Chapter 2

Peter Grant didn't come after me.

To him, this was just me being manipulative, another 'playing hard to get' trick.

When I got home, I sank into the bathtub, my body heavy with exhaustion.

Everything from my previous life kept playing on repeat in my head.

My hands tightened around the edge of the tub, the tension spilling out of me before I could stop it.

The water crept up to my nose, making me cough hard until I jolted fully awake. I stumbled out, threw on a bathrobe, and stared at myself in the mirror—still catching my breath.

No scars. No burns. It was as if nothing had ever happened to my face.

I touched my face, head lowered, sobbing so hard I couldn't breathe.

In my previous life, when the Grant residence caught fire, Peter didn't hesitate for a second. He rescued his first love and left me behind without looking back.

Abandoned, left behind in the flames, by the time someone finally dragged me out, my face was ruined beyond recognition.

Afterward, Peter just gave me his usual excuse.

"I didn't even see you. Nina Moore's legs were trapped, and the fire was out of control. Of course, I had to save her first," he said.

Thinking about that, I landed a hard slap on my own face.

What a joke. In my previous life, I was such an idiot. Peter could twist me any way he wanted with just a few words.

Maybe it was because I came back to life, but the whole night I kept replaying scenes from my past.

When morning finally came, I woke up feeling totally wrecked, like my body and mind had been put through a shredder.

Maybe William picked up on how down I was last night.

Normally, he'd already be at the office, but this morning he was downstairs, waiting for me in the kitchen.

"Come on, breakfast's ready," William called out in a gentle tone.

He looked at the dark circles under my eyes, his gaze full of concern.

"Did I wake you up when I got home last night?" he asked, his voice gentle.

I shook my head, my eyes red as I threw myself into his arms.

I clung to him, my hands gripping his shirt like I was afraid he'd disappear.

William froze for a second, then set down his newspaper and gently patted my back.

Softly, he said, "If loving that Peter is wearing you out, then just let it go, alright? Who cares if you never get married? I'll always have your back. I'll take care of you forever."

I sniffled, struggling to hold back my tears.

There was never any arranged marriage between our families. William had just noticed how much I liked Peter, and he deliberately made it look like there was something official, all for my sake.

Thinking back to how William gave his life for me in the previous lifetime, it hurt even more.

I hugged him even tighter, my chest aching with sorrow.

A soft cough made me look up.

I turned, my eyes still red from crying.

I saw a man sitting on the couch. My tears hadn't even dried yet, so I couldn't tell who it was.

The man curled his lips into a smile. "Morning, princess."

I froze, then hurriedly pulled away from William, instantly recognizing Henry Foster.

He was William's closest brother-in-arms.

After William's death, Henry avenged him and killed the man responsible.

The last time I saw him, it was in prison. He told me he wanted to take me away, that William's death had way more secrets buried beneath the surface.

I was totally blinded, lost in my own feelings, not seeing the truth at all.

I never believed someone I'd been around for decades could ever turn out like that.

By the time I finally realized what he'd really become, I was already wrecked on the highway, stuck in labor, and barely holding on to life.

In a sudden realization, I also became aware of the last sound I had heard before dying.

"Why are you here?" I asked, surprised to see him.

At this time of day, he should still be crashed out after all that wild partying last night—not up and about already.

Henry arched a brow with a playful smirk.

William cleared his throat, shooting me a look that clearly meant, "Eat your breakfast."

I nodded and sat down at the table, but I couldn't help glancing back at Henry from time to time.

After a few bites, William finally spoke up, sounding a bit hesitant. "Vivian, did Peter piss you off lately?"

I glanced up at William, a little confused about what he was getting at.

He took out his phone and pulled up Peter's latest social media post for me.

It was a pic of a mountaintop completely shrouded in fog, with the caption: [Help. I made the princess mad. How do I win her back?]

My hand tightened around my spoon, and I realized I was trembling all over.

It was that post on Peter's social feed in my previous life that convinced me he actually cared about me.

I held onto that illusion for years, thinking I was the one he called "princess."

But the truth was, his "princess" was always Nina, his unreachable first love. It was never me.

The milk that tasted delicious earlier now felt like candle wax in my mouth.

I just couldn't get it down, no matter what.

My eyes dropped, my voice shaky as I whispered. "William, I don't want to even mention Peter's name anymore."

In this life, I'm done with Peter. I don't ever want to be tangled up with him again.

Twenty years spent loving him. It was all just my own one-sided wishful thinking.

William looked caught off guard. He didn't say a word, simply pulled up his message thread with Peter.

The entire conversation was just William asking Peter if he knew where I was.

After glancing at the chat, William blocked and deleted Peter without the slightest hesitation, like it meant absolutely nothing to him.

He gave me a soft, reassuring smile. "As long as I'm around, no one will ever make you suffer."

I looked at William, my eyes shining with tears that refused to fall.

He was always like this, always putting me first, never hesitating for a second.

If I liked Peter, he'd move mountains to help me.

If I didn't, he'd make sure Peter was completely out of the picture.