Chapter 1I caught my husband balls-deep in MY BULLY. No hesitation—divorced his ass and said yes to his best friend's proposal.
Last life? Kieran tortured me to death just to be with that bitch.
Flynn died saving me.
This time, I swore I wouldn't fall for the WRONG person again.
But on our anniversary, I came home early to surprise Flynn—
There he was, pounding into Nova on OUR bed, groaning.
"Jesus, your pussy's way tighter than Aria. No wonder Kieran couldn't get enough of you."
My blood went cold.
Why does love always end in betrayal?
But this time, I'm not crying.
You screwed me over twice?
Now it's my turn to make all three of you beg.
....
The moans inside kept going.
Over and over, like a dull knife cutting into my heart.
Nova's voice came through, sweet and breathy.
"Bad boy."
"Looking at you now, who'd guess you were obsessed with Aria for years?"
"I still remember the night she married Kieran—you were crying up on that rooftop."
Flynn grabbed her ass tighter, smirked.
"That was just stupid kid stuff. Once I fucked her, honestly? Not that special."
"If she'd been this eager back then, maybe I wouldn't have wasted so much time pining after her."
Eager?
I looked down at the grocery bags in my hands and finally got what he meant.
I was supposed to be working late tonight. Pulled all-nighters for days to finish the project early.
Wanted to come home and make us a nice anniversary dinner.
The fish, the shrimp—all his favorites. I'm allergic to all of it.
That's how it's been since I married Flynn.
Everything I did was to make up for what I owed him from my last life.
To fix my past mistakes.
I bent over backward for every little thing he wanted.
He'd cough once, I'd learn to make pear soup from scratch.
He'd mention wanting some new watch, I'd secretly save up and surprise him with it.
My chest felt crushed. Couldn't breathe.
I stood there shaking my head, trying to unsee and unhear everything.
But the sounds kept spilling out.
Nova's arms wrapped around Flynn's waist, eyes glazed over.
"Why don't you just tell her? Say you cheated?"
Flynn didn't answer. Just kept thrusting.
I thought maybe he felt guilty.
Then, when he finally finished, he went limp against her—slow and deliberate.
"Nah. It's hotter when she doesn't know."
"The whole forbidden thing gets me off more."
The bags slipped from my hands. Groceries scattered everywhere.
Flynn heard the noise and looked up. Saw me standing in the doorway.
Panic flashed across his face for half a second.
"Aria—I can explain—"
I took one step forward.
He flinched like I'd attacked him, throwing his arm out to block me.
Yanked Nova behind him. Shielding her.
"If you're pissed, take it out on ME. Don't you dare touch her."
I stumbled backward. Hit the floor hard.
Then looked up at him, lips trembling.
"Why are you protecting her too?!"
Flynn knew. He knew her voice haunted my nightmares.
Back when I was with Kieran, he used to defend Nova openly.
She once even threw scalding coffee on my hand in front of everyone, smiling, saying "Oops, slipped."
She slipped me herbs that made me miscarry when I was pregnant with Kieran's baby.
Kieran ignored it ALL.
But Flynn stood up for me. Even got into fights with Kieran over it.
Back then, he looked at me with nothing but heartbreak and helplessness.
Like he wished he could take all my pain onto himself.
But now, for the same person, he was hurting me all over again.
Faced with his silence, I forced out my last bit of strength.
"Flynn, she doesn't love you. She just loves taking what's mine."
He laughed.
Soft. Like hearing a kid say something cute and naive.
He walked over, crouched down in front of me, and answered patiently.
"Silly girl. I don't love her either. I've always loved YOU."
"Just turn a blind eye, okay? I'm still yours."
I stared at him in disbelief.
This face—I couldn't make it match the person who died saving me in my last life anymore.
I curled in on myself, tears falling silently onto the floor.
"I can't! Let's get divorced."
Flynn's jaw tightened. He spoke slowly, each word deliberate.
"Not happening. Forgot what you promised me on our wedding day?"
"Between us, there's NO divorce. Only DEATH."
Chapter 2
When I didn't respond, he bent down to pick up the scattered groceries.
Reached for my hand like always, trying to help me up.
I jerked away from his touch like I'd been burned.
Flynn froze for a second, then brushed it off with a casual smile.
"Come on, stop being so dramatic."
"You were planning to cook tonight, right? Nova and I just worked up an appetite. Let's all make dinner together!"
I let him steer me into the kitchen like a zombie.
He even tied the apron around my waist, all thoughtful and domestic.
A scene that used to feel so warm and cozy.
Now it was absurd—because the mistress was leaning against the doorframe, watching us.
Nova stood there with cold eyes and a mocking smile on her face.
After a few minutes, she drifted closer, leaning in to whisper.
"Aria, bet you never expected me to win again, huh?"
"I'll admit—you're better than me at pretty much everything."
"Except picking men. Still as terrible as ever."
Her fingers played with the necklace hanging against her collarbones.
Two rings dangled from the chain. Like trophies.
I recognized them immediately. WEDDING RINGS.
The chain used to hold just Kieran's ring.
Now there was Flynn's too.
I looked down at the band on my own finger and yanked it off violently.
My head felt heavy and numb.
I forced myself to choke down a few bites of food, then tried to escape to my room.
Flynn's hand shot out, pressing me back into my chair.
"You're done eating? Great."
"Peel some shrimp for Nova. She hates getting her hands messy."
My voice came out raw and scratchy.
"I'm allergic to seafood."
Flynn's face darkened.
"It's just a few shrimp. What's the big deal?"
"Or are you still throwing a tantrum over what happened earlier?"
He slammed his fork down on the table.
"Yeah, fine—I slept with Nova. I was wrong."
"But you spent years all over Kieran right in front of me, and I NEVER make a scene."
"Can't you be mature about this like I was?"
He stared at me, voice dripping with self-righteousness.
Conveniently forgetting that after I got with Kieran, I never once crossed the line with him.
He was the one who kept chasing me.
He was the one who said as long as I stayed loyal to him, he'd accept my past no matter what.
There was no point arguing anymore.
I sat there, numb, peeling shrimp with shaking hands.
Within minutes, my skin broke out in hives.
My breathing got shallow and fast.
Flynn and Nova's laughter blurred together in front of my eyes.
Right before everything went black, the last thing I saw was Flynn's panicked face.
"Aria!"
Chapter 3
When I woke up, I was lying in a hospital bed with an IV in my hand.
Flynn was nowhere to be seen.
Mom was sitting beside me, eyes red and swollen.
My chest tightened. Tears spilled over before I could stop them.
"Mom—"
But before I could even sink into that comfort, I saw HIM.
My ex-husband. Kieran.
He was wearing a white coat, walking slowly toward me.
"Long time no see."
The second I recognized that face, my breath caught.
When I didn't respond, he smirked.
"What's wrong? Did you find everything?!"
I stared at him, confused.
He raised an eyebrow.
"Remember that time you came in for appendix surgery?"
"I secretly cut your fallopian tubes while you were under."
"Flynn told me to do it. Said he was worried if you got pregnant, Nova would throw a fit."
I forced myself upright with every ounce of strength, body shaking.
"You're lying. That's not possible!"
But a dull, familiar ache throbbed deep in my abdomen.
And in that instant, I knew he was telling the truth.
Kieran watched my face crumble, clearly enjoying it.
Arms crossed, smirking.
"Honestly, you're better off with me. At least I'd be willing to let you have my baby."
"I told you back then—just behave and don't make trouble."
"You didn't listen, so I had no choice but to ask for a divorce."
He leaned in closer, his face filling my vision.
"So... how about we get remarried? I'm done with Nova anyway."
I tried to speak, but my throat locked up.
That's when Mom stepped protectively in front of me.
"You monster—how dare you do this to my daughter!"
"Once she's discharged, I'm taking her home. You'll never hurt her again!"
With Mom backing me, I grabbed the cup and hurled it at Kieran.
The glass grazed his temple and shattered against the wall.
Blood trickled down his brow.
Kieran's expression darkened. He wiped the blood away with the back of his hand.
Before leaving, he shot me one last venomous look.
"Aria, you're perfect in every way. Except you take everything way too seriously."
Even now, they still thought this was all MY fault?
Why should I be the one to blame?
No matter what, I was going to make them pay.
I opened the most popular social media platform.
Typed out everything—years of love, betrayal, lies.
Added photos from my phone.
Hit post.
The thread exploded instantly.
Comments flooded in—people pitying me, cursing them.
Within hours, Nova's accounts were found and swarmed.
That's when Flynn finally showed up.
He looked at me like I'd disappointed him.
"Aria, I just went to celebrate Nova's birthday for a bit. Did you really have to blow this up?"
"Now Nova's getting so much hate she's crying nonstop."
"Take the post down. Go live and apologize. Say you lied. Then we can move past this."
I gripped Mom's hand tight, whole body trembling.
"Everyone online says I did nothing wrong. Why should I apologize?"
"If anything, YOU'RE the one who—"
"Aria Blake, you brought this on yourself."
Flynn's face twisted with anger.
Right in front of me, he opened a livestream.
On camera, he started lying without missing a beat.
In just a few sentences, he painted me as the homewrecker who ruined his marriage.
"Nova Hayes and I are legally married. Aria and I were just friends."
"After her divorce, she kept harassing me."
"I've never been married before. Why would I marry someone who's already been divorced once?"
His tone was sincere, like he was stating an undeniable fact.
"I didn't want to say anything, but this time she's seriously affecting my family life."
"My wife is suffering because of her."
When people started questioning him, he pulled two documents out of his pocket and held them up to the camera.
All in English. Crystal clear proof.
He and Nova were legally MARRIED overseas.
My eyes froze on the date at the bottom.
Ice flooded through my entire body.
It was the exact day I was on the operating table.
