Chapter 2

2

I remained unmoved by Simeon's mockery. Instead, my mind drifted back to the moments before we were reborn.

In our previous life, Simeon and I had a massive, explosive argument.

It started after graduation when I followed him to the metropolis to grind for five long years.

Once our careers started taking off, I told him I wanted to move back to our hometown.

I was an only child, and my father had died of a heart attack because he couldn't get to the hospital in time.

My mother was all alone, and I couldn't stop worrying about her.

When we first started out, Simeon promised me we would go back once we made enough money.

But then he kept delaying it, claiming our hometown had no future and wasn't worth the move.

He eventually told me straight out that he would never go back, suggesting we just bring my mother to the city.

But my mother had already tried living there; she hated the fast-paced life and felt out of place.

To be honest, I never felt like I belonged in that concrete jungle either.

That was the day I finally snapped at him.

"If you won't go back, I'll go by myself!"

"Are you really going to force my hand like this?" Simeon demanded.

"What's wrong with the big city? Do you want to be a local nobody for the rest of your life?"

"When our baby is born, do you want them to start behind everyone else?"

I was five months pregnant at the time.

Being pregnant actually made me want to go home even more.

I knew that once the baby arrived, leaving a city would be ten times harder.

Besides, our hometown wasn't some backwater village; it was a thriving hub, not the dump Simeon made it out to be.

"So, according to your logic, anyone who stays in a smaller city is useless?!"

"Only useless people are content to rot in small towns, living aimless lives with no ambition!"

Simeon's face was twisted with contempt.

"I despise people like that more than anything!"

"And is that what I am to you?" I asked, looking him dead in the eye.

"I just don't want you to become one of them!" Simeon shouted.

Then, he added a line that cut deep.

"If I had known, I never would have stayed in that town for college. I wasted four years of my life for you!"

"I should have followed Sienna to the city from the very beginning!"

Back in high school, Sienna had confessed to him, but he turned her down.

We had been seatmates for three years, and our feelings had grown naturally over time.

But ever since he chose to stay for me, he had repeated those words countless times.

At first, I thought he was joking, or perhaps trying to show me how much he had sacrificed for our love.

Later, I realized he genuinely regretted his choice.

Then came the car accident, and we were both reborn into the day we were filling out our college applications.

That day, Simeon didn't hesitate. He abandoned me and followed Sienna to the city.

I stayed behind in our hometown, just as I had always wanted.

We both knew the other had been reborn, but we maintained a silent pact to never interfere with each other.

I thought I would never have to deal with Simeon Yale again in this lifetime.

But looking at him now, it was clear he had been waiting for me outside the restroom.

When I didn't respond, he sneered again. "Now you finally see what staying home gets you. Look at yourself, then look at these other losers. Is anyone here doing better than me?"

"It's too late for regrets, though. I'm planning to marry Sienna soon."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a massive ring.

The diamond was huge, probably around five carats.

I recognized the size immediately.

Mainly because the one sitting in my jewelry box at home was slightly bigger than his.

Simeon beamed with pride at my silence.

"If you hadn't been so difficult, this ring could have been yours."

In our last life, we were broke when we got married, so the ring he bought me was modest.

His need to show off now was pathetic and blatant.

"Congratulations to you both, then."

I shrugged indifferently and tried to walk past him.

I could feel his gaze burning into my back, radiating irritation.

I truly didn't understand why he was angry.

He chose this path. He was living the life he had dreamed of in our past life.

Did he really need to see me miserable and full of regret just to feel happy?