Love, Lies, and Rebirth

Chapter 1 Waiting for Him Early in the morning, I was woken up by the commotion downstairs.

Collin Smith was shouting, “Lola Lovelace, I know you’re awake! Just tell me what exactly you like about me. Whatever it is, I’ll change immediately!”

This happened before the college entrance exam.

But I had already died in a mental hospital, so why was I back here again?

I hurriedly got out of bed.

Looking at my reflection in the mirror—young and full of life—I was utterly shocked.

I was reborn!

I had returned to the day before the college entrance exam when Collin came to break off the engagement.

Fantastic!

I quickly changed out of my pajamas.

As I headed downstairs, I heard my mother ask, “Boy, did you do this on purpose? Did you really have to come and upset Lola right before her exam? Couldn’t you have waited until after?”

“Mrs. Lovelace, your daughter has an important exam, but so does my Queenie. You can’t be so selfish! Why should my Queenie suffer just so Lola can focus?” Collin retorted.

Just then, the sound of a car pulling up outside interrupted their argument.

Frank Smith and Matilda Westin, Collin’s parents, rushed over in a hurry.

“You ungrateful brat!” Frank’s face was red with fury. He stormed in, gripping a golf club, and immediately began chasing Collin down to beat him.

Collin glared at Frank and growled, “I won’t like Lola even if you beat me to death! Our engagement was just a childhood promise. We have no feelings for each other! Why can’t we break it off?”

Seeing that Matilda was about to join in, I quickly spoke up. “Mr. Smith, Mrs. Smith, please stop!”

This brutal beating was the reason Collin came to hate me in the first place.

Since fate had given me another chance, I wasn’t going to make the same mistake.

I walked over to my mother first.

“Happy birthday, Mom. I love you.”

That’s right. Today was also my mother’s birthday.

I had been reborn, and I was seeing my dearest mother again. I swallowed the lump in my throat.

I kissed her cheek.

“Trust me, Mom. I’ll handle this.” I smiled gently before turning to Frank and Matilda. “Mr. Smith, Mrs. Smith, may I have a word with you?”

Without another glance at Collin, I stepped outside.

Frank and Matilda were stunned by my sudden change in attitude. When they followed me out, I saw that same familiar guilt on their faces.

Collin and I had been engaged because my father once saved Frank from drowning.

Out of gratitude, Frank frequently visited our home, and over time, Collin and I grew familiar with each other.

Seeing that we got along well, our parents decided to solidify their bond through marriage.

Because of this debt, after I married Colin in my past life, his parents constantly pressured him to consummate the marriage.

They even prepared medicinal tonics to help with that.

However, Collin never drank them. He would force me to drink it, then coldly watch me suffer. He remained indifferent even when I begged him to take me.

If I wanted to change my fate from my past life, the first people I needed to placate were Frank and Matilda.

“Mr. Smith, Mrs. Smith, the college entrance exam is tomorrow. You know Collin’s personality—the more you pressure him, the more he rebels. Why not agree to the annulment for now so he can focus on his exams?”

My words sent a shock through the two elders.

Everyone in the neighborhood knew that I was hopelessly in love with Collin. Forget about calling off the engagement—even if Collin merely got close to another girl, I would cry as if my life depended on it. And yet, now, I was saying this.

“L-Lola…”

“Mrs. Smith, just agree to it. Consider it my request.”

“Alright.”

Seeing my determination, Matilda turned to Frank.

Frank let out a deep sigh, then shot Collin a glare. “What are you standing there for? Didn’t you want to break off the engagement? Go back and get ready!”

Collin was visibly stunned.

As he passed by me, he spat a vicious warning, “Lola, what kind of trick are you playing now? Let me tell you, no matter what you’re up to, Queenie is the only one I want to marry in this lifetime!”

After watching Collin walk away so heartlessly, I wanted to crack open my past self’s head and see what was inside.

His heart and eyes were always filled with Queenie Yard, yet I kept trying to make him see her true nature.

Hah! So what if Queenie had set up a scheme to “save” him? What did that have to do with me?

In my past life, after Collin turned in a blank exam, I foolishly gave up on my own college entrance exams as well. I followed him around like an annoying shadow, repeating a year with him, running errands for him, thinking that he finally saw my worth when he stopped insisting on breaking the engagement.

But in reality, it was only because Matilda had threatened him with her life. Collin had no choice but to comply.

After we got married, he openly had affairs right in front of me. He allowed his women to come to our home and provoke me.

I kept foolishly believing that if I could move him once, I could move him a second and third time…

But in the end, I only pushed myself into the abyss.

Severe depression eventually led me to take my own life in a hospital.

I forced myself to stop recalling those painful memories.

Quickly, I went out, bought a cake for my mother, celebrated her birthday in the shortest time possible, and then focused on preparing for my exams.

When the exam on the first day ended, Queenie stopped me outside the exam hall.

She flaunted the ring on her finger. “Oh dear, I didn’t even want it, but Cole insisted on buying it for me. I just can’t do anything about him. Lola, you don’t mind, do you?”

“Of course not.” I smiled. “I only wish you both happiness.”

I stepped aside, ready to leave.

“Lola, do you have no shame? The Lovelace and Smith families are already discussing breaking off the engagement, yet you’re still bothering Queenie!” Collin rushed up and shoved me.

I wanted to ask him if he was blind. This was my exam venue, yet he claimed I was the one causing trouble for Queenie.

Without even waiting for a response, Collin wrapped his arms around Queenie and left.

The passing students looked at me with a mix of pity, mockery, and disdain.

I pulled out my phone. I wanted to call Collin—first, to clear up the misunderstanding, and second, to formally and seriously cut all ties with him.

But I had already been blocked.

Fine. Collin wouldn’t believe me no matter what I said now.

I would prove it through my actions.

In the blink of an eye, the exams were over.

I had already told my mother in advance that I would be visiting my grandmother in the countryside for a few days.

But I didn’t go to the countryside.

Instead, I arrived at the entrance of Smith Group.

I wasn’t waiting for Frank, nor was I waiting for Collin.

I was waiting for Collin’s uncle, Jonah Smith.

In my past life, Jonah was the first one to find me after I took my own life in a psychiatric hospital.

Ignoring Collin’s objections, he insisted on having me buried in the Smith family cemetery.

A married daughter could not be buried in her parents’ home. If her husband’s family refused to take her, she would be left to wander as a lonely ghost.

That was the local custom.

Collin refused to acknowledge me as his wife. In the end, I was buried under the title of Jonah’s wife, and because of that, Jonah never married for the rest of his life.

It was only then that I realized Jonah hadn’t been visiting the psychiatric hospital on Collin’s behalf. He had loved me all along.

Jonah was a good man who was always there for me if only I had turned toward him. Yet, I wasted my life on Collin.

Now that I had been given another chance, I would bravely confess my feelings to Jonah.

The July sky was as fickle as a child’s moods.

One moment, it was a dazzling display of colors, and the next, dark clouds gathered.

The heavy rain came without warning.

Unfortunately, I hadn’t brought an umbrella. The yellow dress I had carefully chosen to meet Jonah was soon drenched.

Just when I thought I wouldn’t be able to see Jonah, a black umbrella suddenly appeared above me, shielding me from the raging storm.

“Collin’s not here.”

That voice… It was Jonah!

It was deep and magnetic, just as I remembered it. My eyes instantly turned red.

Chapter 2 Kiss I suppressed the emotions surging in my heart and slowly turned around.

Through the curtain of rain, Jonah stood tall. At a glance, he was at least six feet one.

He tilted the black umbrella completely toward me, shielding me from the downpour. He was dressed in a black suit over a crisp white shirt, and he was letting the rain drench him.

His deep black eyes were unreadable, giving no hint of his emotions.

In my previous life, I only saw him as a cold, distant elder who was aloof and taciturn. He was always hiding his feelings. How could I have ever noticed that he treated me differently?

But everything was different in this life.

I now knew how steadfast his love was beneath that icy exterior.

Choking back my emotions, I informed him, “I’m not here for him. I came for you.”

I deliberately avoided addressing him as “Uncle Jonah”, unlike Collin, and I didn’t speak formally as one would to an elder.

I was testing him.

Everyone knew Jonah disliked being close to people. I had to approach him little by little.

Sure enough, he didn’t seem to mind.

Instead, his gaze turned even colder. “I can’t help you with anything.”

I understood what he meant.

In the past, I had schemed tirelessly to make Collin love only me. I had manipulated those around him to put in a good word for me.

Among those people was Jonah.

He must have heard about Collin and Queenie by now, so he assumed I was here to ask him to intercede on my behalf.

I quickly waved my hands and explained, “Jonah, I came only to see you. I—”

“I have things to do.” Jonah cut me off and instructed the driver to take me home.

Seeing him turn to leave, I gasped and clutched my stomach as if about to faint.

Yes, I was faking it. I had no way to make him stay otherwise. Besides, the worst that could happen was that I’d just fall to the ground and suffer a little pain.

So, betting on Jonah’s compassion, I really let myself fall.

“Watch out!”

I won my bet a few seconds later.

Jonah couldn’t bear to let me hit the ground. His strong arm wrapped around my waist. He pulled me tightly into his embrace.

As I was held close to him, all I could smell was him—hints of tobacco, a trace of alcohol, and the warm scent of sandalwood that was uniquely his.

I nestled into his arms without hesitation.

Fearing he’d push me away, I quickly hooked my arms around his neck and curled up against him like a mistreated kitten.

“Jonah, I’m so cold… I think I caught a cold…!” I sobbed.

I faked a sneeze.

It didn’t matter if my act was convincing or not. One way or another, I was going to stay in his arms.

“Lola!” Jonah’s voice carried a warning. He seemed to see through my act.

I didn’t care anymore. I threw away my pride and burst into tears.

I didn’t care what the driver or Jonah thought. After all, I was only 18. This was the perfect age to be childish.

“Jonah, I just want to be with you. Why are you being so mean…” I buried myself in his arms and wailed.

I didn’t know if Jonah was afraid of causing a scene or if he became softhearted, but in the end, he carried me into the car.

I stayed in his arms. At first, I was only pretending to cry, but after keeping up the act for a while, I ended up falling asleep.

I slept for a long time.

By the time I woke up again, it was already the next afternoon.

I woke up in Jonah’s villa.

Even though I was in the guest room, I was still very happy.

“Jonah, are you here?” I ran out barefoot, wanting to talk to him.

I didn’t see Jonah. Instead, I saw his secretary, Lynn Damon, standing in the living room.

Dressed in a tight black business suit that accentuated her curves, Lynn crossed her arms and glared at me angrily.

“Shameless brat. Don’t think that Mr. Smith sees you differently just because he brought you home. He doesn’t like immature little girls like you. If you know what’s good for you, you should know better than to stay.”

I knew who she was—the daughter of a high-ranking executive in Riverville.

She liked Jonah and thought she could use her connections to get close to him. Unfortunately for her, Jonah was completely unmoved, and in the end, he retaliated against Smith Group instead.

Since I had Jonah’s phone number, I ignored Lynn and called him directly.

“Jonah…”

Yes, I started crying again. I was still faking it, of course.

With shamelessly thick skin, I whined into the phone, “Your secretary is scolding me. She even tried to hit me. Jonah, help!”

Jonah was somewhere noisy, and I could hear the commotion in the background.

His voice was low and firm. “Give her the phone.”

I didn’t know what Jonah said to her, but after answering the call, Lynn very reluctantly muttered an apology.

“I can forgive you. However, I want Jonah’s schedule.”

Yes, that was my real goal all along.

I needed to make Jonah believe that I was truly over Collin.

Since Lynn was in the wrong, she had no choice but to give me his itinerary.

It turned out that Jonah was on a business trip. He wouldn’t be back for another three days.

I kicked Lynn out and started cleaning up.

There wasn’t much to clean, but since this was Jonah’s house, I was more than happy to keep busy here.

Three days passed quickly.

As soon as I heard Jonah had returned and gone straight to the office, I poked at my phone and sent him a message along with a picture of his kitchen.

“Jonah, I’m starving!”

That was when Jonah realized I had never left.

He rushed back before dark.

The moment he stepped through the door, I immediately launched myself at him like a bird.

I didn’t have time to be shy anymore.

Collin had been texting me every day. He was urging me to come back and cancel our engagement. He even warned me that running away wouldn’t solve anything.

“Jonah, I want beef stew.” I clung to his neck and tilted my head up with a grin.

Jonah’s expression was ice-cold. He tugged at his tie and ordered in a low, harsh voice, “Let go.”

His aura was too intimidating.

Not wanting to push my luck, I obediently let go and curled up on the couch without saying a word for a long time.

Jonah changed into more comfortable clothes and came out soon after.

His handsome face softened noticeably when he saw the flowers and plants I had carefully arranged around the villa.

“Didn’t you say you wanted beef stew?” he asked.

I jumped up immediately.

“Yes! Jonah, you really are the best!”

With my usual cheer, I grabbed his arm and happily followed him out the door.

Unfortunately, the moment we stepped inside the restaurant, I saw Collin and Queenie sitting there. They were also having beef stew.

I turned to leave right away, but Collin shot up from his seat and rushed over.

“Lola, is this your plan? You think that getting Uncle Jonah involved will stop me from canceling the engagement? Let me tell you—it’s not happening!”

Right in front of everyone, he made me sound absolutely shameless.

“Collin! Who the hell do you think you are?” I raised my hand and slapped him hard.

Stunned, Collin stared at me in disbelief, as if asking, “Did you really just hit me?”

I sneered. “Go take a good look at yourself in the mirror. What makes you think I can’t live without you? You say that I’m punching above my weight?

“Hah! Listen up, Collin. Even if every man in the world dropped dead and you were the only one left, I still wouldn’t like you.”

I turned away.

Without a second thought, I stood on tiptoe, kissed Jonah on the lips, and declared loudly, “Jonah, you’re the only man I have ever truly loved.”