Ben Harding, my childhood sweetheart, had gone missing on a hiking trip. This time, I called the rescue team instead of venturing into the mountains myself. In my past life, to save him, I fell off a cliff and shattered both my legs, becoming a cripple in a wheelchair. The Harding family, out of gratitude, made him marry me. I thought my secret crush had finally blossomed into true love, but what I got was twenty years of cold indifference. It wasn’t until the day of the mall fire that I used my broken body to brace against the collapsing debris, saving him and his daughter. Yet, I heard my own child sneer, “Serves you right! Who told you to break up Daddy and Chloe? You cripple should have died long ago!” Even more despairing was Ben, holding Chloe Adams tightly, exclaiming, “Thank heavens, we can finally be together!” Watching them embrace, I died filled with hatred. Reborn to this day, I smirked – if you want to be together, I’ll make it happen this time. 1 “Ellie, you just won the hiking championship; you know these mountains like the back of your hand. Only you can find Ben!” Mike Sullivan, Ben’s best friend, gripped my wrist tightly, his anxious eyes holding a calculating glint that I could now clearly see. In my previous life, he used the exact same tactic, telling me the “rescue team was too slow” to rush me into the mountains. Back then, I was frantic, heedless of the slippery mountain paths, and plunged into the pouring rain with only a thin rope. When I found Ben trapped on a broken cliff, I lost my footing while trying to save him, suffering comminuted fractures that left my legs permanently disabled. That memory cut like a knife. With a blank expression, I yanked my hand from Mike’s grasp. “The rescue team has professional equipment and experience. They’re a hundred times more capable than I am alone.” He frowned, his tone suddenly chilling. “The rescue team will take at least half an hour to get here. Ben can’t wait that long.” Seeing I remained indifferent, he raised his voice an octave. “Your childhood sweetheart is missing and possibly dying, and you’re just going to let him be? Ellie Vance, have you no conscience?” How laughable. In my previous life, I risked my life to save him, and what did I get in return? Twenty years of coldness. The undisguised disgust in his eyes when he looked at me. The cruel words, “Just seeing you makes me sick.” The first time I caught him kissing Chloe, I suggested divorce. But he refused, citing that he “didn’t want to worry his parents.” From then on, he grew even colder towards me, his daily disdain eroding my self-worth to the core. I always thought it was my disability that made him and his daughter despise me. It wasn’t until I heard the truth right before I died that I realized how ridiculous all my efforts for him had been. This time, I would absolutely not repeat the same mistakes. “If you truly want to save him, contact the rescue team immediately.” I said calmly, no longer looking at Mike’s shocked expression, and turned to leave. He grabbed me. “Ellie Vance, how can you be so cold-blooded? If you walk away today, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life!” The icy rain beat on my wrist, and for a fleeting moment, I felt the bone-chilling cold of falling from the cliff in my previous life. I yanked my hand away fiercely. “Notify the rescue team. Don’t waste any more time.” I left without looking back, ignoring the furious shouts behind me. Life had taught me a harsh lesson. This time, I chose to protect myself. 2 When Ben Harding was found by the rescue team, his right arm was severely fractured. The news exploded on social media, with my former “friends” unanimously condemning me as cold-blooded and evil. “That woman used to fawn over Ben like a lost puppy, but when something actually happened, she ran faster than anyone. With that cowardice, she actually thought she could be Mrs. Harding?” “I heard Ellie Vance could have saved Ben but deliberately didn’t, hoping something bad would happen to him. What a wicked woman.” “Well, now he definitely won’t want her.” Looking at these venomous comments, my heart remained as calm as still water. In my previous life, I risked everything to save Ben, nearly losing my life, only to be met with his cold indifference as I lay dying. Even my own daughter, just because Chloe Adams took her to an amusement park a few times, treated that woman as her mother. How many times did I endure illness, pushing my wheelchair, to take my child to the amusement park? But he never remembered; he only found it embarrassing to have a mother like me. I owed neither of them anything. Reminding his friend to call the rescue team was already more than enough. Because of the incident, Ben specifically requested to see me after he woke up in the hospital. His right arm, encased in a cast, hung stiffly by his side, but his uninjured left hand was wrapped tightly around Chloe’s slender waist. “Ellie Vance, thank you for not saving me.” He smirked, his eyes glinting with triumph. “I came to tell you that my parents have agreed to my marriage with Chloe. The wedding is set for next month.” I smiled indifferently. “Congratulations.” In my past life, my marriage to Ben had two reasons: first, because I saved his life; second, because the Harding parents had discovered Chloe had been involved with several wealthy benefactors for money and didn’t want such a morally questionable woman in their family. But Ben believed I was exploiting his gratitude, forcing his parents to make him marry me, and tormented me for twenty years because of it. In this life, because I didn’t play the savior, the Harding family finally agreed to their marriage. “Ben, you finally got what you wanted,” I said flatly. He seemed surprised by my calm demeanor, and the anger in his eyes intensified. “Ellie Vance, I hope you’ll continue to be this sensible. Don’t bother me again.” With that, he pulled Chloe into a passionate kiss right in front of me, as if deliberately trying to hurt me. “Ben, you’re so naughty. Ellie, darling, will get jealous~” Chloe said, her voice cloyingly sweet, her eyes betraying a hidden triumph. My stomach churned. I had no patience for these two hypocrites and turned to leave. At that moment, my heart felt surprisingly calm, as if a twenty-year burden had been lifted. 3 I thought I’d never have anything to do with Ben again, but then I received an invitation to Grandpa Harding’s eightieth birthday gala. My parents happened to be traveling abroad and couldn’t decline, so I had to attend. Halfway through the party, I avoided the commotion and headed towards the balcony. As I turned, I accidentally bumped into someone. With a sharp crash, a priceless, ancient Roman bust tumbled from beside me, shattering into a thousand pieces on the marble floor. I looked up, meeting Ben Harding’s furious gaze. His arm was still in a cast. Chloe immediately gasped, covering her mouth. “Ellie, darling, how could you be so clumsy! That was Ben’s gift to Grandpa Harding, a genuine, rare ancient Roman bust! There are fewer than ten known pieces in the world!” As soon as she finished speaking, gasps rippled through the surrounding guests. “Oh my goodness, that’s a priceless antique. Miss Vance is too reckless!” “I heard Mr. Harding had been preparing this birthday gift for half a year. To have it ruined like this is such a tragedy.” Mike Sullivan pushed aside the onlookers and pointed at me, yelling, “Ellie Vance, last time Ben was in danger, you refused to help, and now you dare to ruin Grandpa Harding’s birthday gift? You truly have a wicked heart!” The surroundings immediately erupted in chatter: “Miss Vance and Mr. Harding were childhood sweethearts. How could she do such a thing?” “If you ask me, she should be kicked out. She’s an embarrassment to everyone.” Ben scoffed, his voice dripping with contempt. “Ellie Vance, how many more tricks do you plan to pull? Do you think this will make me notice you more? What a pipe dream.” The next second, he grabbed my neck with his left hand, gritting his teeth. “Three hundred and seventy million, I want you to pay ten times that amount, three point seven billion. Otherwise, I won’t let you off the hook.” I struggled desperately, but his grip tightened. Chloe chose that moment to rush over, pretending to stop Ben, but in reality, speaking with thinly veiled malice: “Ben, honey, don’t be angry. Ellie, darling, surely didn’t mean to do it. She probably just wanted to get your attention so badly, she lost her head for a moment…” Before she could finish, Ben brutally flung me away. I staggered back a few steps, nearly falling. “Ellie Vance, I warned you, don’t cling to me anymore!” His eyes were ice cold, looking at me as if I were something disgusting. Chloe feigned kindness and walked towards me. “Ellie, darling, get up now. You’re a proper lady; don’t do such embarrassing things again…”
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