Part 3I Gave Him to Her

My eyes widened. “Caleb! Are you okay?”

Blood streamed down from his forehead, blurring his vision.

He wiped the blood from his face with one hand. He looked weak, but he was smiling, a look of pure joy on his face. “This time… I finally saved you. Clara, I was on time. I finally saved you!”

At his words, the flicker of concern and guilt in my heart vanished.

In our last life, our son, so small, so full of love for us. Because of Lila’s lies, Caleb had abandoned me and our child in the freezing wilderness. I watched our son die in my arms and then wandered like a ghost through the mountains for three days.

When the rescue team found me, I had lost my mind.

I dedicated my life to destroying Lila, and Caleb, naturally, protected her.

We became true enemies. I knew his deepest pains, and he knew my fatal flaws. Our lives were a tangled mess of revenge and resentment for decades, until the day he lost both his legs saving me. The proud, arrogant man was confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life.

Overwhelmed with guilt, I had decided to let go of the past and truly be with him. But he used his sacrifice as a weapon.

Pale and weak in his hospital bed, he had looked at me with red-rimmed eyes and begged, “Clara, for the sake of my legs… let Lila go.”

In that moment, my soul evaporated. I remember the silent tears streaming down my face as I whispered, “Okay. I promise.”

Now, in the orphanage yard, Caleb was ecstatic. Even with his head bleeding, he wouldn’t let go of my hand. “Clara, I told you I’d protect you.”

The next second, I was shoved to the ground.

Smack— Lila slapped me hard across the face, again and again.

“You’re a curse! Stay away from my brother! He’s my brother!”

She gently helped Caleb to his feet.

“Lila, don’t do this. Apologize to Clara. Now.”

At that, Lila burst into tears. Caleb could never stand to see her cry. He immediately started cooing, comforting her.

I ignored the triumphant smirk on Lila’s face, dusted myself off, and turned to leave.

“Stop! Who said you could go, you curse?” Lila’s spoiled nature was on full display. “Stay away from my brother. I won’t let you hurt him.”

“Lila!” As I turned back, Caleb instinctively stepped in front of her, shielding her from me.

He always thought I would hurt Lila. He always forgot that I was the one in the more precarious position.

I rattled off a few names and a string of numbers.

Lila was clueless. It meant nothing to her. Her glare only intensified.

But Caleb understood. It was the beginning of his parents’ financial decline.

In our past life, I was the one who managed the Grayson family business. It took me years of work, connections, and money to uncover that information.

“Clara, you…”

“Thank you for saving me today. But don’t do it again. Caleb, I don’t owe you anything. I hope you’ll keep your distance from me from now on.”

“…” Caleb was speechless, as if his soul had been ripped out. He couldn’t process it.

He probably never imagined that the woman who had loved him so deeply in one life would want nothing more than to be rid of him in this one.