Chapter 1
My mom asked me who I wanted to marry.
This time, I didn’t choose Simon Hughes. Instead, I chose his younger uncle, Daniel Hughes. Her reaction was instant, her gaze sharp and full of disbelief, like I’d just slapped her across the face. After all, everyone in the city knew Simon and I were inseparable, practically joined at the hip since childhood.
For ten years, I’d chased him and made it clear I wouldn’t marry anyone else. But that was the old me, the version of myself that no longer existed.
A bitter smile tugged at my lips as memories of my past life–before I was reborn–flooded my mind.
In that life, after Simon and I married, I came to a heartbreaking realization.
He’d never once laid a finger on me. At first, I told myself it was personal–maybe
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it was just something he couldn’t help. I made excuses for him and tried to convince myself it didn’t matter. But then, on our golden wedding anniversary, I walked into a room I’d never seen before.
It was locked away, hidden, and filled with photos of my cousin.
That’s when it hit me. It wasn’t that Simon was asexual. He just didn’t love
- me.
Now, in this second life, I was done wasting time on someone who would never love me in return. I decided to let them be together, once and for all.
But as I walked down the aisle toward Daniel, Simon’s face turned pale, and he completely lost control.
…
Three days after my official engagement to Simon Hughes, I ran into him at a party. Naturally, His friends spotted me, and–of course–they couldn’t resist.
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They were already laughing, clearly having a field day at my expense.
“Simon, look who it is–your little shadow is here again!” one of them called out with
a grin.
“Bianca, you’re already engaged to Simon, and yet you’re still hanging around him? Shouldn’t you be letting the poor guy enjoy his own party before you tie him down?”
another one chimed in.
When Simon saw me, his annoyance was pretty much written all over his face.
“Bianca,” he spat, “are you really this desperate to get married to me? You didn’t even bother getting my approval before locking down this engagement. And now the whole damn city‘ s talking about it. You‘ ve got some nerve.”
His disgust hit me like a punch in the gut. I had to take a deep breath and steady myself before I said anything back. “It didn‘ t need your approval. I’m not marrying
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you.”
The room burst into laughter. Simon‘ st friends practically doubled over. They laughed so hard.
Of course, they couldn’t resist piling on.
“Simon,” one of them yelled, “better watch out! Your fiancée‘ s about to pull another
stunt to get your attention!”
Simon just shook his head, looking more and more annoyed. “Bianca, now you‘ re trying to play hard to get?”
I couldn’t help but smirk. “With the Hughes family? If I’m not marrying you, who else will marry you?”
He leaned in closer, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Let’s not forget, you’ve been saying since we were kids that you‘ d
marry me. The whole city already thinks you‘ re mine.”
Then, he whispered, “I‘ 11 let this engagement slide, but don’t forget–yeah,
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I can give you a big wedding, but the marriage license? That‘ s only for the one I actually want to marry.”
I froze. In my past life, Simon had followed through with his family‘ s plans at this exact moment, and we’d gotten our marriage registered.
‘Could it be that he had been reborn, too?”
Before I could even process what was happening, my cousin Audrey appeared at the party. The moment she spotted me standing next to Simon, her face twisted in distress, and tears began to spill from her
eyes.
“Bianca, Simon, I heard you‘ re getting married soon. I didn’t bring a gift, but I wish you both all the happiness in the world…” she stammered, her voice
breaking every word.
Before she could finish, Audrey turned and bolted, sobbing as she ran off.
‘ve
“Look at what you‘ ve done, Bianca,”
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Simon muttered under his breath, giving me a furious glare before rushing after her without another word.
When they came back, their fingers were locked together, tight as ever. Audrey’s lips were swollen and red, and there was a hickey on Simon’s neck.
The whole room was watching, waiting to see what I’d do.
In my previous life, if I saw another woman getting too close to Simon, I’d make a scene to make sure everyone knew I was
still his.
