On Christmas Day, my "rich socialite" girlfriend Chloe wire-transferred one million dollars to my account. She did it just to force me to call in sick so I could spend Christmas with her. Everyone envied me for landing such a wealthy girlfriend. But they had no idea. At our wedding, she vanished into thin air. And her family didn't look like grieving in-laws. They looked at me with pure, unadulterated hatred. They weren't demanding I find their daughter. They were demanding I give them back the million dollars. "If it weren't for that million dollars, we would never have agreed to this wedding!" "If you don't give us the money today, believe me, I will end your life right here!" I was cornered by them, desperately trying to explain that I had already sent the million back to Chloe. But they wouldn’t listen. "She ran away, so you’re paying it back!" Only then did I realize that Chloe was never some billionaire's daughter, and that million dollars wasn't her pocket money. I couldn't produce the money. In the end, they beat me to death right there in the wedding hall. But when I opened my eyes again, I was back on Christmas Day.
Before I could even process what was happening, my phone started ringing loudly. Seeing the caller ID, the hair on my arms stood on end. I remembered my past life clearly. The nightmare that ruined me started with this exact phone call. So, in this life, I would not let the tragedy repeat itself. I took a deep breath, composed myself for a few seconds, and answered. Before I could say a word, Chloe’s bossy voice blasted through the speaker: "Ethan, I order you to buy a ticket and come see me right now. Spend Christmas with me!" In my past life, I told her I was still at work. I had told her I would come over after my shift. I had explained that we had an incredibly important meeting today and I couldn't slip away. But Chloe, playing the part of a spoiled, rich heiress, didn't seem to understand how important my job was to me. She immediately wired me a million dollars. In a flashy, arrogant tone, she had said, "It’s just a day off. I'm not telling you to quit!" Before I could argue, she added: "If that's not enough, I’ll send more!" Helpless, I had taken the day off to go to her. Afterward, I didn't touch a single cent of that million. Yet, that very million cost me my life. This time, I was going to change my approach and reject her outright. So, I spoke up. "I have a highly critical project to finish today. I can't take time off. I'll come see you in a couple of days." Of course, I had no intention of actually seeing her. But breaking up with her right this second would be too abrupt. Hearing this, Chloe immediately threw a tantrum. "What's more important? Your stupid job, or me?!" If this were my past life, I would have coaxed her, telling her she was the most important thing in the world to me. We hadn't been together long, and we were still in the honeymoon phase. Back then, I thought her bratty attitude was cute. But that was my past life. Today, I had a completely different mindset. So, without hesitation, I said, "My job, obviously." Predictably, Chloe hung up on me in a rage. I let out a long sigh of relief. But a second later, a notification popped up at the top of my screen. It was an alert from my banking app. Account Notification: A wire transfer of $1,000,000.00 from Chloe Jenkins has cleared. I frowned, immediately standing up. Right then, a text from Chloe popped up on Snapchat. [I sent you a million. If you really love me, take the day off and come. If you don't want to, you can keep it.] I quickly tried to call her, but she had already switched off her phone. I tried to wire the money back, but my account had a daily transfer limit. It seemed that even in this life, Chloe was determined to dump this million dollars on me. Her goal from start to finish was never to have me spend Christmas with her. It was to get this million dollars into my bank account. I didn't know where she got that money. But having a second chance at life, I was absolutely not going to let her scheme succeed. I was not getting dragged into this storm again!
I didn't care about my job anymore. I immediately asked for emergency leave and called an Uber to the bank. I told the teller I wanted to reject and reverse the incoming wire transfer. Following the bank staff’s advice, I tried calling Chloe again. Unsurprisingly, she refused to pick up. But I insisted on returning the funds. With the bank's assistance, the million dollars was finally reversed and sent back to the originating account. Right after that, I had the banker close my account entirely. During this process, my phone buzzed several times in my pocket. I ignored it. It wasn't until I walked out of the bank that I pulled it out to check. Sure enough, Chloe, who had been completely unreachable minutes ago, was now active. She had spammed me with nearly ten missed calls. I could practically feel her panic through the screen. I let out a mocking laugh. When her phone call came in once more, I finally slid the screen to answer. Instantly, Chloe’s hysterical voice screamed through the receiver. "Ethan! What the hell did you do?! Why did you reject the wire?!" "Why can't I send it back to you?! What are you doing?!" She sounded furious, as if I was the one who had betrayed her. "Ethan, send me another account number right now, or I swear I'm going to lose my mind!" Faced with her rage, my heart was strangely calm. "Chloe, where did this million dollars actually come from? Why are you so desperate to dump it in my account?" In my past life, ever since I met Chloe, she had carefully crafted this persona of a wealthy, upper-class socialite. So, I had always assumed her family was loaded. When I received that million dollars back then, besides being thrilled, I hadn't suspected a thing. Now, I realized I was just being set up as a scapegoat. Probably not expecting me to ask such a blunt question, the line went dead silent. Two seconds later, she snapped, her voice dripping with defensive anger. "Ethan! I treat you so well, I literally give you a million dollars, and you're questioning where my money comes from?!" "If that's how you're going to think of me, we might as well just break up!" "Fine. Let's break up." The moment the words left my mouth, I hung up. I had been looking for the right moment to end things. Since she handed me the opportunity on a silver platter, I was going to take it. I immediately blocked her number and all her social media accounts, including Snapchat and Instagram. I had no idea how badly Chloe lost her mind after I hung up. When she realized she was blocked everywhere, she probably smashed her phone in a rage. As for me, I felt a massive weight lift off my shoulders. I refused to believe that after doing all this, I would still end up with the same tragic fate as my past life. But as it turned out, I celebrated too early. The next day, my best friend, Tyler Thorne, invited me out for lunch. I didn't have any plans, so I agreed immediately. I was planning to vent to him about the whole Chloe situation. I remembered when I first started dating Chloe, Tyler had warned me. "Ethan, I'm not trying to ruin your happiness, but I get a bad vibe from Chloe." "That girl is bad news. Don't fall too deep." But back then, I was completely blinded by love. I even got defensive and argued with him, refusing to let him say a bad word about her. Since then, he had always kept his distance from Chloe. I had rarely brought them together. Who would have thought his gut instinct about people was so spot on? However, when I walked into the private dining room with a relaxed smile, I froze. Sitting in the booth next to Tyler was none other than Chloe. Why on earth were they together?
I didn't bother analyzing the situation. All I knew was that I wanted absolutely nothing to do with Chloe. Without a second thought, I turned around to leave. I felt a sudden surge of anger toward Tyler. Didn't he hate Chloe? Why was he helping her? Before I could walk out, Tyler grabbed my arm to stop me. I couldn't help but confront him. "Tyler, what the hell is this?" "Ethan, look, I know you're going to be pissed. But this was an accident. Either way, we really hope we can get your blessing!" I frowned, a bad feeling creeping into my chest. Then, Tyler started explaining. "I was on a business trip yesterday and ran into Chloe at a bar. She was drinking herself to death. That’s how I found out you guys broke up." "Since she was your ex, I sat down to have a couple of drinks with her to make sure she was safe, and well... one thing led to another..." He didn't finish the sentence, but his meaning was crystal clear. A lonely guy and a heartbroken girl, drinking together. Everyone knew what happened next. I didn't say anything. I just looked past his shoulder at Chloe. She had a smug, provocative smirk on her face. She had done this on purpose. I instantly realized that Tyler was her new scapegoat. I immediately blurted out: "No! Tyler, break up with her right now. Being with her is going to get you killed!" I was speaking from the bottom of my heart, but Tyler’s face instantly darkened. "Ethan, don't be a sore loser. I admit I told you to break up with her before, but as a man, I have to take responsibility for my actions now." "Save your breath. I am absolutely not breaking up with her." Seeing the stubborn determination on his face, I sensed something else was off. I grabbed his arm and lowered my voice. "Did she transfer a million dollars to you?!" Tyler didn't answer, but the sudden look of utter shock on his face gave it away. Of course. Though I didn't know where she got that million, her desperation proved she needed that money in someone else's account. Since I didn't take the bait, she had to find someone else. It made perfect sense. I just never expected that someone would be my best friend. "If you don't want to die, wire that million dollars back to her right now!" "Tyler, we’ve been brothers for years. I would never hurt you. Trust me on this." I pleaded with him, my voice tight with anxiety. But I failed to notice the growing hostility in his eyes. Once I finished speaking, he sneered. "Are you jealous? Do you want Chloe back now?" I frowned, completely baffled by how he arrived at that conclusion. I opened my mouth to explain, but he cut me off. "Enough! Ethan, this lunch was supposed to be Chloe and me making peace with you. But if you're going to keep acting like a jealous freak, you can leave." We had been through so much together. I couldn't just stand by and watch him walk off a cliff. Seeing that Tyler was completely brainwashed, I turned my gaze to Chloe. "I don't care what your game is, and I don't care where you got that million dollars! Stay the hell away from Tyler." "Otherwise, don't blame me when I call the cops!" I was only trying to bluff her, but to my surprise, a flash of genuine terror crossed Chloe’s face. She jumped up from her seat, trembling with rage, and glared at Tyler. "Tyler! Who are you choosing today? Me, or him?!" Tyler looked torn. "Chloe..." "Fine! Since you choose him, we're done!" With that, Chloe grabbed her designer bag and stormed out of the restaurant. I felt a wave of relief. I had saved Tyler. Just as I was about to sit down and explain the whole situation to him, Tyler’s fist flew out of nowhere. A heavy punch landed squarely on my jaw.
The force of the blow dazed me. I stumbled back, staring at him in utter disbelief. Suppressing my anger, I growled, "What the hell is wrong with you?!" "Ethan, let's be honest here. The day you introduced Chloe to me, I fell in love with her at first sight." "You didn't appreciate her, so don't blame me for taking her." "That punch was for Chloe. As of today, we are no longer brothers!" Hearing his words, the last of my patience snapped. I demanded coldly, "Tyler, do you even hear yourself?!" We had known each other for years. Whenever one of us was in trouble, the other would drop everything to help. We went hiking together, got wasted together, and shared everything. He was the only true brother I had in this world. I never imagined we would throw away our brotherhood over a woman—especially a snake like Chloe. I was furious, but I tried to keep a shred of sanity. I figured he just didn't know Chloe's true colors yet, which was why he was acting like this. So, even at this point, I tried to reason with him. But Tyler just looked at me with pure disgust. He sneered, "Ethan, cut the holy-act. You're just pissed because I got the million dollars and you didn't." "I've been sick of your arrogant attitude for years. Why do you always get better grades than me? Why do you get a better job? And why did you get a hot girlfriend like Chloe?!" So, that was how he really felt about me all this time. I suddenly found myself speechless. The urge to save him evaporated. Still, I couldn't help but ask one last time. "If keeping that million dollars means you'll lose your life, are you still not afraid?" He let out a cold, mocking laugh. "Yeah, I'm not afraid. Now, can you get the hell out of my sight?" With that, he walked out of the room, leaving me behind. I knew he didn't believe a word I said. But I had no way of proving it to him right now. When I walked out of the restaurant, I saw the two of them embracing in the distance. More than the sting of my ex moving on, it was the betrayal of my best friend that cut deep. But I only watched from afar. I didn't run over to pull them apart like I did earlier. Though I was deeply disappointed in Tyler, I still couldn't completely shut off my conscience and watch him walk into a death trap. I returned home, feeling empty. Just as I was agonizing over how to expose Chloe’s scheme, Tyler suddenly showed up at my apartment. He was holding a bunch of expensive gifts—high-end whiskey, gaming gear, and designer clothes. I frowned, but before I could speak, he threw an arm around my shoulder. "Ethan, man, I lost my head the other day. But I really, truly love Chloe. Can you please just let us be happy?" "These are just to show I'm sorry. I'm sorry, brother. I was wrong!" Seeing his seemingly sincere apology, my heart softened. After all, we had years of history. You don't just throw that away overnight. But it wasn't until Chloe showed up at my door a few days later that I realized I had been set up.
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "NovelMaster" app ? search for "469239", and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster