Ruins of Us

In the month before my 20th birthday, Dad digs out the information on the oldest daughters of the four most prominent families in Jorvale and tells me to select one of them as my partner for our upcoming marriage alliance.

I choose Grace Sutton without hesitation, which shocks everyone else.

After all, everyone in Jorvale knows very well that Connor Foster, the sole heir of the Foster family, has always been crushing on Abigail Chandler since I was a kid.

Only I know that I've gotten to marry Abigail in my previous life.

But on the day after our grand wedding, Abigail told me that Louis Hayes, the low-income student Dad had been sponsoring, was the man she loved.

She announced in public that she was only my wife in name, but she'd always be Louis' wife for real.

But when Abigail tried to pick Louis up the next day, she found out that he had already disappeared after leaving a relationship-severance letter behind.

Abigail was hell-bent on believing that I was the one who forced Louis to leave. Because of that, she treated me like her mortal enemy for the rest of her life.

She went through a lover per week, and she'd always be intimate with them in front of me. All of those lovers resembled Louis one way or another.

Finally, on the day Abigail officially took over Foster Group, I died in a car accident by "coincidence".

Now that I've been reborn, I decide to marry another woman and avoid getting caught up in Abigail's affairs anymore.

But once Abigail hears my decision, she goes absolutely berserk.

"Hey, why is Connor here too? You're impressive, Abigail. Your lapdog even followed you all the way to Lothriel!"

"He's chasing you across half the world. He just won't leave you alone, will he?"

Abigail Chandler's friends' sharp taunts pierced my ears. I turned back with indifference.

Abigail's expression darkened slightly. She frowned at me and asked, "What are you doing here? It was bad enough that you followed me around shamelessly in Jorvale. Now you even chased me to Lothriel."

She put on a stern face and lectured me. "You're the only son of the Foster family. Do you have no sense of dignity at all?"

Her supposedly righteous yet deeply disdainful tone was something I had known for over a decade in my previous life. They felt painfully familiar.

In the past, I had forced myself to stay composed in public, only to drown my feelings in alcohol once I got home. I had constantly questioned what was wrong with me that I could never earn her affection.

But now, I merely dropped a detached remark. "My dad asked me to bid on a piece of jewelry here as a gift for my 20th birthday. What does that have anything to do with you?"

Abigail clearly didn't expect me to react like that and froze for a moment.

Before she could react, the friends around her erupted in chaos.

"Mr. Foster Senior's will stated that when Connor turned 20 years old, he had to choose one of the eldest daughters from the four major families in Jorvale for marriage. That woman would later oversee the finances and internal affairs of both families."

"All four families built their fortunes with the Foster family's backing. This is no different from a marriage decreed by royalty."

Something flickered in Abigail's eyes as she cast a subtle glance at me from the corner of her eye.

Her friend continued, "The Foster family controls a business empire. By taking over both Foster and Chandler Groups at the same time, Abigail could gain complete control of Jorvale!"

"Abigail, once you rise to the top, don't forget about us!"

"Congratulations, Abigail!"

As the group showered Abigail with congratulations, I regarded her with cold detachment. Her expression barely changed, yet with my familiarity with her across two lifetimes, I still caught the fleeting joy in her eyes.

"Alright, let's just follow whatever Mr. Foster Senior decides," Abigail said.

Her expression softened slightly, and she said as if granting me a favor, "Fine, you can stay if you want, but you must keep your distance. I'm here to work."

Suddenly, she leaned in and whispered, "This time, I must bring Louis home on the wedding day. If you dare refuse, I'll call off the marriage, and you'll never have me!"

My heart clenched abruptly. So, she had been reborn as well!

"Abby."

A low, cool, and clear voice cut through my thoughts.

The coldness on Abigail's face instantly melted into tenderness. "You're suffering from jet lag. Why didn't you rest a bit longer?"