Reborn, Redeemed, and Unbothered

I woke up with a pounding headache and a man I didn't recognize sleeping next to me-Liam Hayes, the man I' d loved for years, only to realize he' d mistaken me for his ex-girlfriend, Bethany. It was a cruel echo of a past life I was desperately trying to escape.

He stirred, calling out her name, and then his eyes landed on me. The warmth vanished, replaced by cold indifference. He nonchalantly offered to marry me, stating it was only for his grandmother and that his love belonged to someone else.

In my last life, I said yes. I let him use me, tolerate me, and ultimately ruin my family for Bethany. He abandoned me on a stormy night, leading to a car crash that killed me and our unborn twins. But now, I was back, reborn in that very hotel room, at the precipice of ruin.

I calmly told him nothing happened, that he was drunk and I had merely fallen asleep on the couch. He snarled, refusing to believe me, pulling away the towel I wore to reveal bruises he' d inflicted, accusing me of drugging him. Just then, Bethany's video call flashed on his phone, and he instantly cast me aside, his voice soft and loving for her.

He threw my dress at me, ordering me out. Later, when I was packing my things, he taunted me, then made elaborate plans to send chicken noodle soup via private jet to Bethany in Europe, while I, his supposed fiancée, couldn't even get a glass of water. It was then that the last piece of my old heart turned to dust.

The very next day, my parents, beaming, presented me with a penthouse key, convinced Liam and I would finally marry. My mother' s hand flew to her chest when I told them I no longer loved Liam, just as his call came in. He ordered me to take birth control pills, then sarcastically dismissed the designer bag he'd once given me. I simply replied, "That bag is old. You can just throw it away."

I woke up with a pounding headache and the heavy scent of unfamiliar cologne. My eyes opened slowly, adjusting to the dim light of a hotel room I didn't recognize. Then I saw him. Liam Hayes, sleeping beside me, his face turned away.

Panic seized me for a second before the memories flooded back. Not just from last night, but from a whole other lifetime.

Last night, he' d been drunk at a party, slurring a name over and over. "Bethany... Bethany..." He had grabbed my arm, pulling me into this room, mistaking me for her. For Bethany Miller, his ex-girlfriend, the woman he' d loved for years. The woman he still pined for.

He stirred, his voice thick with sleep. "Bethany?"

I didn't move.

He rolled over, his eyes focusing on me. The warmth in them vanished, replaced by a cold, familiar indifference. He sat up, running a hand through his hair.

"Scarlett," he said, his voice flat. "What are you doing here?"

Before I could answer, he sighed, a look of weary resignation on his face. "Look, I know what this looks like. We can get married if you want. It's what Grandma always wanted anyway. But don't expect anything from me. You know who I love."

The words were a ghost of a conversation we' d had before. In my past life.

In that life, I had said yes. I loved him so desperately that I accepted his empty proposal. We were married for five years. Five years of me loving him and him tolerating me. He used me, my love, my family's resources. When my parents slighted Bethany, he orchestrated their financial ruin. They died in poverty, their hearts broken.

And me? I found out I was pregnant with twins. I was so happy, thinking maybe this would change things. But he abandoned me on a stormy night to rush to Bethany's side when she called with a fake emergency. I drove after him, desperate, and crashed my car. As I lay dying, bleeding out, my last thought was of our unborn children.

But now, I was back. Reborn in this hotel room, at the very beginning of the end.

This time would be different.

I sat up, pushing the sheet away. "Liam, you're mistaken."

My voice was calm, so calm it surprised even me.

He frowned. "What?"

"Nothing happened last night," I said, looking him straight in the eye. "You were drunk. You thought I was Bethany. I just fell asleep on the couch."

He stared at me, disbelief warring with suspicion in his eyes. He wasn't used to this composure from me. He was used to a girl who blushed and stammered, who hung on his every word.

"Don't lie to me, Scarlett," he snarled. He reached out and yanked the towel I had wrapped around myself. It fell to the floor, revealing the dark bruises blooming on my shoulders and arms from where he'd gripped me too hard.

His eyes widened for a second, then narrowed. "You see?"

I didn't flinch. I didn't try to cover myself. "I understand you mistook me for someone else," I repeated, my voice even. "I won't mention it to anyone."

His face twisted with anger. "You planned this, didn't you? You drugged me." He lunged forward, grabbing my arm and throwing me back onto the bed. His weight pinned me down.

"What did you put in my drink?" he demanded, his face inches from mine.

Just then, his phone buzzed on the nightstand. The screen lit up with a name that felt like a curse. Bethany. It was a video call.

He let go of me instantly, as if I had burned him. "Get out," he hissed, pushing me off the bed and toward the bathroom. "Don't make a sound."

He answered the call, his voice instantly soft and loving. "Bethany, hey. Is it morning there already?"

I closed the bathroom door without being told. In my past life, I would have been crying, my heart shattering into a million pieces. Now, I just felt a cold, clean emptiness. I looked at my reflection in the mirror. The girl staring back was no longer a fool.

I heard his muffled voice through the door. I didn't need to hear the words. I knew the tone. The tone he only ever used for her.

When I heard his call end, I opened the door. I saw a hotel cleaner in the hallway and calmly asked her for a robe. She looked at me, then at the open hotel room door, and handed one over without a word.

Liam came out of the room, holding my dress crumpled in his hand. He tossed it at me with a look of disgust. "Here. Now get out of my suite."

I took the dress and went back to my own room next door to get my things. I had just packed my small bag when Liam appeared at my open door, leaning against the frame.

"Scarlett, are you that desperate you can't leave?" he taunted, a smirk on his face.

I ignored him. As I walked past him, his phone buzzed again. It was a text. I saw the preview on his screen.

Bethany: So hungry. I miss your chicken noodle soup.

Liam's thumbs flew across the screen, his expression softening into a tender smile.

Liam: I'll make it for you right now. I'll have it sent over on a private jet. Don't go hungry.

He was in New York. She was in Europe. He would send soup on a private jet. For me, he couldn't even offer a glass of water.

The last piece of my old heart turned to dust.

My own phone buzzed in my hand. A message from my mother.

Mom: Honey, can you come home for dinner tonight? Your dad made your favorite lasagna ^^.

Tears suddenly pricked my eyes. Not for Liam, but for them. For the parents I had lost and now had back.

I walked out of the room without a word, my bare feet silent on the plush carpet.

"Hey! Put on some shoes!" Liam called after me, a strange note of forced concern in his voice. He caught up to me at the elevator, trying to throw his suit jacket over my shoulders. "Cover those marks. You don't want people to see."

I looked at the jacket, then at him. I let him place it on me. Then, as the elevator doors opened in the lobby, I took it off and dropped it into a trash can by the wall.

I walked out into the city streets, barefoot, and never looked back.

When I got home, my parents were waiting for me, their faces beaming with excitement. The smell of garlic bread and lasagna filled the house, a scent of love and safety I thought I' d never experience again.

"Honey, you're here!" my mom said, hugging me tightly.

"We have a surprise for you," my dad added, his eyes twinkling. He handed me a small, ornate box.

Inside was a key.

"It's for a penthouse apartment," my mom explained, her voice full of pride. "Right downtown, just a few blocks from Liam's office. We thought... you know, for when you two get married, it would be convenient."

They were so happy, so full of hope for me. For a future that I now knew was a lie. The lasagna suddenly felt heavy in my stomach. I couldn't let them sacrifice everything for my foolishness again.

I put the key down on the table. "Mom, Dad," I said, my voice gentle but firm. "I appreciate this. I really do. But I don't love Liam anymore."

The smiles on their faces froze. My mother's hand flew to her chest.

"What are you talking about, Scarlett?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly. "You've loved him for over ten years. Since you were a teenager."

"I was a kid," I said. "I'm not anymore. Things change."

Before they could press me further, my phone rang. The caller ID flashed Liam Hayes.

My dad glanced at the phone, then at me, and a look of understanding crossed his face. "Ah, a little fight, huh?" he said, patting my shoulder. "You two will work it out."

My mom nodded in agreement. "We'll leave you to it. Don't be too hard on him, honey."

They left the room, assuming this was just a typical lover's quarrel. I took a deep breath and answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Where are you?" Liam's voice was cold, clipped. No greeting, no preamble.

"I'm at home," I replied, my tone deliberately nonchalant. "Is there something you need?"

There was a pause on the other end. He was probably thrown by my lack of emotion. I was supposed to be crying, begging for his attention.

"I had my assistant order you some birth control pills," he said flatly. "They'll be delivered to your place in an hour. Make sure you take them."

In my past life, this would have destroyed me. Now, it was just... information.

"Okay, thanks," I said.

Silence. I could almost hear him processing my response. He was expecting tears, accusations, anything but calm acceptance.

"You left your bag at my place," he finally said, his voice tight. "The one you had at the party."

It was a designer bag, a gift from him for my last birthday. A hollow gesture, but one I had cherished.

"That bag is old," I said casually. "You can just throw it away."

I heard a sharp intake of breath, and then the line went dead. He had hung up on me.

I smiled.

When the pills arrived, I took two, just to be safe.

A week passed. I didn't call Liam. I didn't text him. I blocked his number. I threw myself into my father's business, an architectural firm that was struggling slightly. Using my knowledge from my past life, I pointed out a few overlooked municipal contracts and zoning changes, helping my dad secure two major projects that had been slipping through his fingers. My parents were thrilled, and for the first time in years, I felt a sense of purpose that had nothing to do with a man's approval.

One evening, I was at a high-end restaurant with my dad, celebrating our new contract. As we were leaving, I saw him. Liam, sitting at a large table with a group of his friends. Our eyes met across the room.

He stood up and walked over, his expression a mask of cold fury.

"Scarlett, I told you not to track my movements," he said, his voice low and menacing.

I didn't bother to explain that I was there with my father, that this was a complete coincidence. He wouldn't believe me anyway.

"My apologies," I said, my voice polite and distant. "I'll leave now."

As I turned to go, one of his friends, a loudmouth named Greg, raised his glass. "Hey, Liam! Is that the girl? The one who finally popped your cherry? Here's to Scarlett, for her service!" He laughed, and a few others joined in.

The air went still. I saw Liam's jaw tighten. He shot his friend a look that could kill. "Shut up, Greg."

Then he turned his gaze back to me. It was filled with a chilling mix of anger and humiliation. He pointed to the grand piano in the center of the restaurant's lounge.

"You want to be here so badly? Fine," he said, his voice dripping with contempt. "Go play a song. Entertain us. No need for drinks, I'm too busy to drive an idiot like you home anyway."

His friends snickered. He was punishing me for their crudeness. He was making me the spectacle to reclaim his own pride.

In that moment, a memory from my past life surfaced. A time when Bethany had been insulted by a drunk businessman at a party. Liam had smashed a bottle over the man's head without a second's hesitation. For Bethany, he was a protector, a warrior.

For me? I wasn't even worthy of being compared to her. I was just a nuisance to be swatted away, a tool for his amusement.