### Chapter One
I was reborn!
Gazing at the young, smooth face in the mirror, unmarked by time, and my slender, pale hands, a momentary haze quickly gave way to clarity. I fumbled for my phone and lit up the screen to confirm the date.
June 26, 2024.
This was the time right after I’d submitted my university applications and was waiting for the results. It was also the exact moment in my previous life when my two childhood best friends—Liam Kingston and Jake Miller—began their fervent pursuit of me!
A flash of surprise sparked in my eyes. Without a moment to spare, I grabbed my phone and fired off an email to my admission counselor: “Mr. Davies, please update my application preferences. I’m changing my top choice from USC to Harvard!”
Mr. Davies replied almost immediately, his tone conveying satisfaction: “You finally made this decision! You’re one of the most outstanding graduates in our state this year. While USC is excellent, Harvard is, after all, a top academic institution. It would be a waste to miss out.”
I gave a bitter smile. “I was too headstrong before, I apologize, Mr. Davies. Now, I want to change it back.”
Modifying the application didn’t take long. Soon, my university application was revised. But when I returned home, there were already some uninvited guests.
It was Liam Kingston, Jake Miller, and my so-called best friend, Chloe Hayes.
“What are you guys doing?”
Seeing me, Liam, usually so reserved, looked at me with tender eyes. He smiled, “Did you forget? We agreed to have dinner at your place today to celebrate all four of us applying to the same university, didn’t we?”
Jake, with his wild, carefree spirit, took a few steps closer and gently tapped my head. “You little scatterbrain. We knew you’ve been busy preparing your valedictorian speech these past few days, so we’ve been setting everything up. You just have to show up and eat.”
I was about to speak when my phone suddenly rang.
It was Mr. Davies.
“Aria, you left in a hurry just now, and I forgot to tell you something. Originally, you were scheduled to give the outstanding graduate speech in three days. But just now, two influential board members suddenly spoke up and changed it to Chloe Hayes…”
Mr. Davies’s voice held regret. Clearly, from every angle, I was the more accomplished graduate and better suited for the speech. He wondered what kind of connection Chloe had with those board members to make them personally intervene and change the speaker.
But unlike Mr. Davies’s confusion, I glanced at Liam and Jake right in front of me and understood perfectly.
Weren’t my two childhood friends’ fathers on the school board?
“I understand, thank you, Mr. Davies.” I nodded calmly, accepting the news.
Mr. Davies didn’t expect me to be so calm. He sounded a bit surprised. “Your grades are better, so you speaking would be more fitting. It’s an honor. Are you really going to give it to Chloe Hayes?”
I remained calm, even managed a smile. “Yes, I’ll give it to her.”
Not just this time. I was even giving Liam and Jake to Chloe.
After all, I never wanted to experience the pain of my past life again.
In my previous life, Liam and Jake had pursued me just like this, eager to offer me their hearts.
The first time, I married Liam.
But in the third year of our marriage, Liam died in a car accident while protecting Chloe. It was then that I discovered he had never loved me; the person he truly loved, from beginning to end, was Chloe!
I was struck by a double blow and fell into a deep slump. It was then that Jake reappeared in my life. He helped me through my grief, encouraged me to embrace a new life, and told me I still had him.
So, the second time, I married Jake.
After we married, he was as gentle as ever, but there was always a distance between us, like we were polite strangers. At first, I thought love had simply evolved into familial affection. It wasn’t until an already elderly Chloe was diagnosed with heart disease that I found out the truth. He, without hesitation, donated his heart for her, despite my pleas. It was then I knew: Jake’s beloved was Chloe too!
I didn’t understand why. If both my husbands loved Chloe, why did they marry me?
It wasn’t until the funeral that Chloe, with a condescending pity, revealed everything.
“Why did they marry you? Because I orchestrated it all. I told them that if they didn’t do as I said and pursue you, I would vanish from their lives forever. They were terrified, which is why they scrambled to chase after you.”
“Oh, and by the way, do you know why you never had any children? Because they’d all gotten vasectomies for me. They told me that even though they married you, their hearts would always belong to me, and they would never have children with you! Hahahaha!”
I was struck dumb, hysterically demanding to know why Chloe would do such a thing. Her reason was just as ridiculous:
“Why? Because I was jealous of you, of course! You were born an heiress, always wanting for nothing. Everything I fought tooth and nail for, you got effortlessly. Of course, I wouldn’t accept it. I just wanted to see you suffer, to show you that the happiness you cherished was nothing but a facade I graciously bestowed upon you!”
Chloe finished her tirade and walked away, a smirk of triumph on her face. Consumed by rage and grief, I coughed up a mouthful of blood and finally died, my heart full of bitterness.
Now, fate, it seemed, had taken pity on me and granted me another chance.
This time, I would have nothing to do with any of them!
### Chapter Two
“What is it?” After I hung up the phone, Chloe curiously leaned closer. My expression remained calm, as if discussing something that had nothing to do with me. “They changed the graduation speech to you in three days.”
“Me? My grades aren’t as good as yours, and I’m not as outstanding. Why would they suddenly change it to me? Well, I can’t eat now, I need to go back and prepare!”
Her eyes were wide with surprise, and she rushed out as soon as she finished speaking.
Liam and Jake didn’t try to stop her. Their gazes lingered on her retreating figure, their adoration so obvious it hurt. They looked like they wanted to run after her, right then and there.
I took in their expressions and said flatly, “If you want to go after her, go ahead.”
“What are you talking about? You’re still here, why would we go after her?” Liam snapped back to reality at my words. He looked back at me, letting out a soft chuckle. He paused, then feigned comfort, “It’s just one speech. Don’t be upset.”
“Exactly. Our Aria is so excellent, the school has no taste, that’s why they replaced you,” Jake chimed in, echoing Liam. I gave a slight smirk, saying nothing.
In my previous life, they had comforted me in the same way. But in truth, they were the ones who had secretly arranged the switch.
I was about to say something, but before the words could leave my mouth, Liam and Jake cut me off again. “Aria, we’re taking you somewhere.”
They pulled me out mysteriously.
It wasn’t until we arrived at our destination—a field filled with flowers and colorful balloons—that I realized it was a proposal setup!
Liam, who knows where he got it, presented a bouquet of white roses, looking utterly lovesick. “Aria, you must know how I feel about you by now. And now, I want an answer.”
Seeing this, Jake wasn’t to be outdone. He quickly pulled a bouquet of red roses from behind his back and presented them to me, his voice full of tenderness. “Aria, I liked you first. I’ve been planning this confession for three months, you have to choose me! If you agree to be with me, I’d go through hell and high water for you!”
Looking at these two kneeling before me, I felt a momentary sense of unreality.
If I hadn’t known the truth, watching their heartfelt expressions, I might have truly believed they loved me.
They used to be the closest of childhood friends. How had I never known before that they had such a talent for acting?
Just as I was about to speak, all our phones vibrated simultaneously.
It was Chloe, who had left earlier, posting in our shared SnapChat group.
**[Chloe Hayes]: My lightbulb broke at home, and I don’t know how to change it. What should I do? :'(**
A pitiful emoji followed the message.
In an instant, Liam and Jake’s faces changed.
Liam, forgetting all about his grand gesture, was the first to stand. “Chloe’s home alone, and the lightbulb’s broken. She must be scared. Maybe I should go help her with the lightbulb first!”
“I’ll go with you!” Jake quickly followed suit, standing up. After he spoke, he seemed to remember I was still there, his face flushing with embarrassment. “Aria, it’s getting dark soon, and Chloe needs help right away. As for who you’ll choose in the end… maybe you can tell us tomorrow.”
With that, neither of them spared another glance at my reaction, rushing away.
Watching their retreating backs, I couldn’t help but feel a little amused.
They claimed they’d been preparing for this proposal for three months, yet Chloe only had to say she couldn’t change a lightbulb, and they so easily abandoned it?
The evidence that Liam and Jake didn’t love me was everywhere, yet in my past life, I had been completely blind, never seeing it.
I lowered my gaze to the two bouquets of flowers and gift boxes they’d left behind. A smile touched my lips, but it didn’t reach my eyes. I picked up the flowers and gifts, and without a second thought, tossed them all into the trash.
Liam Kingston, Jake Miller, this life, I won’t choose either of you!
With two months until university started, to minimize contact with the three of them, I simply blocked Liam, Jake, and Chloe’s numbers and traveled alone for a month.
When I returned home, satisfied with my trip, I found two figures crouching by the door. It was Liam and Jake.
The sound of my suitcase caught their attention. When they saw it was me, they immediately rushed over like madmen and hugged me tightly.
“Where have you been this past month? You didn’t answer your calls or messages. Do you know we’ve been frantic looking for you?!”
The worry in their eyes didn’t seem feigned. It was hard to tell how long they hadn’t rested or taken care of themselves; their chins were covered in short, dark stubble, and their eyes were bloodshot. They looked disheveled—hardly the two biggest heartthrobs from our high school.
I looked at them, and my mind drifted back to when I was thirteen.
My parents, unable to bear their constant arguments, chose to divorce. But when it came to my custody, they started pushing me back and forth, neither wanting to take on the burden. In the end, they left me a house and a credit card to support me until I was an adult, then both disappeared.
The night my parents left, I didn’t cry or make a fuss. But that night, I quietly sneaked out alone.
Liam and Jake had searched frantically for me all night then, finally finding me by the lake.
They had held me just as anxiously in their arms, saying, “Even if your aunt and uncle leave, you still have us. If they don’t want you, we do. We’ll always be with you. Never leave alone again, we’d truly go crazy…”
### Chapter Three
A flicker of melancholy crossed my eyes. We used to be so close, yet in my past life, they were the ones who hurt me the most.
To this day, I still don’t understand how they fell for Chloe, but it had already happened. There was no going back, and dwelling on the reasons was pointless.
I pulled out of their embrace, my voice calm and even. “I went on a graduation trip.”
“Why did you go alone?” Hearing my answer, Liam’s brows furrowed. Jake also looked at her disapprovingly. “Aren’t you afraid of getting lost? We said we’d all four go together, didn’t we?”
Watching them naturally include Chloe in their plans, I kept my face impassive and reminded them, “We said *three* of us would go.”
Liam suddenly paused, as if just realizing. “You don’t like Chloe? Then we’ll limit our contact with her from now on, okay? I just thought that since we’d all be at the same university, I should look out for her a bit more. But if you don’t like it, we’ll reduce contact. You’re always the most important person in my heart!”
If I hadn’t been reborn with my memories, I might have been genuinely touched by their declarations. But now, I simply walked past them without a change in expression, heading towards my room. “I’m going to put away my luggage.”
Seeing me leave, Liam and Jake quickly followed.
“The class is having a get-together today, a beach BBQ. Let’s go together.”
Yale was far away, nearly two thousand miles from here. I probably wouldn’t have any contact with my friends after this, so I thought it would be a good chance to say goodbye. I agreed.
Many people came to the party, almost all our classmates, including Chloe Hayes.
Perhaps my sudden solo trip had scared them, because Liam and Jake indeed kept their distance from Chloe.
They didn’t even greet Chloe, instead circling around me the entire time, getting me food, shielding me from the sun, which made everyone present tease us, saying how sweet and spoiled I was.
It wasn’t until I went to a nearby restroom midway through that, on my way out, I saw Liam, the golden boy everyone admired, and Jake, the defiant one who seemed to bow to no one, both with their heads down, holding Chloe’s hands. They were rubbing against her like obedient puppies, begging her not to leave them.
“Please don’t make us chase Aria anymore! We can’t pretend anymore. Every minute with Aria is torture. We like *you*, so why can’t we just be with you?”
Chloe, surrounded by them, had a barely discernible smugness and satisfaction in her eyes. After hearing their words, she didn’t relent as they hoped. “No. I said, if you don’t chase Aria, I’ll disappear from your lives forever!”
At that, Liam and Jake panicked, quickly changing their tune. “We’ll chase her! We’ll chase her no matter what! How did we do today? If we did well, can we get a reward?”
Chloe smiled and slightly extended her hand.
The two immediately hugged her tightly, as if she were the most precious treasure in the world.
I couldn’t watch anymore. I turned and returned to the party from another direction.
Soon, Liam and Jake also came back, one after the other. They walked straight to me, offering me drinks when I was thirsty, food when I was hungry, and a jacket when I was cold, practically showering me with affection.
Some classmates watched them, gossiping curiously, “One the heartthrob, the other the bad boy. Our high school’s two most popular guys are both pursuing you, Aria. Who are you going to choose?”
Hearing this, both men crowded around, a hint of expectation in their eyes. “You didn’t give us an answer that day. Do you have one now?”
Chloe, who had returned a step behind them, happened to hear this and gave me a knowing, teasing look.
The scene I had just witnessed flashed in my mind. My eyes flickered, and I didn’t answer their question directly. “I’ll tell you my answer on the first day of classes.”
“Then we’ll look forward to that day!”
Chloe’s voice, full of hidden meaning, suddenly came from behind me.
Then, she excitedly pulled me. “Aria, the seashells here are beautiful, let’s go collect some together!”
I frowned, about to refuse, but she had already pulled me up.
And then, she led me further and further away.
Seeing that we were a considerable distance from the party, I yanked my hand out of hers, frowning. “Weren’t we going to collect seashells? Why are we walking so far?”
“There are more seashells here,” Chloe said with an innocent smile, then, feigning curiosity, she subtly leaned closer and asked, “Aria, you said you’d choose after classes start. Why wait until then? I’m so curious, can’t you tell me now?”
“I can’t.” My expression was cold, my refusal blunt. But she seemed oblivious, continuing to chat. “Can’t you decide yet? Want me to help you figure out who loves you more?”
A sudden, ominous feeling rose in my heart. I was about to frown and say no, when a sharp pain shot through my head. I instinctively looked back, only to see Chloe holding a palm-sized rock, a triumphant smile on her face.
The next second, my vision went black, and I lost consciousness completely.
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