Chapter 3

Evelyn's POV

The silence that followed my revelation was almost comical.

ethan stared at me as if I had just announced I could read his mind.

I held his gaze.

Once upon a time, I would have looked away.

I would have blushed.

I probably would have smiled like a fool, waiting for him to speak the words I had dreamed of hearing.

This time, I felt nothing.

Well… almost nothing.

A cold anger was slowly rising in my chest.

I knew this man.

I knew his smile.

The way he tilted his head slightly when searching for his words.

The tiny crease that appeared between his brows when he was annoyed.

I even knew the exact way he was going to ask me to marry him.

I had lived this scene.

I had lived it with so much joy that I could still remember the dress I was wearing that day.

A white dress.

Simple.

Elegant.

ethan had taken me to dinner at a private restaurant on the top floor of a hotel.

He had played our song.

Then he had gotten down on one knee.

I had cried.

I had said yes before he could even finish his sentence.

Back then, I believed my life had just begun.

In reality, it was the day it started slipping away from me.

"Evelyn?"

His voice pulled me back to the present.

I blinked.

Nathaniel was still standing in front of me.

"What’s gotten into you?"

I looked at him for a few seconds before answering.

"Nothing."

"You just said you knew what I was going to ask you."

"I guessed."

He narrowed his eyes.

"Guessed?"

"You’re fairly predictable, Nathaniel."

A strange expression crossed his face.

He didn’t like that.

I knew it.

Nathaniel liked controlling conversations.

He liked knowing what others thought of him.

He hated being caught off guard.

And I had just handed him the first real surprise of his life.

I turned away from the mirror and walked over to the window.

The city stretched out before me.

The buildings.

The cars.

The lights.

Everything looked exactly like it did in my memories.

Yet, something had changed.

Me.

I was twenty-four again.

I was at the peak of my career.

My name appeared on movie posters.

My days were filled with brand contracts.

I still had the millions I had earned through my hard work.

My house.

My investments.

My friends.

My freedom.

Everything I had lost was right back in my hands.

I could almost hear life whispering to me:

Start over.

I closed my eyes.

Very well.

I was going to start over.

But not the same way.

"Evelyn."

ethan stepped closer.

I felt his presence behind me.

In my first life, this simple gesture would have sent my heart racing.

Today, it only made me want to pull away.

"Are you sure you’re okay?"

I turned around.

"Perfectly."

"Then why are you acting so different?"

I smiled.

"Maybe I’ve grown up."

He remained silent.

I knew he was searching for an explanation.

He wouldn’t find one.

How could I tell him I had lived five extra years?

That I had watched our marriage become a cage?

That I had uncovered his lies?

That I had watched my career die?

That I had lost my fortune?

That I had cried alone in a car before dying?

And above all…

How could I tell him I had discovered his love for another woman?

I had no intention of giving him those answers.

Not yet.

Revenge was far more effective when served in silence.

"You should go home," I said.

He frowned.

"I thought we were having dinner together tonight."

"Cancel it."

"Why?"

"I don’t feel like it."

He looked at me as though I were speaking a foreign language.

"You’ve never turned down dinner with me."

I shrugged.

"There’s a first time for everything."

He stood motionless.

Then his phone buzzed.

His gaze dropped to the screen.

I only needed a split second.

I already recognized that number.

Victoria.

My stomach churned.

Five years ago, I hadn’t noticed a thing.

Today, I saw everything ethan immediately flipped his phone face down.

Too late.

I had seen the name.

Victoria.

I smiled inwardly.

So, this is where my new life begins.

I took a step toward him.

"Is it important?"

"No."

"Then answer it."

He looked at me.

"It’s nothing."

I laughed softly.

"I didn’t ask you to justify yourself."

He looked thoroughly unnerved.

I walked past him.

"I’m going to rest."

"Evelyn."

I stopped.

"Yes?"

"I really wanted to talk to you about something important."

I turned around slowly.

"I know."

"You’re really strange today."

"Maybe because I’m no longer the woman you think you know."

I left the room.

Behind me, I heard him mutter:

"What’s wrong with you?"

I smiled.

You’ll find out soon enough.

Once alone in my bedroom, I locked the door.

Then I sat on the edge of the bed.

My hands were shaking.

Not from fear.

From rage.

I picked up my phone.

The date matched my memories precisely.

I opened my calendar.

The events of that year flashed before my eyes.

Every date represented a piece of my first life.

Every mistake.

Every betrayal.

Every opportunity I had let slip by.

I knew the major milestones of the next five years.

I knew which company was about to explode.

Which startup would become a giant.

Which investors were about to make a fortune.

Which scandals would shake the film industry.

And above all…

I knew exactly how ethan and Victoria had orchestrated my downfall.

But I wasn’t going to rush recklessly into revenge.

No.

That would be too easy.

And far too dangerous.

If I changed things too abruptly, they would realize something was wrong.

I had to be patient.

I had to rebuild my foundation before tearing down theirs.

The first order of business was simple:

Protect my money.

I pulled out my laptop.

My fingers flew across the keyboard.

I audited my accounts.

My investments.

My properties.

My shares.

Everything was still strictly in my name.

I let out a sigh of relief.

In my first life, I had given Nathaniel access to almost everything.

I had signed power-of-attorney forms.

I had shared my financial records.

I had trusted him implicitly.

What a foolish woman I had been.

I immediately revoked every permission he had.

Then I opened several new accounts.

A private account.

An investment account.

An account dedicated solely to my career.

And a final off-grid account that no one would ever know existed.

I backed up the documents across multiple secure drives.

Then I picked up my phone and called my lawyer.

"Mr. Anderson?"

"Evelyn? Is everything alright?"

"Yes. I need you to prepare several documents for me."

"What kind?"

"I want to restructure my investments and revoke all third-party access effective immediately."

A beat of silence followed.

"Has someone given you trouble?"

I looked out at the city skyline through the window.

"Let’s just say I want to make sure a problem doesn’t arise five years from now."

He chuckled softly.

"You’re being mysterious today."

I smiled.

"Trust me."

Those words almost made me laugh.

Trust me.

I had spent five years repeating that line.

Starting today, I wouldn’t give my trust to anyone.

The next morning, I walked into the studio.

The moment I stepped through the doors, several staff members turned around.

"Evelyn!"

"She’s back!"

"Are you really starring in the new film?"

I smiled.

These faces…

I had forgotten them.

Some had stayed until my first life ended.

Others had vanished right after my marriage.

Because ethan hadn’t liked certain people around me.

And I had let them go.

This time, no one would make me choose between my career and a man.

I crossed the studio floor with total confidence.

My agent, Daniel, came running up to me.

"Finally!"

He grabbed my shoulders.

"You scared me yesterday! You weren’t answering your phone!"

"I was just tired."

"Tired?"

He looked me up and down.

"Something’s different about you."

I smiled.

"Everything is fine."

He handed me a folder.

"Your next movie."

I took it.

My heart tightened.

I remembered this project.

In my first life, I had turned this role down.

ethan had asked me to go on a trip with him instead.

I had chosen my fiancé.

The movie went on to become a massive box-office hit.

The actress who took my place became an international superstar.

I looked down at the folder.

"I’ll take it."

Daniel’s mouth fell open.

"What?"

"I’m taking the role."

"But you haven’t even read the script!"

"I’ve read it."

He knit his brows.

"When?"

I smiled.

"Trust me."

He gave me a bewildered look.

"You’re really acting weird today."

I laughed.

"You’re not the first to tell me that."

I signed the contract.

A tiny signature.

An almost insignificant gesture.

But to me, it meant everything.

I had just reclaimed the first piece of my life that my past had stolen.

My career.

At noon, my phone rang.

Nathaniel.

I let it ring out.

Then again.

And again.

Finally, I answered.

"Yes?"

His voice was cold.

"Why weren’t you picking up?"

"I was working."

"You promised we’d have lunch together."

I frowned.

"I don’t recall promising anything."

Silence on the line.

"Evelyn, what is going on with you?"

"Nothing."

"Are you avoiding me?"

I looked out the studio window.

"No."

"Then come see me."

I smiled.

"Why?"

"I have something to tell you."

I already knew what came next.

He was going to take me to dinner.

He was going to talk about our future.

He was going to tell me he loved me.

Then he was going to get down on one knee.

And I was going to refuse.

But I wasn’t going to just say no.

I wanted to see his face when he finally realized that the woman who had once given him her heart didn’t want him anymore.

"Fine," I said.

"Tonight?"

"Tonight. I’ll pick you up at eight."

"No."

"Why?"

"I’ll drive myself."

"Evelyn…"

"Eight o’clock."

I hung up.

Then I smiled.

For the first time since waking up, I felt something akin to sheer joy.

Tonight, Nathaniel was going to propose to me.

And tonight…

I was going to give him back his ring.

But there was one thing I didn’t know yet.

One thing that was about to turn all my plans upside down.

Because as I stepped out of the studio, a man was standing on the other side of the street.

Tall.

Dressed in a dark suit.

An unreadable expression on his face.

His eyes were fixed directly on me.

I slowed my pace.

I didn’t know this man.

And yet…

Something in his gaze gave me a chilling sensation.

As if he…

already knew me.

Then he got into a black car and vanished into traffic.

I stood frozen for a few seconds.

My heart beating with a strange, unexplainable rhythm.

At eight o'clock sharp, I stood in front of my bedroom mirror.

A black dress hugged my silhouette.

It was elegant, but not provocative. My hair fell freely over my shoulders, and a pair of earrings sparkled subtly against my skin.

In my first life, I had worn a white dress that night.

I had wanted to be perfect for Nathaniel.

I had spent nearly an hour choosing my outfit because I wanted him to find me beautiful.

I still remembered the look on his face when he saw me.

I had interpreted it as love.

Today, I knew that certain looks could hide a great many things.

I grabbed my purse.

Then I looked at my reflection one last time.

This time, I wasn't preparing to meet the man of my life.

I was preparing to say goodbye to the man who had been the center of my first life.

"Never again," I whispered.

My phone buzzed.

Nathaniel: I'm outside.

I smiled.

Of course.

Always punctual when it came to staging a scene.

I went downstairs.

When I opened the front door, a black car was waiting outside.

Nathaniel stepped out immediately.

He wore a perfectly tailored dark grey suit.

For a second, my heart had a reaction I despised.

He had always been attractive.

Even after everything he had done to me, I couldn't pretend his face had changed.

But the love I had once felt was no longer there.

In its place was a memory.

A painful memory.

"You look stunning," he said.

I offered him a polite smile.

"Thank you."

He stepped closer.

"May I?"

He held out his hand.

In my first life, I would have naturally placed mine in his.

This time, I simply held my purse closer to me.

"I can drive behind you."

His smile tightened slightly.

"Why?"

"Because I want to be able to leave whenever I want."

He stared at me.

"Evelyn, it's just a dinner."

"Then it shouldn't bother you."

He didn't answer.

Finally, he walked back to his car.

I got into mine.

The drive to the restaurant went by in total silence.

I followed his taillights while watching the city pass by.

Everything was familiar.

The streets.

The buildings.

The glowing signs.

Even that little café on the corner where I had our very first date.

I felt like I was watching my own life from the outside.

A life I had already lived.

A life whose ending I already knew.

But this time, I could alter every single chapter.

The restaurant was exactly as I remembered it.

A luxurious establishment on the top floor of a hotel.

Large floor-to-ceiling windows offered a breathtaking view of the city.

Golden lights illuminated the tables.

A pianist played softly at the back of the room.

When Nathaniel walked in, the staff greeted him immediately.

I followed behind him.

The maître d' led us to a secluded table.

I sat down.

ethan took a seat opposite me.

For a few seconds, neither of us spoke.

Then he smiled.

"Do you remember this place?"

I looked up.

"Yes. We came here for the first time three years ago."

"I remember. You ordered pasta."

I smiled faintly.

"And you had the steak."

He laughed.

"You really do remember."

Of course I remembered.

I remembered everything.

Even the details he had probably forgotten.

I remembered the way he held my hand under the table.

The way he looked at me.

The promise he made me that night:

"I will never hurt you."

I lowered my eyes.

What an irony.

The waiter arrived.

We ordered.

Nathaniel waited until he left before speaking again.

"You've been acting strange all day."

"I already told you. I'm fine."

"No."

He shook his head.

"I know you."

I almost laughed.

You knew me?

No.

He only knew the version of me that loved him blindly.

He didn't know the woman who had died because of him.

"Then tell me what's wrong," he insisted.

He looked at me for a long time.

Then he took a deep breath.

"I've been thinking a lot."

I suppressed a smile.

Here it was.

We were finally here.

Just like in my memories.

Nathaniel reached into the inner pocket of his jacket.

My eyes locked onto the movement.

The little box.

I knew it was there.

I even knew what it looked like: a small black box covered in velvet.

My heart beat faster.

Not out of love—out of satisfaction.

He was really going to do it.

Nathaniel stood up.

Then he walked around the table.

I didn't move.

He knelt down in front of me.

Several people turned to look.

The pianist slowed his tempo slightly.

Nathaniel opened the box.

A magnificent ring appeared—a diamond surrounded by smaller stones.

In my first life, I had cried upon seeing it.

Tonight, I felt nothing.

"Evelyn Sterling…"

He took my hand.

I pulled it back gently.

His expression shifted.

"Evelyn?"

I looked at the ring.

Then at him.

"What are you doing?"

He looked thrown off balance.

"I thought you knew."

"I knew you were going to ask me something."

I paused.

"But I didn't know you were going to do it here."

He smiled nervously.

"I love you."

Those three words.

Once, they had been capable of making me forget everything else.

Today, they sounded completely hollow.

"I've loved you for a long time, Evelyn. You're the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with."

I stared at him.

I knew what was coming next.

"Will you marry me?"

The room seemed to hold its breath for my answer.

In my first life, I had answered immediately: Yes.

This time, I took my time.

I looked at Nathaniel.

Then at the ring.

Then back at Nathaniel.

"No."

The smile on his face vanished completely.

"What?"

I gently pulled my hand away further.

"I said no."

He remained on one knee.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three.

I could almost see his mind scrambling for an explanation.

"You're joking."

"No."

"Evelyn…"

"I don't want to marry you."

He stood up slowly.

His face had lost all its color.

"Why?"

I picked up my glass of water.

"Because I don't love you enough to marry you."

He stepped back slightly.

"But just yesterday…"

"Yesterday was yesterday."

"You told me you loved me!"

I looked him dead in the eye.

"Feelings change."

He shook his head.

"No. Not like this."

I raised my eyebrows slightly.

"You seem very certain that you know my feelings."

"Because I know you!"

This time, I laughed softly.

"No, Nathaniel."

He fell silent.

"You only know the Evelyn who was ready to accept anything for you."

I saw something flash in his eyes.

Fear.

For the first time, he understood that something had changed.

But he didn't know what.

He sat back down across from me.

"Is there someone else?"

I almost laughed out loud.

Of course.

That was always his first assumption.

A woman couldn't simply stop loving him; there had to be another man involved.

"No."

"Then why?"

I took a breath.

I wanted to tell him.

I wanted to tell him that I had uncovered his future affair.

That I knew everything.

That Victoria was going to become his mistress.

That the two of them were going to rob me blind.

That they were going to destroy me.

But I held back.

Not yet.

I wanted to see how far they would go when they thought I knew nothing.

"I simply realized that I don't want this life."

"What life?"

"The life of a woman who has to give up everything she loves to become the wife of a powerful man."

He frowned.

"I never asked you to give up your career."

I looked at him, a joyless smile on my lips.

"Not yet."

He froze.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing."

I stood up.

"I'm going to leave."

He stood up as well.

"Wait."

"What for?"

"We can talk about this."

"There is nothing to discuss."

"Evelyn, I love you."

"And I no longer want to be your wife."

The words came out naturally.

Your wife.

They were simple, but I knew they were going to alter his entire life.

Nathaniel looked at me as if I had just slapped him across the face.

"You're going to regret this decision."

I picked up my purse.

"Maybe."

I stepped closer to him and whispered:

"But it certainly won't be today."

I turned on my heel.

I walked out of the restaurant without looking back.

The cool night air hit my face.

I took a deep breath.

I had done it.

I had just altered the first major event of my life.

I wasn't going to marry Nathaniel.

I wasn't going to become Mrs. Hayes.

I wasn't going to sacrifice my career.

I wasn't going to hand over my savings.

And above all…

I wasn't going to give him five more years of my life.

I pulled out my phone.

Several notifications popped up.

One from my agent.

Another from a director.

Then a message from my half-sister.

Victoria: Did you have dinner with Nathaniel?

I stared at the screen, my fingers tightening.

In my first life, Victoria had sent me the exact same message.

Back then, I had replied with wild enthusiasm:

Yes! He's going to propose to me soon!

She had replied:

I'm so happy for you!

Today, I knew what she had really been thinking when she typed those words.

I typed:

Yes.

Then I deleted it.

I typed:

We talked.

I paused, then added:

I rejected him.

I hit send.

A few seconds later, the three little typing dots appeared.

Then vanished.

Then reappeared.

Finally, her message arrived:

Victoria: What?!

I smiled.

She had to be in complete shock.

I put my phone away.

But before I could get into my car, a man's voice rang out behind me.

"Are you Evelyn Sterling?"

I turned around.

A man was standing a few feet away.

Black suit.

Serious expression.

"Who are you?"

He stepped closer.

"I work for someone who would like to meet you."

I frowned.

"Who?"

The man hesitated before pronouncing a name that made my smile disappear instantly.

"Nathaniel Hayes."

My heart nearly stopped.

Nathaniel Hayes?

But I had just left Nathaniel.

So why was this man talking about another Nathaniel Hayes?

I looked at him in total confusion.

"I think you have the wrong person."

He shook his head.

"No, Miss Sterling. I am not mistaken."

He held out a business card.

I took it.

A name was printed on it:

Nathaniel Hayes

And below it:

Hayes International

I stood frozen.

I knew that name.

Everyone knew that name.

Nathaniel Hayes was one of the most powerful businessmen in the country.

The billionaire who had built his empire almost entirely on his own.

The man the press called the King of Hayes International.

The man my Nathaniel had always viewed as his ultimate rival.

I slowly looked up.

"Why does he want to meet me?"

The man replied simply:

"He says you have something that belongs to him."

My heart began to race.

"What?"

He offered a slight smile.

"Your attention."

With that, he walked away.

I stood alone in front of the restaurant, holding the card between my fingers.

I looked at the name once more.

Nathaniel Hayes.

Two men.

Two destinies.

And for the first time since returning to the past, I realized that my second life might not be as simple as I had imagined.

Because if the real Nathaniel Hayes had just entered my story…

Then the revenge I had prepared was about to take a completely different turn.