Before my rebirth, Lucas and I were childhood friends. He was the brightest star in my life. Ten years later, we got married in the most beautiful cathedral in the city. Everyone said we were a match made in heaven. He was the heir to the Carter Group, but he always said he wanted to pursue freedom. So, I took on all the responsibilities for him. That autumn, I was kidnapped in a setup. He rushed into an abandoned factory to save me but was forever lost in the fire. My father-in-law knelt before the memorial tablet, coldly saying, “It’s all because you insisted on taking control. You killed my son!” For three whole years, I worked tirelessly to clear my name, finally waiting for the truth to come to light. On the deck of a cruise ship, I saw Lucas. He was gently wrapping a scarf around Rachel’s neck, with a two-year-old daughter in his arms. He turned to look at me, his eyes cold: “Emily, you were just a stepping stone for me to escape my family. You were never my true love.” As a huge wave capsized the ship, I returned to ten years ago, the day he first proposed to me.
I slowly walked down the stairs, holding onto the railing. Lucas was standing at the bottom, holding a cup of milk tea. “Remember your favorite caramel macchiato? I had someone buy it from the mall across the street.” He smiled as he handed me the milk tea, his other hand holding my favorite Japanese takeout. I let him lead me to the Bentley parked at the entrance, my heart churning with indescribable emotions. His palm was warm, but this temperature felt unfamiliar to me. Among the many potential suitors, I chose Lucas not only because we grew up together. More importantly, he wasn’t as worldly and smooth as other rich kids. He was always like an unrestrained youth, with light in his eyes and dreams in his heart. “Emily, why are you so absent-minded today?” He reached out to touch my forehead, his eyes full of concern. “Lucas, tell me, will you always be this good to me?” Holding back tears, I asked him this question seriously for the first time. He was stunned for a moment, then showed an indulgent smile: “Silly girl, for the past ten years, I’ve only had eyes for you. Don’t you understand that yet?” He pulled me into his arms and whispered in my ear: “In my heart, you’ll always be the most special person.” At this moment, I suddenly had a glimmer of hope. Perhaps the 28-year-old Lucas didn’t yet know he would change his heart, didn’t yet know he would use an explosion to escape. In this do-over, do we still have a chance to rewrite the ending? As long as I don’t take on the responsibilities he doesn’t want, don’t let him fake his death to save me. I leaned on his shoulder, listening to him hum our song. Before the party started, I was touching up my makeup in the rest room when my assistant rushed in panic-stricken: “It’s terrible! Mr. Carter is beating someone downstairs!” When I reached the hall, the usually gentle and refined Lucas was gripping Ryan’s neck, his eyes terrifyingly red. “I’ll fucking teach you to dare lay a hand on her again!” He punched Ryan in the face, “If you dare touch her, I’ll make you regret being born!” Ryan was already beaten bloody, and the guests were all backing away in fear. In the corner, a girl in a champagne-colored dress was curled up on the ground, sobbing. I rushed forward to stop Lucas: “Calm down first. There are so many people watching. We can settle this privately.” When he calmed down a bit, I walked over to the girl and offered her a handkerchief. “Are you alright? Do you want to go to the upstairs rest room?” She looked up at me, her eyes misty with tears. My heart suddenly tightened. That face, that alluring tear mole, wasn’t she the woman from Lucas’s new family in my past life?
In that instant, I felt the whole world crumbling. Lucas pushed me away forcefully, so hard that I stumbled back and hit the decorative cabinet behind me, cutting a gash on my arm with the glass. “How could you talk to her like that? Do you know how scared she is right now?” He stood in front of Rachel, glaring at me fiercely. “A girl gets bullied, and not only do you not comfort her, but you question her like this? Where’s your conscience?” I bit my lip, enduring the pain in my arm. “Lucas, don’t get so agitated. There are so many people watching. We need to be reasonable.” He sneered, his eyes full of unfamiliarity. “Emily Shaw, when did you become so snobbish?” “For the sake of appearances, you don’t even have basic sympathy? I really misjudged you!” He took a deep breath: “I’ll give you one day. By tomorrow, I want to see the truth!” With that, he took off his jacket and gently draped it over Rachel’s shoulders, carefully supporting her as they left, without even a glance at me. I stood there, watching my fiancé blow up at me for another woman. The whispers of the guests around me were like countless knives, cutting into my heart. The wound on my arm stung fiercely, but I knew this wasn’t the time to treat it. I forced myself to apologize to Ryan, arranged for someone to take him to the hospital, and then retrieved the security footage to clarify the truth. After dealing with all the guests and calming everyone’s emotions, it was already late at night. I could finally check my wound. The blood had long since congealed, and my clothes were stuck to the flesh. The security footage showed that the so-called harassment was just Ryan’s sleeve accidentally brushing against Rachel as he turned around. Lucas didn’t come back all night, only sending a cold text message: “Sorry, I was impulsive.” The next morning, I had just finished processing the termination paperwork for a batch of unqualified interns. Lucas barged into the office, his face ashen: “Why did you fire Rachel? Just because of yesterday’s incident?” The employees outside all stopped their work, pricking up their ears to eavesdrop. I looked up at him: “Lucas Carter, do you defend her so much because you’ve known her for a long time?” His expression froze, then he quickly put on a gentle smile: “Emily, are you jealous?” He tried to take my hand, but I avoided it. Not long after, he came in again carrying a large bouquet of roses. “Don’t be angry anymore. Rachel is my cousin. I just sent her home last night.” “Can you let her stay for my sake?” I sneered: “So now I need your approval to deal with unqualified employees?” “Before you questioned me, I didn’t even know her name.” He frowned at me: “Emily, you’ve been well-off since childhood. How could you understand her difficulties?” “She still needs this salary to take care of her sick grandmother.” His tone was full of reproach: “You’re already so excellent. Why can’t you give her a chance? Do you have to be so ruthless?” I stared blankly at this unfamiliar man before me. So in his eyes, my excellence was an innate privilege. So my efforts should all become stepping stones for others. So my happiness should all be given to that pitiful girl.
After that argument, I took a long leave and didn’t go to the company for fifteen whole days. Partly to sulk with Lucas, and partly to think about whether I should withdraw early to avoid repeating the mistakes of my past life. During this time, Lucas avoided me, but Mrs. Carter called every day asking me to come back to the old house for dinner. After much hesitation, I finally went. As soon as Mrs. Carter saw me, she took my hand sympathetically: “Oh, Emily dear, it’s all that silly boy’s fault for not knowing better. Don’t take it to heart.” “Mommy promises you, I won’t let any improper person enter our Carter family.” “Don’t worry, I’ll definitely stand up for you!” I held the bird’s nest soup Mrs. Carter had personally stewed for me, listening to her gentle words, my heart filled with mixed emotions. Just then, Lucas walked in with Rachel, laughing and chatting. In the short half month since I’d last seen her, Rachel’s fragile aura had completely disappeared, replaced by undisguised smugness. She smiled at me sweetly: “Sister-in-law, hello. This is a handmade aromatherapy candle Lucas and I made together. It’s a bit flawed, but I still wanted to give it to you.” Lucas stood beside her, silently allowing her behavior. I held up the bird’s nest soup. Even the scalding porcelain bowl couldn’t thaw the coldness in my heart. Mrs. Carter immediately darkened her face: “How rude! Giving someone a gift, and you choose a defective one? What were you thinking?” Rachel hurriedly took off the sapphire necklace from her neck: “I’m so sorry, sister-in-law. This necklace is a royal heirloom from the British royal family. I’ll give it to you as an apology!” That necklace, called “Destiny”, was personally bought by Lucas at an auction in London last year. I had naively thought he would put it on me at our wedding. It turned out that in his heart, the real “Destiny” was Rachel. I silently looked at the necklace, not reaching out to take it. Mrs. Carter pulled Rachel away: “Girl, come with me to look at the garden. Don’t always cling to Lucas. He’s about to get married.” Lucas sat down across from me, poured himself a cup of tea, his lips curled in mockery: “Looks like you still can’t let go of your status in this family. Even if you don’t go to the company, you still come to curry favor with my mom.” “Don’t worry, the position of future Mrs. Carter belongs to no one but you. Who else could please my mom so well?” I had never seen him look at me with such cold eyes. Tears welled up in my eyes: “Lucas, you won’t even give me the most basic kindness anymore?” He glanced at me, continuing to drink his tea leisurely. After finishing his tea, he went upstairs without looking back. Late at night, I was clearing my mind in the gazebo in the backyard when I suddenly heard whispers coming from the nearby rose garden. Rachel’s coquettish voice came through: “Auntie doesn’t seem to like me very much. What should I do?” Lucas chuckled: “My mom even dislikes me. In her eyes, there’s only Emily, the perfect daughter-in-law.” “Then in your heart, who’s more important, me or her?” Rachel pressed. Lucas laughed softly: “You’re always so greedy.” Rachel clung to him persistently. “The first time I saw you, I was moved by your innocence. The next time we met, I was conquered by your passion.” “No one in this world can compare to you. Happy now?” “As for Emily, she’s just like my mom. What’s so interesting about that?” “After we’re married and someone’s helping me manage the family business, I can take you traveling around the world. Don’t be angry, okay?” Before he finished speaking, the two were already kissing. I stood in the darkness, tears silently falling, feeling utterly ridiculous. So whether in this life or the last, I was just a bargaining chip for him to gain freedom. He deceived me clear-headedly, while I foolishly believed in this dream.
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