When I was in the hospital, my husband of nearly fifty years, at 70, ran into his old flame. He divorced me on my deathbed to marry her. And my own daughter, the A-list actress I’d worked my whole life to support, posted a picture of them on Instagram with the caption: "True love wins. So happy for my Mom and Dad." The rage literally killed me. Then I opened my eyes. And I was back on the day of my engagement party. **1** Everything felt hazy, like a dream. I was standing in front of a full-length mirror, dressed in a stunning ivory gown for my engagement party with Ethan. God, I was so young. Healthy. No trace of the illness that had wasted me away. I was beautiful and full of life. I glanced down at the diamond ring on my finger, the one I had cherished for a lifetime. A bitter laugh escaped my lips. In my last life, I was so sick and frail that the ring was constantly slipping off my bony finger. But it was the first thing Ethan had ever given me, so I refused to take it off. He, however, let his long-lost love, Tiffany, rip it violently from my hand. When I tried to fight for it, he’d snapped at me, his voice dripping with annoyance. "It's just a ring, Clara! It doesn't even fit you anymore. Tiffany likes it, so let her have it. You're dying, for God's sake, can you stop being so petty? Just rest, don't work yourself into another episode!" While I lay dying, he didn't even have the decency to wait. He married Tiffany in a rush. He stood by my hospital bed, shamelessly declaring, "If it weren't for a misunderstanding back then, we would've never broken up! She's been waiting for me all these years, Clara. I can't let her down again! Hate me if you want, but I'm marrying her!" I’d already done my research. Tiffany had spent the last few decades as a kept woman, bouncing between wealthy old men until her looks faded. She only came back to Ethan for his money. But he wouldn't believe me. Even our daughter, Ava, the movie star whose career I had built from the ground up, stabbed me in the back, defending them online for the world to see. "True love wins. So happy for my Mom and Dad." The betrayal, the sheer fury of it all, was what finally stopped my heart. And now, I was back. With a chance to cut him out of my life like the cancer he was. We were on the stage at the reception hall. The officiant was reciting the vows, prompting us to exchange rings. I just stood there, silent. The entire room went quiet. Ethan nudged me, his voice a tense whisper. "Clara, the rings!" Slowly, I pulled the ring from my own finger. I took the microphone from the officiant's hand and faced our guests. "Everyone," I announced, my voice clear and steady. "I'm so sorry to have you all come out here for nothing. The engagement between Ethan and myself is officially cancelled. Please, feel free to leave." A wave of gasps and murmurs rippled through the crowd. Ethan stared at me, his face a mask of disbelief. He grabbed my arm. "Clara, what the hell are you talking about? What is this? A joke?" he hissed. "You're the one who pushed for this engagement, and now you're calling it off? Are you trying to make a fool out of me?" I looked at him, at his self-righteous anger, and felt nothing but cold pity. How dare he act like the victim? "Why is it cancelled?" I said, my voice dangerously low. "Ethan, you should be asking yourself that. If you don't love me, why did you agree to marry me?" He just looked confused and impatient. "What nonsense are you spouting now, Clara? Let's just get this over with. I have to get back to the office for a meeting." Of course. The office. It was the same in our last life. As soon as the party was over, he was gone. Well, let's see how busy he is when a different woman is involved. I turned and pointed toward the ballroom entrance, where a familiar figure was just walking in. "Fine," I said. "Tell me you love me, right here, in front of her. Tell me you'll only ever love me, and we can continue." **2** The moment Ethan saw Tiffany standing by the door, his face went dark. I knew it. He was still in love with her. He was only marrying me because everyone—our friends, our families—expected it. It was my "reward" for being the good, supportive partner. We’d been together for seven years. We built our company, Innovatech, from the ground up. I was the one making cold calls and closing deals in the beginning, and I was the one who played the perfect corporate wife when we made it. Everyone loved me. This engagement was their idea as much as it was mine. I’d pressured him, and he’d finally, reluctantly, agreed. But he'd used "work" as an excuse to avoid every single aspect of the planning. This party was the first and only thing he’d shown up for. In my last life, I thought he was just emotionally reserved. I thought if I just loved him harder, was more patient, I could warm his heart. I wasted a lifetime trying. I'm not doing it again. If he wants Tiffany so badly, he can have her. His eyes were cold as ice as he stared at me. "Clara, who gave you the nerve to invite her here? Are you insane?" He was always so calm, so composed. Seeing him lose his cool like this was almost funny. "You said you wanted to continue," I reminded him. "So say it. Say you love me." He wasn't playing along. "Clara, have you had enough? If you want to throw a tantrum, do it at home after the party is over! Officiant, let's proceed!" "Wait!" I interrupted again. This time, I reached up, pulled the veil from my hair, and tossed it onto the floor. I walked off the stage and grabbed Tiffany's arm, pulling her into the center of the room. "Ethan, you can't even say you love me, can you? Not with your old flame standing right here," I declared. "But you don't have to struggle. Our engagement is off. You two can have this one instead!" I gave Tiffany a subtle look. That was her cue. Right on schedule, tears started streaming down her face like a broken faucet. She choked out, "Ethan, I had a reason for leaving you back then! A good reason! I love you, please, don't marry her. I'm begging you!" **3** The first thing I did after I came back was call Tiffany. I told her to come and crash the party. She didn't believe me at first. But Tiffany is, and always has been, greedy. All I had to do was mention Ethan’s success. "He owns Innovatech now. You can look it up, the company's worth a fortune. I'm giving you a shot. Whether you take it or not is up to you." "Why are you helping me?" she’d asked, suspicious. "Because I'm sick of hearing him whisper your name in his sleep," I lied smoothly, a plausible excuse. "But I have one condition." Seeing her take the bait, I laid out my terms. "I co-founded that company. My name might not be on the deed, but I poured my blood and sweat into it. When you two get together, I want my half. You have to help me get it. Otherwise, you'll never find out where this party is." She agreed instantly, of course. And she didn't disappoint. Her little performance was all it took to shut Ethan up. His eyes were red as he stared at her. He tried to sound cold, but the emotion was raw in his voice. "You think I'll believe a word you say? I'm not that same stupid kid anymore, Tiffany! You can't fool me again!" Wiping her tears, Tiffany reached for his hand and dropped the bombshell. "Ethan, I know you hate me, and I don't blame you. But… for the last seven years, I've been raising our son. Please, just give me another chance." A son? They had a son? I felt a flash of ironic humor. This was even better than I’d planned. A secret love child was the perfect tool to ensure everyone would push them together. The awkward whispers among our friends started immediately. "Oh my god, they have a son? She raised his kid alone for seven years? Wow, that's… that's true love, I guess." "Yeah, seven years is a long time to do that on your own. Ethan, you gotta think about this." "I mean, this is really unfair to Clara, but… a kid's involved. For the kid's sake, Ethan has to be with Tiffany." Ethan's parents, who valued family legacy above all else, suddenly found their voices. "Ethan, what are you waiting for?" his father boomed. "You want my grandson calling some other man 'Dad'? Not on my watch!" "Exactly!" his mother chimed in. "And Clara's the one who called it off anyway! We can just switch the bride! Everyone's already here, we can't let all the money we spent on this party go to waste!" Ethan was still hesitating when the main doors swung open. A little boy came running in, heading straight for Tiffany. He tugged on her dress, his face bright with excitement. "Mommy, you said we found my daddy! Where is he? Who's my dad?" **4** That was it. The kid sealed the deal. Any doubt Ethan had vanished. He turned to me, his expression a mess of guilt and relief. "Clara… I'm so sorry. You see how it is. Tiffany… she had my son. I can't turn my back on them. I know you're hurt, but today… I have to get engaged to Tiffany." I managed a magnanimous smile. Hurt? Please. This was all my doing. "If you're really sorry, then don't give me a hard time when we're dividing the company assets. I'll come by the office next week to discuss the details. For now, I won't interrupt your… happy reunion." Hearing me mention the company, Ethan opened his mouth to protest, but the little boy threw his arms around his legs. "Daddy! You're really my daddy!" I used the distraction to make a quick exit. The guests just stood there, stunned into silence. I mean, who officiates an engagement where the bride gets swapped out halfway through? But what could they say? As soon as I was out of the ballroom, I found the hotel manager. "I'm sure you've heard," I said calmly. "I'm no longer the bride. You'll need to get the final payment for this event from the groom." I had planned this party to be perfect, sparing no expense. The original plan was to cover any overages from my personal savings. Now? Let Ethan bleed for it. It wasn't that I didn't want to completely ruin their party. It's just that I had a bigger war to fight: the one for my company. I built Innovatech. There was no way in hell I was just handing it over to him. "Sir," I added, putting on a pained expression. "I've just been publicly humiliated. I'm worried he might try to slander me later. Could I possibly get a copy of the security footage from the ballroom? Just to protect myself." The manager was hesitant, citing guest privacy. But money talks. A discreetly passed envelope later, and the footage was on its way to my email. This time, I was going to be the one to burn it all down. And I was going to enjoy every minute of it.
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