Chapter 1

Introduction:

In my past life, I loved Zachary for years, only to end up trapped in his never-ending cycle of penance.

He married me, yet he was utterly convinced that I was the one who killed Claire.

For three agonizing years, his coldness and relentless blame drove me completely out of my mind, until I finally slit my wrists in the bathtub and ended it all.

When I opened my eyes again, I was right back to the night he announced his engagement to Claire.

This time, I didn't cry. I didn't cause a scene. I just smiled, gave them my blessings, and told everyone in the room that my heart already belonged to someone else.

I was going to walk out of Zachary's life and take my future back.

Yet the moment I stopped running after him, he turned around and demanded to know why I had changed.

Chloe's POV

I was into Zachary. Everyone in our social circle knew it.

But getting a second shot at life, I made up my mind to cross him out of my future entirely.

Tonight was the family dinner. Claire walked through the door with her arm hooked through Zachary's, announcing to the entire room that they were engaged.

Claire was my family's adopted daughter.

Zachary stood beside her, not glancing my way once. He hadn't said a single word to me beforehand.

Every pair of eyes at the table was glued to me, waiting for me to shatter my glass.

Claire picked up the hem of her dress, walking over to me with a sugary, timid voice. "Chloe, you won't hold it against us, right? About Zachary and me?"

The entire room fell dead silent.

A few guests exchanged knowing glances.

In a situation like this, anyone in my shoes would have thrown a massive tantrum.

I looked up, looking at her, and then at Zachary beside her.

Zachary was wearing a charcoal-gray suit, his brow slightly furrowed, his gaze resting on my face.

I had stared at this face for so many years. In the past, every single glance would send my heart racing out of control.

This time, looking at him, my heart was as flat as still water.

"Congratulations. I wish you both the best."

I lifted my glass and gently tapped the rim against Claire's.

Claire froze.

My mother leaned in close, catching my sleeve under the table and whispering, "Chloe, you're... you're not just acting out, are you?"

"Mom, I'm totally fine."

I took a sip of my wine.

"That's good, then."

Mom patted the back of my hand, but she still couldn't stop her eyes from darting over toward Zachary.

In my previous life, it was this exact dining table, under this exact crystal chandelier.

I had sat in this very chair, heard Claire drop the word 'engagement,' and smashed my silverware right onto the floor.

With tear-filled eyes, I screamed at Zachary, reminding him how I had stayed by his side all night when he was blackout drunk, before flipping the table and storming out the door.

Claire had chased after me. She ran three blocks before an out-of-control truck hit her at the intersection, killing her on the spot.

Later on, Zachary married me anyway.

It was a lavish, high-profile wedding. Everyone said I had finally gotten what I waited for.

Yet behind closed doors, he pinned Claire's death entirely on me.

He never touched me again. Every single night, he brought up what happened that evening, forcing me to repent right to his face.

"If you hadn't run out that night, would she have died?"

"Chloe, don't you dare ever forget that night!"

"You owe her a debt you can never repay in this lifetime."

He said those words so casually, his voice completely flat, without a single ripple of emotion.

Year after year, I lived in remorse. By the third year, I completely lost the ability to sleep.

The moment I closed my eyes, all I saw was Claire's body being thrown through the air.

I actually began to believe that maybe it really was all my fault.

In the end, I slit my wrists in the bathtub.

As the blood poured over my skin, I stared at the ceiling and thought: if I ever got a second chance, I would never lay eyes on this man again.

When I died, Zachary was away on a business trip.

When he picked up the call, all he said was a flat "Okay." Then he asked, "Has it been handled?" Nothing more.

The first person to burst into that bathroom was Liam.

He had rushed back on a flight from abroad, dropping to his knees and pressing his hands fiercely against the cuts on my wrists, holding down as hard as he could for the longest time.

My body grew colder and colder, yet he didn't make a single sound.

Later, people said he sat beside my body through the entire night, refusing to leave no matter who tried to pull him away.

In that past life, I cried, I screamed, I begged him to listen to me just once. All it got me was three years of torture and a bloody bathroom floor.

This time, I wasn't walking down that road.

Claire was still standing before me, batting her eyelashes. "Chloe, what's wrong? Are you still upset with me?"

"Why would I be? I'm genuinely happy for you guys." I set down my glass.

I paused, keeping my voice calm, yet clear enough for the entire room to hear.

"Whatever happened in the past was just me being young and foolish. It's over."

Dad looked up. Mom parted her lips, completely at a loss for words.

"Actually, my heart belongs to someone else now." I smiled faintly, letting my gaze drift over Zachary's face.

Murmurs broke out across the table.

The smile on Claire's face began to slip. "Who is it?"

"Liam. He's studying abroad, but we've stayed in touch the whole time," I said evenly.

"Liam?" Claire forced a laugh. "Chloe, he isn't even in the country. You don't have to just throw a random name out there just to save face."

"When he comes back, you can ask him yourself." I rested my glass on the table.

The second those words left my mouth, Mom let out a huge sigh of relief, patting her chest twice.

Dad nodded as well, raising his glass and taking a quiet sip.

I knew how my parents viewed Liam.

He was my childhood neighbor who used to follow me around everywhere when we were kids. He was genuinely upright, ten thousand times more dependable than Zachary.

Whenever I mentioned him before, I had only ever thought of him as an older brother.

Tonight, now that I had put his name out there, I had no intention of taking it back.

Zachary's face darkened completely.

He stared straight at me, his hand resting on the table slowly curling into a tight fist.

I met his gaze head-on, without even blinking.

In all these years, this was the very first time I dared to look at him like this.

The dinner carried on.

Claire sat back down next to Zachary, and Mom busied herself serving dishes to the two of them.

The guests started eating again, every now and then leaning over to offer Claire their congratulations.

I shifted my chair over slightly, clearing space for the newly engaged couple.

Then, picking up my glass, I walked over and said to Claire, "Take good care of him from now on."

"Of course I will." Claire linked her arm tightly around Zachary's, her eyes crinkling into sweet crescents.

I turned toward Zachary. "Congratulations."

Zachary didn't answer. He just stared at me, his fingers tightening hard around his wine glass.

I backed away to my seat and quietly focused on my food.

My phone vibrated in my pocket.

Using the excuse of getting some fresh air, I slipped out onto the balcony.

Liam's name was flashing on the screen.

I answered, keeping my voice low. "Hey."

"Chloe." The voice on the other end was clear and gentle, tinged with a slight rasp from the time difference.

"Liam, as soon as I wrap up my classes this semester, I'm heading out to join you." I leaned back against the railing.

There was a brief pause on the other end before he replied, "Alright. I'll wait for you."

"Are things... okay on your end? Your mom mentioned there was a big dinner at your house tonight."

"Everything's fine, honestly." I let out a soft laugh.

The line went quiet for two seconds. "You don't sound like yourself."

I looked down at my fingers.

In my past life, it was these exact hands that went completely ice-cold the last time they touched this world.

"I'm really okay. Just wait for me," I said.

"Alright, I'll let you go. Don't carry everything on your own."

"I won't."

After hanging up, I lingered on the balcony for a little while.

The wind had tousled my hair, and just as I lifted my hand to tuck it back, I froze mid-motion.

I had no idea when Zachary had walked out, but he was standing right in the balcony doorway.

He had one hand in his trouser pocket and held an unlit cigarette in the other, just watching me.

When he spoke, his voice was dragged down low. "Liam?"

He repeated the name once more, drawing it out slowly.

"Chloe, since when did you get so close to him?"