My mother asked who I wanted to marry. This time, I didn’t choose Simon Hughes. Instead, I chose his younger uncle, Daniel Hughes. Her reaction was immediate, her gaze sharp and full of disbelief, as if I had just slapped her. After all, everyone in town knew that Simon and I were inseparable, practically tied together since childhood.

For 10 years, I chased him, made it clear I wouldn’t marry anyone else. But that was the old me, the version of myself that no longer existed. A bitter smile formed on my lips as the memories of my past life before being reborn flooded my mind. In that life, after Simon and I got married, I came to a painful realization. He had never touched me.

At first, I told myself it was something personal, that maybe it was something he couldn’t help. I excused it and tried to convince myself it didn’t matter. But then on our golden wedding anniversary, I entered a room I had never seen before. It was locked, hidden, and filled with photos of my cousin. That’s when it all clicked.

It wasn’t that Simon was asexual. He simply didn’t love me. And now, in this second life, I was tired of wasting time on someone who would never love me back. I decided to let them be together once and for all. But as I walked down the aisle toward Daniel, Simon’s face went pale and he completely lost control.

3 days after my official engagement to Simon Hughes, I saw him at a party. As expected, his friend saw me and of course couldn’t resist. They were already laughing, clearly having fun at my expense. Simon, look who it is. Your little follower is here again. One of them shouted with a grin.

Bianca, you’re already engaged to Simon and still clinging to him. Shouldn’t you let the poor guy enjoy his party before locking him down? Another chimed in. When Simon saw me, the irritation was practically written all over his face. Bianca, he spat. Are you really that desperate to marry me? You didn’t even bother asking my permission before sealing this engagement, and now the whole damn town is talking about it.

The nerve you have. His disgust h!t me like a punch to the gut. I had to take a deep breath and steady myself before replying. I didn’t need your approval. I’m not marrying you. The room burst into laughter. Simon’s friends were practically bent over, laughing so hard. Of course, they couldn’t resist continuing to mock me, Simon.

One of them yelled, “Watch out. Your fiance is about to pull another move to get your attention.” Simon simply shook his head, looking increasingly annoyed. Bianca, now you’re playing hard to get. I couldn’t help but smile. With the Hug’s family, if I don’t marry you, who else will I marry? He leaned closer, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Let’s not forget you’ve been saying since we were kids that you’d marry me. The whole town already thinks you’re mine. Then he whispered, “I’ll let this engagement slide, but don’t forget. Yes, I can give you a grand wedding, but the marriage license, that’s only for the person I truly want to marry. I froze.

In my past life, this was exactly when Simon went through with his family’s plans and we registered our marriage. Could it be that he had also been reborn? Before I could process what was happening, my cousin Audrey appeared at the party. The moment she saw me standing next to Simon, her face twisted with anguish and tears started streaming from her eyes.

“Bianca, Simon, I heard you’re getting married soon. I didn’t bring a gift, but I wish you all the happiness in the world,” she stammered, her voice cracking with every word. Before she could finish, Audrey turned around and ran out, sobbing as she fled. Look what you’ve done, Bianca,” Simon muttered, shooting me a furious glare before running after her without another word.

When they returned, their fingers were intertwined, clenched tightly. Audrey’s lips were swollen and red, and Simon had a hickey on his neck. The whole room was watching, waiting to see what I would do. In my previous life, if I saw another woman getting too close to Simon, I would cause a scene to make sure everyone knew he was still mine.

Simon stepped forward, placing Audrey behind him like a shield, his face holding a strange expectant expression, but I didn’t give him the reaction he was clearly waiting for. Minutes passed and his arrogant little smile began to fade. Then he mocked, “Well, look at that. At least you’ve grown up a bit. You don’t scream or throw fits like before.

” I didn’t even bother to respond. When the party ended and everyone began heading toward the door, Simon stopped me. It’s late and it’s not safe. I’ll give you a ride, he said. Since the ride was free and I wasn’t about to walk home, I didn’t argue. I went for the back seat, but Simon was faster. He blocked the front seat. You sit in the back.

With that, he gently helped Audrey into the front seat as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Sorry, Bianca, Audrey said with fake concern. Simon’s just being protective. He’s afraid I’ll get car sick. I said nothing. I simply slid into the back seat, exactly where I’d planned to sit from the beginning. The entire ride home was just Simon and Audrey talking and laughing like they were the only two people on Earth.

At a red light, Audrey joked with Simon, asking him to help her with a lip balm. They exchanged a look and I swear the tension in the air suddenly thickened. Simon turned his head toward the rear view mirror as if he just remembered I was in the car. When his eyes met mine, I deliberately looked out the window, trying to ignore them.

His expression faded for a moment. For a moment, I saw regret cross his face. Then, before I could even process it, he slammed on the gas. When we arrived at my house, Simon did something I truly didn’t expect. He grabbed my arm again. “Drop the act,” he said, his tone sharp. “Don’t pretend you don’t care. It’s beneath you.

” With that, he threw a bracelet at me. “This is your engagement gift from me,” he added, his voice dripping with condescension. “If you stay in line, I’ll at least give you a voice on paper. Everyone will think you’re my wife.” I stared at him. And who exactly do you plan to marry then? I asked. Audrey. Simon’s face twisted with rage, but beneath it there was something almost smug, as if he was enjoying the chaos he was creating. I knew it, he sneered.

You’ve been pretending this whole time. Listen closely. Don’t you dare say a word about this to anyone in either of our families. My relationship with Audrey is none of your business. She’s kind and fragile. Nothing like your little schemes. His voice dropped almost like a warning. If you ever hurt her, don’t think for a second I’ll go through with this wedding.

I couldn’t help but laugh. He was too much of a coward to be honest with a huge family. But somehow I was the villain in all of this. I didn’t say another word. I simply turned and walked into my apartment. The weight of everything pressing down on me. The moment I closed the door behind me, my phone vibrated.

It was a video from Audrey. I hesitated before opening it, but when I did, there they were. Simon gently helping Audrey fasten a necklace around her neck. The brand was unmistakable. And then I realized it. The bracelet Simon had just thrown at me was the matching piece to that same necklace. They were so close, their necks almost touching.

And then as the camera zoomed in, they kissed. The sound broke the silence like a slap to the chest. Sharp, intrusive. Bianca, Simon must have already told you, right? Audrey’s voice said after the wedding. He’s going to marry me legally. Just so you know, without a legal marriage, there’s no right to inheritance. I guess it’s finally my turn to be the richest woman in Ever Grand City.

Audrey, she had been reborn, too. Everything made sense. Even though Simon and Audrey had no connection in our past life, this time, just days after being reborn, they were already acting like lovers, doing everything a couple would do. It was like they had some unspoken understanding, like they were trying to pick up exactly where they left off.

I lowered my gaze. Memories from my previous life flooded back in. I thought about when I first married someone from the Hughes family. Right after the wedding, everything seemed to change. The company began receiving an avalanche of partnership offers, securing contracts left and right. The assets of Hughes Enterprises skyrocketed, and before long, they became the wealthiest company in Los Angeles.

The patriarch of the Hughes family was convinced that I was the one bringing Simon good luck. Strangely enough, the family started to appreciate me more and more. They treated me like one of their own, like I truly belonged there. Despite Simon’s cold indifference, I honestly thought I was happy. That was until I found the photos.

One afternoon, my mother walked into my room with news. Daniel, Simon’s younger uncle, is returning from Europe in 5 days. I froze, caught off guard. Daniel had never married in my previous life, and I certainly didn’t expect our arranged marriage to move forward so quickly. I vaguely remembered Daniel. One thing was clear, though.

He had always been a good guy, almost like an older brother to me. Marrying him now gave me more peace than marrying anyone else ever could. I wasn’t sure why, but the idea of him felt right. The next morning, I got up early and went straight to work in my studio designing my wedding dress. I’d been sketching my dream wedding dress since university, back when I studied fashion design.

But all the designs I came up with back then had to fit Simon’s tastes. He never let me use any design elements I truly liked. Everything had to be for him. But now, now everything was different. For the first time, the dress would be mine. Not Simon’s, not Audrey’s, not for that rotten city that had always watched me like I was a character in a telenova with a pre-written ending.

I was finally designing something that reflected who I was, not what others expected of me. And with every stitch taking form on the white silk, I felt my heart reconnecting with something I had buried years ago. My will to live for myself. No matter how much I tried to focus on the design, my mind kept going back to that damned bracelet.

I left it on the table without even opening it. The fake shine of that piece of jewelry insulted me. It was as if Simon had branded me like an object. If you behave, I’ll give you a voice on paper. Who did he think he was? My owner and Audrey? What kind of woman sends a video like that to someone? As if it were a joke. The truth is, she knew too.

She had known from the start. The fake tears at the party, the calculated glances, the necklace, the video, it was all planned. She wasn’t fragile. She was a strategist. cold, manipulative. They were playing dirty. They didn’t just want to be together. They wanted to destroy me in the process. They wanted me to feel small, disposable, insignificant. But not this time.

Not anymore. I spent the following days in silence. I ignored my mother’s messages, the invitations to family dinners, the subtle jabs from people around me. I wasn’t raised to confront, but I had been reborn to resist. And then he arrived. Daniel, the moment he stepped through my parents’ front door, the entire atmosphere shifted.

He looked older, of course, but still had that calm, steady gaze. I remembered the way he smiled at me. It wasn’t the smile of someone expecting a submissive wife. It was genuine, curious, like he truly wanted to know who I was. “So, you’re really going to marry me?” he asked with a soft smile. I took a deep breath.

if you want to, but you need to know something. I’m not the same person I used to be. He smiled with a hint of mischief. Perfect, because I’m not either. In the following days, Daniel treated me with a kind of respect I didn’t know existed. He listened to me, asked questions, said he loved my sketches, even if he didn’t understand a thing about fashion.

Unlike Simon, who always said, “I don’t like that.” Daniel would ask, “Does this represent you?” For the first time in years, I felt like I could breathe. But of course, the peace never lasts long. One Friday, the Hughes family hosted a dinner to celebrate Daniel’s return. And as expected, Simon and Audrey were there. He with his smug aura and she wearing the damn necklace, the matching piece to the bracelet Simon had given me.

It was pure provocation. Obvious. And it worked. I was burning inside. During dinner, Audrey laughed loudly, touched Simon constantly, called him love so everyone could hear. Simon kept glancing at me, clearly hoping I’d snap in front of everyone, but I didn’t. I smiled. I toasted. I kept Daniel’s hand firmly in mine.

“Are you okay?” he whispered, sensing my tension. “Not yet,” I replied, staring directly at Simon. “But I will be.” After dessert, my mother, everlacking intact, commented, “It’s funny how everything worked out, isn’t it? Bianca with Daniel and Simon with Audrey. It’s like fate.” Daniel squeezed my hand. I kept my smile, but inside I was swallowing fire.

Then Audrey raised her glass and said with poison sweetness, “To strong women who know when to step aside so true love can flourish.” Simon looked straight at me, like daring me to react, but I didn’t give him that pleasure. When dinner ended and we headed to the parking lot, Daniel went to get the car. “Simon approached me.

” “This is all a pathetic act, Bianca,” he murmured, leaning against a passenger door. “You’re the pathetic one,” I replied bluntly, using me as a facade and still pretending to be the victim. He stepped closer. “You still love me. You’re not even worthy of my hatred, let alone my love. He laughed, but there was fury in his eyes. Do you really think Daniel is going to protect you? He’s just a pawn in this game.

Isn’t it strange how fast everything’s moved? This family needs you. And now that they know you bring luck, so that’s what this is. I cut him off. Not love, not desire, superstition. You want to keep me around as a lucky charm? I’ll marry Audrey legally, but no one will stop seeing you as my wife. Do you really think Daniel will resist the power of the Hugh’s name for long? I resisted.

I snapped back and now if I have to destroy that name, I will. He fell silent, then smirked with disdain. Good luck with that. The next morning, I was awakened by a notification. Someone had leaked an article to the local press. It painted me as a social climber. Said my engagement to Daniel was fake, that I was manipulating his family just to rise in status.

There were photos, some real, others badly edited. Audrey, of course. But I didn’t cry. I didn’t call my mother. I didn’t delete my social media. I just called someone I hadn’t spoken to in years. Marcelo, a journalist who owed my father a favor. I’m going to send you some material, I said. I want you to publish it under your name.

Are you sure? He asked. It’s heavy. Absolutely sure. And publish everything, including the video. I sent him everything. The necklace video, the voice notes, Audrey’s message saying she’d marry Simon after the fake ceremony, the contract I found among the company’s documents, proving they plan to use me to secure the inheritance, and then discard me.

2 days later, the bomb dropped. Every news outlet picked it up. Scandal in the Hughes family, fake marriage and million-dollar inheritance scheme. The whole city was on fire. Company stocks plummeted, contracts were cancelled, and the Hughes patriarch, the same one who always believed I brought good fortune, came down from his pedestal, screaming. Simon was downed.

Audrey disappeared. She shut down her accounts, cancelled the engagement, and was last seen leaving the city with two suitcases. That night, Daniel called me. Was it you? Yes. Thank you. Do you still want to marry me? He laughed. Now more than ever. And me? That night, I slept in peace.

For the first time in many, many lives, but peace never lasts. The next morning, a loud knock woke me. It wasn’t the nervous tap of a delivery person or the quick ring of a neighbor. It was firm, repetitive, almost threatening. I looked at the clock. 7:42 a.m. I threw on a robe quickly and walked to the door, heart racing. When I opened it, there was my mother.

Her face read, eyes intense, lips pressed tight. What did you do? Her voice was sharp like a blade. She didn’t come in. She just stood there as if facing a criminal. “What I had to do,” I answered calmly. I exposed them. Simon and Audrey were lying to everyone, using the family, using my name, using me. Someone had to speak up.

She laughed, not kindly, mockingly. “Do you know what you’ve done? You ruined the reputation of the entire Hughes family. The company lost investors. Your father was summoned to explain things he had nothing to do with. I got confronted in the grocery store and that matters more to you than the fact that I was humiliated for years.

Bianca, you were always treated like a queen. You had everything. And now, just out of spite, you throw it all away. Everything? What is that everything? Being Simon’s shadow, being used and ridiculed in public, being treated like a lucky charm. Was that everything? She hesitated just for a second. But it was enough to see the truth in her face. She knew.

She had always known. She knew Simon didn’t love me. She knew he used me. And she chose silence. She chose comfort. The Hughes are the most powerful family in Los Angeles. Bianca, you should have endured it. What you did was foolish, and you’ll pay for it. I shut the door in her face without another word.

From that moment on, I knew I was completely alone. Not even my own mother was on my side. The days that followed were a war. I received anonymous messages, calls from unknown numbers. Online, they claimed I had manipulated Daniel, that the whole engagement was a scheme to grab the inheritance. They even said I had faked the videos. Daniel supported me.

He stayed by my side, steady, more than I had expected. They’re desperate, he said to me. When the powerful lose control, all they know how to do is attack. What I didn’t expect was for Audrey to come back. Two weeks after the scandal, she showed up at my building, dressed in black, sunglasses on, but everyone recognized her.

She made a scene at the entrance, shouted my name, demanded that I come down. Against my instincts, I went down. I wanted to look her in the eyes. When we faced each other, she took off her glasses. Her face was full of hatred and fear. You think you won? She hissed through her teeth. You only made everything worse. The patriarch is sick.

The company is collapsing. And now Daniel is the new favorite. He deserves it. You two don’t. You don’t understand anything, Bianca. Nothing. Simon and I were reborn, too. This time we just wanted to avoid the mistakes of the past. And that’s why you lied, manipulated, and betrayed. She pressed her lips together.

Simon has been mine since the first life. We were supposed to be together. But you, you always show up. You always pull him away. He was never yours or mine. Simon only belongs to himself. She stepped closer, her eyes burning with fury. Do you really think Daniel will protect you forever? Do you think this story will end well for you? He’s a Hughes and all Hughes sooner or later choose their side.

And she left without saying another word, but she left me uneasy. In the following days, Daniel changed. He became more distant, more tense. Endless meetings calls sudden trips. He said everything was fine, that he loved me, that he was still with me, but his eyes were tired, heavy. One night he came home late, very late.

He walked in silently, dropped his coat on the couch, and went straight to the bathroom. As he moved, a paper fell out of his pocket. A contract. I picked it up. It was a business merger agreement. A prenuptual contract signed. without my name. Daniel came out of the bathroom and found me holding the paper. What is this? He froze.

It’s just a draft. It’s not official yet. Just something the family lawyers prepared. And why don’t I have any rights in case of separation? Why doesn’t my name even appear? Because they still don’t trust you, he said painfully. Still. Bianca. So Audrey was right. I said, my throat tight. They always choose their own.

I haven’t chosen anything. I’m stuck in the middle. I stood up. And me? Am I not stuck, too? But I don’t have a powerful last name to protect me. All I have is myself. And I’m tired of waiting for someone to save me. He tried to reach for me, but I stepped back. I won’t be a bargaining chip again.

I’m not the Bianca from before. I’m the woman who tore Simon and Audrey down with the truth. And if you take their side, you’ll fall with them. He froze, speechless. I grabbed my bag, walked out, and slept elsewhere. For the first time since all of this began, I was alone, but not defeated. The next day, I publicly announced the launch of my own fashion brand.

I used the scandal to my advantage. I told my story, showed my sketches, my process, everything I had lived. Social media exploded. I received support from women all over the country. They told me they too had been silenced, used, discarded. Within weeks, my brand had a waiting list. And then a letter arrived from the Hughes legal team.

They were suing me for misuse of private information for commercial gain. I smiled because that was the proof that even with all their power, they were still afraid of me. And this time they have no idea what I’m capable of. At first, I believed all I needed was love. That if I found someone who truly saw me, who said the right words, who stood by my side against the world, everything would work out. But I was wrong.

Love isn’t enough when everything around you is rotten. When even the sweet words come wrapped in hidden contracts and promises as fragile as glass, Daniel he was good. Or at least he wanted to be. You could see it in his eyes. He wasn’t like Simon, who smiled with that air of superiority, that arrogance of someone who’d always been treated like a prince.

Daniel listened. He hesitated before interrupting. He walked slowly, as if he respected the ground beneath him. That’s why it hurts so much to discover that even being different, he was still bound by the same family chains. He didn’t cheat on me with stolen kisses. He didn’t conspire against me, but he allowed it.

He allowed his family to exclude me on paper to reduce me to a shadow with no rights. And worst of all, he tried to convince me it wasn’t a big deal, that it was just a draft. But drafts reveal intentions. And I am not a draft. When I left Daniel that night, I didn’t cry. I didn’t scream. I didn’t break anything.

I just felt a final part of me fall to the ground. And I didn’t bother to pick it up. Because the Bianca who waited to be rescued, who endured humiliation for the sake of love, who stayed silent to keep the peace, she no longer existed. She d!ed with that former life. What remained was a woman who finally understood that the only future worth having was the one she built for herself.

And that’s exactly what I did. My fashion brand grew faster than I ever imagined. At first, they said it was pity that it was just media hype that it would fade in weeks. But my designs spoke for themselves. Every stitch had a story. Every garment was a declaration of independence. I didn’t make clothes to please heirs.

I designed for women who wanted to look in the mirror and recognize their own power. My social media exploded. Influencers started wearing my designs without me even asking. The press, who once called me the bitter X, now introduced me as the new fashion force of Los Angeles. I received invitations to shows, interviews, collaborations, even from people who used to laugh at me.

I accepted some, rejected many, and I never forgot their names. The most ironic part, the Hughes family sued me, claimed I had used private information for personal gain, filed a ridiculous lawsuit, probably drafted by a bitter lawyer with a thirst for revenge. But I wasn’t that naive girl anymore. I had evidence, witnesses, recordings, documents, everything.

The trial turned against them. The press didn’t let up. The company, already staggering from the scandal, began to crumble completely. Investors withdrew, executives resigned, and the Hughes name, once a symbol of power, became synonymous with lies, manipulation, and decay. Simon vanished. They say he moved to Europe, trying to start over, but I know he’s hiding.

Audrey Audrey still tries to show up now and then with that victim face of hers, but no one believes her anymore. Time did its job. Everyone saw her for who she really is. cold, calculating, poisonous. And Daniel, Daniel never reached out after that final conversation. I like to think he understood that he respected me enough not to try to fix what he himself allowed to break.

And honestly, I don’t hate him. He tried. He wanted to love, wanted to be different, wanted to break free from his last name. But at some point, the weight of his bl00d was stronger than the sound of his conscience. And I moved on. Not out of revenge, not out of pride. I moved on because I understood no one was going to build my freedom for me.

Today I give lectures. I tell my story not as a broken woman, but as a woman who survived her own naivity. I talk about relationships disguised as destiny, about manipulation wrapped in gifts, about contracts that try to reduce us to a number in someone’s inheritance, and about how to rise after all of it. My brand is now international.

I open stores in three countries. I hire women who are discarded, ignored, humiliated, and not a single piece that leaves my studio is designed to please a last name. They’re designed to empower. And if you ask me whether I still believe in love, I smile because now I know no contract, no ring, no surname is worth more than the freedom of never again submitting to someone who doesn’t see me as whole.

Reborn or not, this life is mine and no one will ever take it from me