Scentless Begonia, Sleepless Love

I glanced up at him, already irritated.

If, in our last life, Ethan hated me because he was forced to marry me, then in this life I had freed up the title of Mrs. Carter early on. I truly couldn’t understand why he was still clinging to me like this.

Just as I was about to retort, the Eternal Diamond was brought out.

Before I could raise my paddle, Ethan offered a starting bid of one million.

The Eternal Diamond wasn’t a top-grade stone—its hardness and clarity were far from perfect. The only reason it had made it to the auction stage was that it had once been worn by the Princess of Monaco.

“Olivia, you in or not?” he taunted.

“If you don’t have the money, I can lend it to you.”

With a white guest card, I could only raise in increments of a hundred thousand.

Ethan kept dragging me along like this until I lowered my head.

“Mr. Carter, this diamond was my mother’s keepsake. I’m asking you to let it go.”

Maybe my low posture only made him more ruthless. With a mocking smile, he pushed the bid to the final signal.

I knew he was doing it on purpose.

In our last life, we had fought just as fiercely at auctions. He had tried to win an antique rosary blessed by a Catholic priest for Sophia’s pregnancy, and I’d outbid him in the final round.

I’d flaunted it in front of Sophia, and moments later, she had miscarried.

“Olivia, if she and the baby don’t make it, I swear I’ll haunt you to hell!”

He’d carried Sophia away that day, looking as if he wanted to tear me apart.

After the miscarriage, he dug up my mother’s grave and scattered her ashes into the pouring rain right in front of me.

Now, the Eternal Diamond landed in his hands. Everyone turned to look at Sophia—after all, only minutes ago he’d declared he would use it to propose.

I watched her rise, smooth her hair and dress, and, with a cold snort, head for the exit.

I had come for that diamond; without it, there was no reason to stay.

But before I could take a few steps, Ethan seized my wrist.

“What?”

“Don’t you want to watch me propose to Sophia?”

His tone held a strange, inexplicable excitement.

I yanked my hand free.

“Who you propose to is none of my business.”

“I’m leaving because it’s time to pick my child up from school.”

His eyes dimmed instantly, disbelief flashing in them.

“You have a child?”

Sophia stepped up to take his arm, trying to calm him, but he shoved her aside before she could speak.

“Olivia! Are you lying to me? How could you have a child?”

I’d heard almost the exact same words in my previous life—only then, it was Sophia who had said them.

After she lost her baby, Ethan had brought her home and forced me to wait on her during her confinement, calling it penance for the dead child.

“Let’s get a divorce, Ethan. I don’t want to fight anymore,” I had begged for the first time.

He had refused, using my imprisoned father as leverage, and even forcing himself on me.

Later, when I became pregnant, Sophia had orchestrated my miscarriage and sneered,

“Olivia, someone like you doesn’t deserve to have a child.”

Ethan had added, “One life for another. You and she are even now.”

That was the moment I gave up completely.

The next day, I reported Ethan under my real name for embezzling public funds and selling the Carter family’s core technology to their biggest rival.

The Carter empire crumbled overnight.

And while he was being taken in for investigation, I ran him down with my car.

Ten years of love and hate—and I could no longer tell which was which.