1 The day I married Addison Green, the false heiress—the woman who had lived my life for twenty years—took her own. Two years later, that single act had turned us into bitter enemies. He hated me, the real daughter whose return had driven Stella Grant to her death. I hated him for holding a torch for the woman who had stolen my identity. For a decade, we hurled the cruelest words at each other, wishing the other a miserable end. Until the earthquake. He threw himself over me without a second thought, his back taking the full force of the collapsing building, creating a pocket of survival just for me. The support beam fell, crushing bone and tearing flesh. As his life bled out, he whispered in my ear, “If I had known she would die, I would have never brought you home.” “And in the next life… I’ll be the only family you ever need.” In the end, I died in the aftershock anyway. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day he was supposed to introduce me to my birth parents. But this time, he stopped me. “Cindy,” he said, his voice strained. “I made a mistake. The daughter the Grant family lost twenty years ago… it wasn’t you.” … Addison blocked my path at the gates of the Grant family’s villa, his face a war of conflict and grim resolve. I said nothing, but the image of crumbling steel and concrete flashed before my eyes. His mangled back, and the words he’d breathed against my ear. “If I had known she would die, I would have never brought you home.” So, this was his choice. If he had a second chance, he would choose to abandon me from the very beginning. Fine. The last ten years of our marriage had been a living hell. He hated me, I resented him. We tortured each other day and night, finding release only in death. The chance to sever that future at its root felt… like a relief. I looked at him and gave a calm, simple nod. “Okay.” A flicker of shock crossed Addison’s face. The entire speech he’d prepared seemed to die on his lips. “What did you say?” he asked, the question almost reflexive. “I said, I understand,” I repeated. “If it was a mistake, then that’s that. Thanks for the ride, but I should get back to campus.” I turned to leave. His hand shot out, his fingers wrapping around my arm like a steel band. “Cindy!” he growled, a raw edge of panic in his voice. “What is this attitude? You’ve always wanted to find your family. I tell you it’s not them, and you just give up? Just like that?” I looked back at him, a flicker of amusement touching my lips. It was almost funny. He was lying through his teeth, all so I would just walk away. Now that I was doing exactly what he wanted, he was angry. “What else am I supposed to do?” I countered. “Addison, are you telling me you lied? That I actually am the Grants’ daughter?” The panic in his eyes intensified, his grip tightening unconsciously. He looked down, hiding his expression from me. “This is over. Don’t ever bring it up again, and don’t go near the Grant family.” “I understand.” I pulled my arm free and rubbed the red marks his fingers had left on my wrist. “I won’t bring it up, and I won’t go near them. Are you satisfied now, Addison?” He stared at my empty hand, a fleeting look of bewilderment on his face, as if he’d just lost something precious. He didn’t know that I had been reborn, too. This time, I wouldn’t walk through those gates. I wouldn’t become the Grants’ daughter. And I would never, ever become his wife. He wanted to protect his childhood sweetheart, to keep their perfect world intact. I would gladly hand it to him. “I’m leaving.” I didn’t look back at him again, just started walking toward the bus stop. His voice, laced with frustration, followed me. “Stop! I’ll drive you back.” Addison didn’t take me back to my dorm. He drove to a luxury high-rise apartment in the city center. I watched the streets blur past the window, a cold sense of recognition settling in my stomach. After we were married in our past life, this was our first home. It had held our happiest moments, and it had witnessed our slow, agonizing descent into a couple consumed by hatred. The car stopped. He unbuckled his seatbelt and turned to me. In the dim light of the garage, his face was a mask of shadows, but his voice was softer now, the harsh edge from before gone. “Come on. We need to talk.” I followed him into the apartment. The familiar decor, all cool tones and minimalist design, was just like him: elegant and distant. Only this time, I felt none of the familiar flutter in my heart. He tossed me a bottle of water from the fridge and walked over to the floor-to-ceiling windows, lighting a cigarette. The pale smoke swirled around him, a hazy veil between us. “Cindy, I know you’re upset.” His voice was muffled by the smoke. “This whole situation with your family… I didn’t handle it well. But Stella’s health is fragile right now. She… she can’t handle any kind of shock.” Stella again. I lowered my gaze, twisting the cap off the bottle and taking a silent sip. The cold water did nothing to quell the bitterness rising in my throat. He’d said the same thing in our last life. He’d told me Stella was delicate, prone to depression, and that I should be considerate of her after I was welcomed into the family. I had listened. I gave up Addison’s affection to her. I swallowed my pride and stayed silent through every one of her tantrums and provocations. And for my troubles, she’d sentenced our marriage to a decade of misery with her suicide. My silence seemed to unnerve him. Thinking I was sulking over my lost family, he sighed and stubbed out his cigarette. He walked over and knelt in front of me, his gaze soft and pleading. “Don’t be angry with me, okay?” His voice was a low murmur, his large hand covering mine as I held the water bottle. “I admit, I messed up today. I got your hopes up for nothing.” “Tell me what you want as compensation. Anything. As long as it’s within my power, it’s yours.” He paused, his tone becoming earnest. “But the Grants… let’s just forget about them for now. Please?” He was humbling himself, his love for me practically spilling from his eyes. I could see it clearly. He was terrified that I would be angry, terrified that I would leave him. But that love was conditional. It required the sacrifice of my identity. I met his gaze, a bitter smile threatening to break through my composure. “There’s nothing I want.” I gently pulled my hand from his. The light in his eyes dimmed. “Don’t worry. Even if the Grant family showed up with their entire fortune and begged me to come back, I wouldn’t give them a second look.” “And you don’t need to apologize. You don’t owe me anything. Let’s just end this between us.” Addison’s brow snapped together. He shot to his feet, his face turning to ice. “End this? Cindy, are you trying to punish me? You’re playing hard to get because I wouldn’t let you join the Grant family?” He leaned over me, trapping me against the sofa, his presence overwhelming. “I told you not to go back to them. I never said I wanted to break up with you! We can be just like we were before. No, I’ll treat you even better than before!” I looked at him and felt a profound weariness wash over me. He thought he could just surgically remove the ‘heiress’ part of my identity, and we could go back to the way we were, blissfully in love. He didn’t understand. The root of the tragedy was never about whether I returned to the Grant family. “Addison,” I pushed him away, standing up to put some distance between us. “I’m tired. I want to go home.” This time, when I walked to the door, he didn’t stop me. In the days that followed, I threw myself into preparing my applications to study abroad. Soon, I had an offer from a university overseas, with a departure date set for next month. The day before I was scheduled to leave, two men in black suits blocked my path as I walked out of the library. “Miss Shaw, Mr. Green would like to see you.” I was forced into a car that sped through the city, finally stopping at the top floor of a skyscraper overlooking the river. “Mr. Green is busy. Please wait here.” A bodyguard escorted me into a glass-walled room, then left, locking the door behind him. The room had a spectacular view, with one entire wall made of glass. Across from it was the city’s most exclusive rooftop restaurant. Right now, the restaurant was alive with light and music. A lavish birthday party was in full swing. The guest of honor was Stella Grant. She stood in the center of the room in a stunning gown, surrounded by admirers. And the man standing beside her, the one gently placing a tiara on her head and gazing at her with undisguised affection, was Addison. I watched as Addison took Stella’s hand for the first dance. They spun and swayed, their bodies close, whispering to each other like a true couple in love. The guests applauded, their faces glowing with approval. A laugh escaped me, a bitter, hollow sound. How could I have been so foolish in my last life? I’d wasted my entire existence on a man who never truly loved me. Was it worth it? I closed my eyes, unable to bear the sight. But then, an image of Addison’s bloodied face from the earthquake, the memory of his trembling back as he shielded me, flooded my mind. He hated me, but he had also saved me. That debt was a net, trapping me, holding me motionless. I don’t know how much time passed, but the party eventually began to wind down. The door behind me clicked open. I turned. Stella stood there, a triumphant smile on her face as she walked toward me. “Cindy,” she said, stopping in front of me, her voice dripping with condescension. “How does it feel? Watching the man you love throw a party like this… for me.” It all clicked into place. The bodyguards weren’t Addison’s. They were hers. She wanted to crush any lingering hope I might have had. But she didn’t need to. In this life, I wanted nothing to do with him. I remained silent, my gaze cold. My lack of reaction seemed to infuriate her. The smile on her face twisted into a snarl. “You think you’re so high and mighty, don’t you? Let me tell you something. You will never have what isn’t yours!” She leaned in close, her voice a venomous whisper. “Did you know? If you hadn’t shown up, Addison and I would be engaged by now! You ruined everything!” “Are you finished?” I asked, my voice flat. “If you are, please let me leave.” My indifference made her tremble with rage. She suddenly pulled a small, sharp knife from her clutch, its blade glinting in the light. My heart seized. “What are you doing?” “What am I doing?” Stella laughed, a crazed light in her eyes. “I’m going to show Addison what you’ve driven me to! I’m going to make him see that as long as you exist, I will never know a moment of peace!” Before I could react, she raised the knife and dragged it across her own wrist. She looked at me, a twisted smile on her face, and then she screamed. “Please, just leave me alone! I’ll give you anything, why are you trying to kill me?!” The sound of frantic footsteps echoed from outside. Addison burst in first, pulling Stella into his arms, his face a mask of fury. Stella leaned weakly against him, a picture of fragile innocence, and pointed a trembling finger at me. “Addison, she said she’s the real Grant daughter… She said I don’t deserve any of this… She told me I should just die…” Addison’s head snapped up. His eyes, when they met mine, were blazing with a terrifying rage. “Cindy,” he said, his voice deadly calm. “Didn’t I warn you to behave?” “Today is Stella’s birthday. It was supposed to be her happiest day, and you ruined it!” I stared at him, my heart sinking into a bottomless pit. He had forgotten. Today was my birthday, too. We were born on the same day, in the same month, of the same year. One of us was destined for the heavens, the other for the mud. He summoned the bodyguards, who seized my arms. He threw a military-grade combat knife onto the floor in front of me. His next words were utterly merciless. “For every drop of blood she lost, you’ll pay it back double.” I stared at him in disbelief. “Addison, are you insane?!” I began to struggle violently, but he just gave his men a curt nod. A searing pain shot through my arm as the blade cut deep. Warm blood gushed from the wound. I gasped, tears springing to my eyes. A second cut, then a third… I lost count of the wounds. The pain became a dull, throbbing numbness, and the world began to blur. I looked at Addison’s cold, indifferent face, at the triumphant smirk playing on Stella’s lips as she lay in his arms. My heart, which had endured so much, finally shattered. “A few more should do it…” Addison finally said, stopping the bodyguard. “Take her to the hospital when you’re done.” Without another glance at me, he swept Stella into his arms and walked out. I lay in a pool of my own blood, my consciousness fading. Just before everything went black, I thought I saw the earthquake again. This time, Addison didn’t shield me. He just stood off to the side, his expression blank, and watched as the rubble consumed me. Addison, the life you saved is yours again. We’re even now. When I woke up, the sterile smell of antiseptic filled my nostrils. Addison was sitting by my bed. When he saw my eyes open, his own lit up. “I’m sorry,” he said suddenly. I stared at him, stunned. “Last night… I was too harsh.” He looked down, his voice thick with remorse. “I was so angry, I lost control. I…” “So?” I cut him off, my voice even. “Are you saying you regret it?” He looked up sharply, his lips parting as if to speak, but the words died in a sigh. “Cindy, don’t talk to me like that.” His voice softened. “I know you hate me, but Stella… she almost died.” “Addison,” I said, meeting his eyes. “You don’t need to apologize. Just consider us even.” “Even?” He frowned, not understanding. “Yes.” I managed a bitter smile. “In our last life, you saved me in the earthquake. In this one, I’ve given you a life back. We don’t owe each other anything anymore.” With a loud crash, the chair he was sitting on toppled over as he shot to his feet. His lips trembled, his pupils dilating in shock. “You… you were reborn, too?”
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "384457", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel