The spring when my childhood friend was kidnapped, I chose not to rush in to save him this time. Instead, I called the police directly. When I saved him before, the Medina family insisted he marry me. Since I’d always liked him, I happily agreed. But after the wedding, he stayed distant for thirty years.

It wasn't until the day of the earthquake, when I risked everything to protect him and our daughter, that I found myself trapped under a slab, left for dead. They didn't rescue me; instead, they said I deserved it. "You brought this upon yourself for tearing apart Dad and Aunt Anais," my daughter said. He even ran to Anais Gray, crying tears of relief, "Thank goodness you're safe!" Watching them leave, I died with hatred in my heart.

When I awoke, I found myself back to the day Valentin was kidnapped.

This time, I'll let them have each other.

---

"Sylvie, Valentin has been kidnapped! You have to save him," Graham Torres's voice came through, urgent and desperate, pulling me back to reality. The pain from being trapped under the slab was still vivid. I looked around at the Victorian-style buildings and realized I was back to that day thirty years ago. It hit me then that I had been given a second chance at life.

I glanced at him and responded calmly, "I can't save him. You should call the police."

Graham became even more frantic. "Sylvie, if you call the police, it'll tip off the kidnappers. Valentin might get hurt. You're trained; you can save him."

In the previous life, Graham had said the same thing. Fearful the kidnappers would react violently if the police got involved, he came to me, trusting in my self-defense skills and our friendship.

I felt a flicker of frustration. "I told you to call the police. I can't handle them all by myself. Now go, don’t interrupt my coffee break."

But he wouldn't let it go, his voice now pleading, "Sylvie, you care about Valentin. Aren't you worried?"

"I don't care if he dies. It's not my concern," I retorted, turning back to my self-defense practice.

Coming from a family trained in martial arts, I'd honed my skills since childhood under my father's guidance. In my past life, when I found out Valentin was kidnapped, I blindly rushed in to save him. Luckily, they weren't very skilled, and I defeated them easily, rescuing Valentin.

His family, seeing how close we were, pressured him to marry me as a thank you for my courage. I was thrilled, having loved him since childhood. The news kept me up for days in excitement. But on our wedding day, his attitude changed completely.

"Sylvie Powell, saving me doesn’t mean I owe you my life. You've cost me my happiness."

Back then, I was clueless about what had changed him. I thought perhaps his parents had said something. It wasn't until after the wedding, when I saw him wrapped around Anais Gray, a troublemaker, that I realized he already loved someone else.

I tried discussing a divorce, but he refused, not wanting to upset his parents. We lived together, strained, for thirty years. He remained cold throughout those years.

It was only after the earthquake, when I saw him rejoice at Anais's survival, that I understood how deeply he loved her and how much he resented me. The memory was a stabbing pain in my heart.

Graham glared at me, eyes wide with anger. "Sylvie Powell, you're heartless. After all those years growing up with Valentin, you don’t deserve to call yourself his friend."

His words made me want to laugh bitterly. In this life, I won’t just avoid saving him; I'll cut off all contact.

"Stop wasting time here. Go call the police. Every minute you spend here risks his safety," I said, prompting Graham to finally leave to make the call. As he left, he threw one last remark at me, "Sylvie, you'll regret this!"

Valentin was eventually rescued by the police, but the help came too late—his leg was broken. As his neighbor, I quickly heard the news. It wasn't just about Valentin's condition; it was accompanied by murmurs about me.

"Did you hear? Graham's kid begged Sylvie Powell to save Valentin the other day, but she just stood there, saying it wouldn't matter if he died. Can you believe someone would say that?"

"I thought they were always close? Sylvie Powell has been training in self-defense since she was young, and she's pretty good. Why would she suddenly freeze up when it counted?"

"They were supposed to become in-laws, right? Well, that's off the table now."

Listening to the gossip, I didn't feel guilty. I knew the police would save him, so I wasn't truly leaving him to fate.

When I saw Valentin again, he was limping, and his eyes showed nothing but disdain as he looked at me. "Sylvie, thanks for leaving me hanging. From now on, let's go our separate ways."

Hearing his words and seeing the hatred in his eyes, I realized he had also been reborn. I met his gaze calmly and replied with a simple "Fine."

Valentin looked surprised, a hint of confusion in his eyes. "I hope you mean it. Don't come after me like a shadow later."

A wave of bitterness washed over me. In our past life, Valentin's parents had pushed for our marriage partly because I had saved him and partly due to their fears about his involvement with the troublemaker, Anais Gray, worried it would derail his future.

But he thought I'd used saving his life to emotionally blackmail his parents. For thirty years of our marriage, he treated me with cold indifference.

I believed with enough patience, I could eventually warm his heart. But those thirty years of silence taught me that some hearts can't be thawed. Not only that, but they freeze everything around them.

My beloved daughter turned against me, swayed by a few of his words. Anais had won her over with a simple stuffed bear.

I had bought her so many toys, but it never mattered. All she ever cared about was that I had supposedly kept Valentin and Anais apart.

"It's all because of you that Dad and Aunt Anais couldn't be together."

Fine, then. I hope they find happiness together.

I let it go and quickly went home to update my college applications.