I woke up and stretched lazily. Then, with a jolt, I found myself wide awake, sitting upright in my office chair. I whipped my head around. A few of my colleagues were still hunched over their computers, their faces illuminated by the glow of the screens. I stared in disbelief for a long moment before it finally sank in. This wasn't a dream. I had been reborn. It seemed even fate itself couldn't stand what had happened to me and had given me a second chance. This time, I vowed, I would stay as far away from Aria Grey as possible. We would be strangers, worlds apart. I opened my laptop to type up my resignation. But then, the memories of my past life flooded back. In my previous life, at the end of June, there was a massive summer job fair. A man having a psychotic break had escaped his mother’s care, grabbed a knife from a fruit stand, and rushed into the crowded venue. In the chaos, many students, unable to escape in time, were left bleeding on the floor. The man eventually charged toward our company’s booth, heading straight for the CEO, Aria Grey. Everyone froze in terror. Everyone except me. I threw myself in front of her without a second thought. Even after the knife plunged into my abdomen, I clung to the attacker, refusing to let go. After the incident was contained, I was rushed to the hospital. The blade had pierced my spleen, and it had to be removed. Just as I was sinking into despair, convinced my life was over, Aria stunned everyone by proposing to me in front of them all. She promised to take care of me for the rest of my life. It felt surreal, but I said yes. After we were married, Aria’s care was meticulous. She practically insisted on feeding me every meal by hand. Without a spleen, my immune system was shot. I ran high fevers constantly, often spiking to 102 or 103 degrees. Aria would stay up all night by my side, bringing me water and medicine. I thought marrying a woman like Aria meant I must have won the cosmic lottery. But it wasn't until I was on my deathbed that I learned the truth. She hadn't married me out of love, or even gratitude. She had married me to leverage the fame my "heroic act" had brought, using my reputation to advance her career. Her greatest wish each day was for me to die sooner. Only my death would finally set her free. To that end, she had thrown away the specialized medication my doctor prescribed, replacing it with some counterfeit junk she’d gotten from who-knows-where. No wonder I had only lasted ten years in my past life. It had all been her doing. What a vicious woman. So this time, I had to get away from her. I had to escape this black widow. Snapping back to the present, I lifted my shirt and ran a hand over my stomach. There was no ugly scar. My spleen was still there, safe and sound. I still had a chance. And it wasn't just about me. I had to save all those young people who died in that attack. They deserved a second chance, just like I got. I closed the resignation letter draft. For now, I had to stay. If I just quit, I wouldn’t have the resources or influence to stop what was coming. I needed help. With my mind made up, I took out a pen and paper to plan my next steps. Just then, a colleague tapped me on the shoulder. “Jay, do you ever check the work chat? The boss has tagged you like a hundred times.” My heart skipped a beat. I pulled out my phone. Sure enough, Aria had messaged me repeatedly. Why on earth would she be summoning me to her office for no reason? Filled with doubt, I went upstairs to see her. The moment I walked in, Aria looked up, her gaze locking onto mine. My treacherous heart began to pound. She was still so beautiful. Her long, wavy hair framed a face so perfect it could have been sculpted. No matter what, she had taken care of me for ten years in our past life. No sane person could just erase that. Seeing her again, I felt a sudden urge to cry. I took a deep breath, forcing myself to remain calm. “Ms. Grey, you wanted to see me?” Aria snapped out of her daze. She gestured for me to sit on the sofa and poured me a cup of tea. Alarm bells went off in my head. I had learned my lesson the hard way. Beneath that gentle exterior was a woman poisonous enough to murder her own husband. I watched her with a cold, guarded expression. Aria sat across from me, her voice soft. “You’ve been with the company for two years now. I want you to be in charge of this year’s summer job fair.” I was even more confused. Last time, the job fair was handled by HR. My department was only involved in the interviews. As the saying goes, when something is too strange to be true, it usually is. I refused without a second thought. “Ms. Grey, I know my own capabilities. I can’t handle that kind of responsibility. If there’s nothing else, I’ll get back to my work.” But her next words cornered me completely. “I’m not asking, Jay. I’m telling you. This job fair is extremely important. I’ve given it a lot of thought, and I believe you’re the only one in the company who is right for this.” My resolve wavered. I had just been racking my brain, trying to figure out how to get the company’s resources for my plan. Now, Aria was handing them to me on a silver platter. Fine. As long as I could save those people, a little interaction with Aria was a small price to pay. I just had to stay vigilant. I clenched my jaw and nodded. “Okay. Thank you for the opportunity, Ms. Grey.” Back at my desk, Aria quickly announced in the company-wide chat that I would be responsible for the job fair. She tagged everyone to make sure they saw it. A colleague sidled over, looking at me with wide eyes. “Man, we slave away day and night and never get a gig like this. The boss putting you in charge… are you about to get a promotion, marry an heiress, and live the dream?” I laughed bitterly to myself. Just like last time. After I married Aria, everyone thought I was the luckiest man alive. No one knew how my story ended. I wonder if they would still be so envious if they knew my short life had been personally cut short by Aria Grey. Whatever. No time to dwell on that. I had more important things to do. That afternoon, I drafted a plan and pulled everyone involved into a new Slack channel, sharing a list of required supplies. The channel immediately filled with skeptical comments. I had requested stab-proof vests, cut-resistant gloves, and riot shields. The HR department thought I was joking and demanded a meeting to explain myself. I agreed, knowing I’d have to come up with a damn good excuse to convince them. To my surprise, Aria showed up at the meeting. The head of HR was furious, accusing me of being on a power trip. I knew he was just angry that I was stepping on his turf. I calmly asked him to hear me out, then looked at everyone with a grave expression. “This year has the largest number of graduates ever. The venue will be packed. It’s best if we don’t have to use this equipment, of course. But we have to be prepared for any unexpected situations.” HR was about to argue again, but Aria suddenly raised a hand, silencing the room. “We’ll go with Jay’s plan. Everyone wears a vest. If you think it’s ugly, wear a jacket over it.” The room fell silent. I was just as surprised as they were. I had a dozen excuses ready, but before I could use any of them, Aria had made the final decision. Not wasting the opportunity, I made another suggestion: mandatory group fitness sessions for everyone involved until the job fair. In a crisis, being in shape could save a life. This time, everyone erupted. “Come on, Jay, don’t mess with us. Work is tiring enough without adding a mandatory workout. Besides, that’s our personal time. You can’t control that.” I tried to explain, but no one was listening, their voices a chaotic buzz of complaint. It was Aria again who slammed her hand on the table, demanding silence. “I support it. For the period leading up to the job fair, everyone involved can leave work early. I’ll rent out a gym. It won’t cost any of you a penny.” I was dumbfounded. I couldn’t figure out what was happening. Since I’d been reborn, Aria was like a completely different person, a total stranger. But it didn’t matter. I couldn’t be bothered to think about her. Once this job fair was over, I was quitting. We would go our separate ways and never see each other again. Just then, Aria’s hand came to rest on my thigh. “Go for it,” she whispered, her voice low. “Whatever you do, I’ll support you.” I flinched as if bitten by a snake, snatching my leg away. I turned my face, refusing to look at her. Aria froze for a second, her smile stiffening on her face. As I left the conference room, my colleagues’ stares were… strange. I knew what they were thinking, but what did it have to do with me? After everyone else had gone home, I stayed behind, continuing to flesh out the plan for the job fair. Whatever Aria’s reasons were for supporting me, I had no excuse not to make this perfect. The booths needed barriers—if acrylic wasn't strong enough, we'd use stainless steel railings. The cost was her problem; my only concern was saving as many lives as possible. I don’t know how much time passed. Aria walked over and placed a coffee on my desk. “The job fair is still a few days away. You need to rest.” Her gentle voice sent me spiraling back to my past life. For ten years, she had used that same gentleness to deceive me until the very end. I looked down at the coffee and immediately pictured the discarded medicine boxes in the trash can. My heart felt like it was being gently torn open. A soft, agonizing pain. I pulled away from her touch, my voice tight with suppressed emotion. “Thanks for your concern, Ms. Grey, but I’m not going to die from exhaustion.” Aria didn’t say anything. She just sat there beside me, watching me with a blank expression. Her stare was making my skin crawl. I finally couldn't take it anymore, snapped my laptop shut, and stood up to leave. She followed, linking her arm with mine. “The buses have stopped running. Let me give you a ride.” I wrenched my arm free again. “Don’t trouble yourself, Ms. Grey. I have legs.” Aria stopped in her tracks, a look of pure shock on her face. I walked away quickly, almost fleeing, desperate to get out of her sight. Why? In this life, there was no reason for our paths to cross, yet here she was, tangling herself up in mine again. I don’t remember how I got home. I just fell into bed and passed out. And yet, she was still there in my dreams. Aria was lying in my arms, murmuring things I couldn’t understand. I kissed her madly, again and again, until my own tears woke me up. I furiously wiped them away and looked out the window. The sky was getting light. That afternoon, we got off work at four. My colleagues were secretly thrilled. Who wouldn’t be happy about a paid workout session? Soon, the gym was filled with whoops and hollers as everyone tried to one-up each other. Ten minutes later, I turned off the treadmill and stepped off to catch my breath. Aria walked over, holding a towel to wipe the sweat from my forehead. For a split second, I was lost in a daze. Her upturned face seemed to merge with the image from my dream. But then I caught the sweet, floral scent on the towel and snapped back to reality, jerking my head away. Aria didn’t seem to mind. She handed me a thermos. “You can’t drink cold water right after a workout. I added some salt and taurine. It’s good for you.” I refused to look at her, glancing over my shoulder to see a few of my colleagues smirking in our direction. I didn’t want to make a scene. I pushed the thermos away and said in a low voice, “Thanks, Ms. Grey, but I don’t need you to worry about me. I know to drink when I’m thirsty and rest when I’m tired. I’m not an idiot.” I turned and walked away, leaving Aria standing there, looking lost. Her expression was so wounded. She just stood there, all alone, like an abandoned child. My heart gave a painful squeeze. But then I remembered her actions in our past life. This woman loved to play the victim to manipulate people. In the locker room, a few of the guys sidled up to me, their voices dripping with insinuation. “Who knew, Jay? You’ve got Ms. Grey acting like a little wronged wifey, wiping your sweat, bringing you water.” “Don’t even talk about it. We’re not so lucky. All we can do is be jealous.” I shot back, annoyed. “If you wanted a drink so badly, why didn’t you go ask her for it? See if it poisons you.” They all roared with laughter and wandered off, still joking. I was full of doubts, but I pushed them away. It was pointless to think about it. How could I possibly fall for the woman who had already killed me once? But Aria wasn’t giving up. It was as if she was incapable of understanding my rejection. She shadowed me everywhere, constantly bringing me food and water, telling me to take breaks. I stopped trying to figure her out. The job fair was almost here. The moment the organizers gave the green light to set up our booths, I rushed to the venue. Aria followed. She saw my red-rimmed eyes and the dazed look on my face. She took my hand, made me sit down, and started massaging my neck from behind. “I know how much this job fair means to you, but don’t try to carry it all on your own. I’ll always be by your side.” I didn’t pay any attention to her words. My mind was consumed with a single thought: What if I fail? What if I can’t save them? The closer we got to the event, the greater the pressure became. It was crushing me. Aria’s actions, instead of comforting me, only brought back the gut-wrenching pain of my past life. And in that moment, something inside me snapped. I shot to my feet, violently shaking her arms off me. “Aria! What the hell do you want from me! Do I have to scream the ugliest words imaginable at you before you’ll finally leave me alone?” “I don’t know what you’re thinking, or if I’ve misunderstood something, but I can promise you this: there is no future for us!” Aria was stunned. Her mouth opened, and then suddenly, tears were streaming down her face. She wiped them away fiercely with her sleeve, grabbed my arm, and pulled me into a corner. I shook her off, turning my head away. Aria grabbed my shoulders with all her strength, pinning me against the wall. She looked up at me, her eyes blazing. “Jay Chen, in our last life, when you were dying, you said you didn’t want to be my husband anymore. I thought you were just delirious from the fever, but you really meant it! You’re that cruel! We loved each other for ten years! Don’t you have any feelings left for me? I gave you my entire heart! What did I do wrong to make you treat me like this? Tell me! Just tell me, so I can finally rest in peace!” So, Aria was reborn, too. She knew everything about our past life. A rage so intense it felt like my chest would explode erupted inside me. “Aria!” I roared. “If you really loved me, then why did you kill me!” Aria looked as if she couldn’t believe her ears. “What do you mean, I killed you?” she asked, her voice trembling. I was dizzy with anger. I tried to push her away, but she clung to me like a woman possessed, wrapping her arms around my waist. “Tell me how I harmed you! I served you day and night, was that harming you?” The more I struggled, the tighter she held on. In a moment of madness, I grabbed her by the hair and crushed my lips against hers. Aria immediately went still, her lips parting to meet mine. I took the chance and bit her. She cried out in shock and let go. I gasped for breath and looked at her. “It was over the moment I died in our last life. I told you then, if there was a next life, I wouldn’t be your husband. Stop looking for me. There’s no future for us.” I turned and walked away, leaving her behind me, crying and screaming my name. I ignored her and went back to the booth, watching the workers install the final railing. So that’s why she supported my plans. She knew all along. She may have killed me in our past life, but at least she did one good thing in this one. It didn't matter. My life was no longer hers to claim. As I was lost in thought, a colleague came to take over my shift. He hesitated, then asked, “I saw Ms. Grey run off crying just now. I called out to her, but she didn’t answer. Did you two have a fight?” I shot him a glare. “What does Aria crying have to do with me? I don’t care if she lives or dies.” My colleague just clicked his tongue and shook his head. “I don’t get what a woman like her sees in a stubborn mule like you. She’s got the looks, the body, and she’s a rich heiress. If I had a girlfriend like that, I’d slap myself twice before I ever started a fight with her.” His words sparked a strange flicker of anger in me, like I’d just caught someone prying into my private belongings. I shot him another hard look and left the venue. Aria’s car was gone. She had really left. A hot, dry wind blew, leaving me feeling strangely melancholic. When I got back to the company, she still wasn’t there. I sat at my desk, staring into space.
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