In my last life, I went missing on my way home for winter break. When they found me, my clothes were torn, and I was lying in an abandoned warehouse with the town’s most notorious criminal, a man accused of sexual assault. My parents, ashamed of the scandal, gagged me and tied me up that same day, forcing me to marry him. My sister, meanwhile, stole my identity. She took my acceptance letter and went to an Ivy League university in New York. But her stolen life wasn't a fairy tale. For three years, she was bullied by rich, entitled students until her reputation was destroyed. In the end, she jumped from the top of a campus building. Ironically, my life took a different turn. The year after I got married, the truth came out: my husband was innocent. He had been framed by his billionaire father’s illegitimate son. My husband cleared his name, inherited a multi-billion dollar empire, and took me abroad to live a life of luxury. Everyone back home envied me. Now, I’ve been reborn. But this time, my sister rushed into that warehouse first. When I arrived with the search party, she was already entangled with my husband from my past life. Seeing us, she smirked triumphantly. "Sis, this perfect husband is mine this time. You go to that fancy school and suffer." I stepped forward to pull her away, but the man shoved me back. He shielded her, glaring at me coldly. "Don't touch her. Get lost." I swallowed the bitterness. That very night, I boarded the train to New York. 1 My sister, Bella, stood in the dim light of the warehouse, her clothes disheveled but her smile victorious. She looked like she had finally snatched the prize she’d been coveting for a lifetime. "Mom! Dad! I want to marry him! I want to marry him today!" In that moment, her triumphant grin stabbed me. In my previous life, right before she died, she came to find me. She used the excuse of bringing me homemade jam to get into our villa. Then she pulled a knife and lunged at me, screaming hysterically. Before she could reach me, the bodyguards pinned her down. She struggled, cursing me. "Lily, that night... I saw you get drugged and dragged away! I deliberately didn't save you. I waited until the next day to lead the village to 'find' you." "I wanted you ruined! I wanted Mom and Dad to give me your acceptance letter!" "I thought going to New York, going to college, would make me elite." She laughed and cried at the same time. "Instead, those rich kids treated me like a dog. They ruined my reputation and forced me to drop out." "Now I have nothing! Why should you, an illiterate wife of a rapist, have everything? It’s not fair! If I could do it over, I’d never switch with you! You should be the one suffering in New York!" When the police arrived to arrest her, she broke free and jumped out the window. Reborn, she beat me to the warehouse. She made sure to seal the deal with Liam, who had been drugged into a stupor. The man’s eyes were still unfocused. But hearing her demand marriage, his ears turned red. He looked down at her, his voice solemn and clumsy. "I’ll take responsibility. I’ll treat you well for the rest of my life." It was exactly what he had promised me in our past life. My parents exploded first. My mom slapped me across the face. Hard. "What kind of sister are you?! If you were watching her, how did she end up here with this animal?" "You ruined your sister! Why don't you just die?" They tried to drag Bella away, refusing to let her marry him. They said the town only knew a daughter was compromised, not which one. They could just make me the scapegoat. Make me marry him. Even though this life was already different, I was still the one being pushed into the fire. My heart turned to ice. Bella whispered something in their ears. My parents' expressions changed slowly. They looked at the man again, skeptical but intrigued. Finally, they nodded. "If it’s true like you say, then you should marry him." "If it’s a lie, you can just run away later, and we'll make your sister take your place..." ... Bella seemed terrified I would steal him back. She insisted on holding the wedding banquet that very night and forced me to help prepare. The whole town knew she had been "compromised" by Liam—the local pariah with a record. Instead of seeking justice, she was rushing to marry him. Everyone called her shameless. No one wanted to come inside for the banquet. They stood outside, jeering and mocking. Bella’s eyes turned red with rage. She pointed at them and screamed: "When my husband gets rich, you'll all crawl back like dogs!" "When you're kneeling on the ground begging me, I won't give you a cent!" The villagers laughed harder. "A thief and a rapist with no parents? Rich? In his dreams!" She stomped her foot and ran back inside. My mother took her anger out on me. She pinched my arm viciously. "They’re insulting your sister and your parents, and you just stand there? Why didn't you stop them? Why didn't you curse them back?" She went inside to comfort Bella. My father flipped the table in a rage. "Forget the banquet! We’re not doing it!" Dishes smashed all over me. He pointed a finger at my face, screaming at me to clean it up or he’d beat me. I stood there, eyes stinging, nursing my bruised hand. My heart felt completely frozen. Liam, wearing a groom’s red flower on his chest, walked in and saw everything. He didn't hesitate. He walked straight toward me. 2 My heart leaped. Flashbacks of fifty years spent with him filled my mind. I remembered how he protected me when my parents slapped me and called me shameless in the past life. My throat tightened. I was about to call his name, tears welling up. But he spoke coldly: "Behave yourself. Don't even think about hurting your sister again." I froze, staring at him in disbelief. He stepped forward, pushing me against the wall, his expression icy. He grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at him. "Bella told me everything. You bully her constantly." "But you shouldn't have tricked her into coming to the warehouse, making her stumble into me when I was drugged! You ruined her innocence!" "And then you called the villagers to destroy her reputation!" "How can you be so vicious... are you even human?" It felt like a boulder crushed my chest. I bit my lip, voice trembling. "I brought people to save you..." He cut me off with a scoff, his eyes full of suspicion and disgust. "Enough. Save your fake tears and lies." "Lily, you better pray you never fall into my hands. Or I’ll make you pay ten times over for what you did today." The last ember of warmth in my heart was extinguished. I wiped my tears, pushed him away, and turned to leave. I heard him go into the bedroom to comfort Bella. I walked into the woodshed. Bella had thrown all my things in there. Clothes, books—all torn and scattered. I lowered my head and started picking them up, piece by piece. Through the thin walls, I heard the man’s low, gentle voice soothing her. It sounded just like when he used to comfort me after a fight. Soon, the sounds became intimate. It felt like a knife twisting in my heart. I stopped packing. I grabbed a few changes of clothes and the acceptance letter. I left the house without a sound. I went to the train station and bought the earliest ticket to New York. In this life, my love is gone. So I will hold on tight to the future that should have been mine. ... As soon as I arrived on campus, I registered for work-study. On registration day, I volunteered to help welcome new students. Under the scorching sun, I ran back and forth between the dorms and the academic buildings. Black spots danced in my vision. My legs gave out, and I stumbled into someone’s arms. Whistles erupted around me. "Whoa, Julian! How many girls have thrown themselves at you today?" I quickly stepped back to apologize. When I looked up, I froze. It was Julian Thorne. In my past life, after Bella died, my parents screamed and cried, forcing me to investigate who killed her. When the lawyer laid out the files, I learned the truth. Bella met Julian Thorne—heir to a massive real estate empire—in college. She tried everything to get close to him. When seduction failed, she tried to drug him. She was caught. The Thorne family was furious. They forced the school to expel her. Her reputation destroyed, facing jail time, she fled back home in disgrace. This time, if I stay far away from him, I can graduate in peace. I steadied myself and turned to leave immediately. The boys behind me laughed. "Yo! A girl running away from Julian? That's a first." "Maybe she's playing hard to get. Interesting. Julian, why not play along?" Julian scoffed coldly. "Boring." At the opening ceremony, he gave the speech as the student representative. All eyes were on him. Standing in the crowd, I couldn't help but remember his fate. In our junior year, after Bella drugged him, he suffered organ damage and had to go abroad for treatment. But his flight crashed. No survivors. In this life, I won't get involved with him. He won't die. ... My life consisted of two things: studying and working. But for some reason, I kept running into him. Walking past the basketball court, a ball would always smash into the ground right at my feet. Blocking my path. I’d look up to see him staring at me coldly, his friends winking and nudging him. My classmates comforted me, saying Julian was asking about me, probably planning to bully me. So I stopped walking by the courts. I took the long way to class. I avoided him at school, but I ran into him at my waitressing job. When he saw me, his friends would jeer, demanding I serve their table. They wouldn't order; they’d just make me stand there while they chatted. Eventually, even the manager asked if I had beef with them. I shook my head and quit that same day. A few days later, I was cornered in an alley behind the library. Julian stood in the shadows, his face dark. His first words were: "You quit?" 3 I pressed my lips together and didn't speak. He stared at me for a few seconds, then laughed coldly. "Lily." "You don't need to hide from me. I have zero interest in you." "You think I want to run into you? Don't flatter yourself." He turned and walked away. From that day on, I really didn't see him again. Soon after, my professor told me a corporation was sponsoring scholarships for top students in financial need. I was on the list. Full tuition covered, plus a monthly stipend. I looked at the numbers, tears welling in my eyes. Finally, I didn't have to starve myself while working multiple jobs. I poured all my energy into studying. Later, I heard the sponsoring company organized a volunteer teaching trip to a rural area. I signed up immediately, wanting to give back. But on the day of departure, I saw Julian in the crowd. He saw me, looked cold, and turned away. For several days, we had zero interaction. Until one night, a senior girl told me that the heir to the Thorne fortune was surprisingly kind-hearted. Not only did he fund students, he came to volunteer personally. I was stunned. Just as I was about to ask more, the ground shook violently. Someone screamed: "Flash flood! Run!" Students scrambled, screaming, running for higher ground. I ran with the crowd. In the chaos, I heard someone shout Julian’s name. I looked back instinctively. I saw him push a little girl onto the bank, but he lost his footing and was swept away by the raging water. I didn't hesitate. I gritted my teeth and jumped into the water. I swam toward him with everything I had, grabbed him, and dragged him to the shore. My fingers were numb, my lungs full of water. But I held on until he was safe on land, then I blacked out. When I woke up, I was in a hospital. The door opened. A stylish middle-aged woman walked in and held my hand warmly. "Child, you're awake?" "Thank you so much for saving my son." "As a reward, whatever you want, I will..." I instinctively clenched my fingers and shook my head gently. "I saved him to repay a debt. Thank you for the Thorne scholarship." The polite mask on her face faded, replaced by genuine softness. "Julian is fine. He's been wanting to see you." "I'll have him come thank you personally." My heart tightened. I wanted to refuse. But before I could speak, she left. A moment later, Julian walked in. He marched to my bedside, his eyes scanning me from head to toe. Then he gritted his teeth and said: "Who asked you to save me?" He sat on the edge of the bed, his shoulders stiff. "Don't you hate me?" "Why save me?" "Just to repay a debt? That's unnecessary." His tone was stiff. "The money for your scholarship isn't even enough to buy my shoes." After saying that, he looked at me immediately. He saw I was calm, not insulted or embarrassed. It made him flustered. He lowered his voice. "Whatever you want, I can give it to you." I spoke softly. "I do have a wish..." Julian looked up, eyes expectant. I looked at him seriously. "Can you stop bullying me? Can we just be normal classmates?" His face turned red, then black. He stood up abruptly. "When did I ever—" He stopped himself. "Fine. Whatever." He turned and stormed out, radiating anger. ... I never expected to see my sister in the hospital. I hadn't seen her in over a year. She was heavily pregnant, wearing a nurse's aide uniform, kneeling on the floor cleaning an elderly patient. She looked haggard. It reminded me of my past life. At this time back then, I was pregnant too, working in a warehouse moving boxes. The villagers had burned down our house because they said we ruined the town's morals. We were forced to leave. Liam’s half-brother hired thugs to harass us. Because the illegitimate son spread rumors to their father, Liam’s father cut him off completely. Liam became depressed, drank, and refused to work. I supported the family with my pregnant body. It wasn't until I lost our first child that he knelt and cried, apologizing to me. A family member scolded Bella for being too rough. She stood up, eyes red, pushing them away. "I'm pregnant! You're making a pregnant woman do heavy labor? Do you have no conscience?" The family sneered. "If you weren't pregnant and pitiful, we wouldn't have hired someone with zero experience. If you don't want to work, get out." Bella turned angrily and saw me. She froze. Then, seeing how pale I looked, a sick excitement flashed in her eyes. "Sis! I told you so. You’d end up like me eventually. Messing with those rich kids!" She stepped closer, lowering her voice. "Why are you hospitalized? Did they push you in a pool? Or down the stairs?" She rolled her eyes. "Take my advice. If you want to survive school, stay away from those rich boys." "Don't think about climbing the social ladder. Someone like you isn't even good enough to be their toy." Seeing my silence, she got impatient. She started bragging about how good Liam was to her. She swore that soon Liam’s dad would clear his name. Then she’d be a rich wife. And I would be driven out of school by the rich kids, forced to crawl back to our village and die miserable. Just then, Liam came up the stairs. Seeing her red eyes, he rushed over and hugged her. "What's wrong, babe?" "Who upset you?" 4 "Baby, quit. Let's go home!" I heard those words in my past life too. But if we quit, what would we eat? Liam would just drink and sulk on the sofa. When I urged him to work, he’d just sigh and ask for more time. But how much time? He never said. Sure enough, Bella forced a smile and acted coquettish. "It's okay. For you, I can endure it." Then she pointed at me, feigning surprise. "Oh look, hubby, my sister is sick too." "So pitiful, no one is even here with her." "Should we stay and keep her company?" Liam looked at me coldly. Seeing my haggard state, he scoffed. "Her getting sick is karma. God is punishing her." "Bella, you're too kind. Someone like her doesn't deserve your concern." "Let's go home. Hubby will make you something delicious." Bella shot me a smug look and linked arms with him sweetly. "My husband is a great cook, sis. Too bad you won't get to taste it." They took two steps before Julian walked over from the other end of the hall. He looked at their backs and asked me: "Family?" I shook my head. Julian sneered. "I thought they were your poor relatives. Treating a little food like it's treasure." Face tense, he handed me an expensive-looking three-tier bento box. "Here. My chef made too much. Don't waste it." Bella turned pale when she saw Julian. She looked at me, eyes wide with disbelief and jealousy. When Liam noticed something was wrong and asked her, she gritted her teeth. "Nothing. I just think some people are delusional. Being played with and thinking they're special. It's laughable." She dragged Liam away. After that day, Julian brought me food every day. But as I ate, I couldn't help but wonder. For a billionaire family, why did the chef's cooking taste so... average? I recovered and returned to school. I thought Julian and I would go back to being parallel lines. But he signed up for the same elective class as me. He joined the same student council department. He even showed up where I worked part-time. I finally couldn't take it anymore. "Julian, what do you want?" "Did I do something wrong?" His face fell. He looked offended. "You think I'm seeking revenge?" He sounded frustrated, like he was giving up. "I'm pursuing you! Can't you tell?" I froze. The next second, I ran away. In my last life, Bella’s fate was a thorn in my heart. I didn't dare get close to Julian, no matter what. Maybe he sensed my fear. From that day on, he really stopped appearing around me. Half a year passed. I started getting restless, secretly asking about him. My classmates looked surprised. "Didn't you know? Julian is getting ready to study abroad." I froze. The image of his plane crash from my past life slammed into my brain. Suppressing my pounding heart, I asked when he was leaving. "In two weeks. December 10th." My mind went blank. I pulled out my phone and called him. "Don't go, Julian." On the other end, he chuckled softly. "You're telling me not to go? Who are you to tell me that?" I was speechless. I wanted to explain, but he spoke calmly. "I'll give you a chance. Dinner with me on the night of December 9th." "Convince me to my face. If your reasons are good, I'll stay." "If not, I leave that night." I agreed immediately. On the night of the 9th, I went to the hotel he mentioned. The staff told me a private room was booked and led me there. I pushed open the door, only to be slammed against the wall. Liam, dressed in a designer suit, held a red-eyed Bella, glaring at me with hatred. "Lily. I told you." "If you fell into my hands, I'd make you pay ten times over." "You ruined Bella’s innocence, and now she lost our baby." "So I'm going to make you lose your innocence, get pregnant, and then lose your baby too!" He waved his hand. "Hear that? Take good care of her." I struggled desperately, screaming: "I didn't! Liam! I didn't do those things!" Liam just looked at me with disgust. Julian called my phone. Bella snatched it. "My sister has a boyfriend. You're annoying her, stop calling!" "What? You don't believe me?" She laughed, snapped a few photos of me pinned down by thugs, and sent them. "Look. My sister and her boyfriend are getting intimate." She looked down at the phone, smiling smugly. "Sis." "Young Master Thorne says he understands." "He's taking the flight tonight. He'll never come back to this country." "Your daydream is over." I felt like I was plunged into ice water. Liam kissed Bella’s forehead lovingly. "Wifey, let's go. Don't dirty your eyes." The door closed. I was pinned to the floor, vision going dark. The next second, the door was kicked open.
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "387752", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel