Chapter 1

1 My parents asked me to choose: an arranged marriage or confessing to the woman I loved.

I didn't hesitate.

I chose the arranged marriage.

My parents pleaded with me, telling me to listen to my heart.

But I shook my head, standing my ground.

It's because, in my past life, I rejected the arrangement and confessed to my foster sister.

Her first love heard the news, fled the country, and ended up dead in some back alley.

My foster sister, acting like she didn't give a damn, asked me to marry her.

Then, on our wedding night, she ran down my parents with her car and burned our mansion to the ground.

Before I died, she spat at me, calling me a pervert who was obsessed with her.

She blamed me for having her first love killed, said that my parents and I deserved to die for ruining their love.

I burned alive, consumed by despair.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day I made my choice about the marriage.

But my foster sister showed up to my wedding in a bridal dress, begging me to marry her.

...

"Ace, are you sure about this?

Once you say yes, there's no going back." My mom asked, her voice laced with worry.

I forced a smile.

"Yeah, I'm sure. I agree to the arrangement."

My parents exchanged a look, just telling me they hope I won't regret it.

As soon as I left the room, I realized my back was soaked in sweat, my shirt clinging to me.

The burning pain from the fire still lingered, crushing me like a boulder on my chest.

I couldn't forget the agony of watching my parents get run over, the searing pain of the flames eating me alive.

Those two images were forever intertwined, tearing my soul apart.

Before I died, I'd left countless bloody handprints on the door as I desperately tried to escape.

I'd been on my knees, sobbing and begging, but it hadn't softened Hazel's heart.

My wedding night, the night I'd been looking forward to, became the anniversary of my family's death.

I went back to my room and found Hazel sitting on my bed.

She was holding my diary, her eyes cold.

I froze, hearing her disgusted voice.

"So, you've been obsessed with me since you were a little kid? Ace, you're fucking disgusting!"

Me, disgusting?

What about someone who kills the parents who raised her for over twenty years?

The image of my parents' mangled bodies flashed before my eyes, tears welling up.

Despite everything, she was someone I'd loved for years, and my heart still ached.

Rage bubbled inside me, threatening to consume me.

I forced it down, fighting the urge to strangle her.

Seeing my silence, she lit my diary on fire with a lighter and tossed it into the trash can.

The flames reminded me of the fire on my wedding night, sending shivers down my spine.

As the paper burned, the last traces of affection I had for her withered away.

Hazel watched my reaction, and when she saw that I didn't react, anger welled up inside her.

"You already told Mom and Dad you wanted to marry me, so why are you putting on an act now?!"

"Ace, you're nothing but a goddamn animal!

Don't think that this means I'll do whatever you want.

Even if I marry you, I'll never let you have an easy life!" Her words were like ice, and my heart ached.

Seeing her reaction, so different from how she acted in my past life, a crazy thought crossed my mind.

Could it be that she also remembered everything?