In my past life, on the day I finally reached the pinnacle of my career, I exposed the horrifying bullying I had endured in high school. The girl who had tormented me, Vanessa, couldn't handle the crushing weight of public outrage and legal consequences, ultimately ending up in a federal prison cell. But shortly after her downfall, my fiancé, Miles, had a massive, public psychotic breakdown right outside our wedding venue. He completely destroyed his own life and was committed to a psychiatric facility. Before he lost his mind, he left me a single message: "All these years, I only stayed with you to atone for her sins. Why couldn't you just let her go?!" It was only then I realized: when Miles rejected Vanessa's confession and she retaliated against him, I was the idiot who stepped in to save him. This time, I absolutely refuse to suffer through a nightmare for someone who was never worth it. 1 Vanessa’s life was over. It all started with an interview. Right after winning Best Actress, sitting in front of the cameras for my first exclusive interview, I opened up about the dark, suffocating days of being bullied in high school. The moment the interview aired, the internet exploded. Millions of netizens flocked to the story. My fans started digging deep, desperate to uncover the mastermind behind the abuse. Thanks to anonymous tips from former classmates, the bullying scandal that had been buried by time for eleven years was finally dragged into the harsh light of day. [I know that girl! She was the "Queen Bee" of our graduating class, Vanessa Sterling. I had a friend who was targeted by her just for being pretty. Vanessa cornered her in the bathroom and almost permanently scarred her face!] [She constantly used her family's wealth to terrorize people at school. Her dad always just threw money at the problems to make them go away.] [I remember this scandal! It blew up back then. It almost cost someone their life. Vanessa was supposed to be expelled and sent to juvie, but somehow she got out of it. I think she was held back a year and then got into some prestigious university.] [Bullies deserve to rot! I can't even imagine how much courage it took for our Best Actress to rip open her old wounds in front of the whole world.] [Exactly! Put her behind bars! Justice for Aria!] The online backlash stripped Vanessa of every defense she had. A tidal wave of condemnation and fury crashed down on her. Anyone remotely connected to the incident was dragged into the spotlight. Vanessa’s family business collapsed and filed for bankruptcy. Her husband of only a few months promptly filed for divorce to distance himself from the scandal. By the time I realized the situation had spiraled completely out of control, it was too late. Vanessa’s mind broke. She posted a single "I'm sorry" on her social media before she was arrested and sentenced to years in federal prison for her past and present crimes. On the night the news of her sentencing broke, I was busy preparing for my wedding the next day with my closest friends and family. That's right, I was getting married. I had chosen to marry the man who had walked with me through the darkest days of high school, right at the peak of my career. When a friend told me about Vanessa's fate, I didn't know how to feel. For a moment, I wondered if I had done the wrong thing. Should I have kept my past trauma out of the spotlight? But I couldn't swallow the bitterness of the past. That bullying had nearly cost me my life. I couldn't even remember how many nights I woke up screaming from nightmares, or how long it took me to step out of that suffocating shadow. While I was agonizing, fighting tooth and nail to overcome the trauma she inflicted on me, what was Vanessa—the instigator—doing? She had left everything behind, traveling the world, vacationing on private islands, holding an acceptance letter to a top-tier university, and posting inspirational quotes on Instagram. The person who nearly ruined my life hadn't paid a single price. She was living freely and lavishly. How could I ever let that go?! If Miles hadn't been by my side back then, I probably would have drowned myself in the campus lake during the freezing winter of my sophomore year from severe depression. I definitely wanted Vanessa to pay, even if I hadn't expected the internet to tear her life apart quite so thoroughly. Unsure if I had made a mistake, I instinctively grabbed my phone to text Miles. Miles, did I do the wrong thing? I waited anxiously for his reply, but my screen remained dark. A bridesmaid patted my shoulder, telling me not to overthink it. "This isn't your fault. It's karma. You did nothing wrong, so stop stressing." "Besides, we agreed! No contacting the groom on the last night of being single!" "Relax and enjoy your bachelorette night!" She snatched my phone and tossed it onto the sofa, pulling me into a conversation with the other girls. I wasn't in the mood that night. Staring at my phone abandoned on the couch, still open to my chat with Miles, a deep sense of unease settled in my chest. Facts proved my instincts were right. Miles snapped. Right outside our lavish wedding venue, he suffered a severe, violent psychotic break, completely destroying the venue lobby and his own career before being subdued by security and committed to a psychiatric ward. When I rushed to the hospital in my wedding dress, eyes wide with horror, all I was handed was the phone he had dropped at the scene. On the screen was a message he had typed but never sent to me. "All these years, I only stayed with you to atone for her sins. Why couldn't you just let her go?!" 2 I didn't have time to process what that sentence meant, because I blacked out. When I woke up in the hospital, it was three days later. As the newly crowned Best Actress, I was trending at #1 on X and TikTok—but for all the wrong reasons. The internet was tearing me apart because my groom had lost his mind and destroyed our wedding. That's right, I was being cyberbullied. It started because some eagle-eyed netizens discovered Miles’s secret "burner" Twitter account. An account named SilentlyLovingV. The account was created ten years ago. For a decade, it documented his deep, unforgettable, unrequited love for a girl. But that girl wasn't me. Ten years. 3,650 days and nights. 3,500 tweets. Every single post ended with the exact same sentence: To the love of my life, Vanessa. The fiancé of the new Best Actress was secretly obsessed with her high school bully. This was explosive news. As the scandal escalated, countless conspiracy theories flooded the internet. One theory in particular gained massive traction. [Am I the only one who thinks Aria purposely exposed the bullying to the media? Did she find out her fiancé was in love with Vanessa, and did it out of spite?] [Aria’s fiancé is her manager! According to her past interviews, they've been together since high school. But her fiancé was already in love with Vanessa back then! I bet there’s a hidden truth here. Who knows who was actually bullying who back then!] [Let me spill the tea! Vanessa and Aria were in the same class. They both liked Miles in high school. The tension between them started way back then. Read between the lines, people!] ... The malicious speculation surrounding me grew louder and louder. With the exposure of Miles’s secret account, the narrative of the bullying incident suddenly flipped. The people who had actively participated in my torment, who had previously been doxed and shamed by the internet, now used this wave of public opinion to spread rumors about me. They claimed I was the one who came between Vanessa and Miles. They said the so-called "bullying" was just me playing the victim to build my Hollywood persona. The accusations and insults were enough to break anyone. But lying there, I didn't have the energy or the desire to clarify anything. Why did it have to end up like this? I scrolled through the posts on Miles’s secret account. I desperately wanted to find a clue, a loophole, anything to prove this account didn't belong to him. But it was futile. Eleven years together. I knew his tone too well. The specific details he posted about his high school interactions with Vanessa were undeniable proof of his identity. It was almost funny. He wrote that Vanessa was different from every other girl around him. He said she was bold yet delicate, arrogant yet sensitive. Every word, every sentence was saturated with his intense love for her. He remembered every look she gave him, every expression, every smile with perfect clarity. He wrote that the biggest regret of his life was rejecting her confession. But he conveniently forgot to mention what happened after he rejected her. Who was it that got cornered in an alley by her out of humiliation? Who was it that couldn't stand seeing what she was doing and called the police for him? Who was it that took the brunt of Vanessa's wrath, enduring two full years of her vicious bullying, just to protect him? So, eleven years of companionship... he was only doing it to atone for Vanessa’s sins. All my pain, all my gratitude, all the sacrifices I made over the years—it was all one massive, humiliating joke! The day before his breakdown, he posted his final tweet. [I ruined my life to avenge you. If I could do it all over again, I would walk toward you without a second of hesitation.] Fucking psychopaths! They belong together! If I could do it all over again, I wouldn't waste a single second being the audience to their twisted romance. The abuser and the masochist. You two should lock yourselves together forever! 3 I never thought that when I opened my eyes again, I would be sitting in my high school classroom. Looking at the familiar scene, my mind went blank for a second. It wasn't until I saw the Drama School application form tucked under my arm that I finally snapped back to reality, my eyes filling with sheer shock and joy. I was actually reborn! But the joy didn't last long before it was interrupted by a commotion at the front of the class. "Miles, I like you." "So? Want to consider being my boyfriend?" Vanessa's voice was exactly as I remembered it—brimming with absolute confidence and arrogance. On her beautiful, striking face was a smile of inevitable victory. Miles was blocked by her and her entourage. His young, handsome face was practically expressionless, as if the chaos around him had nothing to do with him. But I saw it clearly. His ears were burning beet red. Watching this scene, my eyes turned icy cold. I bet he was thrilled right now. After all, his secret Twitter account clearly stated that this was the exact day he fell in love with her. Since you like her so much, why not just be together? A mocking smirk touched my lips. Was it because he was shy? Or just a coward? If that's the case, I don't mind giving him a little push. Everyone's eyes were glued to the two of them, watching the drama unfold. No one noticed me, sitting in my seat. I suddenly stood up, waving a textbook in the air, and shouted at the top of my lungs toward the front: "Miles! What are you waiting for?! Vanessa is confessing to you! Do you know how lucky you are? Are you really going to reject our school's Queen Bee?!" "Say yes! Say yes! Get together! Get together!" My sudden outburst drew everyone's attention. Seeing someone leading the charge, the rest of the class quickly joined in the hype. "The Queen Bee and the Valedictorian! A perfect match!" "Exactly! You guys look great together! Say yes! Say yes!" Seeing me acting as her wingman, Vanessa shot me a surprised look. She clearly hadn't expected me—someone who had never interacted with her—to help her out. But as the cheering grew louder, she didn't dwell on it. Instead, she lifted her chin proudly at Miles. I watched with satisfaction as the chants of "Get together" echoed through the room. I wondered if, with me hyping them up so much in this life, he would actually say yes. In a daze, I felt Miles's gaze linger on me for a fraction of a second. In those cold eyes, there seemed to be a flash of incomprehensible shock and panic. Or maybe I was just seeing things. When Miles still didn't answer, Vanessa's smug smile began to slip. A threatening glint crept into her eyes. Just as she was about to speak, Miles finally opened his mouth: "I'm sorry. I refuse." "You're very pretty, but I don't like you." The exact same two sentences from my past life. But for some reason, I didn't feel any regret this time. Instead, I felt a strong urge to distance myself from him entirely. Vanessa's face instantly changed. Seeing his absolute rejection, a dark cloud passed over her eyes, and she threatened him: "Are you sure you want to reject me in front of all these people?" "Miles, I'll give you one last chance. Think very carefully!" "There's no need. I'm sure. I don't want to date in high school; it'll affect my studies." With that, Miles pushed past the students surrounding him and walked back toward his desk. "Fine! Miles! No one has ever dared to reject me!" "You've got nerve!" Vanessa spat the words through gritted teeth at his retreating back, then stormed out of the classroom with a dark expression. Everything was playing out exactly as it had in my past life. What shocked me was that even with me actively cheering him on, he still rejected her. He was clearly thrilled on the inside, yet he chose to say no. What is this? Self-sabotage? I sneered internally as I watched Miles step down from the podium and head toward his seat. I instinctively looked down to avoid eye contact. I absolutely did not want to have any interaction with him in this life, nor did I want to endure over a year of bullying because of him. But as the old saying goes, speak of the devil and he shall appear. Miles actually stopped right in front of my desk. "Why did you do that?" Miles stood in front of me and spoke. For some inexplicable reason, I felt like his question carried a hint of grievance and anger. I froze for a second, then looked up into his eyes. In a fleeting moment, I felt like there was something very wrong with him today. But when I saw his eyes return to their usual deadpan, emotionless state, I completely threw that thought out the window. "What?" I raised an eyebrow at him, then feigned realization: "Oh, you mean the cheering." "No underlying meaning. I just thought you two looked like a great match." "Come on, we're all classmates. It was just a joke. You're not actually mad about that, are you?" Let's just say, after years in the entertainment industry, I was an expert at being passive-aggressive. Miles pursed his lips, seemingly disdainful of arguing with me, and walked back to his seat without another word. The bell for class rang at that exact moment. For the entire period, I could feel a lingering, almost piercing gaze on my back, as if trying to burn a hole right through me. Vanessa never returned to class. I knew exactly what was waiting for Miles, and honestly, I was more than happy to let it happen. 4 I spent the morning adjusting to the high school curriculum. After school, I carefully placed my Drama School application form into a folder and tucked it into my backpack. In my past life, I worked myself to the bone in Hollywood for eight years before finally winning Best Actress. But even then, I carried a massive regret. I wasn't a classically trained actor. In my past life, Vanessa deliberately shredded my application form the day before the deadline, making it impossible for me to transfer to the Drama track. Later, when I finally found a backdoor channel to audition for an acting conservatory, she had her goons beat me half to death and locked me on the school roof the night before. Because I didn't have the connections or the formal, systemic training, I had to take a lot of painful detours in my career. So, when I realized I had been reborn, my very first thought was to seize this opportunity. I was going to test into my dream film academy! As for Miles and Vanessa in this life? I couldn't care less about them! Didn't Miles fall in love with her at first sight? Didn't he regret not being with her? Since he's practically begging to be abused, I certainly wouldn't step in and steal his chance to be "close" to her like I did last time. He can enjoy every ounce of her passionate "love"! With that thought, I put on my backpack and walked out of the school gates. As I passed the narrow alley near the school, I heard the familiar sound of insults and muffled groans of pain. I couldn't help but stop. I peeked into the alley. I saw Vanessa and her gang of lackeys pinning a battered, bruised Miles to the ground. "Any guy Miss Sterling sets her eyes on should be grateful. No one has ever been ungrateful enough to reject her." "Miles, who the hell do you think you are? You're just a scholarship charity case. Miss Sterling liking you is a blessing." "Not only did you say no, but you rejected her in front of the whole class! You completely dragged her pride through the mud!" Vanessa had a cigarette hanging from her lips. Her thuggish demeanor completely contradicted her innocent, beautiful face. She rested one foot on Miles’s chest, looking down at him like he was a stray dog. But I could see that her eyes were still burning with an intense desire to conquer him. For someone like Vanessa, things that come easy are worthless. Only the things she can't have keep her intensely stimulated. Honestly, in terms of sheer psychotic behavior, these two were evenly matched! They were truly made for each other. In my past life, because I couldn't stand seeing Vanessa bully him like this, I didn't hesitate to pull out my phone and call 911. I even jumped out and stood protectively in front of him. After helping him scare Vanessa away, I thoughtfully took him to the hospital. Since I couldn't reach his mother, I stayed and took care of him all night. I admit, my help back then was partly driven by a crush, but it was mostly out of admiration. The fact that Miles was a low-income scholarship student was no secret. His father died when he was young, and his mother struggled to support them. He had the highest test scores in the city. He could have gone to the elite prep school, but because of the tuition, he chose our public school instead. The principal promised him that if he came here, his tuition would be fully covered for all three years, and the school would give him a two-thousand-dollar monthly stipend. If he got into a top-tier university after graduation, there would be a massive bonus. Since enrolling, Miles's grades were consistently ranked number one. Paired with his handsome, aloof face... He quickly became the school's most popular guy. He was poor but resilient, brilliant but humble. What teenage girl wouldn't be drawn to a boy like that? But that was only enough to attract the me from my past life. Whether in my past life or this one, Miles did not deserve to be saved! I retracted my gaze, pretending I hadn't seen a thing, and turned to walk away. But as I took my first step, I heard his pitiful plea from behind me. "Aria... help me—" I didn't quite catch what else he said. I furrowed my brow and sprinted away. It was as if I had never walked past that alley. When I got home, I locked the door, grabbed a handful of coarse salt, and threw it over my shoulders to ward off the bad luck. What a nightmare! 5 To prevent any further complications... First thing the next morning, I handed my Drama School application form directly to Mrs. Robinson, the teacher in charge of the arts program. Mrs. Robinson looked at the form and smiled warmly: "Aria, I'm so glad you didn't choose to bury your talent." "I believe you'll become a legend, setting a new standard for our arts program." Mrs. Robinson had incredibly high expectations for me. In my past life, she was the one who discovered my acting talent and suggested I pursue systemic training. She was also the one who, unable to bear seeing my talent wasted, pulled every string she had to get me an audition slot after I missed the deadline. It's just a shame I disappointed her in the end. "Mrs. Robinson, I promise I won't let you down. I will definitely get into the Film Academy!" My voice was firm, making a solemn vow. In this life, I would absolutely never disappoint her again. When I got back to class, morning study hall had already started. Miles wasn't in his seat. For some reason, the homeroom teacher wasn't there either, and the classroom was buzzing with loud chatter. I took out a textbook, trying to quiet everyone down and lead the study session. But before I could reach the podium, my phone buzzed. I opened it to see a message from my homeroom teacher, telling me to go to the Principal's office immediately. I was a bit confused about what was happening. But when I walked into the office and saw the familiar scene, my vision went black. In the office, Miles's mother stood with her hands on her hips, demanding the Principal give them an explanation. Vanessa's parents weren't there; instead, her father's executive assistant was present, frowning, unsure of how to handle the aggressive woman in front of him. Vanessa stood off to the side. Her face showed absolutely none of the arrogance she had when beating Miles up yesterday. Her eyes were red, making her look like a terrified baby deer. This was her usual disguise. And Miles... his handsome face was covered in bruises. His left arm was in a sling. He looked as pathetic as humanly possible. But even so, I noticed that his injuries in this life were actually much worse than in my past life. Guess my loud cheering yesterday really did the trick. Seemingly sensing my gaze, Miles immediately looked over at me. Maybe it was an illusion, but I swear I saw his eyes light up the moment he saw me, carrying a faint glimmer of expectation. That unsettling feeling crept up on me again, but this was no time to dwell on it. "Sir, you called for me." Seeing me arrive, the homeroom teacher looked like he had just seen his savior. My right eyelid twitched. A bad premonition settled over me, and sure enough, the very next second, the teacher pulled me aside and asked the question that made my blood boil. "Aria, Miles said he saw you walk past the alley where he was attacked last night." "Did you happen to see who was beating him?" "Was it Vanessa, like he claims?" I felt a wave of dizziness, but mostly, I felt sheer disbelief. Because everything happening right now was playing out exactly as it had in my past life. In my past life, I called the police for Miles, preventing Vanessa's goons from continuing their assault. The next day, Miles's mother brought him and his medical report to the school, determined to make Vanessa pay. They also sought me out—the kind-hearted witness—hoping I would testify on the spot about who had attacked him. In my past life, I was naive. Even knowing I would offend Vanessa, I stood up for Miles and for "justice," testifying that she and her gang were the attackers. But who could have predicted that Miles's mother would ultimately choose to settle the matter with Vanessa's family in exchange for ten thousand dollars? Vanessa then turned all her wrath onto me, unleashing the anger she originally had for Miles entirely upon my shoulders. I had assumed that today's events wouldn't happen. After all, I made sure that under the dim streetlights, while he was getting beaten half to death, there was no way he could have recognized me standing at the entrance of the alley. So what the hell was happening now?! Miles's mother, desperate to protect her son, grabbed my hand and urged me: "Sweetie, I can tell just by looking at you that you're a good student, not like this vicious little brat who's trying to deny everything." "Tell me, did you see this little brat hitting my son in the alley?" I felt a surge of disgust as she pulled on my arm, causing me pain. In my past life, I never liked Miles's mother. She was incredibly arrogant. Even later on, when I became a somewhat famous actress, she still thought I wasn't good enough for her son. After Miles's breakdown, she unreasonably blamed me for destroying him. I still remember how, after accepting a massive payout from Vanessa's family, she sat in front of the news cameras and lied, saying I forced Miles to marry me and that I drove Vanessa to her ruin. It was shameless! Thinking about this, my face turned ice-cold. Under her expectant gaze, I forcefully yanked my hand away and said slowly: "Ma'am, I didn't see anything." I kept my expression perfectly calm as I spun my lie. "I do walk past that alley every day after school, and I did hear some noises coming from inside last night." "But I didn't go in. So I have no idea what actually happened." My expression was neutral. With my strong psychological fortitude and years of acting experience, I was flawless. No one could detect a single lie. "I was walking home alone. It's not safe for a girl at night. Why would I purposely walk into a dark alley to investigate strange noises?" "I'd love to help Miles, but I can't just lie and falsely accuse Vanessa." "Besides, Vanessa is a girl. If she's falsely accused, it would be terrible for her reputation." I forced down my disgust to keep myself out of it. I didn't actually want to defend Vanessa, but knowing how much it would piss off Miles's mother made me feel a lot better. I firmly maintained that I hadn't seen anything. The homeroom teacher and the Principal asked me multiple times, trying to find a crack in my story, but eventually had to let me go back to class. But from the moment I walked out of that office, Miles kept staring at me with a look of profound, agonizing betrayal.
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