excruciatingly painful. My soul lingered after death, tethered behind Derek. Because I trusted my fiancé completely, I had never shielded my screen when typing my computer password around him. He abused that trust to rob me blind. I watched him pack up my raw data, draft papers, and every single project I had built on my own, sending them all to Chloe. Together, they framed me for the leak, claiming I had committed suicide out of guilt. Chloe then published my papers under her name, one by one, rising to instant academic stardom. Overnight, the name "Summer" became an indelible stain on the department, while "Chloe" became the golden child everyone celebrated. Standing on the podium at an awards gala, radiant with pride, Chloe accepted thunderous applause after finishing her speech. Fury consumed my soul. I threw myself at her over and over, only to pass through her body harmlessly. As my ghostly form grew weaker, shredded by raw resentment, the world spun. And in the next breath, I was reborn. "Summer, my script hasn't finished running yet. Can I stay in the lab a little longer by myself?" Chloe's voice rang in my ears. She wore that same fragile, harmless expression. The phantom agony of a torn soul still echoed through me, but my physical body was entirely intact. I looked around the room and realized I had truly returned. Chloe stood before me, repeating the exact words from my past life. Rage flared up in my chest. It took everything in me not to slap her on the spot. In my previous life, I had been soft-hearted. I trusted her, let her stay behind, and gave her the opening to photograph our confidential data and post it online. What I hadn't realized back then was that she and Derek were already sleeping together behind my back. Memories flashed through my mind of how she had framed me after my death. She had sat on a stool, crying her eyes out, claiming I had weaponized my authority as lab lead to bully her. Everyone showered her with sympathy, while Derek wrapped an arm around her shoulders, gently patting her back. Accusing me of being a power-tripping bully. What a joke. I had guided Chloe step-by-step through every protocol, yet she turned around and painted me as an abusive tyrant who exploited her. And at the very end, when I went to her with the footage to help her fix the mess, she teamed up with Derek to kill me. The last thing I saw before I died was Derek holding her, murmuring that everything would be okay. Meanwhile, my lifeless body lay contorted on the cold floor. Pure, unadulterated venom repaying kindness. In this life, I would make them pay back every single debt, down to the last drop.Snapping back to reality, I glanced over at Chloe's workstation. The instruments weren't powered on, and no code was running on her monitor. Even if you gave her ten thousand years, she wouldn't produce a single data point. I had been far too gullible before. Before I could even answer, she stepped over to my desk and pulled open the drawer to grab the keys. I caught her wrist. "Chloe, I haven't agreed yet, have I?" "Derek..." Chloe bit her lower lip, turning to Derek with a pitiful look. Derek and I had been engaged for six months. I used to believe we were madly in love, only to discover right before my death that his heart belonged to Chloe. Sure enough, the second Chloe whined, he charged to her defense: "Chloe is part of our research team. What's the big deal about her using the lab for a bit?" Another male student chimed in, "Yeah, Summer. Just because the professor trusted you with the keys doesn't mean you can lock everyone else out. Aren't you abusing your authority a bit?" Hearing that, I let out a dry laugh. I pointed to the lab regulations posted on the wall. The operating hours were clearly listed: 7:00 AM to 2:00 PM. It was already 1:45 PM. Who was the one trying to abuse authority here? "No. The lab has strict operating hours. How about this, Chloe? Why don't you walk us through your current progress and experimental plan? We can see if anyone can help you out." All eyes turned toward Chloe. Panic flashed across her face. Her gaze darted around, her eyes turning red as she stammered, "I... I'd feel bad taking up everyone's time..." She looked on the verge of tears. Seeing her distress, Derek turned on me, his tone sharp: "Summer, do you really have to be so aggressive? She just joined the group. It's completely normal for her to be behind. We all started somewhere!" I shot back, "Exactly. We all started somewhere, which is why I'm asking for her progress so we can help." Chloe's face flushed crimson. She tugged at Derek's sleeve from behind. Derek only grew more belligerent. "Summer, you're letting a tiny bit of power go straight to your head. Don't act like the professor's word is law." "Yeah, Summer," the other guy added. "Just because you're the student lead doesn't make you God." I let out a cold chuckle, completely out of patience. I looked directly at Chloe. "What data do you need to process? We can see if one of the 24-hour communal labs is available." I knew full well she didn't have any data to run. All she wanted was to photograph the confidential documents, post them online for clout, and feed her raging vanity. As expected, Chloe stammered, unable to string a coherent explanation together. Noticing her evasiveness, the other lab mates began exchanging doubtful looks. Whispers broke out as people wondered why she was so desperate to stay behind alone. Humiliated, Chloe clutched Derek's arm, her voice trembling. "Derek, I'm just not as smart as Summer. It takes me twice as long to do the same experiments. I deserve to be looked down on. You went out of your way to secure my spot in this lab. Maybe I should just drop out so I don't cause you any more trouble." Hearing her act, I nearly rolled my eyes into the back of my head. Please, spare me the soap opera. Who didn't know what she was really pulling? Yet Derek bought it hook, line, and sinker. "Don't say that, Chloe. You're new. It's totally fine not to know everything." He glared at me. "Summer, stop being so overbearing. You used to be nice to Chloe. What's wrong with you?" I arched a brow. In my past life, I had been far too kind to her, giving her every opportunity to stab me in the back. This time, the snake wasn't biting the farmer twice. "Chloe, if you want to work, fine. I'll stay with you. After two o'clock, I'll walk you to another lab where you can finish up." I offered a solution she could never accept—because she had no real work to do. Sure enough, Chloe burst into tears and bolted out of the room. Derek shot me a venomous look before chasing after her. The rest of the team stood around, trading awkward glances. I shrugged, opened my hands, and gestured for everyone to pack up. Then, I locked the lab doors with my own two hands.The next morning, the first thing I did was inspect every single item in the lab. Seeing everything exactly as I had left it, I breathed a massive sigh of relief. Later that morning, I found an excuse to send everyone away, keeping only a younger lab mate named Toby behind. In my previous life, I had never paid much attention to him. Only after my death, floating beside Derek as a ghost, did I realize what kind of person Toby was. He had been the only one to question my supposed suicide. He had repeatedly gone to Derek, insisting my death had to be a homicide and begging him to push the police for a deeper investigation. Toby thought Derek, as my fiancé, would fight for me. Little did he know he was appealing to my killer. Later, Derek and Chloe constantly nudged our advisor to send Toby on a grueling field sampling trip in harsh conditions. The professor agreed. Before Toby departed, they secretly sabotaged his safety gear. In the end, Toby lost his life to them as well. Looking at the innocent, unsuspecting Toby before me, a wave of bittersweet camaraderie washed over my heart. I pulled out the confidential research binder and handed it to him. Keeping this in the lab or at my apartment was too risky. Leaving it with quiet, unassuming Toby was the safest move. "Toby, I've had high hopes for you ever since you joined. I have a critical task for you, and I know you won't let me down, right?" Toby's eyes lit up, and he nodded vigorously. Seeing his earnest expression made me want to smile. "I'm worried our classified files might be targeted. I'm placing the real documents in your care. I've left a dummy copy in the lab. Only you and I know about this." Whatever dramatic spy fantasy played out in Toby's head, an excited flush crept onto his cheeks as he took the binder. Turns out, the kid had a bit of a hero complex. With that taken care of, my mind was at ease. At the very least, the original data wouldn't be leaked like last time. Just to be thorough, I had already swapped in a fake document in the lab's usual folder. When the rest of the team returned that afternoon, I greeted everyone normally, but only a few muttered quiet replies. Several people looked uneasy, eyeing me with confusion, suspicion, and subtle exclusion. I scanned the room. When my eyes met Chloe's, I didn't miss the smug smirk flashing across her face. I knew immediately: she had been whispering behind my back. A colleague I was usually close with confirmed my suspicions. She leaned in and whispered, "Summer, when you sent us to the archives this morning? Chloe wouldn't stop dropping passive-aggressive hints. She basically implied you manufactured busywork to clear us out so you could hog the lab all to yourself. I mean... the files you had us organize aren't really relevant to our current project..." I smirked. And here I thought she'd come up with something clever. I clapped my hands to gather everyone's attention. "Regarding the archives you sorted this morning: Toby and I will finalize the summary this afternoon, and tomorrow I'm submitting a proposal for a brand-new research grant." I paused, holding up three fingers. "Our current project is almost wrapped up. Once we finish strong, the department head has approved a bonus—this much." Everyone exchanged stunned glances, their faces lighting up with pure excitement before the room erupted into cheers. A few girls I was close with rushed over and hugged me. "Oh my god, Summer! You are an absolute queen!" "I love you so much!" "Let's see anyone try to talk trash about you now!" One of them shot a pointed glare at Chloe. Laughing, I gently pushed them back and waved for quiet. "All right, all right, settle down. Let's get back to work." As the cheers died down and the crowd began to disperse, I added: "One more thing, everyone. We're a team. I'd appreciate it if people kept remarks that divide us to themselves." A flurry of eyes snapped directly toward Chloe. Her eyes immediately welled up. She shuffled toward me, playing the victim: "Summer, I'm sorry... I was just worried about everyone's progress." I smiled politely. "It's fine. I wasn't talking about you." That only made her look more aggrieved. With tears trembling on her lashes, she cast a helpless, subtle glance at Derek.