This Life Wasn’t for Love, It Was for Payback

Bryant's POV

The bodyguards quickly pinned me down again as Ellen began slapping me hard from both sides. Each hit stung like fire across my cheeks.

“You already tore us apart once in our last life! Why are you trying to break us up again?!” she screamed. “You hurt him, Bryant. So now I’ll make you pay for it a hundred times over!”

I tasted blood in my mouth.

Catching her off guard, I raised my leg and kicked her straight in the stomach.

Doubling over and clutching her belly, she gasped, “You’re insane!”

Hair clung to my face as I glared at her. “Who said I’m trying to break you up? If you love him that much, then go with him to community college. No one’s stopping you.”

Ellen froze.

Even Toby turned to look at her instinctively.

But she said nothing.

I let out a bitter, breathless laugh. “See? I’m not standing in your way. Not now, not even before. If you’d really been that determined, nothing could’ve come between you two. Just admit it, you just couldn’t let go of Stanford or your family’s stock price, and you didn’t have the guts to blame your precious ‘first love.’ So now you're blaming me.”

“You’re a coward, Ellen! A spineless, selfish coward,” I spat.

“Enough!” she snapped, her voice shaking.

Grabbing Toby’s hand, she turned and stormed out of the room.

“You’re insane!” she lastly shouted before leaving.

The bodyguards then followed close behind.

And just like that, they left me there, crumpled on the ground like a piece of trash.

Then a notification popped up on my computer.

It was a message from a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

[Mr. Bryant Blanton, we were extremely impressed with the project files you sent. For that reason, we’ve made an exception to admit you as a research assistant. We hope you’ll continue to contribute to the future of our country’s scientific development.]

Attached was a formal letter of appointment.

Tears welled up and spilled down my cheeks.

The truth was, the heartbreak from my last life wasn’t what haunted me most.

My biggest regret was that I had been on the brink of a major scientific breakthrough, something our country desperately needed, but I died at the bottom of that cliff before I could finish it.

It wasn’t Ellen I regretted.

It was the career that died with me.

But now, with everything I remembered from my past life, I finally achieved that breakthrough.

And this time, I could fulfill my dream of serving my country.

In the days that followed, I worked remotely with the research team, helping advance the project from a distance. If our tech reached completion, it would push national science forward by years, and traditional businesses like the Olsons' would be left scrambling to keep up.

The night before I was supposed to report for duty, I packed my things and got ready to leave.

But before I could step out the door, a group of men burst in and dragged me away.

My parents greeted me with bright, excited smiles.

“You really struck gold this time!” my mom said cheerfully. “The Olsons say you don’t even need to get into college to marry in. For the next four years, you’ll live at their estate and learn how to be a good son-in-law. Once Ellen graduates, you two will have the wedding.”

My breath caught in my throat.

The Olsons were extremely traditional, roles reversed by gender. Men who married in were expected to act submissively, obey strict household rules, and give up access to any electronics. Their job was to serve their wife, support them from the shadows, and stay quiet.

If you disobeyed, they’d punish you with house rules, which were harsh ones.

In my last life, they never dared treat me that way because they relied on my expertise to keep their stock prices stable. Even Ellen helped shield me from their old-school traditions.

But I’d seen what happened to the other men in that household.

“I’m not going!” I shouted, struggling to break free.

But a slap came out of nowhere and struck me hard across the face.

My mom frowned at me, annoyed. “Do you know how many people would kill for this chance? You blew your shot, and they still want you. You should be grateful!”

“I—mmph!”

Before I could say another word, they shoved a cloth in my mouth and forced me into a car.

When I woke up, I was lying in a guest room at the Olson estate, the one they had prepared just for me.

Outside, a celebration was underway.

They were throwing a party to send off Ellen and Toby.

Apparently, she had paid for him to attend a private university near Stanford.