All because I happened to save the heir to the Hayes fortune, I found myself forced into an engagement with him. I even gave up my spot at a top university after graduation to become his wife. But after we married, Julian would rather stay at a hotel than so much as glance in my direction. Foolishly, I thought I might win his heart someday. Then three years later, my best friend Serena showed up holding a child who looked just like Julian. I caught my breath. That’s when it hit me—he wasn’t coming home because he was with his mistress. I went to confront him, only to get hit by a truck right outside. Before I died, I made one last phone call, begging him to help me. But I heard him say: “You’ve been taking Serena’s rightful place all these years. It’s time you stepped aside.” “Quit bothering me.” When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day Julian had his heart attack. Looking at the man collapsed on the ground, I shouted for my best friend Serena in the crowd. Julian’s eyes fluttered open in discomfort, his chest heaving. He croaked, “Get lost.” Then he froze, finally recognizing the woman in front of him. “Serena? What are *you* doing here?” He scanned the crowd and spotted me standing in the corner. In my past life, I was the one who rushed over immediately, giving him CPR without hesitation. But the first thing he did when he woke up was push me away, his eyes filled with disgust. In front of everyone, he used all his strength to prop himself up, like he’d just been touched by something he utterly detested. But not anymore. “Julian, thank goodness you’re okay! I…” Serena dropped to her knees beside him. When she saw he was awake, she threw her arms around him and burst into tears. Julian gently patted her back to comfort her. Then he let Serena help him to his feet and leave, without so much as a second glance my way. I knew Julian’s heart attack had been caused by someone secretly switching his medication. In my past life, he’d figured out who was behind it quickly enough, so there was no need for me to go out of my way to warn him. The emergency had left me drained. Back in the classroom, I collapsed onto my desk to catch my breath. During the break, Julian walked over to my desk and gave me a dismissive look. “Aubrey, what game are you playing now?” I was confused. “What?” Julian sneered coldly. “Deliberately calling Serena to save me in front of everyone? Are you that desperate to push me to her? Or are you trying to make everyone see you as some kind of ‘savior’?” My chest tightened. “Think whatever you want. I’m not feeling well.” Julian probably thought I was faking it. He smirked. “Playing hard to get now? You’ve certainly got a lot of tricks up your sleeve.” He walked off, and the room filled with whispers and snickers. Everyone in our social circle knew I was head over heels for Julian—my love was both desperate and unshakable. He once said he liked girls with long, soft hair, so I never cut mine. He also mentioned light-colored clothes looked nice on girls, so my closet never saw anything dark again. He preferred quiet, elegant girls, so I turned down friends’ invitations and stayed home to diligently study various arts. It was only after the lessons of my previous life that I understood: Serena met all the criteria he mentioned because she was the one he truly liked. No matter how hard I tried, I wasn’t even worth a second of his attention. Soon, word spread throughout the grade about Serena saving Julian and his taunts during the break. During the last class of the afternoon, the Dean of Students and two security guards entered the classroom. “Aubrey Miller, please come with us for questioning.” The whole class turned to look at me. I pushed myself up from my desk. “Questioning about what?” The Dean looked serious. “You were the first to discover Julian Hayes’s condition. His parents have asked the school to conduct a thorough investigation and rule out all possibilities.” I froze. Julian suspected me? “I was clearly trying to help him.” “That’s exactly what we need to clarify,” the Dean said, his tone leaving no room for argument. They led me to a dusty storage room behind the gym, filled with old equipment. “You’ll need to stay here temporarily until the investigation is complete. This is Mr. Hayes’s request.” “You can’t do this!” I tried to break free, but I was weak from fever. The security guards pushed me into the storage room and locked the door. “Mr. Hayes will take responsibility. You’ll be released once the investigation clears you.” The room was thick with dust. I slid down the wall to the floor, dizzy and disoriented. I don’t know how long I was locked in there. Darkness fell. Before I completely lost consciousness, I vaguely heard the lock click, and then a pair of arms lifted me.
When I woke up again, I was home. I still don’t know who saved me. I heard Julian’s family had already handled the situation. After the annual celebration, he personally walked Serena home. He also publicly announced to everyone, “Serena saved my life. The Hayes family must repay this debt of gratitude. Let the engagement be arranged.” Even though I’d resolved to completely let go of Julian in this life, hearing those words still stung. He believed Serena had saved his life. But if I had been the one, he would’ve just accused me of being manipulative and having hidden agendas. Last time, it was only because the story of me saving him went viral online that Julian reluctantly agreed to our engagement. I went downstairs, only to find Serena and Julian at my house. When she saw me, Serena put on a troubled expression. “Mr. and Mrs. Miller, Julian is the one Aubrey likes. I can’t agree to the engagement—it would break my best friend’s heart.” My parents didn’t even get a chance to speak. Julian stepped in front of me, blocking my path with his tall frame. “Since you heard everything, I’ll be straightforward.” “Aubrey, I don’t like you. No matter how hard you try, it won’t change anything. We should both accept that.” I replied softly, “Okay, don’t worry about it.” “I won’t bother you and Serena anymore. I wish you both the best.” Julian narrowed his eyes, studying me intensely. From behind, I heard my mom’s relieved voice: “It’s good you’ve come to terms with this. Now focus on your future.” I tried to ignore Julian’s questioning stare, smiling and nodding. “I will.” After the engagement was announced, Julian started showing up around my house frequently, since Serena often came to visit me. Before, seeing him was practically impossible. I had to ask his friends for his whereabouts, and I couldn’t even get mad when they made fun of me for being a pathetic tag-along. Now, with college application season wrapping up, I’ve seen him more in the last two weeks than I did all of last year. But it didn’t make me happy at all. Serena, pretending to be kind while actually showing off, would say to me, “Aubrey, Julian got me this SAT prep book. Want to take a look?” “Julian also had someone get me these insider materials from an Ivy League summer program. Do you want to borrow them to copy? He found so many for me.” Yet in my past life, even our engagement ceremony had to be pushed by my parents. Just as I was spacing out, Serena accidentally knocked over an ink bottle, staining the limited-edition autographed jersey Julian had just given her. “Julian!” She cried out, rushing to him, then glancing at me. “Aubrey must have done it by accident. Please don’t blame her. It’s my fault for not putting away your gift properly…” Julian’s expression darkened. “Aubrey, you act so reasonable and understanding in front of your parents, but privately you’re still targeting Serena?” “You’ve been picking on Serena since we were kids. Haven’t you had enough by now?” A bitter taste filled my mouth. I said, slowly and clearly, “I didn’t.” Serena immediately hung her head. “Julian, it’s all my fault, completely my fault. I’m so clumsy.” Julian stepped in front of her, his tone clearly warning me off. “I couldn’t say much about your past behavior, but now Serena is my fiancée.” “I’ll be around a lot during this time, until your parents feel reassured.” In my old life, I would’ve been thrilled to have more interactions with him. Seeing me stay quiet, Julian paused, then warned, “Watch yourself. Keep your distance so Serena doesn’t get the wrong idea.” That evening, Serena batted her eyes and asked Julian to help with homework, then deliberately sent me Snapchat photos of them together. I didn’t react much. The next day, as I rushed out clutching my textbooks, Julian blocked my path. “Trying to get my attention with this act?”
“No, you’re overcomplicating things.” Even without last night’s nonsense, I’d long decided to focus all my energy on studying. Julian clearly didn’t believe me, looking me up and down. “You should know I don’t like messy girls. Trying to get my attention with this trick is just dumb.” I ignored him, walking straight back to my room to change into my comfiest hoodie and jeans, pulling my long hair up in a casual ponytail. The simple, fresh look made me feel incredibly at ease. Julian stood on the stairs, giving me a cold, indifferent look, but his hand on the railing was clenched tight. Veins stood out on his hand. Just then, Serena wrapped her arms around him from behind. “Julian, Aubrey’s changed so much lately. Is she still upset about us getting engaged?” Julian looked away. “Let her throw her little fit.” “Once she realizes this act isn’t working, she’ll go back to her old self.” I left without looking back and headed to the city library. To prepare for a crucial academic decathlon, I asked Liam—the top student who always aced everything in our class—for help. It should’ve been our first real conversation, but it felt like we were old friends. We talked about everything, and there was an amazing connection between us. Walking out of the library that evening, I hummed a happy tune, still replaying different ways to solve a problem in my mind. As I passed through the small garden behind the school gym, I unexpectedly saw Julian sitting alone on a stone bench in the path, hunched over slightly with his hand pressed to his stomach. His face looked pale under the dim streetlights. Having been married to him for three years in my past life, I knew he had serious stomach issues. At this hour, he probably didn’t want Serena to see him like this, so he was suffering alone. I originally didn’t plan to get involved, already walking past him. But I was in a good mood today, and I also didn’t want anything to happen to him at school—especially after the recent emergency. More drama wouldn’t be good for anyone. After hesitating for a moment, I stopped a few feet away and said in a flat voice, “The nurse’s office should still be open now.” Julian looked up sharply, and our eyes met. He probably expected me to rush over all concerned like I used to—even take him to the nurse’s office. A faint sneer appeared on his lips. “What, Aubrey? Trying to use this to remind me of the ‘debt’ I owe you again?” He hadn’t even finished speaking before I looked away, turning and walking straight toward the school gate. I didn’t notice the faint twitch at the corner of his mouth or the increasingly intense gaze following me as I walked away. Things stayed quiet for a few days after that. Until one day after class, by the lockers, Julian suddenly appeared looking furious. He slapped a folded piece of paper onto my locker door just as I was about to close it. “Aubrey, how could you be so shameless?” I was confused. I froze, instinctively unfolding the paper. It was covered in delicate handwriting expressing admiration and longing for Julian, with a big heart drawn at the end… “Wh-what is this?” Julian scoffed, lowering his voice in the busy hallway but dripping with sarcasm. “I almost thought you were really over me. Guess you were just playing hard to get this whole time.” “Acting all indifferent, but secretly writing this cringy stuff and shoving it in my locker? Can’t let go that badly? What are you trying to prove with these childish games?” I hurried to explain, “I didn’t write this! I never—” “Save the excuses, Aubrey,” he cut me off, his eyes showing obvious disappointment. “You really let me down.” He stopped looking at me, turning to Serena who was waiting nearby. He took her hand and walked off without hesitation. Only a final, cold warning floated back on the breeze: “Next time, know your place.” Their wedding date was officially announced. Serena didn’t have many friends in town, so my parents asked me to help with the upcoming school anniversary gala. They came by on gala day, taking my hand and saying earnestly, “It’s good you’ve moved on. Now focus on your college applications.” I touched the encouragement bracelet Liam had given me on my right wrist, my cheeks flushing slightly. “Yeah… I have a friend I’m working hard with now.” My mom looked surprised. “Where’d that come from? You always said you weren’t close with anyone in class.” Me: “Huh?!” So who exactly have I been doing homework with every day? Julian, overhearing our conversation, smirked. He probably didn’t take it seriously, thinking I was lying. But seeing how sure I was, his brow furrowed slightly, and a hint of irritation flashed in his eyes. When no one was around, he cornered me by the side exit of the auditorium, leaning close to my ear and whispering: “As long as you’re sensible and don’t hold onto unrealistic fantasies, I’ll still treat you like a little sister and spend some time with you.” I said earnestly, “I have my own goals now. I won’t bother you anymore.” Julian scoffed, grabbing my wrist. “Then tell me, why does your bracelet look a lot like mine?” “Coincidence.” Not far away, Serena watched jealously, her eyes filled with resentment. Before the gala started, backstage suddenly erupted into chaos. Serena’s performance dress had been slashed, leaving a huge hole. On the dressing room mirror, “DIE” was scrawled in lipstick. Serena cried hysterically. When everyone gathered to comfort her, her gaze fixed directly on me. “Aubrey, I know you’ve liked Julian for almost ten years, but you can’t blame me for winning him over.” “You clearly agreed when the engagement was announced that day, so why are you trying to ruin my long-awaited performance now?” The whole room erupted in murmurs. Everyone knew about my intense crush on Julian, so I was obviously the prime suspect. When Julian arrived, Serena buried herself in his arms, sobbing, “Julian, maybe I should just give you back to Aubrey. Otherwise, I can’t imagine what other crazy things she might do…” Slap! A hard slap hit my face. Julian had publicly humiliated me before, but this was the first time he’d actually hit me. I looked at his angry face, my eyes going blank. “Julian, won’t you believe me even once?” “Do you even deserve to be believed?” He watched coldly as I fell to the floor, speaking cruelly and without emotion: “If you’re going to be this shameless, don’t blame me for being ruthless.” “I’ll talk to your parents myself. Someone, do it.” He told his friends to grab my jacket and scrawl “SLUT” across it with a marker. He said he was going to punish me the same way I “bullied” Serena. I kept crying and struggling. Until someone shouted, “Stop!” A familiar pair of hands helped me up. I buried my face against the person’s shoulder. I faintly heard Julian’s voice drop sharply, with a hint of annoyed confusion: “Who are you? What’s your deal with Aubrey?”
My jacket was torn and messy. Liam quickly took off his school jacket and draped it over me. He then dipped a tissue in water and carefully wiped the words off my clothes. Only then did he look at Julian. “Does that even need to be asked?” “Can’t you tell? I’m Aubrey’s friend.” Julian secretly clenched his fist, his gaze fixed on Liam’s arm protectively around me. On his wrist was a bracelet similar to mine. Two seconds later, he suddenly relaxed his tense muscles. A look like he saw through everything crossed his face. “Aubrey, you’re pretty clever, aren’t you? Finding someone to help you put on a show.” “Where’d you find this guy? He’s quite the actor.” Noticing Julian’s attention had shifted, Serena started whining and crying again: “Aubrey, since you have other friends now, you should really let go of your feelings for Julian. Why make such a scene? Are you trying to play both guys?” “Even if my performance is ruined today, do you still hope to get close to Julian again?” Julian scoffed, “Delusional!” My parents must have heard what happened and came over from the front row. My parents, still confused about what was going on, only saw me being protected by Liam. They exchanged a confused look, asking blankly: “Liam… you and Aubrey…?” As soon as they spoke, Julian froze, his expression changing. He mumbled, “Liam… Liam…” He finally recognized Liam’s powerful family background, and an unfamiliar unease came over him. But he still kept a calm front, chin slightly raised. He let out a faint scoff: “I didn’t realize Liam had so much free time.” “Shouldn’t he be preparing for his own competitions instead of getting involved in this drama? Is he just playing some ‘friend’ game with her?” Liam ignored him, politely answering my parents. “Mr. and Mrs. Miller, Aubrey and I are study partners. I’ll explain more to you later.” “The priority right now is to sort this out.” At this point, my parents also noticed Serena hiding behind Julian, her eyes red and teary. “Serena, why are you crying?” “What happened? Did someone bully you?” Serena choked back a sob, then gave me a fearful glance. “No, no one bullied me.” She was clearly trying to look like she was suffering in silence. “Serena is too kind to upset your parents,” Julian said, his voice deceptively casual. “I’ll be direct. Out of jealousy, Aubrey ruined Serena’s performance outfit and told her to die. Her intentions were really malicious.” “So I just taught her a small lesson.” Hearing him speak so confidently, my parents looked at me in disbelief. “Is that true, Aubrey? Didn’t you promise me you didn’t like Julian anymore? Why would you do something like this?” “Speak up, Aubrey! Don’t run from this! If it was you, admit it. If not, explain yourself!” My tears soaked Liam’s shirt, and I felt his arm tighten around me. Being misunderstood by Julian just made me angry and upset. But if even my parents didn’t trust me, I was truly heartbroken. I lifted my face. When they saw the smudged marks on my clothes, they gasped. “Dad, Mom, I didn’t do it.” “They framed me. They didn’t even give me a chance to explain.” My dad’s angry gaze turned to Julian, his voice shaking with fury: “So you just accused my daughter without any proof and then dared to treat her like that!” “Is that what you call ‘a small lesson’?!” Julian met his gaze without backing down. “The security footage was deleted.” “Aubrey is the most likely suspect. There’s no one else.” “Deleted footage?” Liam suddenly raised an eyebrow. “Funny, data recovery happens to be my specialty.” All the color drained from Serena’s face.
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