Chapter 1
“Aurora, your sister and Sterling are already engaged. Stop trying to ruin things between them. We’ve bought your plane ticket-just stay abroad for a few years. Once the wedding is over, you can come home.”
Watching the patronizing “it’s for your own good” expressions on her parents’ faces, Aurora Wyndham finally realized- she had been reborn.
Reborn on the very day her parents forced her to leave the country and give up on Sterling Blackwood once and for all.
In her last life, it had happened the same way. Her parents had urged her to leave, to give up. But she hadn’t been willing. She had explained again and again to Sterling that the one he loved was her. She had begged her parents to tell the truth and stop letting my sisiter-Scarlet Wyndham play the imposter. All her pleas had done was deepen Sterling’s disgust.
Even when she was on the brink of death after a car crash, he had told the nurse on the phone, cold as ice, “What kind of stunt is she pulling this time? Tell her not to ruin my wedding with Scarlet.”
And she had died-on the operating table. Died with her eyes wide open, watching a live global broadcast of their extravagant wedding. Watching Sterling gently slip the ring onto Scarlet’s finger. Watching them bask in the blessings of
the world.
But now, heaven had given her a second chance.
This time, she wouldn’t debase herself again.
“Fine. I’ll go.” She reached out and picked up the plane ticket, her voice eerily calm.
Her parents were stunned by how easily she agreed.
“Aurora, you’re really leaving? You’re not going to come up with some new scheme to ruin your sister’s life, are you?”
Ruin it? What a joke.
Sterling had been hers to begin with.
It was her parents who had stolen him away and handed him over to her sister.
Twenty-some years ago, when Scarlet was diagnosed with leukemia, her parents hadn’t hesitated to conceive another child.
That child was Aurora.
Her cord blood saved her sister’s life, but from that moment on, she lived in Scarlet’s shadow.
Because Scarlet was weak and often ill, their parents showered her with all their love.
Growing up, Aurora had given up everything-her room, her friends, even her spot in competitions.
The only thing she refused to give up…. was the boy she had fallen in love with at first sight.
Sterling Blackwood-heir of the Blackwood empire. He was once the golden boy standing high above everyone else, until a car crash on his birthday left him blind. The family quietly abandoned him at a secluded estate on the outskirts of the
city.
Aurora had kept it a secret. She’d stolen a spare key, and after school each day, she’d climb over the wall just to be with him
“I’ll come every day,” she had whispered.
In the darkness, her sweet voice had become Sterling’s only salvation.
She never told him her name. Instead, she traced three letters into his palm: “Call me Seven.”
He had brushed her hair with careful fingers, played piano for her, held her frozen hands against his chest on stormy
nights.
The night before his surgery, he kissed her fingertips and made a vow.
“When I can see again, the first thing I want to see is you. And when that happens… let’s be together, okay?”
The surgery lasted twelve hours.
But when Sterling opened his eyes, the first person he saw-was Scarlet.
Because their parents had found out Scarlet also liked Sterling. So they drugged Aurora with sleeping pills, making her sleep through the day and night.
Then they lied, saying that it had always been Scarlet who stayed by his side.
Sterling never doubted it. He and Scarlet began dating, got engaged, and seemed the perfect couple.
For three years, Aurora tried to explain. Over and over, she told him that she had been the one beside him, that she was the one he truly loved. But he never believed her.
Not until the day she died.
Now, staring at the parents who had brought her into the world, Aurora found the entire situation laughable.
“You tried so hard to make me leave before. Now I agree, and suddenly you don’t believe me? Don’t you think you’re being a little ridiculous?”
“That’s not what we meant. If you’re willing to go, that’s for the best.” Her father’s tone shifted quickly. “You’ll leave for Europe in half a month. Use the time to pack up and handle your affairs.”
Afraid she might change her mind, her parents quickly offered a few more reminders, then left the room cheerfully.
Aurora turned and walked back to her bedroom.
As soon as she shut the door, her phone buzzed.
It was a message from Sterling.
[8 p.m. tonight. Grand Hyatt Hotel. Room 1808.]
She stared at the text, her fingers curling into a fist.
In her past life, she’d received this exact message. She had been overjoyed, thinking he was finally willing to hear her out.
But when she arrived, all she saw was him and Scarlet-naked, entangled on the bed. He had brought her there on purpose. To make her give up.
She’d collapsed in tears.
And he had said, cold and indifferent, “Did you get a good look? The only woman I love is your sister.”
Chapter 1
Now, the memory made her scoff.
She took a deep breath and replied:
[Okay.]
At eight o’clock sharp, she arrived at the hotel.
The door to Room 1808 was ajar. Inside, Sterling was holding Scarlet in his arms. Both of them were naked.
Used condoms were scattered across the floor. The air was thick with sex.
Scarlet let out a startled shriek when she saw Aurora standing at the doorway.
Sterling, undisturbed, lowered his head and continued planting kisses along Scarlet’s collarbone, his voice tender and low.
“Don’t be afraid. I brought her here on purpose. I wanted her to see for herself-that the woman I love is you. This way,
she’ll finally give up those ridiculous fantasies. She’ll understand… I will only ever be her brother-in-law.”
Reborn or not, watching this same cruel scene again felt like being stabbed straight through the heart.
Her chest throbbed, bleeding and raw.
But this time… she would get used to it.
Because from now on, Sterling would never be anything but her sister’s husband.
She didn’t know how much time passed.
Eventually, she released the grip of her nails from her palms, leaving deep red crescents in her skin.
Sterling, now fully dressed, walked over to her.
“Did you see clearly? The only woman I love is your sister. Don’t forget who you are. I’m your brother-in-law. Don’t ever disgrace yourself again with this kind of shameless behavior.”
Aurora’s face was expressionless.
“I saw. I understand.”
Sterling paused, caught off guard by her calm.
After a moment, he picked up a wedding invitation from the nightstand and handed it to her.
“The wedding’s next month. I hope you’ll attend.”
Aurora accepted the invitation. “I’ll be there. Congratulations-I hope you have a long and happy marriage.”
Sterling frowned slightly, staring at her.
Something about her was different. Too quiet. Too well-behaved.
But he didn’t say anything. He took Scarlet’s hand and walked out of the hotel.
Aurora followed, each step heavier than the last.
She was lost in thought when she heard a sudden scream.
The next second, a massive hotel sign came crashing down from above.
Sterling instinctively pulled Scarlet into his arms and stepped back, narrowly avoiding disaster.
Aurora was the only one left standing in place.
The metal structure hit her head-on, crushing her to the ground in a pool of blood.
Pain surged in waves, each one more unbearable than the last.
Her vision blurred as tears flooded her eyes. She looked up and saw Sterling holding Scarlet tightly in his arms.
Then… she closed her eyes.
The boy who once promised to love her forever was gone.
And now, she could finally let him go.
