Reborn Into a Love I Refused to Repeat

Start Reading

I loved Eric for ten years.

But at his twenty-eighth birthday party, I watched him propose to his first love, Serena Miller.

He mocked my foolish devotion, me, his foster sister.

When Serena faked a fall down the stairs, Ethan slapped me, whipped me, and even locked me in the basement.

He looked at me with disgust. "You're too malicious. Who could ever love someone like you?"

In the end, I died tragically in that cold, dark basement.

Reborn, I knelt before my adoptive mother, declaring with absolute resolve, "I'm willing to marry Damian Vance."

Aurora POV

At the twenty-eighth birthday party of billionaire heir, Eric Owens, he gave me the biggest "surprise" of my life.

In front of all the powerful elites and media, he walked onto the stage, holding hands with his freshly returned first love, Serena Miller, and took the microphone.

"I'd like to use today's occasion to announce something. Starting tomorrow, the core 'Stardust' project of Owens Corp. will be fully managed by Serena as its chief director."

For a moment, the entire banquet hall fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone's eyes, sharp like needles, were directed straight at me.

I, Aurora Hayes, was the orphan adopted by the Owens family, Eric's adopted sister.

The entire city knew that I loved Eric like a lunatic.

And the 'Stardust' project? I'd spent three grueling years, countless sleepless nights, pushing myself to the point of collapse and even landing in the ER with severe stomach issues, just to secure that project for Owens Corp. It was my life's blood.

Now, with a single, dismissive sentence, he took what I'd literally fought for with my life and handed it to his beloved.

Everyone held their breath, waiting for me to snap, waiting for me to charge the stage like a madwoman and claw at Serena's hair, waiting to see the Owens family become a laughingstock.

After all, I had once, to drive away women around Ethan, slit my wrists, jumped from a building, and even intentionally crashed my car into Serena's.

But I didn't.

I calmly placed my red wine glass down, took a pre-prepared document and a velvet box from my bag, and walked onto the stage step by step in my high heels.

I pushed the documents and the box towards them.

"Congratulations, and happy birthday. Here are all the core data and official seals for the 'Stardust' project. Serena, welcome back."

The velvet box opened, revealing a priceless Patek Philippe antique watch. I'd saved five years' worth of earnings to bid on it.

At the sound of "Serena," Ethan's hand, reaching for the documents, suddenly froze.

He lifted his eyelids, his deep, sharp eyes staring intently at me, as if trying to drill a hole through my face.

After scrutinizing me for a full thirty seconds, his brow furrowed, and he let out a cold laugh.

"Aurora, what game are you playing now?"

His tone was full of mockery and suspicion.

I looked at the face I had been obsessed with for ten years.

He had sword-like brows and star-like eyes, with a cold, rugged facial contour. I once loved this face so much that I would have given my life for it.

But now, my heart felt like stagnant water.

"No games."

I lowered my eyes.

"I genuinely wish you both well. Since Serena is back, I'll apply tomorrow to transfer to the struggling branch office out in the Pacific Northwest region, to make room."

The Pacific Northwest branch office was the most peripheral, most unprofitable part of the Owens empire, constantly losing money. Going there was like being exiled.

Ethan's brows furrowed deeply.

He stared at me, seemingly searching for a trace of pretense on my face, but found nothing.

A strange irritation inexplicably rose in his heart. Just as he was about to speak, Serena gently tugged his sleeve.

"Ethan, is Aurora angry with me? If she doesn't want to, I'd rather not take this project..."

Her voice was weak and pitiful.

Ethan immediately clasped her hand, giving me a cold glance.

"If she wants to leave, no one can stop her. Aurora, remember your words. Tomorrow, you'll go to the Pacific Northwest, and don't you dare come back without my permission!"

"Okay."

I turned and walked off the stage without hesitation, leaving the banquet hall.

No one knew I had died once before.

In my previous life, at this very birthday party, I had thrown a terrible fit, publicly slapping Serena.

To avenge her, Ethan locked me in the basement for an entire month.

Later, relying on my adoptive mother's affection, I pestered him relentlessly, even resorted to drugging Ethan and forcing myself into his bed, practically blackmailing him into marrying me.

But a forced marriage was hell.

After we married, he treated me like an enemy, constantly suppressing me. He even leaked Owens family secrets to rivals to spite me for Serena, leading to Owens Corp.'s bankruptcy, my adoptive father jumping from a building, and my adoptive mother dying of depression.

And I? I was kidnapped by Serena's rabid fans and tortured to death.

Before I died, I called Ethan a hundred times for help. When he finally answered, he only said one thing.

"Aurora, what pity are you trying to evoke now? Just die."

Then he hung up.

Living this life again, I finally understood: if he doesn't love you, he just doesn't love you.

My unrequited love ruined the Owens family, and it ruined me.

Back at the Owens family mansion, I walked straight to my adoptive mother's room.

I knelt straight down before her.

My adoptive mother gasped in surprise, rushing to help me up.

"Aurora, what are you doing? Did Ethan bully you again? I heard about him giving the project to Serena. Your mom will go scold him tomorrow!"

I shook my head, looking deeply into her eyes.

"The Owens family has raised me for ten years. It's time I repaid their kindness. I hear the company's cash flow has been cut off, and it desperately needs funding from the Vance family."

I looked up, my eyes filled with resolve.

"I am willing to marry Damian of the Vance family."

Aurora POV

"You want to marry Damian?!"

My adoptive mother cried out in shock, grabbing my shoulders, her voice trembling.

"Aurora, have you lost your mind? Do you know what kind of person Damian is? He's a cripple! Paralyzed from the waist down, notoriously violent, and rumored to have severe psychological issues! The Vance family found him three fiances before, one went crazy, and two ended up in the hospital! If you marry him, will you even survive?"

I didn't struggle. I just clasped my mother's hand back, my voice soft yet firm.

"Rumors aren't always true. Besides, in outsiders' eyes, aren't I also a crazy woman who would do anything to snatch my foster brother? Crazy matched with crazy? A perfect fit."

"But..."

My mother's tears fell.

"I've always treated you like my own daughter. How can I bear to push you into a pit of fire?"

"You know the Owens family's situation better than I do. Ethan emptied the company's liquid funds to invest in Serena's movie. If the Vance family doesn't step in, Owens Corp. won't last another month."

I calmly analyzed the pros and cons. Seeing my mother's face gradually turn pale, I added more weight to my argument.

"Moreover, as long as I get married, Ethan can be at ease with Serena, no longer needing to guard against me. Owens Corp. is saved, and Ethan is free. It's a win-win-win situation."

My mother looked at me for a long, long time, finally covering her face and sobbing.

"My child... it's Owens Corp. that has wronged you..."

I gently patted her back, my heart filled with a sense of relief.

"Please keep this from Ethan for now. I don't want him to think I'm forcing him into this marriage. In half a month, the Vance family will send someone to pick me up, and we'll go straight to register the marriage."

Half a month later.

Coincidentally, that day was exactly when Eric planned to officially propose to Serena Miller.

In my previous life, I ruined his proposal; in this life, I would use my marriage to give him the future he wanted.

After comforting my mother, I returned to my room.

Pushing open the door, the room was filled with traces of Eric.

The walls were covered with photos I'd secretly taken of him;

The closet was full of clothes he'd casually bought for me; on the desk was a lighter he'd carelessly tossed aside, which I'd cherished like a treasure.

I looked at these things I once held so dear and felt a wave of nausea.

I found several large black garbage bags and began to clean.

Photos, ripped to shreds.

Clothes, cut to pieces.

Gifts, smashed.

Piece by piece, I swept away ten years of infatuation and delusion into the trash.

For three whole hours, I worked up a sweat, my fingers cut by the fragments, but looking at the empty room, I felt a lightness I had never known before.

I took a shower and had just lain down to sleep.

The door to my room was kicked open with a loud bang.

I jolted awake and sat up.

Eric stood in the doorway, radiating fury, clutching a tablet in his hand, his eyes as dark as if he intended murder.

He strode to the bed and savagely threw the tablet at me.

"Aurora, you've gotten quite bold, haven't you? Acting all sweet and sensible on the surface, voluntarily handing over the project, but behind my back, you pull disgusting stunts like this!"

I grunted from the impact, frowned, and picked up the tablet.

On the screen was a breaking story, trending number one on Ins.

#PureSerenaMiller_ExposedAsBullyAndDelinquent#

#SerenaMiller_Plagiarism#

#SerenaMiller_IntentionalHomewrecker#

The expos included detailed text and images: photos of Serena smoking and fighting in high school, color palettes proving her plagiarism of a new designer's work, and even suspicious chat logs with several wealthy socialites.

The comment section had exploded, full of people cursing Serena.

I only glanced at it, then calmly tossed the tablet back onto the bed.

"It wasn't me."

"If not you, then who?!"

Ethan grabbed my neck, pressing me against the headboard, the veins on his hand bulging.

"In this city, besides you, that crazy woman, who else would relentlessly target Serena? Do you think if you ruin her reputation, I'll give the project back to you? Dream on!"

My breath was stolen, but I didn't struggle. I just looked at him coldly.

"Eric, I told you, it wasn't me."

"Still trying to argue!"

He gnashed his teeth.

"In the past, you hired people to slander her, to spread fake news about her. When was it ever not you? Aurora, you're truly sickeningly malicious!"

Just then, hurried footsteps sounded outside the door.

Serena, her face streaked with tears, rushed in and threw her arms around Ethan's arm.

"Ethan, stop hitting her! Aurora couldn't have meant it. She just cares too much about that project. It doesn't matter if my reputation is ruined, as long as you two siblings don't turn against each other because of me..."

She sobbed, breathless and trembling.

Ethan immediately released me, tenderly pulling her into his embrace. When he looked at me again, his eyes were as cold as ice.

"Aurora, post on Ins immediately to clarify, publicly admit these were all fabricated by you, and publicly apologize to Serena!"

Aurora POV

"Why should I?"

I clutched my neck, where red marks had appeared, and coughed violently several times, looking up to meet Eric's gaze directly.

"I will never admit to something I didn't do."

Ethan's face instantly darkened to an extreme. He released Serena, stepping towards me, his voice squeezed out through clenched teeth.

"Aurora, do you think I've indulged you too much? Serena just took over the project, and now with this scandal, partners are threatening to cancel contracts. If you don't clarify, she'll be utterly ruined!"

"What does her ruin have to do with me?"

I sneered.

"She knows full well what kind of rotten things she's done. Eric, protecting her so fiercely, aren't you afraid you're protecting trash?"

A loud, resounding slap landed squarely on my face.

My head snapped to the side, my ears rang, and I tasted blood at the corner of my mouth.

The room fell into a deathly silence.

Serena covered her mouth, feigning a look of terror.

"Ethan, why did you hit her...?"

Ethan's hand hung in mid-air, trembling slightly.

He seemed to not have expected to hit me so hard; a fleeting look of regret flashed in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by coldness.

"That's the price for your sharp tongue."

He said coldly.

"Aurora, I'm giving you one last chance. Are you going to post that clarification or not?"

I slowly turned my head, wiped the blood from my lips with my thumb, and suddenly laughed.

I laughed until tears almost streamed down my face.

This was the man I had loved for ten years.

For a woman full of lies, he condemned me without seeking the truth, even raising his hand to hit me.

"Eric, didn't you say I was targeting her because I loved you and wanted to snatch the project?"

Barefoot, I got out of bed, walked to the corner, and tore open the large black garbage bags.

Cut-up clothes, torn photos, smashed gifts, all spilled out onto the floor.

Ethan's pupils suddenly constricted.

He stared intently at the framed photo, torn in half, on the ground. It was a picture of him at eighteen, which I had pestered him relentlessly to take.

He used to hate it, but I had treasured it and displayed it by my bedside.

Now, his face in the photo was shredded beyond recognition.

"Did you see clearly?"

I pointed to the mess on the floor.

"I don't love you anymore. Your things, I find them disgusting. So, I don't have the time to target your precious darling."

Ethan's face instantly turned ashen.

"You..."

He opened his mouth, but found his throat tight, unable to speak.

Serena, seeing this, a flicker of jealousy in her eyes.

She quickly pulled Ethan's sleeve, saying softly and weakly.

"Ethan, since Aurora says it wasn't her, then let's just drop it. We'll think of another solution, don't force her..."

Ethan took a deep breath, giving me a cold glance.

"It better not be you. Otherwise, I will never let you off the hook."

With that, he pulled Serena and turned to leave.

I watched their retreating backs and said coldly.

"Get out."

Ethan's footsteps paused, his back stiffened, but he didn't look back, striding out.

I collapsed onto the floor, looking at the scattered fragments, and closed my eyes.

It was over.

It was truly over.

The next morning, I carried my suitcase downstairs, ready to head to the Pacific Northwest branch office.

This was my promise to him, and also a way to find a quiet place to avoid them before the Vance family came to pick me up.

As I reached the living room, I saw Ethan and Serena preparing to leave for the company to handle the public relations crisis.

Seeing me with my luggage, Ethan frowned.

"Where are you going?"

"To the company in the Pacific Northwest."

I said blandly.

"Didn't you tell me to get out yesterday?"

Ethan choked, his face looking rather unpleasant.

Just as he was about to say something, the main door was suddenly burst open from outside.

A disheveled woman with bloodshot eyes rushed in, brandishing a gleaming fruit knife, like a madwoman, lunging at Serena.

"Serena Miller! You bitch! You plagiarized my work, got me blacklisted from the industry, and my mom jumped from a building to help me with the penalty fees! Today, I'm going to make you pay with your life!"

The sudden turn of events happened too fast; everyone was caught off guard.

The knife sliced through the air in a cold arc, aiming straight for Serena's chest.

Aurora POV

"Serena!"

Ethan's eyes widened in fury, his body reacting faster than his brain.

He instinctively wrapped an arm around Serena's waist, pulling her fiercely into his embrace, while rapidly spinning his body to avoid the fatal stab.

But he forgot I was standing right behind him.

His forceful turn, combined with the sheer inertia, directly flung me into the path of the madwoman's knife.

The sound of a blade piercing flesh was eerily clear in the empty living room.

A searing pain erupted beneath my left shoulder blade. The cold blade plunged deep into my body, and warm blood immediately gushed out, staining my white shirt crimson.

I let out a muffled groan, my legs gave way, and I collapsed heavily onto the floor.

"Aurora!"

My adoptive mother shrieked, rushing down from upstairs.

I clutched my wound, blood continuously oozing from between my fingers.

My vision began to blur, but before darkness completely enveloped me, I clearly saw Eric's face.

He was holding a shaken Serena, turning his head to look at me, lying in a pool of blood. His pupils trembled violently, his face a mask of disbelief and a flicker of fleeting panic.

He opened his mouth, seeming to call my name.

But I could no longer hear.

I woke up again in a hospital VIP room.

The pungent smell of disinfectant made me frown.

The moment I opened my eyes, I saw my adoptive mother sitting by the bed, her eyes swollen like walnuts.

"Aurora, you're finally awake! You scared me to death..."

My mother held my hand, tears falling again.

I weakly forced a smile.

"Mom, I'm fine."

"What do you mean, you're fine! The wound was barely an inch from your heart!"

My mother suddenly turned her head and roared at Eric, who was standing by the window.

"Eric, are you blind?! You can protect that bitch all you want, but why did you push Aurora out to take the knife?! She's your sister!"

Ethan stood in the shadows, his face terribly grim.

He looked at me, his jawline tight, his voice a little hoarse.

"I didn't mean to. It was an emergency; I didn't see her behind me."

"Didn't see?! Who else do you see besides that Serena Miller!"

My mother was trembling with rage.

"Let me tell you, Aurora is about to..."

"Mom!"

I used all my strength to cut off my mother's words.

My mother froze for a moment, seeing the pleading in my eyes, and finally swallowed the rest of her sentence.

Ethan subtly sensed something was wrong, his brow tightly furrowed.

"She's about to what?"

"Nothing."

I looked at him coldly.

"Mom means I'm about to go to the Pacific Northwest. I won't die, so Mr. Owens doesn't need to worry."

Ethan's face immediately turned cold.

He walked to the bedside, looking down at me, his voice carrying its usual mockery.

"Aurora, you don't need to play the pity card with me. Don't think that just because you took a knife, I'll soften up and give you the project back. Your trick is too cheap."

I looked at him, my heart devoid of even a ripple.

"Eric, do you have a persecution complex?"

I said calmly.

"I'll consider this knife wound repayment for ten years of the Owens family's hospitality. From now on, I owe you nothing. The door is over there. Get out. I need to rest."

He stared intensely at me, as if trying to see through my pretense, but in the end, he only scoffed coldly.

"It better be that way."

With that, he turned and strode out of the room.

After a week in the hospital, as soon as my stitches were removed, I insisted on being discharged.

The day the Vance family was to pick me up was approaching, and I didn't want any trouble.

On the day of my discharge, it wasn't my mother who came for me, but Eric's assistant.

The car didn't return to the Owens mansion but stopped at the entrance of a high-end private club.

"Miss Hayes, Mr. Owens is waiting for you inside."

The assistant said respectfully.

I frowned and pushed the door open to get out.

The private room door opened. Inside, the lights were dim, and the air was thick with the smell of smoke and alcohol.

Eric sat at the head of the table, Serena Miller leaning weakly against him.

Opposite them sat a man with a fleshy face and vulgar eyes.

That was Victor Reed, a notorious scoundrel in the city.

Seeing me enter, Victor's eyes immediately lit up, his gaze brazenly sweeping over me.

"Well, well, is this Aurora? She really is a stunner."

My stomach churned, and I looked coldly at Eric.

"What do you mean by this?"

Ethan flicked the ash from his cigarette, his tone nonchalant.

"Serena lost a few major collaborations due to the online scandal. Mr. Reed has a new project that can make up for the losses. Didn't you say you don't owe me anything anymore? Spend some time drinking with Mr. Reed tonight, get the contract signed, and then what you owe the Owens family will be completely paid off."

I looked at him in disbelief.

To pave the way for Serena, to squeeze out my last bit of value, he was actually pushing me towards a notorious degenerate in their circle?

"Eric, you truly sicken me."

I turned to leave.

"Stop!"

Eric's voice was as cold as ice.

"Aurora, if you dare to step out that door today, I'll cancel all your cards and kick you out of the Owens family! You're an orphan; without the Owens family, you're not even worth a stray dog!"

Aurora POV

My footsteps froze in place.

Not because I was afraid of being kicked out of the Owens family, but because I was still a member of the Owens family.

If I completely broke ties with Eric now, the marriage alliance with the Vance family might run into complications.

I had to endure it for another half month.

I took a deep breath, turned around, and sat on the far edge of the sofa.

Eric looked at my compromise, a flicker of cold satisfaction in his eyes.

"Mr. Reed, Aurora is all yours. You two chat nicely."

Eric stood up, wrapping an arm around Serena Miller's waist as he walked out.

As they reached the door, Serena glanced back at me, a malicious smirk playing on her lips.

The private room door closed, shutting out the outside world.

Victor Reed eagerly moved closer. The pungent smell of cheap cologne mixed with alcohol, making me nauseous.

"Aurora, don't be so cold. Mr. Owens has given you to me. Follow me, and I'll guarantee you a good life."

He said, picking up a glass of wine and handing it to me.

"Come, have a drink, let's be friends."

I coldly pushed his hand away.

"I don't drink. Mr. Reed, Eric is being crazy; you don't have to follow suit."

Victor Reed's face darkened, then he smirked again.

"I like feisty women like you. Today, you'll drink this wine whether you want to or not!"

He lunged forward, grabbing my chin and forcing the glass of wine towards my mouth.

I struggled desperately; wine spilled all over me, but a small gulp still went down my throat.

Victor Reed released me, looking at me triumphantly.

"That's right. This wine has some 'good stuff' in it. You'll soon see how amazing I am."

My heart sank.

The drug acted fast.

Within minutes, I felt my body burning, my limbs weak and powerless, and my vision began to blur.

Victor Reed grinned, unbuckling his belt, and lunged at me.

"Get off me!"

I bit my tongue, using the sharp pain to regain a sliver of consciousness.

The moment Victor Reed lunged, I grabbed the heavy crystal ashtray from the coffee table and, with all my might, smashed it hard onto his head.

"Ah!"

Victor Reed screamed, clutching his bleeding head, and collapsed onto the sofa.

I seized the opportunity, stumbled out of the private room, and ran out desperately.

The drug's effects intensified. My steps were unsteady, and I nearly fell several times.

The wound on my left shoulder reopened from the violent movements; blood stained the bandages, but I couldn't care less about the pain.

I don't know how I escaped the club, how I hailed a cab, or how I got back to the Owens mansion.

When I pushed open the Owens family's front door, I was met not with my mother's concern, but with an interrogation.

The living room was brightly lit.

Eric sat in the center of the sofa, his face iron-grey.

Serena Miller stood beside him, a smug look of schadenfreude on her face.

And opposite them, Victor Reed's parents were pointing their fingers at me, cursing me.

"Mr. Owens, our Reed family came to discuss this partnership *solely* out of respect for you! But this little slut actually caused my son a concussion! Today, your Owens family must give us an explanation, or we'll call the police and have her thrown in jail!"

I lay on the floor, gasping for breath, my whole body burning with discomfort.

"He... he drugged me..."

I weakly argued.

"Drugged you?"

Victor Reed's mother shrieked.

"What kind of women does my son not have that he'd need to drug you? Clearly, you, this little slut, seduced him and then attacked him viciously!"

Serena Miller also spoke up opportunely.

"Yes, Aurora, Mr. Reed is so wealthy, why would he do such a thing? You must have just been too hot-headed. Why don't you apologize to them?"

I looked up, staring intently at Eric.

"Eric, do you believe me?"

A complex emotion flickered in Eric's eyes.

But in the end, he spoke coldly.

"Aurora, you've disappointed me greatly. I gave you a chance to do something for the Owens family, but you repaid my kindness with malice, almost causing a death."

He stood up, looking down at me, like he was looking at an incorrigible piece of trash.

"Since you're so disobedient, don't blame me for not cherishing old ties. I can only punish you according to family rules!"

Family rules.

Owens family rules for punishment involved a whip with barbed tips.

I looked at him in disbelief, my heart completely dead in an instant.

"Eric, I still have a knife wound..."

My voice was hoarse.

"That's what you get for bringing it on yourself!"

Eric coldly interrupted me.

"Kneel!"

Two bodyguards walked over, forcibly pressing me to the ground.

Eric took the whip and, without hesitation, savagely struck my back.

Skin ripped open, flesh exposed.

I bit my lip hard, not uttering a single scream.

Each lash drew beads of blood.

After ten lashes, my back was a bloody mess, compounded by the reopened knife wound on my left shoulder, staining a large patch of the carpet.

I lay on the floor like a dead dog, even breathing felt painful.

"Lock her in the basement."

Eric threw down the blood-stained whip, his voice devoid of any warmth.

"No one is to give her water or food without my permission. Let her reflect properly!"

The basement door was heavily slammed shut.

Darkness completely swallowed me.

I curled up in the cold, damp corner, feeling my life draining away, yet my heart was filled with relief.

Eric, in this life, I have finally repaid what I owed you, principal and interest.

Only three more days until the Vance family comes for me.