On my wedding night, my adopted brother Brandon, the man I’d secretly loved for ten years, plunged a knife into my father’s heart.
You pathetic bitch! If you hadn’t insisted on marrying me, your dad wouldn’t have forced Brittany into that arranged marriage!
How could you be so cruel?!
I watched my father’s lifeless body, crumbling completely. That day, I renounced the world, seeking refuge in solitude, leaving everything behind.
Years later, I was kidnapped, bombs strapped all around me.
As everyone else stood frozen in fear, it was Brandon who threw himself in front of me, shielding me with his own body.
Just before he died, he grit his teeth, his voice a ragged whisper. “I’m sorry for how I treated you in this life.”
“But in our next life, don’t stand between me and Brittany again!”
Then, I opened my eyes. I was back. Back to the day my father intended to marry me off to Brandon.
This time, I chose to grant them their wish. “Dad, let me be the one for the arranged marriage.”
My father stared at me, completely stunned. “What did you say?”
“Celeste, are you sure? You’ve been trailing after Brandon since you were kids, always declaring you would marry him one day.”
The bloody scene from my past life flashed through my mind. I forced a bitter smile.
“Not anymore. I’m tired of it.”
Seeing my insistence, my father sighed.
“Alright, if your mind is made up.?The marriage alliance would be with Julian Hayes of the Hayes Group.
The family for the alliance is the Hayes Group. Julian Hayes. His family and reputation are beyond reproach. I had initially considered Brittany as the match…”
He paused, then continued, “Since you’re willing, I’ll arrange a meeting for you two.”
“Okay.”
As long as it wasn’t Brandon, marrying anyone else made no difference to me.
I turned to leave, and just as I pulled open the study door, I walked straight into Brandon and Brittany.
The sight of his face made my stomach churn. My father’s body, sprawled in a pool of blood from my past life, instantly overwhelmed my senses.
Brandon, seeing me, his brow twisted into a tight, angry knot.
“Celeste, have you been bothering father again? Is this about your ridiculous obsession with marrying me?
His voice was laced with ice, every word dripping with impatience.
“Let me tell you, forget about it. I will only ever marry Brittany!”
I froze. This never happened in my past life, did it?
Had he been reborn too?
The thought flashed through my mind, but I couldn’t be bothered to dig deeper. I gave him a cold glance.
“You’re overthinking. I have no interest in you. I just told Dad I want the arranged marriage.”
The words had barely left my lips when Brandon visibly stiffened, a flicker of shock and panic crossing his face.
But the next second, it morphed into raw mockery.
“Celeste, stop playing your manipulative games!”
“Do you honestly think I’ll fall for your lies again?”
Before he could finish, Brittany’s eyes reddened.
With a soft thump, she knelt directly in front of me.
“Celeste, I know you hate me… but Brandon and I truly love each other. Please, I beg you, let us be together!”
Brandon’s face was filled with anguish. He pulled Brittany into his arms, glaring at me. “Why are you begging her?! Someone like her isn’t worthy!”
He clutched Brittany close, gritting his teeth. “I’m going to talk to Dad right now! Even if I get kicked out of the Hayes family, I’ll still be with you!”
With that, he turned and stormed into the study.
My heart felt utterly dead.
Always like this.
In my past life, he stabbed my father in the heart, all for this woman.
How far would he go for her? How could his heart be so cold?
As soon as Brandon entered the study, Brittany’s tears vanished. She scrambled to her feet, a triumphant, cold smirk on her face.
“Celeste, how does it feel to be publicly humiliated?”
She leaned closer, lowering her voice.
“If you hadn’t constantly hounded Brandon in our previous life, Brandon and I wouldn’t have ended up in such a mess, would we?”
So, it was true.
They both remembered.
I tugged at the corner of my mouth, a smile that didn’t reach my eyes. “Don’t worry. In this life, I wouldn’t be caught dead with him.”
She scoffed as if I’d told the funniest joke. “Who are you trying to fool? Celeste, I know exactly how cheap your love is!”
“But don’t worry, I’ll make sure you have no chance at all. I want Brandon to hate you to his very bones!”
My brow twitched. I was about to speak, but she suddenly pulled a necklace from her neckline and dangled it in front of me.
In an instant, my blood ran cold.
That was the only keepsake my mother had left me!
“How do you have that?!” My voice trembled as I glared at her. “Give it back to me!”
Brittany’s smile widened, more triumphant than ever. She walked to the window, raised her hand, and with a flick of her wrist!
The necklace, holding all my cherished memories of my mother, disappeared into the lake outside the window!
The last thread of sanity in my mind snapped. I lunged at her like a madwoman, grabbing her by the collar.
I slapped her across the face with all my strength, my voice hoarse. “Brittany, who gave you the guts?!”
I had barely finished shouting when a voice, chilling to the bone, spoke from behind me.
“Celeste!”
“I knew it! The moment I’m not here, you start bullying Brittany!”
The next second, a figure burst through the study door. Brandon, his eyes bloodshot, grabbed my wrist, his grip so tight it felt like my bones would shatter.
“Celeste! What has Brittany ever done to you? Why do you torment her like this?”
“How can your heart be so vicious?!”
Before I could even open my mouth, a flash of white, then a sharp, stinging slap across my face.
SMACK!
The crisp sound echoed through the hallway.
My head snapped to the side, my cheek instantly throbbing with a fiery pain, and the metallic tang of blood filled my mouth.
A flicker of triumph crossed Brittany’s eyes, quickly replaced by the look of a frightened little lamb. She leaned bonelessly into Brandon’s arms, her voice trembling.
“Brandon… it’s all my fault, please don’t blame Sister, I was wrong…”
I clenched my fists so tightly my nails dug deep into my palms, using every ounce of strength just to keep from collapsing.
I raised my head, forcing each word through gritted teeth. “She threw my mother’s necklace into the lake! Don’t you know how important that necklace is to me? What’s wrong with me hitting her once?”
At my words, Brandon’s grip on my hand noticeably loosened for a moment.
He looked down at Brittany, who was crying dramatically, tears streaming down her face.
Brittany’s reaction was incredibly quick. Her eyes instantly turned crimson, and large tears began to fall.
“Brandon, I truly didn’t mean to… I just wanted to look at it, and in my haste… I just couldn’t hold on…”
“It’s all my fault, I’ll go to the lake and get it right away!”
As she spoke, her body went limp, and she made to break free from Brandon’s embrace, as if to jump into the lake from the window.
Any hesitation in Brandon’s eyes was instantly replaced by anguish.
“Stop it!”
He scooped Brittany back into his arms, holding her tightly. When he looked at me again, there was only complete impatience left.
“Brittany already said it was an accident! Do you really have to be so relentless? She’s about to jump in, what more do you want?”
He paused, his tone filled with disdain and irritation.
“Besides, it’s just a necklace! Your mom is dead, why keep holding onto things from the dead? It’s morbid!”
“Things from the dead.”
Those words were like a poisoned dagger, plunging deep into my heart.
My mind went blank.
When he was brought into the Hayes family, he was scrawny and ran a high fever at night.
My mother held him, staying up night after night, gently wiping his body with warm water over and over, feeding him spoonfuls of porridge.
And now, he could say such a thing!
Brandon seemed to realize he’d spoken out of turn. His face stiffened, his tone softening slightly, but he still stubbornly retorted.
“Why didn’t you put the necklace away properly? Losing it is your own fault. This has nothing to do with Brittany, you’re not allowed to snap at her again!”
I couldn’t control myself anymore.
The hatred, the injustice from both past and present lives, coalesced into a towering inferno of rage, burning away my last shred of reason.
I swiftly raised my hand, and with all my might, I slapped him hard across the face.
SMACK!
This slap was louder, harsher than the one he’d given me.
Brandon staggered, a clear five-finger mark rapidly appearing on his face. He stared at me in utter disbelief, completely stunned.
The entire hallway was deathly silent.
I slowly lowered my trembling hand, my chest heaving violently, but my voice was cold as ice.
“Brandon, in this life, you and I are completely over. Done for good!”
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