It was both hateful and laughable.
I laughed at Owen for falling for such a manipulative snake, a woman who would have destroyed his entire world. And I laughed harder at myself, for the blind stupidity that dragged my own family down with me.
Ignoring the screaming pain, I gritted my teeth and hauled myself up, clinging to the rooftop railing.
As I drew close to Owen, I lunged, bit down on his ear with all my remaining strength, and tore away a piece of his flesh.
My defiance ignited his rage. He kicked my leg, hard.
A sharp crack echoed as pain shot through my ankle, and I staggered back.
The world tilted, and suddenly I was airborne, plummeting toward the concrete below.
Through a dizzying haze, I saw Owen give me a cold, mocking smile. “Quinn, this is your retribution! If there’s a next life, I'll do things right and never let go of Arabella's hand again. As for you, go to hell and reunite with your damn father!”
The excruciating pain of shattering bones and rupturing organs tore through my nerves. The sensation of falling stole my breath.
A wave of vertigo washed over me. When my vision cleared, I was looking at the eighteen-year-old Owen.
He was being held down by a group of thugs, panting helplessly on the filthy ground. His exposed skin was a patchwork of bruises.
Arabella was on her knees before him, a thug forcing her head down in a humiliating act.
I stood at the mouth of the alley, watching.
Noticing my gaze, Owen struggled to turn his head. A glimmer of hope flashed in his eyes.
His voice was hoarse. “Quinn, save me.”
The scene was identical to my past life. I clenched my fists.
I was back. Reborn. Ten years in the past.
The terror of the fall and the suffocating pain still gripped my heart. Looking at the desperate plea in Owen’s eyes, I felt only hatred and a grim amusement.
Owen, I thought, this time, I will never interfere in your disgusting games. You can rot in this dark alley for all I care.
I ignored his pleas and, without a shred of hesitation, turned and walked back toward the school.
In this life, he could suffer all the hardships Arabella brought him.
The next day, as soon as I entered my classroom, Principal Albright hastily summoned me to his office. “Quinn, there’s something I need to ask you.”
When I saw Owen standing by the desk with his eyes downcast, his mother, Coralie Wilson, at his side with a furious expression, I knew exactly what this was about.
The moment he saw me, Principal Albright cleared his throat.
But before he could speak, Coralie surged forward, her hand cracking across my face in a hard slap.
“Quinn, I’m so disappointed in you!” She raised her arm to strike again but was sharply stopped by Principal Albright. “Mrs. Wilson, what are you doing? Let's talk things through calmly.”
My face stung, my head rang. I clutched my cheek and looked up at her coldly.
Not far away, a fuming Coralie pointed at me and cursed, “Quinn, how could you be so vicious? Look what those thugs you hired from the Bronx did to Owen!”
I turned to Owen, who was still glaring at me, and sneered inwardly. It seemed he’d conveniently left out the part about being injured while protecting Arabella.
I lowered my hand, letting them see the bright red handprint blooming on my cheek.
“Owen, since you were beaten so badly, why didn't you call 911?”
My question hung in the silent office.
Owen's gaze fell on my face, a flicker of panic in his eyes. I understood in an instant.
He was terrified Coralie would find out about Arabella, the scholarship student.
Coralie was a notorious control freak. If she caught a whiff of him dating, especially her, she'd probably skin him alive.
I met Owen’s warning gaze and slowly pulled out my phone. “Since you’re so sure I hired them,” I said, “let's just call the police.”
Seeing that I was serious, Owen, who had been silent, finally spoke. “You can’t do that!”
He glared at me, gritting his teeth. “Mom, Quinn and I grew up together. Making a scene will only hurt the relationship between our families.”
Coralie's expression flickered. She must have remembered the stakes.
At the time, the Wilson family was circling the drain and desperately needed my family's help.
After placating his mother, Owen bowed deeply to Principal Albright.
“Principal Albright, I'm sorry for the trouble. Let’s just drop it.”
Then, Owen turned to me with a faint smile. “Quinn, stop fooling around. I won’t press charges.”
Hah, I thought. How was I ever so blind to his act? I felt a wave of nausea.
“Owen, what gives you the right to press charges against me? And who said anything about proving my innocence?”
Without hesitation, I dialed 911 and said firmly, “NYPD? I've been assaulted on school grounds and need assistance.”
Hearing this, Coralie stared at me in disbelief, her face turning green with rage. “Quinn, what has happened to you?”
She had said the exact same thing to me in my past life. Then, after Owen had destroyed my family, I had burst into their home to plead for her help.
She had dismissed our long friendship and said calmly, “You caused Owen to lose the woman he loved. He hates you, so of course, I can’t help you. Besides, Quinn, what has happened to you? Barging into our house with no manners at all.”
This time, facing Coralie’s fury, I let out a small laugh. “Mrs. Wilson, people have to pay for their mistakes.”
As we walked out of the NYPD station, my father rushed over, his face a mask of panic.
I thought I could hide my emotions in this new life. But the moment I saw him, my composure shattered.
Seeing me cry, my father became agitated and lunged toward the station entrance, ready to hit Owen.
After I stopped him, he looked at me, his eyes red-rimmed with worry. “My darling girl, what about your face? Does it hurt?”
He glared at Coralie, who was now cowering, and roared, “Are you insane? You dare touch my daughter! That’s it! I’m pulling our investment from Wilson Capital’s real estate project. Immediately!”
Owen quickly stepped in front of his mother, looking at my father with feigned earnestness. “Mr. Ravenscroft, please calm down. My mom was just worried. After all, it was Quinn who hired people to beat me up. My mom was just trying to protect me.”
Then, Owen ambled over to me, displaying his injured arm with a theatrical sigh.
“I know you only did it because you like me so much. But Arabella and I are just classmates. I was helping her with her studies at Principal Albright's request, that's all. No matter how jealous you are, you can’t hire people to beat us up.”
What an actor. In a few sentences, he'd painted me as some spoiled, jealous brat.
I fought back the urge to slap him, raising an eyebrow instead. “Who said I like you?” I asked, giving him a pointed look. “Don't flatter yourself.”
Owen was stunned. “What did you say?”
He quickly recovered, assuming I was just lashing out in anger. He shook his head with a helpless smile.
“Stop it, Quinn. You’ve always liked me. We’re practically engaged.”
I hardened my face and cut him off coldly. “I’m sorry, Owen. The engagement is off.”
His eyes widened in shock. He strode forward, grabbing my arm.
“Quinn, don’t be ridiculous. I told you, she’s just a friend.”
I smiled, gently twisted my hand from his grasp, and then pressed down hard on his wound.
Owen gasped, his face turning pale.
My smile widened. “Listen up, Owen. I don't like you, and I won’t marry you. I didn’t hire anyone to beat you up. You should go ask Arabella about that. And be sure to tell her that if she ever slanders me again, she’ll be hearing from my lawyer.”
I looked him up and down with utter contempt. “As for you, go rot in your stupid love.”
