When I opened my eyes, I found myself kneeling in Ethan’s study. Memories from my past life came flooding back like a tidal wave. The bullet I took for him, his cold smirk as he held his mistress and said “Finally, some peace and quiet” as I lay dying, and the urn of ashes that no one claimed at my cremation. “Sign the divorce papers,” Ethan demanded, tossing the documents in my face. It was the exact same scene from my previous life, but he looked a decade younger now. I lowered my head and chuckled softly, the pen making a decisive arc across the paper. This time, I wouldn’t wait for his driver to run me over before I found my freedom. “Mr. Greene,” I said, pushing the agreement back towards him. I stood up, meeting his shocked gaze. “This time, I’ll be the one to leave you first.” As I turned to go, he suddenly grabbed my wrist with surprising force. “Olivia, what are you—” I pried his fingers off one by one. The touch I had begged for on my knees in my past life now only made me sick. Thunder crashed outside, illuminating the unfamiliar panic in his eyes. How ironic. The glance I would have died for in my previous life came so easily now that I’d been given a second chance.
I strode out of the conference room on the top floor of Greene Enterprises. The floor-to-ceiling windows offered a view of the entire city’s twinkling lights. The pen I’d used to sign the divorce papers was still warm in my hand, the ink barely dry. Ethan sat at the far end of the long table, his long fingers drumming restlessly on the surface as he frowned. “Are you sure about this?” he asked in a low voice, with a hint of hesitation I’d never heard before. I calmly closed the folder, my fingertips trailing over the embossed cover. In my past life, I had knelt right here, begging him for another chance. All I got in return was his look of disgust and the cold words, “Stop embarrassing yourself.” “Absolutely certain,” I said, rising to my feet with a smile. My heels clicked sharply against the marble floor. “Isn’t this what you’ve always wanted, Mr. Greene? For me to disappear?” His pupils constricted as he gripped the armrests of his chair. I turned towards the door, but just as I grasped the handle, I heard a chair topple over behind me. “Wait!” Ethan rushed over, his breathing ragged. He reached out as if to grab my wrist, but froze mid-motion. This man, who in my past life wouldn’t even let me touch his sleeve without recoiling, now had a hint of panic in his eyes. “Where…” he swallowed hard. “Where are you going?” I tilted my head, studying him. Suddenly, I found it amusing. In my previous life, he never spared a glance for the dinners I carefully prepared each night. Now he cared about my whereabouts? “To register my own company,” I replied cheerfully. “I’m going to be Greene Enterprises’ newest competitor.” The color drained from his face. I took the opportunity to pull open the conference room door. The secretaries outside immediately lowered their heads, pretending to be busy. Only my assistant Emma hurried over, handing me a file folder. “Ms. Carter, Mr. Zhang from Prosperity Investments has scheduled a meeting with you tomorrow at 10 AM,” she announced loudly. “He says he’s very interested in our new renewable energy project.” I caught Ethan’s head snapping around in my peripheral vision. Feeling pleased, I patted Emma’s shoulder. “Well done.” As the elevator doors closed, I glimpsed Ethan rushing out. His tie was askew and his hair disheveled, a far cry from his usual polished executive look. In my past life, I had loved him so much I was willing to die for him. Now I only felt a bitter irony. In the basement parking garage, my new car was already waiting. A flashy red sports car, completely different from the old sedan he had complained was “too ostentatious” in my previous life. “Take me to Blue Water Bay,” I instructed the driver. It was a villa I had purchased just last week, in a location Ethan knew nothing about. As we pulled out of the underground garage, my phone started buzzing incessantly. Ethan’s name flashed on the screen over and over. I simply turned the device off. Under the night sky, the city’s neon lights streamed past the car windows like flowing water. I opened the window, letting the night breeze blow away the stuffiness in my chest. The scene from my deathbed in my previous life flashed before my eyes again. The harsh white hospital lights, the shrill beeping of the monitors. And Ethan’s smile as he held Sophia, saying “Finally free” with a smirk. My phone suddenly lit up again with a text from an unknown number: “Since when did you start drinking black coffee?” I stared at the seemingly random message, a chill running down my spine. In my past life, I had always pretended to like lattes just like Ethan did, to please him. In this life, I had been drinking only black coffee since the day I was reborn. And the only person who knew about this habit was… Another text popped up: “Last night I dreamed you died.” My fingers trembled uncontrollably. In the distance, the lights on the top floor of Greene Tower were still blazing, like a watchful eye.
I clutched my phone tightly, my knuckles turning white. “Turn around,” I ordered the driver, my voice unnaturally calm. “Back to Harmony Gardens.” That was Ethan’s private villa, a place I never had the privilege of entering in my past life. But this time, I needed to confirm something in person. Had he been reborn too? As the car entered the gated community, rain began pelting the windshield. I had the driver stop by the curb and walked alone towards the familiar building, umbrella in hand. The roses in the garden were in full bloom – the ones I had secretly planted in my past life but never dared to claim credit for. After the third ring of the doorbell, Ethan answered the door himself. His shirt collar was wide open, his hair a mess and dripping wet. He clutched a half-empty bottle of whiskey. The moment he saw me, the bottle crashed to the floor with a loud “thud”, amber liquid seeping into the carpet. “You really came,” he said hoarsely, his eyes swirling with emotions I had never seen before. “Just like in the dream…” Rainwater slid down the umbrella ribs, forming a transparent curtain between us. I met his gaze steadily. “You dreamed I died?” He suddenly gripped my shoulders, his fingers digging in painfully: “It wasn’t just a dream! I remember every second – you jumping in front of the bullet, your blood splattering on my face…” His voice began to shake. “I remember holding Sophia and saying… saying…” “That you were finally free,” I finished calmly, watching the color drain from his face. “So you’ve been reborn too.” Those words seemed to flip a switch. Ethan suddenly collapsed to his knees on the wet ground. The rain soaked through his shirt, outlining his gaunt frame. The ever-lofty Mr. Greene from my past life now looked as wretched as a beggar. “Olivia, I—” “Shut up.” I took a step back, the umbrella rim blocking his pleading gaze. “Ethan Greene, did you think being reborn was your chance for redemption?” Lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating his ashen face. I leaned down close to his ear and whispered: “No. This is my chance for revenge.” As I turned to leave, he lunged forward and clung to my legs: “At least tell me, that bullet…” “Didn’t hit any vital organs,” I said, shaking off his hands. “But you had the hospital withdraw my life support.” His wails were drowned out by a clap of thunder. I walked towards the waiting car in the rain, never looking back. My phone lit up then with a message from my assistant: “Ms. Carter, we’ve confirmed that Sophia started transferring Greene Corp funds to offshore accounts last month.” I smirked. Look, Ethan. The woman you protected with your life in the past is already preparing to betray you. And this time, I’ll personally send you both to hell.
I sat in the car, raindrops blurring the windows. Ethan’s figure grew smaller in the rain, eventually disappearing from view. The driver glanced at me cautiously in the rearview mirror. “Where to now, Ms. Carter?” “The office,” I said, scrolling through the files my assistant had sent. A cold smile played on my lips. “And set up a meeting with Sophia for me.” At 2 AM, the lights in my office were still on. On the computer screen: Sophia’s bank statements for the past three months, photos of her secret meetings, even email exchanges with Greene Corp’s competitors – everything was laid out clearly before me. This woman who had caused my miserable death in my past life was now walking step by step into the trap I had set. “Ms. Carter, Miss Evans has arrived,” my assistant knocked and announced. I closed my laptop and looked up towards the door. Sophia wore a white sundress, her makeup impeccable, her eyes carrying that same air of innocence and vulnerability as always. She bit her lower lip, timidly speaking up: “Olivia, you wanted to see me?” In my past life, it was this exact damsel-in-distress act that had Ethan wrapped around her finger. I smiled faintly, gesturing for her to sit. “I hear you and Ethan have been getting quite close lately?” A flash of pride crossed her eyes before she quickly concealed it. “Ethan just… looks out for me, that’s all.” “Is that so?” I slid a folder across the desk to her. “Then do you know he’s been investigating your transfer of company funds?” The color drained from Sophia’s face in an instant. She abruptly stood up, her chair scraping harshly against the floor. “What are you talking about?!” I calmly flipped open the folder, my finger tapping on the numbers: “Thirty million, transferred to offshore accounts. What do you think Ethan’s reaction would be if he found out?” Her fingers clutched her skirt tightly, knuckles turning white. “What… what do you want?” I stood up, looking down at her: “It’s simple,” I said softly. “I want you to continue.” Three days later, Greene Enterprises’ stock price plummeted. Following my plan, Sophia frantically cashed out Greene Corp assets, even going so far as to forge Ethan’s signature. Meanwhile, Ethan, the man who had been so cold and heartless in my past life, was now frantically searching for me like a madman. My phone was flooded with his calls, his car perpetually parked outside my office building. He even started sending flowers to my office every day, with cards that simply read “I’m sorry.” Too little, too late. “Ms. Carter, Greene Corp has applied for emergency loans from the banks,” my assistant reported. “But regarding Sophia…” “Keep going,” I said, not looking up as I signed documents. “Have her transfer that final sum as well.” My assistant hesitated for a moment: “But… if Greene Corp really goes bankrupt, the shares you still hold…” I chuckled softly: “Who cares about that bit of money?” What I wanted was for Ethan to lose everything. Just like I had in my past life. A month later, Greene Enterprises officially announced the breakdown of its capital chain. I stood in a coffee shop across from Greene Tower, watching as Ethan was surrounded by reporters. He had lost a lot of weight, his suit hanging loosely on his frame, dark circles prominent under his eyes. A reporter asked sharply: “Mr. Greene, we’ve heard this crisis is related to your fiancée, Sophia Evans?” Ethan’s head snapped up, his gaze fierce: “She is not my fiancée.” “Then was your divorce from Olivia Carter also for Miss Evans’ sake?” His expression crumbled instantly. I set down my coffee cup and turned to leave. Suddenly, a commotion broke out behind me, followed by Ethan’s heart-wrenching cry: “Olivia!” I didn’t look back. It started to rain. I opened my umbrella and walked into the crowd. In this life, I had finally learned to leave without a backward glance.
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