Sending Him to Her Rescue

I run into my fiancé's childhood sweetheart at the entrance of a bar on Valentine's Day.

She's been drugged and is unconscious. This time, I pretend not to see her and leave without another look back.

I didn't know who she was in my past life and saved her out of kindness. Then, I accidentally saw my fiancé's name tattooed on her collarbone.

I thought it was just a misunderstanding until I answered her phone and heard my fiancé's voice on the other end of the line.

I hung up out of jealousy and anger. I ignored the 99 calls he gave me. I took his childhood sweetheart to one of my family's hotels and made sure she was well taken care of before leaving.

Unexpectedly, she was violated that night. She committed suicide out of shame.

My fiancé acted like nothing happened after hearing of this. He proceeded to give me a grand wedding.

Then, when I found out I was pregnant, he broke my legs and locked me up at home. I broke down and asked him why he was doing this.

He laughed manically. "Averie wouldn't have been violated if not for you. She wouldn't have taken her own life! It's all your fault!"

To my surprise, when I open my eyes again, I find myself back to the day I run into Averie Lancaster outside the bar.

"Please… Call my boyfriend… Please..."

Averie Lancaster lay crumpled outside the bar, her cheeks flushed. Her voice was barely a whisper, teetering on the edge of consciousness.

Her words were simple, yet they sent a chill down my spine. At that moment, I realized I'd come back to life.

Without a second glance, I turned from her outstretched hand and hurried away from the bar. In my past life, a single moment of sympathy had cost me everything. I wouldn't make that mistake again—not this time.

I'd barely taken a few steps when Averie lurched to her feet and reached for me. Caught off guard, I lost my balance and hit the ground hard.

A sharp jolt of pain tore through me, knocking the breath from my lungs. I didn't even notice her phone ringing until Rafael's voice came through, sharp and frantic.

"Avie, why aren't you answering? Do you have any idea how worried I've been?"

Her voice turned sweet and soft, barely above a whisper, as she said, "Rafe… I don't feel good. Someone drugged me… Please… Come get me…"

His voice rose in urgency, panic edging every word. "Hang on, Avie. I'm on my way!"

Hearing Rafael's voice made my skin crawl. The memory of him breaking my legs in my past life came rushing back as if it hadn't faded.

Back then, I couldn't possibly imagine the man I was about to marry would kill me.

Barely ten minutes later, Rafael pulled up outside the bar. He quickly lifted Averie into his arms, but before he could turn away, he caught sight of me, still on the ground. "Eleanor Marlowe?"

His expression faltered, a flicker of unease crossing his face. "Eleanor... Why are you here?"

I winced as pain flared in my ankle, probably twisted. However, I pushed myself to my feet, avoiding his gaze. Ignoring his question, I limped to the curb and hailed a cab home.

Not long after, Rafael came home with Averie clinging to him and mumbling nonsense under her breath.

He froze when he saw me, guilt flickering across his face before he hurried to explain.

"Avie's not feeling well. I didn't want to leave her alone, so I brought her back. You don't mind, do you—?"

"No." I cut him off, shutting the door before he could say anything else, though not before I caught the flicker of mixed emotions in his eyes.

That night, their voices came from the guest room. Faint but impossible to ignore.

A dull ache settled in my chest, growing tighter and tighter until it hurt to breathe. Before I knew it, tears slid down my cheeks.

I quickly wiped them away—not from jealousy, but from the cold terror of remembering how close I'd come to death.

By dawn, the noise had quieted, and finally, I could breathe a bit easier.

In my past life, love blinded me. I ignored all 99 of Rafael's calls to Averie outside the bar and left her alone at the hotel. That night, she was assaulted, and just days later, she took her own life.

Rafael kept his word. He married me and gave me the wedding of my dreams. However, the day I told him I was pregnant, he broke my legs and locked me in the house.

Through the pain, I asked him why.

His response was cold and bitter. He hated me and blamed me for Averie's death. Everything had been part of his plan to get revenge on her behalf.

This time, I wouldn't stand in their way. I'd step back and stay out of it for good.

It wasn't until noon the next day that they finally came out of the bedroom.