After the crash, dying, I didn’t call my wife—the chief of surgery. I waited calmly for the ambulance. In my last life, she answered first, rushed to save me with a top medical team. Later, I learned who was in the other car: her first love, the one who got away. He missed the golden hour for treatment, lost an arm and a leg. Unable to accept it, he jumped from the hospital roof. My wife told me not to feel guilty. But on our wedding night, she drugged me, sliced my tendons, and dragged me to his grave, forcing me to kowtow and apologize. "You were faking! If not for you, Julian would’ve lived!" She ran me over repeatedly until I was pulp. Now, back at the crash, I won’t fight for her. Let her save him this time. 1 My neck was pinned against the seat, unable to move. Blood trickled down from my temple. Gritting my teeth against the pain, I pulled out my phone and deleted every trace of Evelyn Reed. The paramedics from the first ambulance rushed to the other car. After I saw Evelyn get her precious Julian onto a stretcher and into the vehicle, only then did I dial 911 and request another unit. Gasoline was leaking, and the hiss of sparks began to spread. I used every last ounce of strength to free myself, but the car exploded just as I scrambled clear. The emergency room was a chaotic swarm of people. Evelyn came over, gave me a cursory glance, and declared my injuries minor—just some external wounds that needed simple dressing and observation. Nearly every doctor and nurse, following her lead, was focused on saving Julian Cole. It was the Reed family hospital, after all. What Evelyn said was law. The pain in my leg gradually faded, replaced by a terrifying numbness. In my previous life, Evelyn had rushed to me the moment I called, but in doing so, she’d let Julian miss his window for optimal treatment, leaving him disabled. His death became a landmine in our marriage, ready to detonate at the slightest touch. On our wedding night, she’d tricked me into taking an overdose of sedatives, telling me it was to help with the champagne, and then she’d severed my tendons. When I came to, she’d thrown me from her car in front of Julian’s grave, forcing me to kneel and beg for forgiveness. Her eyes were bloodshot as she screamed at me, “Leo Vance, why don’t you just die? Why did you have to provoke him with my reputation, making him rush to clear the air about us? You’re the one who should be dead.” She’d vented her rage by running me over repeatedly, not stopping until I was pulp. I never imagined I would be reborn, right back at the scene of the crash. I didn’t want the regrets of my last life to repeat themselves. So this time, I waited. I let her save Julian first before I called for help. I just never thought she would abuse her authority to pull every available resource to save him, leaving me with nothing. With what little strength I had left, I called out for a doctor, a nurse, anyone. Finally, a young physician approached. “Doctor, help me. I can’t feel my leg.” He didn’t even bother to look at my leg. He just sneered. “Mr. Vance, I know who you are. You’re Dr. Reed’s husband, right? She already said you’re fine. Your external wounds are treated. You just need to be observed.” “Dr. Reed also mentioned you get pretty jealous, that you’ve pulled a lot of stunts to get her attention. Hey, you should give me some tips, man.” After three years with Evelyn, I never imagined this is how she talked about me behind my back. 2 I watched the frantic activity around me, but not a single person came to check on my condition. After what felt like an eternity, a young nurse finally called out, “Dr. Reed, Mr. Vance’s blood pressure and heart rate are dropping fast! You need to come look!” Evelyn came over, pried my eyelids open, shone a penlight in my eyes, and took my blood pressure before giving me a rough shove. “Hey, Leo, that’s enough. I can handle your tantrums on a normal day, but look at where we are. Julian is in emergency surgery. If we’re a minute too late, he could lose his leg. I’ll let the fact that you were stalking and threatening him slide this one time, considering you’re injured.” My mind went blank. In our three years together, forget having the time or energy to stalk someone—I was the one being monitored, even when I went to the bathroom. I closed my eyes, refusing to engage. She pinched my right thigh, hard. “Alright, stop playing dead. Get your IV drip and go home. Don’t cause any more trouble.” My leg was truly numb. But no one believed me. Evelyn then led a procession of medical staff, wheeling Julian towards the ICU, leaving only the young nurse to watch over me. “Head nurse, it’s bad! Mr. Vance’s BP is down to 60 over 40!” “Damn it, it’s crush syndrome! He’s going into shock! Get the crash cart, push one of epi, and call for backup in OR two!” They finally realized the gravity of the situation and started scrambling to save me. Staring up at the shadowless lamp above, I felt a strange, sharp sense of being alive. It was only in this second life that I began to truly understand my relationship with Evelyn. Three years ago, when my younger brother needed a massive sum for his uremia treatment, it was Mr. Reed, Evelyn’s grandfather, who provided the funds. Though my brother passed away in the end, I was eternally grateful to the Reed family. Even when the condition for their generosity was that I marry into their family, I agreed. When I met Evelyn, we hit it off. She was obsessed with medicine, so her grandfather poured all his energy into me, making me the acting CEO of the Reed Corporation. This all changed six months ago when Julian returned from abroad. Evelyn grew distant, often staying out all night. Julian was her first love. Though his family was poor, he had refused to marry into hers. Mr. Reed, admiring his pride, had given him money to study overseas instead. Everyone whispered that the golden couple was finally reunited, a spark ready to ignite a wildfire. They said I’d been wearing a green hat for a while. I didn’t believe it at first. Evelyn even introduced us, and Julian and I got along great, adding each other on social media and lamenting we hadn’t met sooner. But soon after, Julian began to provoke me relentlessly through private messages. When Evelyn claimed she was on duty, Julian would send me a video of them at an amusement park, kissing each other. When Evelyn said she wasn't feeling well and was on an IV drip, Julian would send a photo of her asleep beside him, her head resting on his shoulder, a blissful smile on her face. And every time, before I could confront her, she would wrap her arms around me, her tone affectionately chiding. “Leo, are you made of wood? Can’t you tell when someone isn’t feeling well?” “Leo, you don’t love me at all. I’m exhausted from my shift, and you’re here accusing me, questioning me.” But she didn't know that when she worked late, I would wait with a late-night snack to drive her home. When she was sick, I would stay up all night by her side. She was an untouchable goddess, and I was the dirt beneath her feet. I loved her. If she said it, I believed it. Julian grew bolder, even coming to my office to flaunt his position and humiliate me. When I told Evelyn, she would just dismiss it, saying I was being petty for a grown man. She insisted it was all in the past, that they were just old friends catching up, that nothing was happening. She’d accuse me of thinking so little of her, her eyes welling with tears. After Julian jumped, she didn’t cry, didn’t grieve. She just told me to focus on the wedding. I helped her pick her favorite dress, try on the most beautiful makeup, only for her to butcher me like a fish on our wedding night. I realize now that when you truly hate someone, you can be perfectly calm, without a single ripple on the surface. Unfortunately, I was too lost in the joy of my own survival to see it. By the time the fire started, I realized it was all just a beautiful, empty illusion. Under the influence of the anesthetic, I drifted into a deep sleep, and the world around me slowly faded to black. 3 When I woke up, Mr. Reed was sitting beside me, leaning on his cane. I looked around the luxurious VIP room. The walls were stark white, devoid of any color. I felt a dull ache in my leg. As I tried to lift the blanket, Mr. Reed gently pressed my hand down. “Leo, my boy, I’ve failed you. It’s my fault I didn’t rein Evelyn in, and that’s why your condition was delayed. Aiya.” Confused, I tried to lift my leg, but my body wouldn’t respond. I froze. My lower right leg was gone. In the last life, Julian became disabled and jumped from the roof. This time, I was the one who was disabled. Was I supposed to die, too? Surprisingly, I felt no grief, no despair. It was as if it wasn’t my leg that was gone. “Leo, you just focus on healing. Grandfather will hire the best doctors to fit you with a prosthetic. You’ll be just like you were before.” I didn’t respond. The silence grew awkward. Mr. Reed called Evelyn, thoughtfully putting her on speakerphone, hoping she would come see me. “Evie, where are you? Get to the Special Care unit, room 1, right now.” I heard Julian’s laughter from the other end. Evelyn must have been feeding him fruit. “Evie, it’s too sour! No more, no more, haha!” Then, Evelyn’s voice. “Come on, just one more bite. It’s sweet! Hi, Grandfather, what’s up?” Yes, they were so sweet. The only thing sour here was my heart. Mr. Reed’s face hardened. “Evelyn Reed, if you continue to fool around with that shameless creature, I will disown you as my granddaughter.” “Grandfather, I don’t know what kind of spell Leo has put on you. He’s just the man who married in. You’re giving him far too much importance.” Mr. Reed probably regretted putting her on speaker. But it didn’t matter. I’d figured it out. I was just the man who married in. And a man like that should know his place. How could he ever hope to reach the lofty heights of the Reed family’s heiress? “You get over here right now. Leo is seriously injured. If you insist on being stubborn, I’ll cut off all of Julian’s treatment.” Evelyn cared too much about Julian. She came, reluctantly. “Leo, I’ve got to hand it to you. You run to Grandfather with every little thing, don’t you? Didn’t I tell you to go home after your IV? Why are you still in the hospital?” She looked at me with disdain, as if I were a dog. “Evie, apologize to Leo.” “Apologize for what? Grandfather, it was Leo who blew things out of proportion, spreading dirty rumors about Julian and me. That’s why Julian got hurt so badly! If I had been a minute later, he would have lost his leg!” Evelyn glared at me, as if I were the world’s greatest sinner. “Evelyn, I lost a leg in this accident. Do you think that’s enough?” She stared at me. “Leo, you’re still throwing a tantrum. He was hurt badly, so I spent some time with him. What’s the big deal? Can’t you be a little more magnanimous as a man?” Remembering all of Julian’s provocations, I didn’t back down. “How am I not magnanimous, Evelyn? My fiancée has been sleeping with her ex-boyfriend for half a year. The other man has been flaunting it in my face. You tell me, how much more magnanimous am I supposed to be?” “You’re being unreasonable,” she snapped, slamming the door on her way out. Mr. Reed, seeing the tension between us, tried to placate me. “Leo, you’ve always been a sensible boy. I think very highly of you. I was going to entrust the Reed family business to you. Evie has been spoiled since she was a child. I’ll have a good talk with her later, make her apologize. Couples don’t hold grudges overnight. Just humor her a little, and it will be fine.” I looked at this white-haired man, my benefactor, my heart a mix of emotions. “Grandfather, when I was working myself to the bone to manage your business, she still looked down on me. Now that I’m disabled, you expect us to live happily ever after? Do you even believe that yourself? I’ve humored her for three years. If you raise a cat for that long, at least it knows you love it. But her?” “Leo, I know you’re upset about the leg. Don’t worry, I’ll find the best team for your surgery. You two will have a good life together.” I cut him off. “Grandfather, if your grandson had married into a family with a girl like that, would you still advise him to make it work? I’m a person. I have dignity.” “Then what do you want to do?” “The debt of gratitude has been paid. I want to break up.” 4 Half an hour after storming out, Evelyn returned, immediately confronting me. “Leo, I’ve been gone for so long, and you didn’t even come looking for me. Are you trying to end things?” “Yes. I want to end things. I want to break up.” She stared at me in disbelief. “Leo, have you had enough of this drama? Fine. I’ll forgive you this time. Don’t let it happen again.” She held out a peeled orange. I looked at it, feeling sick to my stomach. I swatted the orange from her hand. “Evelyn, I said I want to break up. Did you hear me? And I don’t want Julian’s leftovers.” Now Evelyn was truly furious. She raised her hand to slap me, but I caught her wrist. “Evelyn, when I loved you, I was willing to indulge you, to give in to you. Now that I don’t, you can forget about ever walking all over me again.” “Leo, is it really that serious? You’re demanding a divorce over something so small? Are you really going to give up the fortune Grandfather promised you?” In her eyes, every fight about Julian was just me making a mountain out of a molehill, always ending with me backing down and choosing to believe her. I threw back the covers, my voice calm. “You tell me if it’s serious.” She saw the stump of my leg, wrapped in thick, blood-soaked bandages. Her hand trembled as she reached for the dressing. “How…?” Then, she lifted her chin, her pride returning. “Are you sure you want to break up? It’s just a leg. You can get a prosthetic.” I looked at her exquisite face. A true beauty. I had been blinded by it for so long. At the door, Julian was leaning on his crutches, enjoying the show. “Evelyn, your lover is here. Aren’t you going to invite him in?” She saw him and rushed to his side. Julian didn’t hide the triumphant look in his eyes. Mr. Reed clutched his chest, gasping with rage at the sight. “Mr. Cole,” I said, “now that Evelyn and I are splitting up, you’d better be ready to catch this heaven-sent fortune that’s coming your way.” “I don’t agree,” Evelyn said, always so domineering. “I don’t care. It’s a breakup, not a divorce. I don’t need your consent. The sooner I leave, the sooner I can make room for you two golden lovebirds.” Evelyn started to say something, but Julian cut her off. “Evie, Leo must have misunderstood our relationship again. Don’t be impulsive. You two should talk it out.” Julian was still acting. I couldn’t stand it. I threw my phone at him. “Mr. Cole, why don’t you explain this?” Evelyn picked up the phone. “Leo, I’ve explained this to you so many times, and you still don’t believe me. You actually hired someone to stalk us and take secret photos, threatening to expose us to the media. Julian was rushing to explain things to you when he got into the accident.” She took out her own phone, intending to find proof of my "threats," but instead, all she found were the countless photos, videos, and humiliating messages that Julian had sent me. I had asked her about these photos before. She’d told me they were just friends, that I shouldn’t overthink it, that I was being small-minded. “Evelyn, I’ve already died once. Being run over by a car, again and again… it hurts. It hurts so much that it was enough to make me forget my love for you. Let’s just let each other go.” Evelyn froze for a few seconds, her eyes wide with shock. She spoke in disbelief. “You’re… you’re reborn, too!”
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