I was reborn on the day the most popular guy in school was caught stealing from my family's convenience store. This time, instead of pulling him into the back room to talk, I called the police. My childhood friend and high school heartthrob, Leo, was detained for fifteen days. I used those fifteen days to cut off all contact with him. From then on, if he organized a class event, I was suddenly deathly ill. If he went to the coast for vacation, I went to the desert. Basically: if he was at a party, I was sick. If he was home, I was out of the country. If he was in school, I dropped out. I avoided any and all situations where we might cross paths. In my past life, I loved him for twenty years. But in those twenty years, he never once looked at me with anything but contempt. It wasn't until our house caught fire that I finally understood. I shielded him and our daughter from the flames, pushing them out the window to safety. They were unharmed. I was burned beyond recognition. But my daughter, the child I had raised with all my heart, turned to the other woman—his first love—and said, "She deserved it. She's the one who broke you and Dad up. She should have died." My husband stood beside them, his eyes wet with tears. "I was so afraid I'd never see you again," he whispered to the other woman. I died consumed by hatred. Reborn, I decided that if he loved his first love so much, I would let them have each other. 1 "Take out what's in your bag!" "I didn't steal anything." "We saw you on the security camera! Don't make us call the police." … The shouting woke me up. I forced my eyes open, and the scene before me made me freeze. It was my family's convenience store, from over a decade ago. The store that held so many of my childhood memories, the store my parents had sold to buy me a house in the city so I could marry Leo. I looked toward the commotion. Two cashiers were yelling at a boy in a school uniform. And that boy was my former husband, Leo. But this time, I didn't step in to save him. I just dialed 911. "Hello? There's a shoplifter here." The police arrived quickly. After reviewing the security footage and taking statements, they took Leo away. He hadn't stolen much. The officer said he'd probably be held for about fifteen days. Even one of our oldest employees, Mr. Henderson, thought I had gone too far. "Mia, don't you think that's a bit much? He's just a kid. A good talking-to would have been enough. How is he supposed to go to school now?" "It's for his own good, Mr. Henderson," I said. "If he steals things when he's young, he'll steal people when he's older." Without another word, I left the store. Walking down the familiar streets, I couldn't help but think about my past life. Leo's family was poor. When I found out he was stealing, I took him to the back room and asked him what was going on. I told my parents, and they felt sorry for him. They ended up sponsoring his education all the way through college. I took care of him like a little brother for years. After we graduated, his disabled mother pushed us to get married. I never would have dreamed that the man I shared a bed with secretly believed I had forced him into marriage, that I had torn him away from his true love, a girl named Chloe. He even turned our daughter against me, making her believe I was a villain. So much so that when I was dying from the burns I sustained protecting them, they were lamenting the fact that they had almost lost Chloe. In my final moments, I just wanted my husband and daughter to be with me, but all I got were their cruel words. "If you hadn't broken up Dad and Aunt Chloe, none of this would have happened. Stop clinging to him. He deserves to be happy." "Why don't you just die already? You're always using your 'sacrifices' to guilt-trip me. I'm so sick of it. Chloe was the one who made me realize that this fire was just another one of your pathetic attempts to get attention, wasn't it, Mia?" The two people I loved most in the world, saying those things to me as I lay dying. Anger, despair, sadness… it all faded into a numb emptiness. I watched them run to another hospital room to take care of Chloe, who had a cold. And then, I closed my eyes for the last time. But fate had given me a second chance. And this time, I wasn't going to get involved. If he was hungry, the detention center served three meals a day. 2 During the days Leo was in detention, I systematically eliminated any possibility of our paths crossing in the future. In my past life, we had ended up at the same university. This time, I changed my application and went to a school in New York City. I meticulously planned out every other detail to ensure we would never meet again. My plan was to have everything settled within the fifteen days and then go on a trip with my parents. But four days later, at a class reunion, I saw him again. I guess the police, considering he still had to apply for college, had just given him a warning and let him go. But the news that he had been arrested for shoplifting had already spread. At the reunion, most of our classmates were giving him strange looks. Not that it had anything to do with me. But when I saw the hatred in his eyes, I knew. Leo had been reborn, too. Our classmates were excitedly talking about their college plans. The food hadn't arrived yet when the door to our private room was thrown open. A girl with a rebellious streak and a defiant look in her eyes stormed in. "Mia, what the hell is your problem!" It was Chloe, Leo's first love, a girl who had never cared much for school. I glanced at her, not bothering to answer. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Leo's face light up. I couldn't help but remember the twenty years of my past life, how Leo had always looked at me with such coldness. No matter what I did for him, for our family, he never showed me a shred of warmth. Even on the day our daughter was born, his eyes were filled with resentment. I never understood it then. I thought it was just his nature, that his difficult childhood had robbed him of the ability to be happy. So I tried everything to make him smile. I'd buy him gifts with my bonuses, I'd plan family outings. But all I ever got was, "What's the point? I'd rather just be alone." The indifference in his eyes cut me to the core. My silence seemed to infuriate Chloe. She grabbed a handful of my hair. "I'm talking to you! Are you deaf?" "Leo's family is struggling! His mom hasn't eaten in three days! If you're so worried about the money, I'll pay you back!" "We're all classmates! How could you be so cruel? He only took a little food because he had no other choice! And you had to get him a criminal record? Are you even human?" Chloe's eyes were red with anger. Her words sent a wave of whispers through the room. "I heard Leo's dad left and his mom is sick. I guess that's why he did it." "Still, you can't just steal things." "What would you do if your mom was starving and you had no money?" … Listening to them, I just felt a cold emptiness. They didn't understand. In my past life, I had felt sorry for him, so my family had supported him for years. It wasn't until I was engulfed in flames that I finally realized: not everyone is worth saving. I ignored their whispers and said, "Fine. Pay me back." 3 The room fell silent. Chloe was speechless. Leo's face paled, and he quickly stood up and came between us. "Mia, I'm sorry about what happened. Please, let's just drop it. We won't be seeing each other again anyway." I glanced at him, saying nothing. The way he emphasized that we wouldn't be seeing each other again confirmed it. He had been reborn, too. That was fine with me. Twenty years of his coldness had taught me that some hearts can never be warmed. And not only was his heart cold, but he had a way of making everyone around him cold, too. In my past life, our daughter, whom I had cherished, had come to despise me because of his words. Chloe had won her over with a simple birthday cake. But my daughter was allergic to too much cream. They didn't care about that. All they cared about was that I had "torn them apart." Fine. This time, I wouldn't interfere with their love story. "Leo, you don't have to be afraid of her," Chloe said. "Let everyone see what a heartless person she is. Anyone who wouldn't help a classmate whose mother is starving… I wouldn't want anything to do with someone like that. Who knows when she'll turn on us." She looked around the room. The other students were now looking at me with disapproval. Leo's eyes were filled with contempt and resentment. "Leo is so strong. I always knew his family was struggling, but he never said anything." "Leo, you should have told us. We would have helped you." "Don't worry, Leo. You're a great guy. Things will get better." "Don't listen to her, Leo. She has no compassion. We're all here for you. No one will misunderstand you." … The other students were now all on his side, as if I were the villain. But in my past life, I had supported him for four years and taken care of him for twenty. What had I done wrong to deserve such an end? A single tear rolled down Leo's cheek. "Thank… thank you, everyone." A flicker of emotion crossed his face, an expression I had never seen before. No matter what I did for him in our past life, he had always been a block of ice. I didn't watch their performance. I didn't want to have anything to do with them anymore. After this dinner, the past would be the past. But some people just couldn't let it go. "Mia, you still have the nerve to sit here and eat?" Chloe said, annoyed. I was getting tired of the drama. "So, you're saying that stealing is okay?" "Are you a monster? Don't you have a heart? Stealing is wrong, but look at Leo's situation! And you're still acting so high and mighty!" It wasn't just Chloe anymore. Other students were standing up and defending him. "Mia, I always thought you were a decent person. But you're just like all those rich people. You have no heart." "Yeah, Mia. You're a monster. Your family is the wealthiest in our class, but you wouldn't even help a classmate in need." "And you got him a criminal record! What's he going to do now? I'm disgusted to have been in the same class as you." … I took a deep breath and looked at Leo. His eyes were filled with a smug pride. Now that he had people on his side, he wasn't afraid anymore. I put down my chopsticks. "Alright, let me say something." "What do you have to say? You don't deserve to speak." "Let's just hear what kind of nonsense this heartless person has to say." I looked around the room, my gaze finally resting on Leo. He flinched, but then Chloe took his hand, and he seemed to regain his composure, staring back at me defiantly. I shook my head and decided to just tell them everything. "When Leo was taken away, I brought his mother rice, flour, oil, and groceries." "For years, whenever his mother came to our store, I never charged her. I would even find excuses to give her extra things." "And Leo has been taking things from our store without paying since middle school. My family never said a word." "But he got greedy. He started taking more than just school supplies and food. Sometimes, he would even take small pieces of jewelry." "Like the necklace Chloe is wearing right now." "Since Chloe offered to pay, we have security footage and evidence. You can come to the store and settle the bill." "And the reason I called the police is because he's going to college soon. He can't keep this habit." "Since you all think I did the wrong thing, then from now on, let's just not see each other again." "Especially you, Leo. I hope you and Chloe have a good life." With that, I stood up and walked out of the room. 4 The room was silent. The information I had just dropped was too much for them to process. They didn't dare to think that I was lying, because everything I had said could be easily verified. If I had made it all up, I would look like a fool. And I had mentioned security footage. Leo's eyes were red with a hatred he couldn't conceal. Chloe's face was a mask of fury. But none of that mattered to me anymore. I had only said those things to change their perception of me. Connections are always useful, no need to throw them all away. In a few months, I would be in New York City. As for Leo, I hoped he and his little rebel would be happy together. Chloe's family wasn't much better off than his. She had no ambition, no drive. It was unlikely they would have a good life. But for some reason, Leo believed that Chloe was the only one who understood him, that she was his soulmate. He had held onto that belief for twenty years. This time, I was curious to see where his "soulmate" would lead him. The next few days were quiet. As I had expected, Chloe didn't come to the store to pay. But while Leo and Chloe were nowhere to be seen, Leo's mother showed up. "Mia, I heard that Leo has been taking things from your store without paying." Leo's mother was a small, frail woman with a limp. She looked down, her whole body hunched over, the picture of misery. She carefully took out a wad of crumpled bills from her cloth bag. "Mia, Leo is not a bad boy. It's my fault I can't provide for him. How much does he owe you? I'll pay you back." Seeing her, the woman who had been so kind to me in my past life, my heart ached. No matter how Leo had treated me, his mother had always been loving and supportive. Whenever I came home to visit, she would wake up early, limp to the market, and spend hours cooking a feast for me. The thought that I might never see her again was painful. I didn't know how this woman, who lived on welfare and the little money she made from sewing, would survive. I quickly helped her up. "Mrs. Davis, you don't have to do this. It's not a lot of money. I'm not worried about it. It's just that Leo is going to college soon, and he can't keep this habit." "There are work-study programs in college now. If he works hard, he might even be able to help you out. You'll have a better life soon." I went and got the bags of rice, flour, and oil I had already prepared for her. "To celebrate Leo getting into college, let me help you carry these home." I had packed a lot, knowing she wouldn't be able to carry it all herself. "No, no, Mia. I can't take your things for free." She backed away, waving her hands. I sighed. Mrs. Davis was a good, grateful person. How had she raised a son like Leo? After much persuasion, I finally convinced her to let me help her carry the groceries home. I had intended for this to be our last interaction, but when we got to her apartment, we ran into Leo and Chloe, holding hands. When Leo saw me with his mother, his eyes turned to ice. He quickly walked over, pulled his mother behind him, and said hostilely, "What are you doing here?" Seeing him like this, I felt nothing. The past twenty years had taught me exactly what kind of man he was. His opinion of me no longer mattered.
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