An Ode to Freedom

When I opened my eyes once more, Flora was holding me tightly. I had secretly loved her for a decade. Her warm lips kissed my neck, telling me not to leave.

This time, I pushed her away and told the butler to send her to her first love's home. Her first love was Sean Graham.

In my last life, Flora drank so much that she was drunk during the celebration organized for me to celebrate me for getting an overseas college's offer letter.

After the celebration, I didn't refuse her when she wanted me to stay, and that wild night came to pass.

The next morning, when Sean saw me coming out of Flora's bedroom, he pretended to be amiable and said he would make our wish come true despite the darkness in his eyes.

Then, he disappeared for about one month. In the end, we found a blood-stained necktie in the mountains and the skeletal remains that had been feasted on by wild animals.

Flora didn't sleep for an entire night as she held Sean's necktie in her hand.

After that, it was like the discovery hadn't affected her at all, as she still passionately planned for my birthday trip.

But that very night during the trip, I was abducted.

I begged the kidnappers to beg Flora to pay the ransom, but I heard her personally give the orders.

"Don't let him die too easily. He's just some scum of the earth. Do whatever you want with him. When you're done, dump him in the Northern Barrens and clean things up. He owes Sean this much!"

Flora, I'm done playing by your rules this time around.

"Vincent, don't leave me... You're all I have left!" When I opened my eyes again, I saw Flora Turner throw her arms around my neck, trying to kiss me as she stood on her tiptoes.

In my last life, I had been hopelessly in love with her and had simply let everything spiral out of control. This time, I grabbed the glass of water on the bedside table and splashed it straight into Flora's face.

She froze for a moment. Her eyes seemed clear for a moment, but then, they were soon once again consumed by desire and alcohol. I pressed the call bell and walked out the door without hesitation. "I'll make the right choice this time," I mumbled to myself.

The butler, Mr. Thompson, appeared before me almost at once. He glanced at the half-open door and asked carefully, "Master Vincent, should I..."

"Send her to Sean Graham's place," I said.

The butler was stunned for a moment. He was about to speak, but when he met my cold eyes, he swallowed his words and hurried off to do as he was told.

Ten minutes later, Sean sent me a text, his tone full of provocation and accusation. [Vincent, what did you do to Flora?]

I typed out a calm reply. [It's your birthday today, Mr. Graham. I'm simply helping you make your wish come true and sending a gift your way.]

When the screen went dark, I could see the reflection of my face, and a bitter smile tugged at my lips.

Flora and I were siblings in name only, and we shared neither mother nor father. My mother, Miranda Shaw, was a well-known businesswoman. She had been widowed for many years before she fell in love with Flora's father, Jack Turner.

That was how Flora Turner became my stepsister.

In my previous life, I had fallen deeply in love with Flora. That love and desire for years had turned into a wild night, and I was glad to be what she needed.

The next day, her lover, Sean, walked in on us.

He forced himself to swallow the humiliation and said he would recognize us. Later, he ran away from home and disappeared for a whole month. The police eventually found a bloodstained tie at the edge of a cliff and a pile of bones at the bottom.

Flora did not show any crack in her composure. She even turned around and comforted me. Not only that, she threw herself into planning my birthday, saying she wanted to give me a memory I would never forget.

On the day of the trip, I was kidnapped. I heard her cold laugh as she gave the kidnappers their orders. "Don't let him die too easily. He's just some scum of the earth. Do whatever you want with him. When you're done, dump him in the Northern Barrens and clean things up. He owes Sean this much!"

I sobbed and begged her. "You were the one who came to me first, Flora! How could you just let me die now?!"

Flora smiled cruelly. "You're the one who made the first move. Ever since Sean left me, I wished you would die every single day! You still don't know about this, do you? When your loving mother heard you were trafficked across to the Northern Barrens, a vein in her brain popped, and it started bleeding! She's still in the ICU right now! No one in this world is coming to save you!"

My heart went cold.

I went through every humiliation one could imagine in the Northern Barrens. They broke all ten of my fingers and shattered the bones in my legs.

In the end, I died because of all their torture.

Everything was thanks to Flora.

I died with my eyes wide open, filled with nothing but hate!

Now that I had regressed and was given another lease in life, I would never make the same mistake again!

-

The next morning, my mother was seated at the table reading financial reports as she spoke to me in a soft, gentle voice. My stepfather, Jack, was directing the servants as they set out breakfast.

Suddenly, Flora burst into the house with Sean in tow. She shot me an unreadable look, then lifted Sean's hand high and announced in a serious tone, "Mom, Dad, I'm going to marry Sean."

Her clothes were a mess.

Meanwhile, Sean held his head high, a hint of smugness and pride on his face, with his neck covered in love bites. Anyone could tell what the two of them had been doing all night.

Jack was overjoyed, but my mother stayed calm. Instead, she simply told Mr. Thompson to add one more place at the table. Not long after, she excused herself, saying there was an urgent matter at the company, and left early.

At the table, Jack treated Sean as if he were family already, as he kept asking Sean questions.

All of a sudden, Flora looked over at me, displeased. "Vincent, where's your voice? You won't even say hello to Sean? Aren't you happy with him?"