Chapter 2

Before I could even process what was happening, my phone started ringing loudly.

Seeing the caller ID, the hair on my arms stood on end.

I remembered my past life clearly. The nightmare that ruined me started with this exact phone call.

So, in this life, I would not let the tragedy repeat itself.

I took a deep breath, composed myself for a few seconds, and answered.

Before I could say a word, Chloe’s bossy voice blasted through the speaker:

"Ethan, I order you to buy a ticket and come see me right now. Spend Christmas with me!"

In my past life, I told her I was still at work.

I had told her I would come over after my shift.

I had explained that we had an incredibly important meeting today and I couldn't slip away.

But Chloe, playing the part of a spoiled, rich heiress, didn't seem to understand how important my job was to me.

She immediately wired me a million dollars.

In a flashy, arrogant tone, she had said, "It’s just a day off. I'm not telling you to quit!"

Before I could argue, she added:

"If that's not enough, I’ll send more!"

Helpless, I had taken the day off to go to her.

Afterward, I didn't touch a single cent of that million.

Yet, that very million cost me my life.

This time, I was going to change my approach and reject her outright.

So, I spoke up. "I have a highly critical project to finish today. I can't take time off. I'll come see you in a couple of days."

Of course, I had no intention of actually seeing her. But breaking up with her right this second would be too abrupt.

Hearing this, Chloe immediately threw a tantrum.

"What's more important? Your stupid job, or me?!"

If this were my past life, I would have coaxed her, telling her she was the most important thing in the world to me.

We hadn't been together long, and we were still in the honeymoon phase.

Back then, I thought her bratty attitude was cute.

But that was my past life. Today, I had a completely different mindset.

So, without hesitation, I said, "My job, obviously."

Predictably, Chloe hung up on me in a rage. I let out a long sigh of relief.

But a second later, a notification popped up at the top of my screen. It was an alert from my banking app.

Account Notification: A wire transfer of $1,000,000.00 from Chloe Jenkins has cleared.

I frowned, immediately standing up. Right then, a text from Chloe popped up on Snapchat.

[I sent you a million. If you really love me, take the day off and come. If you don't want to, you can keep it.]

I quickly tried to call her, but she had already switched off her phone.

I tried to wire the money back, but my account had a daily transfer limit.

It seemed that even in this life, Chloe was determined to dump this million dollars on me.

Her goal from start to finish was never to have me spend Christmas with her. It was to get this million dollars into my bank account.

I didn't know where she got that money.

But having a second chance at life, I was absolutely not going to let her scheme succeed.

I was not getting dragged into this storm again!