Chapter 2
I clutched my phone tightly, my knuckles turning white.
“Turn around,” I ordered the driver, my voice unnaturally calm. “Back to Harmony Gardens.”
That was Ethan’s private villa, a place I never had the privilege of entering in my past life.
But this time, I needed to confirm something in person.
Had he been reborn too?
As the car entered the gated community, rain began pelting the windshield.
I had the driver stop by the curb and walked alone towards the familiar building, umbrella in hand.
The roses in the garden were in full bloom - the ones I had secretly planted in my past life but never dared to claim credit for.
After the third ring of the doorbell, Ethan answered the door himself.
His shirt collar was wide open, his hair a mess and dripping wet. He clutched a half-empty bottle of whiskey.
The moment he saw me, the bottle crashed to the floor with a loud “thud”, amber liquid seeping into the carpet.
“You really came,” he said hoarsely, his eyes swirling with emotions I had never seen before. “Just like in the dream…”
Rainwater slid down the umbrella ribs, forming a transparent curtain between us.
I met his gaze steadily. “You dreamed I died?”
He suddenly gripped my shoulders, his fingers digging in painfully:
“It wasn’t just a dream! I remember every second - you jumping in front of the bullet, your blood splattering on my face…”
His voice began to shake. “I remember holding Sophia and saying… saying…”
“That you were finally free,” I finished calmly, watching the color drain from his face. “So you’ve been reborn too.”
Those words seemed to flip a switch. Ethan suddenly collapsed to his knees on the wet ground.
The rain soaked through his shirt, outlining his gaunt frame.
The ever-lofty Mr. Greene from my past life now looked as wretched as a beggar.
“Olivia, I—”
“Shut up.”
I took a step back, the umbrella rim blocking his pleading gaze.
“Ethan Greene, did you think being reborn was your chance for redemption?”
Lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating his ashen face.
I leaned down close to his ear and whispered:
“No. This is my chance for revenge.”
As I turned to leave, he lunged forward and clung to my legs:
“At least tell me, that bullet…”
“Didn’t hit any vital organs,” I said, shaking off his hands. “But you had the hospital withdraw my life support.”
His wails were drowned out by a clap of thunder.
I walked towards the waiting car in the rain, never looking back.
My phone lit up then with a message from my assistant:
“Ms. Carter, we’ve confirmed that Sophia started transferring Greene Corp funds to offshore accounts last month.”
I smirked.
Look, Ethan. The woman you protected with your life in the past is already preparing to betray you.
And this time, I’ll personally send you both to hell.