After my rebirth, when Donovan’s plaything again sent their explicit photos to my family’s group chat, I didn’t do as I had in my last life. I didn’t grab the fruit knife and stab him. Nor did I fly into a rage for divorce when he defended her. I even stopped him as he pretended to pick up his phone to “teach her a lesson.” “It’s fine,” I said calmly. “She’s young, just joking around. No need to scare her.” Donovan eyed me with suspicion. “What game are you playing now? Planning to go after Ruby again?” I smiled. “Of course not. I’m just…” I just don’t love you anymore. In my past life, after our divorce, he not only ruined my father’s company for Ruby’s sake— he drove my father to jump off a bridge. And when I was dying of cancer, begging for money, he made me kneel like a dog to apologize to her. The twenty dollars he tossed at my feet couldn’t save me, or buy my father a proper urn. So in this life… What is love or pride worth? Not nearly as much as money. But faced with my indifference, Donovan was anything but pleased. 1 “Why aren’t you angry?” Donovan gripped my hand, his dark eyes simmering with displeasure. “You always said your father has a heart condition, that he can’t handle stress.” “She went way too far this time. Why aren’t you saying anything?” His words sent a bitter taste to the back of my throat. In my last life, I was angry. Of course, I was angry. My father did have a heart condition. When Ruby, in her viciousness, sent those photos to our family, my father was so overwhelmed with shock and fury that he collapsed on the spot. They managed to save him, but he was never the same. He was left half-paralyzed. A man of iron pride, now confined to a wheelchair for life. I couldn’t accept it. I trembled with a grief so profound it felt like my bones would shatter. But even then, Donovan protected her. “How many times do I have to tell you?” he’d snarled. “It was just bad luck that your father had a stroke. It has nothing to do with Ruby. Can you stop using these pathetic excuses to attack her? It’s pathetic.” Then he’d looked at me, his eyes cold. “Annelise, let me be clear. I’m in love with Ruby. I thought my life was set, but then I met her. For the first time, I know what true love feels like. So if you dare to touch her, I will make you pay.” My reason shattered. I grabbed the fruit knife from the table and plunged it into his chest. Bright red blood streamed over my wrist, but it wasn’t enough to quench the fire in my soul. “If Ruby is your true love, then what am I? The girl who grew up with you, who stood by you through everything?” When he was eighteen, under a canopy of wisteria, Donovan had sworn he would love me forever. The words still echoed in my memory. How could he change? Who gave him the right? He told me not to touch Ruby, so I made it my mission to destroy her. I’ve never been a woman who lets others walk all over her. I went to her university and threw the printed photos onto the dean’s desk. Ruby became the campus slut, her reputation in tatters. That night, Donovan stormed into my bedroom. He ripped my clothes off and took pictures, plastering my most intimate moments all over the internet. When Ruby came to taunt my father again, I slapped her across the face in public. In retaliation, Donovan sabotaged my father’s company with a faulty project, bankrupting him. I couldn’t take it anymore. I demanded a divorce. But he had already transferred all our assets to Ruby. We were childhood sweethearts. I had been with him through his darkest days, helping him build his company from the ground up. In the end, not only did I leave with nothing, but he also saddled me with hundreds of millions in debt. The blows were too much. I fell into a deep depression, and my body gave out. I was diagnosed with stomach cancer. My father, not wanting to be a burden, gave me the last of his money and threw himself into the river. Later, I wanted to buy him a decent urn, something made of pearwood. I started working in nightclubs, pouring drinks for lecherous men. But Donovan, like a persistent ghost, found me again. He made me kneel before Ruby and drink until I begged for her forgiveness. He said if I did, he’d give me a twenty-thousand-dollar tip. I thought of the beautiful pearwood urn I could never afford, and I agreed. My father had lived his life with dignity. I couldn't let him have such a miserable end because of me. I drank bottle after bottle. I bowed my head to Ruby again and again. But in the end, Donovan broke his promise. He grabbed my hair, his cold eyes raking over my emaciated frame. “Annelise, you’re so pathetic now. Do you see? Compared to Ruby, you’re nothing special.” I was completely drained, kneeling on the floor, a broken laugh escaping my lips. “You’re right. I am pathetic.” How else could I have ever loved him? My words seemed to anger him for some reason. He shoved me aside with a sneer. “So this is the great Annelise Croft. A useless waste who can’t even apologize properly. You’re not worth twenty thousand. Twenty dollars is more like it.” He tossed a crumpled bill at my feet and walked away, his arm wrapped around Ruby. And I… I died that night, alone on the cold, unforgiving street. The memory of my wretched death made my nails dig into my palms. When I didn’t respond, Donovan’s frustration boiled over. He yanked his hand away from mine. “What are you sulking about now?” he snapped. “Annelise, you know what I hate most about you? That calculating look on your face. I love Ruby because she’s nothing like you. When she loves, she loves fiercely. When she hates, she hates with passion. She sent those photos because she loves me, because she’s possessive. She did it out of love, so don’t you dare use this as an excuse to hurt her!” 2 Seeing his blatant favoritism, a dull ache still throbbed in my chest. But it was only for a moment. I met his defensive glare with a placating smile. “Don’t be so worked up. I really do understand,” I said softly. “She’s young. She can’t hide her feelings. It was just a mistake made in the heat of the moment. I get it.” He looked at me, incredulous. “You’re really not mad at her? But you always hated these cheap, manipulative little vixens.” I reached out and smoothed his already perfect collar. “No, really. I’m not,” I said with a smile. “I know you’re busy with work, under a lot of pressure. A man needs a pretty young thing to listen to his troubles. It’s normal. Everyone in our circle does it. You were always telling me to get used to it. I was immature before, I caused a lot of embarrassing scenes for you. It won’t happen again.” Faced with my generosity, Donovan, who should have been pleased, looked as if he’d swallowed a fly. He stammered for a moment. “But… but after what she did, aren’t you worried your father will be angry?” My smile widened. I pulled a contract from my purse. “Of course, I’m worried.” “So, darling, why don’t you give the Southgate Project to my father’s company? When he sees you’re willing to give him such a massive deal, I’m sure any anger he has will just melt away.” For years, my family’s business had relied on traditional industries, and we were facing some serious challenges. The Southgate Project was crucial for our survival. Donovan. This time, if you can’t give me love, then just give me money. Lots and lots of money. He finally seemed to realize I was serious. He hesitated for a long moment, then a relieved smile spread across his face. “Annelise, I’m so glad you’re thinking this way.” He took the pen and, under my expectant gaze, signed his name on the contract. Then he added, his voice full of meaning, “If you can always be this reasonable, I’ll be happy to give you many more projects like this. But if I find out you’re just putting on an act, that you’re still trying to hurt Ruby behind my back, I will not let you off the hook.” His eyes were sharp as knives, every word a shield for the woman he loved. In the past, this would have torn me apart. Now, it was just… tedious. The suffering of my past life had extinguished any love I had for him. In this life, he was nothing more than a walking ATM. I gave him a sincere smile. “Don’t worry. I’ll be sure to get along wonderfully with dear Ruby.” With that, I lost all patience for the charade and walked out. 3 I drove straight to my family home. Although the first thing I did after being reborn was to kick my father out of the family group chat before Ruby could post the photos, I was still uneasy until I saw him with my own eyes. In my last life, our endings were too tragic. This time, I would not allow anything to happen to him. Thankfully, everything was fine. My father hadn’t seen the disgusting pictures. He was in the garden, happily tending to his winter plum blossoms. When he saw me, he beamed and insisted on making me his famous stew. “My girl is home! It’s cold today, let me make you your favorite stew, how about it?” The next second, he noticed my red-rimmed eyes and his expression turned to one of concern. “Annelise, why are your eyes red? Did that scoundrel Donovan bully you? Tell me. I’ll sort him out.” My father was always like that, unconditionally on my side. My mother died when I was young, so he always felt he had to love me enough for two. Years ago, after Donovan’s father committed suicide over financial crimes and his mother was admitted to a psychiatric hospital, everyone in our social circle assumed Donovan was finished. No one would help him. Only I stayed by his side. During his darkest time, I knelt before my father and begged him to give Donovan a chance, to invest in him. My father, for my sake, took him in. He emptied the company’s accounts to fund Donovan’s venture. When Donovan found out, he knelt before my father, tears streaming down his face, and swore he would treat him like his own father for the rest of his life. But in the end, he was the one who killed him. The image of my father’s bloated corpse, pulled from the river, flashed in my mind. I bit the inside of my cheek, hard, to keep from crying out. I handed him the contract from my bag. “Don’t worry, Dad. Donovan didn’t bully me. In fact, he gave us the Southgate Project. Here, we can start work on it tomorrow.” Seeing the contract, my father finally relaxed. “Good, good. As long as you two are okay. Annelise, I’m an old man. Money isn’t important. As long as you’re happy, I can rest easy.” I forced a smile, blinking back tears. “Don’t worry, Dad. I will be happy.” I stayed at my father’s house that night. Donovan was busy with his “true love,” so he didn’t bother me. I enjoyed the peace and quiet. After a good night’s sleep, I drove to the hospital for a full check-up. In my last life, I died of stomach cancer. This time, I wasn’t taking any chances.
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