Chapter 1

Cade Linden and I were the most notorious couple in Manhattan.

He despised me, believing I had used every dirty trick in the book to force him into marriage.

I hated how he stayed cold as ice toward me while pining for his childhood sweetheart, Bianca Whitmore.

For eight years, the words he said to me most often were "Get out."

But when the flash flood hit, the man who usually spat venom at me gave me the last seat on the rescue boat.

He screamed at me over the roar of the water.

"Don't look back! Just go!

"Autumn Sterling, I don't owe you anything anymore. In the next life, I only want to be with Bianca."

I tried to reach for him, but someone held me down. I could only watch as the dark water swallowed him whole.

When the recovery team finally found him, his body was bloated from the water. Even then, he was clutching Bianca's locket so tightly that his fingers had to be pried open.

Later, I sold everything I owned, donated the money to the disaster zone, and jumped from a rooftop.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the night Cade was drugged.

1.

Seeing Cade's bloated corpse in my memory filled me with a sudden, sharp rage. I had sworn that if I met him in hell, I would give him a piece of my mind.

I wanted to ask him why he made that choice without my permission.

So, when I saw Cade's face in front of me again, my hand moved faster than my brain. I slapped him hard across the face.

The sting of the slap seemed to bring a flicker of sanity back to his glazed eyes. His gaze cleared slightly.

"Autumn Sterling, have you lost your mind?"

"You're the one who's crazy, Cade! I hate you!"

I glared at him, my eyes welling up with tears.

He wanted to snap back, but when he saw the bloodshot grief in my eyes, he choked on his words.

He looked utterly confused.

But the effects of the spiked drink hit him in waves again. He groaned and reached out, trying to pull me into his arms.

I pushed him away as if I had been shocked.

No, I couldn't let the tragedy of my past life repeat itself.

In my previous life, during his mother's birthday gala, Cade had been drugged with an aphrodisiac.

I had stumbled into his room while looking for him, and things had spiraled out of control.

We were caught by the guests, and I was branded a shameless woman for the rest of my life.

Cade hated me from that moment on, convinced I was the one who drugged him.

No matter how many times I explained, he thought I was lying.

Facing him now, I didn't hesitate. I turned and stumbled toward the door.

In this life, I didn't want his misunderstandings or a miserable marriage.

As I reached the hallway, I ran straight into Bianca Whitmore.

"You're just in time. Cade is calling for you."

She looked at me with suspicion. "What are you up to now?"

I forced myself to look anxious and spoke rapidly.

"He's really not well. He seems to be in a lot of pain. You should go check on him quickly."

With that, I fled the scene.

Behind me, I heard the hurried click of her heels and the sound of the bedroom door opening.

I leaned against the wall, a dull ache throbbing in my chest.

I thought I could face this calmly after being reborn.

But it still hurt.

As I went downstairs, I ran into Mrs. Linden. she asked me why I looked so pale and if I had found Cade.

I forced a small smile. "I'm okay. Just a bit tired lately."

"Go get some rest soon, honey. It's okay if Cade isn't here. I'm about to announce your engagement anyway."

"Our Autumn is all grown up. I can't let anyone else snatch you away."

She looked at me with such warmth, but I remembered her at Cade's funeral in the past life. She had hit me and cursed me.

"I regret it! I regret letting Cade marry a curse like you!" she had screamed.

I realized then that this scene would never happen again.

I lowered my head. "Mrs. Linden, I don't want to marry Cade. I only see him as a brother."

She looked shocked. "How is that possible? Did he do something to upset you?"

Everyone who knew the Lindens knew how much I had adored Cade over the years.

I shook my head. "I really don't want to marry him. I'm planning to go abroad for my Master's next month."

Mrs. Linden sighed, seeing the determination in my eyes.

She patted my hand gently. "Even if you don't become my daughter-in-law, you're still my little girl. Don't grow distant from us."

I couldn't help the tears as I hugged her.

I had lost my family in an accident when I was eight. The Lindens had taken me in from across the country and given me a home.

"Thank you for everything, Mrs. Linden."

"But Cade and I really aren't right for each other. we'll only end up hurting each other."

She stroked my hair softly.

"Silly child, you grew up together. How could you not be right for each other? Did that boy say something cruel?"

I remembered the look of pure disgust in Cade's eyes from my past life.

"Some people are just meant to be apart."

I pulled back and looked at her seriously.

"I don't want a forced marriage to ruin the only home I have left."

I was telling the truth.

In my last life, Cade almost never came home after we married. His parents had to hunt him down at his office just to see him.

Mrs. Linden's eyes grew misty, and she finally gave in.

"Fine, Autumn. I respect your choice. If you want to study abroad, go. This will always be your home."

I nodded gratefully.

Escaping Cade was my first goal.

In this life, I just wanted us to be strangers who knew each other's names.