I'm Back and Better Than Ever

The lighting in the restaurant was soft and suggestive, reflecting off the glass like shattered gold. Through the glass, I could see Ethan. He was cutting up Serena's steak carefully, as if handling precious treasure.

He sliced it into small pieces and placed them on her plate, then peeled some prawns for her until his fingertips turned red from the rising steam.

It was such a tender sight, I almost forgot how to breathe. The corners of my lips curved upwards a little. But there was no warmth in that smile.

Ethan had always been a clean freak and never ate food someone else had touched. Whenever we had fish or chicken wings, I would pick out the bones, piece by piece, for him.

I thought that was love, but it turned out to be just a habit. Watching them, I felt my chest tighten with every breath. Even breathing became a difficult thing to do.

I didn't step forward. Instead, I turned and quietly left.

A gust of wind swept through the doorway, messing up my hair and carrying away the last piece of stubbornness in me.

From the moment he chose Serena, things were already over between us. When I returned to the villa, I began packing my belongings.

With every piece of clothing I folded, the ache in my chest worsened. Initially, I had only planned to stay in Verenza for four years, just long enough to graduate before returning home.

After all, Floren was where I'd grown up—the place I once thought of as my home. But now… I was taking everything with me. I was leaving for good.

Before I could finish packing, my phone rang. A familiar name lit up the screen—Ethan.

In my past life, he'd called me then, too. And at that time, I'd waited the entire night for him, just like a fool. He did come home eventually, only to say, "Sorry, something came up."

And he brought with him a mango cake—one filled with lies.

I took a deep breath and answered the call.

"Ellie? Weren't you waiting for me at the bridal shop?" His voice was as gentle as ever.

"I went home," I said flatly, "I don't feel like trying on wedding dresses anymore."

There was a brief silence before his familiar laugh came through.

"Alright then, I'll take you there again another day. Once I'm done here, I'll bring back that mango cake you love, okay?" Ethan said.

My heart twisted painfully. Mangoes… I've never liked mangoes.

The one who did was Serena.

Reflecting on my past life, Ethan would always bring me a mango cake whenever he returned from a trip. He did that for 60 years. But I'd always preferred strawberry cakes!

So it was most likely Serena who liked mango cakes all along.

At 11:00 pm, Ethan finally came home. His face was still flushed from excitement. His shirt was wrinkled, and one of the buttons on his jacket was missing.

I quietly looked away, pretending not to notice anything.

After Ethan showered, he came over and wrapped his arms tightly around me. Even after a shower, I could still smell the faint trace of cheap perfume on him.

I held my breath and turned my head slightly to the side. A single tear slipped silently onto the pillow.

Lost in his thoughts, Ethan didn't notice how I flinched from his touch.

"Our wedding's in three days, Ellie. I want to focus on finishing my work before then, so I can give all my time to you after the wedding." His voice was gentle, filled with hope for the future.

"We'll get our marriage certificate at the ceremony. After that, we'll travel to Elysia for our honeymoon. The Larsen family owns a private beach there. No one will be able to disturb us…"

I stayed silent and simply listened. I had heard the same promises in my past life after all. Yet, I never got to set foot on that beach in my entire life.

Ethan suddenly suggested bringing me there—it could be due to guilt, or perhaps it was an act.

Either way, I no longer cared.

…

The next morning, before dawn, a suitcase lay open on the floor, its zipper undone.

Ethan slung a bag over his shoulder and dressed neatly as he stepped out of the door. He said he had urgent business to attend to.

I sat quietly on the edge of the bed, watching the door close behind him.

Sunlight slipped through the gap in the curtains, landing on the phone by the table.

I picked it up and typed into the search bar, 'Serethan.'

In my past life, when Serena had thrown me out of the house, she'd shown her Instagram account to me with a proud smile.

"Ethan only liked you back then because he hadn't met me yet," Serena said, "He told me himself that he'd only learned what real love felt like until me. I've posted about all our shared memories online. Over three million people have blessed our love, yet you didn't even know about it, did you?"

Back then, I thought I'd already died once. But I realized death didn't hurt—coming to your senses and facing the truth did.

I turned off my phone screen and took a deep breath.

This time, I wouldn't wait any longer.