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1546 Words
The moment they stepped out of the dealership, warm afternoon sunlight spilled across the pavement while employees continued congratulating Thompson as though he had personally earned the car himself, and Diana could only stand there watching the scene unfold with a strange calmness sitting inside her chest.
Thompson looked happier than she had ever seen him.
His excitement was almost embarrassing. He kept circling the black car while grinning boyishly, occasionally brushing his fingers across the polished surface as if he had already convinced himself that the vehicle represented success rather than greed.
Nora stood beside him smiling softly, although Diana noticed the tension hidden beneath it, because her sister’s expression tightened every single time she remembered the payment notification that had emptied a humiliating amount from her account.
Diana almost laughed but there was something deeply satisfying about watching Nora silently suffer through a situation she could not escape from.
“Baby.” Thompson turned toward Diana with bright eyes. “Let’s go home and celebrate.”
The word home nearly made her expression crack.
For one brief second, all Diana could see was rain pouring over shattered glass while blood ran down the road beneath her broken body. She remembered the same man kneeling over her with a fire extinguisher in his hand.
She remembered Nora watching.
The memory vanished almost as quickly as it came, and Diana forced herself to remain calm because she had already learned something important after being reborn.
Anger made people careless and she could not afford to be careless anymore. She glanced toward Nora before pretending to think for a moment.
“Oh right,” she said lightly, “Nora looked tired earlier.”
Nora blinked.
“What?”
Diana smiled faintly. “You should get her something cold to drink before going home. She looks exhausted.”
The silence lasted barely half a second, but it was enough. Thompson immediately understood the opportunity hidden beneath her words.
His eyes lit up subtly before he tried to hide it behind concern. “You’re right,” he said quickly. “She does look pale.”
Nora lowered her gaze shyly, but Diana noticed the satisfaction that flashed across her face before disappearing again.
The two of them really thought they were clever. “I’ll drive her first,” Thompson added casually while already reaching for the car keys. “Wait here for me, Diana. I’ll come back immediately.”
Immediately Diana almost smiled again. Last time, he had said the exact same thing, only the roles had been reversed.
In her previous life, Thompson had insisted that Nora stay behind while he drove Diana around proudly in the newly purchased car, and all throughout the drive, Nora had remained outside pretending to smile while resentment practically dripped from her expression.
Now everything had changed. Now Nora sat in the passenger seat while Thompson looked at her in a way he had never looked at Diana.
The realization should have hurt more.
Instead, Diana only felt tired.
Thompson opened the passenger door for Nora, and although the gesture looked innocent enough, the familiarity of it made Diana’s chest tighten strangely.
Nora slid into the seat while trying not to smile too widely.
Then Thompson looked back toward Diana. “Wait for me, okay?”
Diana nodded calmly. “Of course.”
The car engine roared to life moments later, and she stood there silently while the black vehicle disappeared down the street with both of them inside.
Not once did either of them look back.
A cool breeze brushed against Diana’s face, yet she remained standing there for several seconds longer because something about the entire situation felt wrong in a way she could not explain. Like history had shifted slightly off course.
In her previous life, she had always been the center of Thompson’s attention in public, even if it had all been an act, and yet now he had left her behind without hesitation simply because Nora was beside him.
It was subtle but enough to unsettle her.
Maybe changing one event truly changed everything else around it.
Or maybe… Maybe she was no longer seeing things through the blind eyes of love.
Diana exhaled slowly before finally turning away from the dealership.
The walk home felt longer than usual, partly because her thoughts refused to quiet down and partly because every little thing now made her question whether fate was rearranging itself around her.
The city streets were crowded, car horns echoed endlessly in the distance, and yet Diana barely noticed any of it because her mind kept drifting back to Ethan. The way he had held her while she died.
“There was always something I wanted to tell you.”
Her chest tightened unexpectedly. Why had he been there that night?
In her previous life, Ethan had been overseas during her wedding preparations, and she clearly remembered him arriving only after the ceremony had already ended.
So why did the memory suddenly feel uncertain now?
By the time Diana reached her mansion gates, her head was pounding lightly from overthinking. One of the guards immediately straightened when he saw her approaching. “Miss Diana,” he said respectfully before hesitating slightly, “you have a visitor.”
Diana frowned immediately. “A visitor?”
“Yes, miss.”
Her mood darkened at once. “Why would you let someone into my house without informing me first? How could the visitor unlock my f*****g door?”
The guard looked startled by her tone because Diana had rarely spoken harshly to staff before.
“I’m sorry, miss, but he said..”
“I don’t care what he said.”
The irritation in her voice surprised even herself.
Too many things had already changed today, and the idea of finding another unexpected situation waiting inside her house made unease crawl beneath her skin.
The guard opened his mouth again, clearly trying to explain who the visitor was, but Diana barely listened anymore.
She walked past him quickly while muttering under her breath. “I don’t remember this happening before.” Her steps slowed slightly.
That thought alone made her stomach tighten. She remembered almost everything from this period of her life. No one had visited her house today in her previous life.
So who was inside?
Her fingers curled slightly as she pushed the front door open. The moment she stepped inside, she froze.
A familiar figure stood near the living room window. Tall with broad shoulders. Dark hair slightly messy as though he had traveled in a hurry.
“Ethan?” She gasped.
The breath caught in Diana’s throat so suddenly that she forgot to move.
Ethan simply stared at her as though he was trying to confirm she was truly standing there alive. His eyes moved across her face so quickly and intensely that it almost made her uneasy.
Then suddenly he crossed the room in long hurried steps and pulled her into his arms.
Diana’s eyes widened.
The hug was tight. One of his hands pressed protectively against the back of her head while the other wrapped firmly around her waist as though he genuinely believed she might disappear if he let go.
“I thought I lost you.” His voice sounded rough and breathless.
Diana froze completely inside his embrace because nothing about this made sense.
Ethan was not affectionate. He was kind, yes, but reserved.
In her previous life, even after years of friendship, he had never hugged her like this. Never held her as though she meant something irreplaceable. And yet now his heartbeat was pounding wildly against her ear.
Diana slowly pulled back enough to look at him properly. His face looked exhausted like someone who had gone days without sleeping.
“You...” Her voice came out weaker than intended. “What are you doing here?”
Ethan looked at her silently for a moment longer before finally loosening his grip slightly. “I came as soon as I could.”
The answer only confused her more. “As soon as you could?”
He nodded slowly.
Diana stared at him. In her previous life, Ethan had been overseas until the day of her wedding. She remembered that clearly. He had called to apologize for missing the ceremony because his flight had been delayed.
He had only arrived later that night. Later that night...
Her heartbeat suddenly stopped.That was when he found her dying body.
Cold realization crept slowly up her spine.
Her eyes searched his face carefully now, and the longer she looked, the stranger his expression became.
There was grief there. It was the exact same look she had seen reflected in her own mirror after waking up reborn.
Diana’s breathing slowly became uneven.
Ethan noticed immediately. “What’s wrong?”
She didn’t answer, her mind was racing too quickly. The timing made no sense. His behavior made no sense.
Unless…a terrifying possibility suddenly formed inside her mind.
Her lips parted slightly.
Diana took a slow step backward.
Ethan’s expression shifted instantly, almost nervously, as though he was afraid she would disappear again. And that was when she knew or at least suspected enough for fear to settle deeply into her chest.
Has Ethan been reborn too?
- Writer
