Part 3Twice Reborn And Still Choosing To Leave You Behind

My pupils contracted. “Callum! Are you okay?”

A stream of bright red blood ran down his forehead, obscuring his vision.

Callum wiped the blood from his face. He looked frail, yet he laughed, euphoric. “I finally saved you this time! Amanda, I was on time this time!”

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

In the past life, our baby—so small, so sweet, the one who loved us most—had died.

Because of Tessa’s lie, Callum had abandoned me and the child in the freezing wilderness. I was forced to watch our baby die, before wandering the mountains like a zombie for three days. When the rescue team found me, I was insane.

My revenge against Tessa was total. And Callum, naturally, had to protect her.

We had completely destroyed each other. I attacked his deepest insecurities; he targeted my very soul. The decades of entanglement only ended when he sacrificed his legs to save me, leaving the proud, elegant young man a cripple.

At the time, consumed by guilt, I decided to let go of the past and live a life with him. But he used that very sacrifice as leverage.

Pale and weak, sitting in his hospital bed, Callum’s eyes were red as he begged me, “Amanda, let go of Tessa. Do it for my legs.”

My soul emptied out of me in that instant. I cried silently and agreed. “Fine. I promise.”

Now, Callum was hysterical, holding my hand even through his pain. “Amanda, I told you I would protect you.”

The next second, I was shoved to the ground.

Slap— Tessa appeared and struck my face several times.

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

Tessa carefully helped Callum to his feet.

“Tessa, don’t do that. Apologize to Amanda immediately.”

Tessa immediately burst into tears, and Callum, unable to stand her distress, began to soothe and mollify her.

I ignored the triumphant smile on Tessa’s face, brushed the dirt from my clothes, and prepared to leave.

“Stop right there! Who said you, the curse, could leave?” Tessa’s true, spoiled nature emerged. “Stay away from my brother. I won’t allow you to hurt him.”

“Tessa!” When Callum saw me turn, he instinctively stepped forward, shielding Tessa with his body.

He always assumed I was the aggressor who would hurt Tessa. He always automatically forgot that my situation was invariably worse than hers.

I rattled off a few names and several complex account numbers.

Tessa was utterly confused; she didn’t understand a word. Her gaze toward me sharpened with malice.

Callum, however, understood. That was the exact information detailing the start of his parents’ business decline. It had taken me years of effort, contacts, and painstaking investigation in the previous life to uncover that data, which I had used to save his company.

“Amanda, what are you…”

“Thank you for saving me this time, but don’t bother again. Callum, I don’t owe you anything. I hope you can keep your distance from now on.”

Callum was struck dumb, as if his soul had been pulled from his body. He couldn't process it.

He likely never imagined that the woman who had deeply loved him in the previous life would now only wish to escape him entirely.