After being reborn, I cut off every line of contact with Maxwell Sutton.

He chooses Elmshore University, so I change my application to Stonewick University instead. My goal is to stay far away from him and never cross paths again.

When he comes back to the country for holidays and tries to meet up, I fly abroad. I block him on social media and stop replying to his emails.

The moment he joins the same company as me, I hand in my resignation. I don't even want to see him from a distance.

In my previous life, I was obsessed with him for 20 years, and he betrayed me for 20 years.

I was diagnosed with a terminal illness in my 30s. While I took my last breath, Maxwell was busy planning a wedding with his first love.

The daughter we raised adjusted his suit like the perfect child, while I died alone in a hospital room.

And now, I refuse to live that ridiculous life again.

The cardiac monitor let out a sharp alarm, and I kept my eyes fixed on the ceiling. I had lived through 35 years, and now my life was ending in this small room that reeked of disinfectant.

"Her blood pressure's dropping. Get the epinephrine ready—now!"

The doctors' and nurses' shouts blurred into the background.

There was no family by my bedside or friends to see me off. Right now, Maxwell Sutton was probably standing at an altar, sliding a diamond ring onto Angelica Xavier's finger. It was funny how he'd never bought one for me.

Rebecca Sutton, the daughter we had raised together for ten years, was probably standing there with the ring pillow in her hands.

The irony wasn't lost on me. Those people I had loved with everything in me were celebrating my disappearance while I took my last breath.

As my consciousness faded, I made one last wish. If there was another life, I hoped I would never meet Maxwell again.

…

"Jocelyn! Get up. Otherwise, you'll be late for your mock exam today."

My mom's voice snapped me back to the living.

I opened my eyes and found myself back in my room as it had been when I was 18. My desk sat by the pale blue curtains, stacked with study notes. The walls were plastered with Elmshore University admissions brochures from past years.

It was April 7, 2010, two months before the college entrance exam. Then it hit me that I had been reborn.

Looking in the mirror, I saw a face with no sign of age. No wrinkles from years of depression or gaunt, sickly pallor from chemotherapy. Just long glossy hair, bright eyes, and a healthy body. Tears spilled down my face before I could stop them.

"What's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?" my mom asked, handing me a towel.

"It's nothing, Mom," I replied, wiping my tears and smiling for the first time since being reborn. "I just figured some things out, that's all."

On this day in my previous life, I took the mock exam. Then I'd completely broken down because I failed it. Maxwell, the one I'd had a crush on, tried to comfort me. That was a major turning point in my 20-year-long unrequited love for him.

This time, though, I'd made it into the top ten in my grade.

"Jocelyn, you're amazing," Yvonne Spencer, my deskmate, said excitedly while patting my shoulder. "Math was so hard this time, and you still scored 92%."

I smiled, but this time I didn't dash off to tell Maxwell like last time. I knew he was out on the sports field, accepting a bottle of water from Angelica.

In my previous life, I'd run over crying about my bad result. He happened to be drinking from that very bottle, and my love-struck brain only picked up his comforting words. I didn't even notice Angelica right there, making snide remarks the whole time.

"Yvonne, which university are you thinking of applying to?" I asked casually.

"Probably Stonewick University because my parents work in that city," she replied.

She sighed and continued, "You know my grades are just average."

In my past life, I chose Elmshore University without a second thought. I followed Maxwell, even if it meant giving up a better opportunity. But this time…

"Let's work hard together. I'm thinking about going to Stonewick University, too," I said.

Yvonne's eyes widened with surprise, and she asked, "Weren't you always talking about going to Elmshore University with that handsome Maxwell?"

"Well… I changed my mind," I replied softly, glancing out the window, where he had his arm around Angelica's waist.

"I think Stonewick isn't so bad after all," I added.

On the day the college entrance exam ended, the whole class had a dinner party. To my surprise, Maxwell slid into the seat next to mine.

"I heard you're going to Stonewick," he said, handing me a glass of juice. "Didn't you say you were going to stay in Elmshore?"

Maxwell handed me a glass, but I didn't drink from it.

"Change of plans," I said.

"Because of me?" He lowered his voice and added, "If this is about Angelica and me…"

"Don't flatter yourself," I replied, setting the glass down and meeting his eyes. "I just think Stonewick University suits me better."

Maxwell looked stunned. In my previous life, I'd never had the guts to look him in the eye like this. I was constantly second-guessing myself, trying to read his mood.

"Actually…" He trailed off before continuing, "I already broke up with Angelica."

I almost laughed at his words. History was repeating itself. He'd dropped this same bombshell at the exact moment in my previous life.

I'd immediately changed my college choice because of it. Just when I'd worked up the courage to confess my feelings to him, he'd gotten back together with Angelica.

I just replied curtly, "Oh." Then I stood up and added, "That's none of my business. I wish you all the best, Maxwell."

I turned and walked toward Yvonne, leaving Maxwell staring after me in complete disbelief.

This time, I wasn't putting my life on hold for him. I cut off all contact with him and took a short trip around the country with Yvonne.

At the Highland Lake, she took a deep breath of the crisp mountain air.

"This view is incredible, Jocelyn. We're so lucky to be here today. I heard it's usually cloudy up here, and most people never get to see the lake," she commented.

"Yeah, we really lucked out," I replied, though inside I couldn't help thinking how lucky I was to get a second chance at life. This time, I wasn't going to waste it.

"I heard Maxwell is traveling abroad. It must be nice to have that kind of money," Yvonne said casually.

I said nothing.

With the new semester at university just around the corner, I was packing when an email popped up.

"Jocelyn, I brought a gift back from my trip for you. Do you want to grab dinner?"

I briefly glanced at it and deleted the email immediately.

"I won't be seeing you again, Maxwell," I muttered.

Stonewick University was even more beautiful than I'd imagined. The buildings stood tucked beneath the thick canopy of oak trees.

"We actually made it," Yvonne said excitedly, grabbing my hand and running across the campus.

Watching her smile filled me with a warm, unexpected happiness. In my previous life, I'd been so obsessed with Maxwell that I did whatever he wanted and pushed everyone else away. This time, I had the chance to make different choices.

"What clubs are you joining? I want to sign up for the street dance club," she said, flipping through the recruitment flyers.

"Entrepreneurship Club," I replied, pointing to a booth not far away. "And also Finance & Investment Club."

Yvonne's eyes went wide. "Wow, that's intense. Since when are you so serious?"

I smiled, but I didn't bother explaining. I'd wasted my previous life chasing a romance, letting my studies and ambitions wither. This time, I would take back everything I'd lost.

Time passed in a flash, and I was already a sophomore.

Together with a few clubmates, I developed a second-hand marketplace application for the campus. It started as just a class project, but it quickly rose to popularity across the school.

"Ms. Leigh, do you mind if we chat?"

After class one day, a man in a sharp suit stopped me in the hallway.

"I'm Zachary Cole from Apex Ventures. I'm very interested in your project."

His name hit me like a bolt of lightning. In my previous life, he had been a rising star in the technology investment industry, making the Billionaires List in his 30s. And now, here he was, standing in front of me, handing me his business card.

"Nice to meet you," I replied, taking his business card and trying to keep my composure. "But there are five of us on the team…"

"I want to talk to you specifically," Zachary said with a smile. "It's your idea, right?"

He'd clearly done his homework.

My heart raced, not from nervousness, but from excitement. This was a pivotal opportunity I'd missed entirely in my previous life.

Zachary's office was on the top floor of downtown Stonewick's tallest building. The floor-to-ceiling windows offered a panoramic view of the entire city.

"I'll invest two million dollars for a 20% equity stake," he said, sliding a contract across the table.

He continued, "With one condition that you commit full-time after graduation. You major in software engineering, right? That lines up perfectly with what we need."

I read through the terms carefully and put the business knowledge I'd gained from the clubs to good use.

"That's a reasonable offer, but I want to retain ownership of the core technology patents."

Zachary raised an eyebrow.

"You know about patent law?" he asked.

"I've done some reading," I said, closing the folder. "Also, I want a seat on the board."

I looked at Zachary intently.

He smiled and met my eyes.

"Jocelyn, you're… full of surprises," he remarked.

The negotiation went on for three hours before we finally came to an agreement. With a two-million-dollar investment for a 15% equity stake, I retained full ownership of the patent and a seat on the board as an observer.

When I left, Zachary walked me to the building entrance.

"Just so you know, I don't usually invest in student startups," he said.

"So why make an exception?" I asked.

I was genuinely curious why he'd sought me out.

"You've got an edge I don't usually see in students," he said, giving me a look I couldn't quite read. "Like you're pushing yourself harder than someone your age normally would."

My stomach dropped. He saw straight through me, as if he could tell that behind this young face was someone who had already lived a lifetime and come back from the edge.

"I'll try not to disappoint you," I replied.

I turned to leave without telling him the truth that the drive he saw in me came from another life, and from the regret of dying alone at 35.

…

In the third year after graduation, our company was valued at over 100 million dollars.

I bought an apartment and moved my parents from Elmshore to Stonewick.

Yvonne became my marketing director, and Zachary… There was always something between us I couldn't quite name.

"Jocelyn, the acquisition documents are ready," she said, walking into my office with a big grin.

"What made you so cheerful?" I asked, glancing up from my desk before returning to the file I was reviewing.

"Guess who our new CFO is?" she asked.

I didn't look up from the contract I was reviewing. "Who?"

"Maxwell Sutton," she replied.

My fingers tightened around the contract until the paper creased.

"Surprise, right? What are the odds? We're going to be working together. Talk about fate." Yvonne was still buzzing from the coincidence, unaware of the changes in my expression.

"Are you sure it's the same guy from our high school?" I stared at her, desperately hoping for a different answer.

"Yes. He was transferred from Elmshore last week. I heard Mr. Cole personally recruited him…" Yvonne's smile faded as she finally registered my expression.

"Hey, are you okay? You look awful," she said.

I stood and walked to the window, taking a deep breath. It had been six years, and I'd gone out of my way to avoid any chance of running into Maxwell. I'd even made excuses to skip going home for the holidays. Unexpectedly, fate had shoved him right back into my life.

"I'm fine," I said, turning around and keeping my voice steady in a way that felt almost unnatural. "Let's get ready for the meeting."

In the conference room, Maxwell stood by the projector in a sharp suit, introducing himself.

At 25, he had grown more mature than in high school and carried himself with the effortless poise of someone used to being in charge.

"And I'm excited to join such a dynamic team."

His eyes swept across the room, landing on each person in turn. It paused for a beat when it reached me before he pulled himself back together.

I kept my face blank as I flipped through my documents, even as my heart hammered against my ribs.

By this point in my previous life, I was already his wife. I'd given up my career to stay home and raise Rebecca, the daughter we'd adopted together. Just thinking about dying alone in that hospital bed made cold sweat break out across my skin.

"Ms. Leigh, any thoughts on the budget?" Zachary's voice cut through my thoughts.

Everyone turned to look at me. I lifted my head and met Maxwell's curious stare.

"No," I replied, setting down the pen I'd been gripping so hard that its metal was now slick and damp in my hand.

"But I do have something to announce."

The room went silent.

"I want to resign."