erased the ingering touch of Diren repacing t WITH HIS OUT max Frature found my Tes
osa ose me bussy que budou
caunul so so secunu sig horses
Suede
san. Content envore ese touch
you. No one re fuzzed my stouder as f
about to ore me
downstairs. What am I supposed to do with a
bite mark on my shoulder?”
Ethan frowned, unconvinced.
“They’ll say I divorced you and jumped straight
into Dylan’s arms. Do you want to hear those.
rumors?”
He was silent for a moment. “No.”
“Then control yourself.” I rested my head.
against his chest, listening to the strong, steady
beat of his heart. “Dylan’s working with my
uncle. He’s already figured out what’s going on
and is prepared for whatever you’re planning.
Are you sure you can handle this?”
“Sarah.”
“Hmm?”
“What if… the Sang family suffers because of
<
this? what will you do?
83
So that’s what he was worried about. I took his
hand. “My parents‘ marriage was a business arrangement. They hated each other. The year I was born, they left me with my uncle and moved abroad. My uncle saw me as a tool to gain power and influence. If it weren’t for you, I probably would have been married off to some 70–year–old man by now.”
“So, don’t worry about me.” I traced the line of his wedding ring. He’d put it back on. My heart warmed. “If the Sang family falls, it’s because of my uncle’s wrongdoings. He deserves it.”
12
Over the next few months, I returned to the working life. After I became an adult, I never took a penny from the Sang family. I supported myself through college and learned a skill to make a living. Apart from being forced to
attend matchmaking dinners with Dylan
arranged by my uncle my life was relatively
<
11:29
arranged by my uncle, my life was relatively
peaceful.
83
Yvonne was furious. “You’ve cut ties with them.
Why are you still listening to him?”
I didn’t explain. Dylan knew about my past life. If I didn’t comply, he would instigate my uncle to sabotage Ethan. I had to play along until Ethan brought them both down. Besides, Dylan
let me choose the location for our “dates.” I
always picked busy, public places during the day. Relatively safe.
Yvonne loved watching TV. Lately, Ethan had been appearing frequently on the financial news channels. Every time she saw him, she’d rant.
“That wolf in sheep’s clothing! Sarah, I need to vet your next husband before you walk down the aisle again.” She pointed the remote at Ethan’s face on the screen, her voice shrill. “A man like that… he’s bad news. If I let you marry
<
ཁ་༈ ཎ མར་ཤེས མ ་ ལྟ
him again, I’ll eat my hat!”
I looked up from my pile of sketches. “Don’t….
don’t speak too soon. You should always leave
yourself an out…”
“Fine, I’ll make you eat it with me!”
Because of Yvonne’s strong disapproval, I had
to meet Ethan in secret.
Late winter. A fresh layer of snow covered the
ground. I bundled up in a thick sweater and
carried a bag of trash down the stairs. Ethan’s
car was parked downstairs. It was freezing, but
he was waiting outside for me. He wore the
wool coat and scarf I’d bought him.
“Come here,” he said, beckoning me.
I skipped over and threw myself into his arms,
<
putting a finger to my lips. “Quiet. Let’s talk in
the car.”
“What’s wrong?”
“My best friend thinks you’re a world–class
jerk…” I pulled him into the car like a thief in
the night.
He turned off the headlights, plunging the car into darkness. Only the distant streetlights cast a soft glow on the snow. I rummaged in my pocket and pulled out a pair of knitted mittens.
“Here! For you!”
Ethan chuckled, accepting my gift. “Mrs. Hayes,
I have plenty of gloves.”
“You don’t like them?” I reached for them, but
he quickly pulled them away.
“Thank you. I love them.”
We didn’t have much in common, but we alway
had endless things to talk about. I leaned
against his shoulder. “My best friend said if I
remarry you, she’ll…”
“She’ll what?”
The words were too crude to repeat. I waved
my hand dismissively. “Something disgusting,
basically.” I sighed. “I can already picture her
beating me up.”
Ethan laughed and took my hand. “Maybe you
should find someone else then?”
“Ethan!” I shoved him playfully. “What are you
talking about?”
He looked down, silently holding my hand in his.
His fingers were long and elegant, large enough.
to envelop both of mine.
<
“I want to be with you.” My forced cheerfulness faded. Lately, I’d been plagued by nightmares,
each one ending with Ethan telling me to live a good life… without him. I always woke up with swollen eyes from crying.
“Sarah, I mean, what if…” He hesitated. “What if one day, we’re suddenly apart-”
Before he could finish, a tear rolled down my cheek and landed on his hand. He sighed and pulled me into a hug, stroking my hair. “It was just a hypothetical.”
“Hypotheticals are scary too.” My voice was muffled against his chest. “I never had much parental love growing up, so I tend to get attached to anyone who’s kind to me. That was the case with Dylan, and with you, at first. But
it’s different now.”
“When you like someone, you feel happy, but you also feel sad. It’s more than that with you. I
want you to be happy. When I see other people have something, I want you to have it too. I overthink everything I say, afraid of upsetting you. My happiness, my sadness, everything is tied to you. So the thought of us being apart…
it hurts.”
Ethan kissed my hair and sighed. “Sarah, you
love me.”
“Then let’s not be apart. You said you wouldn’t
refuse any of my requests.”
He hummed in agreement, patting my back.
“Okay, we won’t be apart.”
The next morning, I emerged from the bedroom
with puffy eyes.
Yvonne, munching on a breakfast sandwich,
asked, “Were you crying last night?”
“Yeah, can I have a popsicle?”
She went to the kitchen and retrieved a
freezer–burned popsicle from the back of the
freezer, handing it to me. “I saw you get into a
fancy car last night.”
I held the popsicle to my eye, staying silent.
She rolled her eyes. “So, you’re going back to
him? And he made you cry, didn’t he? Crying
over a man… Have some self–respect, Sarah.”
“It’s not like that… He’s a good person-”
“Stop right there!” She plugged her ears. “If I
hear you defending him again, I’m kicking your
out.”
I gave up, taking a sip of soy milk. I stared at
her, my cheeks puffed out.
r
“Swallow! Did your brain run off with that man? Forgot how to eat?”
“Pfft…” I sprayed soy milk everywhere. Before
she could yell, I ran to the bathroom, gagging.
She followed me, her face dripping with soy milk, and handed me a glass of water, patting my back. “Good heavens, Sarah! What’s wrong with you? Don’t scare me like that! Should I call
an ambulance-”
I grabbed her arm. “No…”
“Get off me! You look like you’ve seen a
ghost!”
I held on tight. “I’m pregnant.”
“What nonsense are you-” She stopped mid-
sentence. “Holy… shit…”
<
A few minutes later, I was bundled into a taxi.
Dylan called. “Sarah, where are you?” I’d
forgotten about our “date.”
“Sorry, something came up.”
“Where are you? Send me the address.”
Yvonne, knowing how I felt about him, snatched
the phone and turned it off. “You’re hiding
something big, aren’t you? Not even telling his
dad? Nice, Sarah. Real nice.”
Turning off the phone was probably for the
best. Safer. I sighed. “Keep this a secret, okay? Don’t tell your family. I don’t want the Sangs to
find out.”
She sulked, refusing to speak. Then, after a while, she asked, “You’re going to keep it?”
“Yes.”
<
“Okay. You have the baby, and I’ll be the cool
aunt. Women can do anything. We’ll raise that kid, no problem.”
The radio in the taxi was playing the news. We
listened in silence. The Sang
w was in
trouble. The news had just broken that morning.
It involved a serious construction accident from
years ago. The Hayes Corporation, as their
partner at the time, was also implicated.
Yvonne squeezed my hand, her eyes filled with
worry.
I shook my head. “I’m fine.”
I hadn’t expected Ethan to move so quickly. Other scandals involving the Sang family began
to surface, one after another, like straws piling
on a camel’s back. It was only a matter of time
before the camel collapsed. Remembering how
my uncle had orchestrated the explosion in my
nast life the knot in my stomach Inncanad
<
83
past life, the knot in my stomach loosened
slightly. This time, it was happening ten years earlier. Ethan’s business empire was at its peak, and my uncle’s hadn’t grown to the monstrous
size it would become. Surely, history wouldn’t
repeat itself.
The traffic was light. The driver was steady.
Halfway there, my eyelids grew heavy. I leaned
against Yvonne. “Wake me up when we get
there.”
Before she could answer, I passed out.
13
I drifted in and out of consciousness. A voice,
far away, called my name.
“Sarah! Wake up!”
The screech of metal jolted me awake. My
limbs felt heavy. I slowly opened my eyes.
Concrete pillars. And Yvonne, slumped against
<
one of them. A gust of wind carried the pungent
smell of industrial oil and dirt.
I scrambled to my feet. Yvonne tried to kick her legs, but they were bound. A creaking sound came from behind her. “Oh, thank God! Quick,
untie me!”
Realizing we were in an unfamiliar place, tied up, I rushed over and crouched beside her, examining the thick ropes. A wave of chilling recognition washed over me. I looked around, my heart pounding in my chest. Cold sweat trickled down my back. This was the abandoned
factory where I died in my past life.
The ropes were tied in tight knots, impossible
to untie. We could only try to fray them. The
screech of the rope against the concrete
echoed through the empty building.
Yvonne cursed. “Kidnapping me? They’ve got
another thing coming.”
<
11:30
83
We sawed at the ropes, but they barely seemed
to thin.
She slumped against the concrete, exhausted.
“Sarah, give up. They tied me up, but not you.
That means they’re after my family. While
they’re gone, you should run. Call the police.”
I gave a bitter laugh. “I’m afraid I’m the one
who dragged you into this.”
“What do you mean?”
Before
I could answer, Dylan’s voice echoed
from behind us. “Your friend is quite noisy.”
Yvonne craned her neck to see. I quickly
covered her eyes, turning to face Dylan. “She
doesn’t know anything. Let her go.”
Yvonne couldn’t help herself. “Listen here,
asshole! My name is Yvonne. Yvonne Carter.
You mess with me, and my dad will make your
Dylan’s face darkened.
“You heard her,” I said. “This is between us.
Leave her family out of it.”
Yvonne’s father was a politician, and her
brother was a police officer. She’d never been.
afraid of anything. If anything happened to her,
none of us would survive.
Dylan tossed me a utility knife. “Cut the ropes. And don’t try anything funny. Or none of us are
walking out of here alive.”
I snatched the knife and quickly freed Yvonne.
“Don’t look back. Just go home.”
Yvonne frowned, whispering, “Are you sure this isn’t a trap? I’m calling the police.”
“Go ahead,” I whispered back. “But I have a
feeling they’re desperate. They’re not afraid of
<
11:30
83
Remembering the explosion, I gave her a shove. If one of us could escape, that was enough.
She squeezed my shoulder. “Sarah, wait for me!
I’ll send the police to rescue you.” Then, without looking back, she ran.
The silence that followed was deafening. Only Dylan and I remained.
I stood up, meeting his gaze. “What do you want?”
“What were you doing at the hospital?” he countered.
“Stomach ache. Getting medication.”
Dylan sneered. “Don’t play dumb with me, Sarah.” He grabbed my arm and dragged me to the window, forcing me to look down. “Let’s
see who’s here, shall we?”
<
11:30
Below, my uncle held a gun to a man’s head.
My heart lurched. It was Ethan..
83
Dylan chuckled. “When the police arrive, they’ll
find Ethan Hayes’s corpse. And your uncle won’t get away with it either.”
My heart raced, my fingers numb with fear. But showing any concern for Ethan would only put him in more danger. I closed my eyes. “We’re divorced. I don’t care what happens to him.”
“Really?” Dylan looked down at Ethan, his voice cold. “Uncle Sang, shoot him in the leg.”
Bang!
Ethan’s leg buckled, and he crumpled to the
ground, blood blooming on his pants. He looked
up at us, his face pale.
“Dylan, I’m here. Let her go.”
Dylan ignored him, turning to me. “Sarah, are
you happy now?”
I was frozen, unable to speak.
“Uncle Sang, the other leg-”
“No! Please…” I grabbed his arm, my voice trembling.
Dylan’s smile vanished. His knuckles were white
as he clenched his fist.
Ethan, his eyes dark with pain, looked up at me. “Don’t scare her.”
Dylan’s eyes were cold and devoid of emotion.
He looked at Ethan, a cruel smile twisting his lips, then he tilted my chin up and forced his mouth on mine. His lips were dry and cracked, his kiss brutal, making me gag. I struggled
against him.
“Do you want him to die?” he whispered.
I froze.
Dylan pressed his lips against mine, grinding
them together. Nausea rose in my throat. I
pushed him away and collapsed to my knees, retching.
“Do it,” Dylan commanded coldly.
Another gunshot rang out below. My mind went blank. I scrambled to the window. “Ethan!”
But the image I expected, of Ethan lying in a pool of blood, didn’t materialize. It was my uncle. He lay on the ground, a bullet in his back. Ethan’s left hand was bleeding. In the distance, a SWAT team swarmed the building, surrounding it.
Dylan’s face paled. He grabbed me by the collar and pulled me behind a concrete pillar. Outside
