Theater: NovelMaster | Language: English | NEW
Synopsis
In the seventh year of our marriage, a rainstorm triggered a landslide, trapping me and my husband’s childhood best friend, Chloe, in the mountains.
Nathan hoisted the unconscious Chloe onto his back and told me—the one who could still speak—to wait for search and rescue.
Nobody knew that my complaint about chest pain wasn’t me acting needy. A broken rib had already punctured my lung.
Before leaving, he kissed my forehead. “Don't be scared, Nora. I'll take her to the ER and come right back for you. You're strong. You can handle this.”
The mountain road collapsed again. By the time night fell, the rescue team had not arrived. And neither did he.
My college rival, Evelyn—the girl who had fought hardest against me to win Nathan’s heart—called my phone. Crying furiously, she cursed into the receiver:
“Nora, you ruined your whole damn life by being too accommodating! In the next life, I’m the one marrying Nathan!”
When I opened my eyes again, I was back at our college senior graduation dinner. Nathan was down on one knee in front of me, holding a massive bouquet of ninety-nine red roses.
He was confessing his feelings. The entire graduating class held their breath, waiting for my nod.
Looking at the smile on Nathan’s face, I turned and shoved the armful of roses straight into Evelyn’s hands.
“Haven’t you had a crush on him forever, Evelyn? Why don't you two give it a shot?”
“Who the hell wants your secondhand scrap metal used as a shield?”
Evelyn didn’t take the flowers.
She flipped the bouquet upside down with a single, sharp flick of her wrist. All ninety-nine roses plunged straight into the nearby trash can.
The cheers in the private dining room died instantly.
Nathan remained down on one knee, the easy smile frozen on his face.
Petals scattered across the hardwood floor. Evelyn turned her gaze toward me.
“Nora, if you don’t want this so-called blessing, don’t dump your trash on me.”
Her eyes were slightly bloodshot, but her voice was remarkably steady.
I stared at her, my fingers clenching into fists.
In my past life, as I lay dying in the mud, that final phone call had never disconnected.
Mountain winds and muddy water had poured into my ears. I couldn’t speak, but I could hear Evelyn sobbing and swearing at me through the speaker.
She had said that if there were a next life, she would steal Nathan away so I wouldn’t have to marry him again.
Yet now, the person who tossed his flowers without a second thought was also her.
“You’re back too?” I whispered.
She didn't answer. Instead, she reached out, grabbed my wrist, and gave my palm a hard, grounding squeeze.
Nathan finally pushed himself up from the floor.
“What is wrong with you two?”
With dozens of classmates staring, his jaw clenched tight.
Our class president tried to smooth things over. “Is Nora just overwhelmed? Nathan, maybe you should try—”
“No need,” I cut him off, reaching for my jacket draped over the chair.
Nathan stepped forward, blocking my path.
“Nora, the public proposal was a last-minute idea. I didn't think it through.”
“If you don’t like big crowds, we can do it somewhere private.”
His tone softened, slipping into the exact cadence he used every time I was upset.
Throughout our four years of college, Nathan rarely backed down to anyone.
Whenever he called me by my nickname, I always made excuses for him first.
I looked at him. I remembered when I was nineteen and came down with a burning fever, locked inside my dorm room.
He had stood outside in the freezing cold for two hours, talking the resident advisor into bringing me soup and meds.
When I asked him later if he was freezing, he smiled. “As long as you feel better, I’m warm.”
His care back then had been real.
That was why, every time he hurt me later, I chose to believe he was just bad at balancing priorities—not that he didn't love me.
“Do it somewhere private?” I met his gaze. “To say the exact same pitch where only I can hear it?”
Nathan’s expression eased slightly.
“As long as you’re willing to listen. After graduation, come home to meet my parents. They’ve always adored you. And Chloe will be there, too…”
The moment that name dropped, Evelyn let out a cold, sharp laugh.
Nathan frowned at me, ignoring her.
“Chloe didn't finish college, so finding a corporate job is tough for her.”
“Once we launch our startup, you can mentor her.”
He casually pulled out a chair for me.
“You have great patience and know how to look after people. Leaving her with you gives me peace of mind.”
I didn't sit.
“Did you ask me out because your parents like me?”
“Of course not,” Nathan replied without missing a beat.
“I have feelings for you. It’s just that if we’re together, everything becomes simpler.”
“She’s completely alone in this city. I can’t just abandon her. You’re sensible, Nora. You understand.”
Evelyn stepped between us, shielding me.
“Whether you owe her or love her, it’s not Nora’s debt to pay.”
“Evelyn.” Nathan’s tone dropped to freezing. “This is between Nora and me.”
“He shoved the flowers at me two seconds ago, and suddenly it’s strictly between you two?” Evelyn kicked the trash can. “Nathan, your parents look down on Chloe, but you refuse to cut the cord.”
“So you find a high-achieving, presentable girlfriend to serve as a shield for your family. And you call that love?”
Someone in the room gasped.
Nathan’s face darkened.
“Chloe and I are purely platonic. Her dad saved my father’s life. Looking out for her is my responsibility. Nora has never minded.”
Every pair of eyes shifted back onto me.
In my past life, I had backed him up on that excuse countless times.
The first time Chloe moved into our newlywed apartment, I told myself she was new to the city and insecure.
When she called Nathan away on my birthday, I told myself she had suddenly fallen ill, that she didn't mean to.
When the mudslide hit and he carried her away, I was the one who told him I was fine.
Yet the bone slicing into my lung hadn’t been an illusion. And the fact that nobody returned after the sun went down was the brutal truth.
I brushed Nathan’s hand away.
“I didn't mind before because I assumed basic boundaries existed.”
“There are boundaries,” he countered immediately.
“She won’t interfere with our private life. If you don’t want her living close by, we can rent her a separate studio.”
He offered housing, a job, and promises.
The only thing he never offered was a choice: did I actually want any of this?
Evelyn glanced at me but stayed silent, letting me speak.
I picked up my purse and walked toward the exit.
Nathan took two quick strides after me, losing his cool.
“Nora, I put myself out there in front of everyone, and you’re just walking away?”
I stopped at the doorway.
“The only reason you did it in front of everyone was because you banked on me being too polite to embarrass you.”
He froze. I shoved the door open.
Evelyn followed right on my heels. Behind us came the screech of a chair skidding across the floor.
Nathan marched through the scattered rose petals, his face livid.
“Nora! Evelyn! Have both of you lost your minds?”“Evelyn spent four years picking fights with you, and now she plays the saint and you actually buy it?”
Nathan caught up to us in the hallway, directing his fire at her.
Evelyn leaned against the wall, arms crossed. “Make your divide-and-conquer strategy a little more obvious, Nathan. I'm worried Nora might miss it.”
Nathan ignored her and turned to me.
“You were never like this. She asked me out once, got rejected, and holds a grudge. She’s deliberately driving a wedge between us. Stop letting her drag you down.”
“She’s not wrong,” I said quietly.
Nathan paused. “What?”
“If you want to take care of Chloe, do it yourself. Her job, her apartment, her emotional meltdowns—none of that is my responsibility.”
I pulled my phone from my purse and opened the Notes app right in front of him.
“Also, over the past four years, I drafted three pitch decks for your business competitions, revised your grad applications eleven times, and delivered seven presentations on your behalf.”
“Back then, I thought I was helping someone I cared about. Since we aren’t together, consider this an invoice for consulting fees.”
Nathan stared at the screen, bewildered.
A moment later, he scoffed.
“Nora, are you seriously sending me a bill?”
“Yes.”
“Since when do we keep score?”
He reached out to grab my phone, but I took a step back.
His hand hung suspended in midair, fingers curling inward.
“You won awards from those competitions too. And you offered to help with my applications. After four years, you’re using this to humiliate me?”
“I’ll email you the itemized invoice tomorrow.”
“Nora!”
His voice rose sharply, only to drop when a server walked past.
He cared deeply about appearances. Even when furious, he refused to let strangers see a scene.
“You helped me because we worked well together. The startup was our shared plan.”
“Once the LLC is formed, you’ll be the co-founder. All that effort turns into equity. Are you seriously tearing apart our future over a few thousand dollars?”
When he said our shared plan, a sudden numbness shot through my fingertips.
In my previous life, during the hardest six months of launching his company, I dragged myself to meeting after meeting with venture capitalists.
To secure our final chance at funding, I downed drink after drink on an empty stomach and ended up in the ER with acute gastric bleeding.
When I woke up, the only person sitting by my hospital bed was Evelyn.
Nathan had been out on the edge of town setting off fireworks for Chloe.
She had mentioned never having had a real birthday party, so he spent the night giving her one.
The next day, he came to the hospital, tucked my blanket in, and told me we secured the investment—that our future was secure.
I never asked him whose future mattered more that night.
“I don’t want the co-founder title anymore,” I said.
Nathan’s expression shifted. “What did you say?”
“The project is yours. The future is yours. The invoice total is seven thousand dollars, due within seven business days.”
“I don’t agree to this,” he blurted out.
Evelyn let out a dry laugh. “A debtor who thinks he calls the shots. Classic.”
Nathan glared at her, then stepped closer to me, his voice softening again.
“If Chloe bothers you, I can compromise. In the beginning, she won’t join core operations. She’ll just handle basic administrative tasks.”
“You’ll still be the lead partner. Every major decision goes through you.”
This was his signature move.
Hand me a loftier title and more responsibility, then make me shoulder everything that came with it.
He had placated me the exact same way before.
When Chloe moved into our home, he handed me the joint bank card, telling me I was the woman of the house and didn’t need to sweat a houseguest.
Yet when a real choice had to be made, the woman of the house was abandoned in the mud, while the houseguest was carried away on his shoulders.
“My condition is that she does not enter our shared life,” I said.
“She has no family to lean on!”
“And that makes it my problem how?”
Before he could offer another rehearsed excuse, I locked my screen and took another step back.
Nathan’s prepared speech withered on his tongue.
“Your moral debts aren’t mine,” I said. “As for the co-founder role, send an official contract and compensation package to my email. With zero romantic strings attached, I might consider it.”
He fell silent for two seconds.
“You know a startup can’t afford market-rate salaries right out of the gate.”
“Then don't hire talent you can’t afford.”
His jaw tightened.
“Nora, you spent four years building this with me. Walking away now tanks the project. How does that benefit you?”
So the hard work he had once called teamwork was instantly labeled my fault the moment I stopped giving it away for free.
Evelyn walked over and linked her arm through mine.
“The benefit is she never has to clean up your messes again.”
“Shut up, Evelyn,” Nathan snapped. “She’s been with me for four years. You don’t get to pull her away with a couple of cheap lines.”
“Been with you for four years?” Evelyn repeated, her smirk fading into a cold stare. “She was your classmate, your unpaid workhorse, and your partner. You just asked for a girlfriend, Nathan, not property rights.”
Nathan didn't answer her.
He simply stared at me, waiting for me to step in and smooth over his embarrassment like I always did.
I looked away. Just as I was about to leave, footsteps approached from around the corner.
Chloe stood there in worn clothes, her eyes red.
Clutching an insulated thermos to her chest, she stopped a few feet away from Nathan, not daring to come any closer.
“I’m sorry… It’s all because I didn’t go to college. I made you two fight…”“I just wanted to bring Nathan some hangover soup.”
Chloe gripped the thermos tighter, her knuckles turning white.
“I knew he was going to ask you out tonight, so I wasn't going to come. But Mr. Miller said Nathan’s stomach has been acting up and asked me to check on him.”
“I didn't realize Nora would look down on my background.”
She emphasized her lack of a degree so softly it was barely audible.
Nathan’s expression instantly transformed into protective concern.
He walked over, took the thermos, and shielded Chloe behind him.
“Nobody is looking down on you.”
“I heard everything just now,” Chloe said with a fragile, tremulous smile, a tear clinging to her lashes. “Evelyn said I only have a high school diploma and would be useless to the team. She’s right. I am useless.”
“Once you guys graduate, I’ll just go back to my hometown. I won’t get in your way.”
She turned as if to leave.
Nathan grabbed her arm. “Go back and do what?”
“I’ll find something. Anything.”
“Chloe.” His voice dropped into a gentle, soothing register. “I promised your dad I’d look after you. Your position is already settled. Nobody has the right to kick you out.”
“Who said anything about kicking her out?” Evelyn tilted her head. “We’re just refusing to babysit her. Fulfill your own promises on your own dime. Is that concept too hard for you to grasp?”
“Do you have any idea how cruel you sound right now?” Nathan’s anger finally bubbled over. “She couldn't go to college because her family couldn't afford it. That doesn't make her lesser than either of you. Does waving your degrees around make you feel superior?”
Evelyn started to snap back, but I rested a hand on her arm.
In my previous life, whenever Chloe brought up missing out on higher education, Nathan went out of his way to compensate her.
My first summer corporate internship spot went to her because Nathan insisted my GPA was stellar and I could easily land another one.
After we married, the company’s only executive training seminar went to her because he claimed I was already capable and didn’t need the credential.
Every time I yielded, he took it as proof that I had infinite room to fall back.
And everything Chloe took became a status symbol she couldn't afford to lose.
I looked directly at Nathan.
“Nathan, nobody called her inferior. You decided to dump her onto my team without asking me, and I refused.”
“Your team?” He let out a scoff. “The company hasn’t even launched, and you’re already marking territory?”
“Then it’s even simpler. I’m out.”
“Stop threatening to walk away every time you don't get your way!”
He handed the thermos back to Chloe and walked straight up to me.
“Nora, I know she bothers you. But strip away your grades, your awards, and a few business plans—what else do you bring to the table?”
“At least Chloe doesn’t turn personal relationships into a ledger. At least she doesn’t publicly humiliate me.”
A draft blew in from the unlatched window at the end of the hall.
A phantom chill seized the right side of my ribcage.
Even though this body carried no physical injuries, I could almost hear the wet crack of bone piercing lung tissue all over again.
On that washed-out mountain road in my past life, he had said something strikingly similar:
“Nora, you can still talk, which means you aren't hurt that badly. Chloe is completely unconscious. She needs me more than you do.”
The one who could endure pain was always the one left behind to suffer.
“And another thing,” Nathan added, the disappointment in his eyes outweighing his fury. “You spent all these years in school, yet you never learned basic empathy. Chloe has a purer heart than anyone who only cares about what they can extract from people.”
Evelyn’s arm tensed against mine.
Instead of holding her back, I gently let go.
“That’s wonderful,” I said.Nathan frowned. “What?”
“Since she’s so remarkably pure, have her write your pitch deck. Put her on stage for the investor showcase. Let her negotiate the term sheets.”
Evelyn picked up the beat, laughing without a trace of mercy.
“Here’s to ringing the opening bell on Wall Street with a high school essay!”
Chloe went pale.
“Evelyn, you can insult me all you want, but don't mess with Nathan’s future out of spite! I’ll learn! I’m willing to start from the absolute bottom!”
“Whether you learn or not is your business,” I said, looking straight at her. “Just stop inserting your future into my life.”
Nathan stepped in front of her, his tone going entirely cold.
“Nora, do you really have to burn every bridge tonight?”
“You were the one who forced someone I couldn't accept onto me.”
“I was only asking you to help her transition to city life!”
“And I said no.”
“Then there’s no point in discussing the co-founder position either.”
The moment the words left his mouth, the hallway fell dead silent.
I had spent countless sleepless nights building the foundation for that role.
Nathan knew better than anyone how much hope I had pinned on our shared venture.
So he treated it like leverage.
He believed that taking it away would force me to fold.
I pulled a tissue from my purse and wiped away the half-moon indentations my fingernails had pressed into my palm.
“Fine.”
Nathan’s eyes flickered with a sudden beat of uncertainty.
“Think this through.”
“I already have.”
As I turned to leave, his hand shot out and clamped around my wrist, only to let go almost immediately.
“I can pretend tonight never happened. Come find me before commencement, and your spot will still be waiting.”
I didn't turn back.
Evelyn caught up and took my arm.
Only when the heavy fire door at the end of the corridor clicked shut behind us did she let out a long, shuddering breath.
The stairwell was dim.
She reached into her purse, pulled out a mint, and handed it to me. It was the exact same brand she had brought to my hospital room in our previous life.
Her voice was raw.
“That call… I stayed on the line until the very end.”
The wrapper crinkled between my fingers.
“I’m sorry.”
“What the hell are you apologizing for?” Evelyn snapped, her eyes brimming with tears as she glared at me. “This time around, neither of us is digging his grave.”
I unwrapped the mint. The sharp burst of peppermint cut through the phantom ache in my throat.
When we reached the ground floor, I paused by the glass exit doors.
Outside, streetlights illuminated the city—a path I had never walked before.
“Evelyn.”
“Yeah?”
“Did your New Zealand visa clear?”
Three days before commencement, Nathan’s mother showed up at my dorm room.
She didn't mention the disaster at the graduation dinner. Instead, she set an apartment key and a debit card down on my desk.
“Nathan has pride. He doesn't know how to apologize. You’ve known him for four years; you know his bark is worse than his bite.”
I didn't touch either item.
Mrs. Miller studied me, her voice smooth and maternal.
“The apartment is close to the tech incubator you two are working out of. If you don't like the furniture, get whatever you want.”
“As for Chloe, I’ll deal with her. I won’t let her disrupt your wedding plans down the line.”
Evelyn looked up from her paperwork across the room.
“And how exactly do you plan to deal with her, Mrs. Miller?”
“That is Miller family business,” she said, giving Evelyn a dismissive glance before turning back to me. “Nora, Nathan asking you out publicly means he’s serious about you. Chloe’s father saved my husband’s life; Nathan can’t simply cast her aside.”
“Once you marry into the family, help guide him. Keep gratitude and marriage in their proper lanes, that’s all.”
An apartment, a bank card, offering to clear my obstacles—every sentence sounded like an elevation of my status.
Yet the person expected to swallow the moral debt and maintain the Miller family’s prestige was still me.
“Mrs. Miller, take these back.”
I pushed the key across the desk. Her smile faded instantly.
“Are you still throwing a tantrum over a girl who doesn't know any better?”
“No.” I placed the debit card on top of the key. “I’m not seeing Nathan anymore.”
“Relationships aren't a game, Nora.”
“Which is why I’m done playing.”She stared at me for a long time, her patience visibly wearing thin.
“Without Miller seed capital, your venture won't get off the ground. Are you really throwing your future away over petty jealousy?”
“If he actually brings Chloe on and you try to crawl back later, that seat won't be waiting for you.”
My fingers gripped the edge of the desk. A faint ache twitched in my chest.
Seven years of marriage hadn’t simply vanished because I was reincarnated.
That man had shared my mornings and nights. No matter how late his business trips ran, he had always checked in to say he was safe.
I had loved him for a very long time.
So long that even when returning to the very beginning, rejecting him felt like tearing away a layer of my own skin.
“Then let her have the seat,” I said.
I opened my desk drawer, pulled out the keycard and spare key Nathan had given me, and laid them on the table.
“His life, his career, and his marriage have nothing to do with me from this moment on.”
Less than ten minutes after his mother left, Nathan arrived.
He was carrying a box of the chestnut pastries I loved, sweat glistening at his temples. He had clearly run all the way here.
“Did my mom come by?”
I kept my head down, taping up a moving box, and didn't answer.
The box held only textbooks.
My passport and essential documents were already stashed in my carry-on. There was no luggage left out that could tip him off.
He set the pastry box down and took the roll of packing tape from my hands.
“She can be blunt. Don't take it to heart. I already told her to stay out of our business.”
Watching his practiced hands seal the box for me, my mind drifted for a second.
Throughout our four years of college, he had never let me carry heavy boxes.
“Nathan.”
His hands slowed. “Yeah?”
“If only one of us can be part of the startup—me or Chloe—who do you pick?”
Nathan set the tape down and slid the pastry box an inch closer to me.
“I’ve already compromised. Chloe will only do administrative work; she won't touch core strategy. You make all the calls. What else do you want me to choose?”
“Make her leave.”
“She has no degree and no network. What happens to her if she leaves now?”
“Then this is where we stop.”
I pushed the pastries back to his side.
The softness in Nathan’s eyes dissolved.
“Nora, don't force me to choose between loyalty and you.”
“I’m not forcing you.” I slipped the final folder into my tote bag. “You’ve already made your choice.”
“I chose a way that wouldn’t hurt anyone!”
“Except every single exit route you build for her comes straight out of my pocket.”
He fell silent for a beat, then abruptly pushed the dorm room door shut, dropping his voice to a low hiss.
“Did you get an offer from another firm? Or did Evelyn promise you something?”
Evelyn looked up from her desk. “What the hell does this have to do with me?”
Nathan ignored her.
“Nora, opportunities outside aren't as stable as you think.”
“Come back. We can draft the equity agreement today. We can negotiate your salary, too.”
In my past life, that would have been enough to soften me. But then he added:
“Chloe’s arrangement stays as is. All she needs is a job. She isn't taking anything that belongs to you.”
I zipped my bag shut.
“Nathan, commencement is tomorrow. I won't be joining your team.”
“You’ll be there,” he said with absolute certainty.
“The roster is already submitted. Everyone knows we’ve spent four years prepping for this. You aren't going to throw that away.”
I didn't bother correcting him.
On the day of commencement, Evelyn guided me through the rear exits of the auditorium.
In the distance, Nathan stood dressed in a sharp suit, surrounded by classmates reviewing the run of show.
Across the crowded hall, his eyes found mine.
He raised a hand, gesturing for me to wait, a rare, relaxed smile finally breaking across his face.
I raised my hand in return.
Then I turned on my heel and stepped into the rideshare headed for the airport.
Right before boarding, my phone buzzed with a text from Mrs. Miller:
Come over for dinner after the ceremony. Your seat at the table is saved.
I deleted the text, snapped the SIM card in half, and dropped it into an electronics recycling bin at the terminal.
As the plane climbed through the clouds, Evelyn leaned over.
“Any regrets?”
I looked down at the shrinking city below. The phantom ache in my ribs finally, quietly, faded away.
“No more waiting.”
Under the commencement stage lights, Nathan was preparing to announce my name as his co-founder.
And by then, Evelyn and I were already cruising at thirty thousand feet, bound for New Zealand.
Chapters (5)
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Watch & Promotions
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