Reset My Destiny

The next time I opened my eyes, I was back on the day I got the pregnancy test results.

My sister had just broken up with her childhood sweetheart in a fit of anger. That same night, he got drunk, and we slept together.

When I found out I was pregnant, my sister chose to step aside for us. She went abroad, leaving us to build a life.

He locked himself in his room for a full day. When he emerged, he told me he would marry me, that he would give me and our child a home.

Our marriage was one of polite distance, but we managed a semblance of happiness.

But our child was born with a cruel, congenital disease. After three years of agonizing treatments, we still couldn't save him. The grief shattered me, and I wasted away, dying of a broken heart not long after.

He spent the rest of his life tending to our graves. Only on the day he died did he whisper to our headstones that he had paid his debt to us. If there was a next life, he said, all he wanted was to find my sister.

This time, I tore the pregnancy report to shreds and immediately scheduled an abortion.

In my past life, our child was born with a genetic defect. Every day was a struggle, filled with pain. No matter what treatments we tried, we were only delaying the inevitable.

This time, I refused to let my child suffer like that again.

And I refused to trap myself in a loveless marriage, a slow and agonizing torture.

I had just gotten home when a warm hand grabbed my arm.

"Lena!"

I turned to see my sister, Seraphina, her eyes wide with worry. She pulled me quickly to a small wisteria-covered gazebo in our community garden and gently pushed me to sit down.

This gazebo was once our sanctuary. When she and her childhood sweetheart, Asher, were on dates, I would always tag along like a little shadow. While they sat and talked, I would lean over the railing, watching the koi fish swim in the pond below.

Sometimes, Asher would get annoyed and try to bribe me with snacks to go play somewhere else. But Sera would always protect me. "Lena can stay right here if she wants. If you have a problem with it, you can leave."

Now, in this new life, everything had changed.

"Sera, what's wrong?" I asked, trying my best to sound natural.

She stared into my eyes, her voice low and urgent. "Did Asher hurt you?" She knelt in front of me, her hands gripping mine. "Tell me the truth, Lena. Did he do something to you?"

Unlike my past life, where I had desperately tried to explain, this time I remained silent.

I was the adopted daughter of the Jiang family. They took me in when I was seven. Sera was three years older than me, but she never once treated me like an outsider. She shared everything with me, from her favorite snacks to her most treasured toys. If someone bullied me, she was the first to jump to my defense. When I was sick, she would stay up all night by my side.

My adoptive parents treated me as their own, providing for my education and giving me the best life they could. They even made it clear that their inheritance would be split equally between me and Sera.

In my past life, I was so consumed by my love for Asher that I took their warmth for granted. It wasn't until I was on my deathbed that I realized they were the ones I had wronged the most.

This time, I would not let history repeat itself.

I forced a lighthearted smile and patted her hand. "Sera, what are you talking about? I'm his future sister-in-law. Asher wouldn't dare mess with me. He's too scared I'll say something bad about him to Mom and Dad and they won't let you two get married."

Her frown deepened. "Lena, don't lie to me... That night a month ago, when I told him we were breaking up... he got completely wasted. Were you with him?"

Her voice trembled slightly. "Did he do something to you? If he dared to hurt you, I'll kill him!"

My fingers curled into a fist.

This was exactly how it had happened before. Her relentless questioning, my flimsy excuses. It had all come out in a tearful confession in front of our parents.

After that, Sera locked herself in her room for three days. Then she calmly packed her bags, applied for a master's program abroad, and never looked back. She would only send gifts on my birthday and holidays, with a simple, detached note. Our parents sighed with sorrow, but they always put on a brave face for me, telling me not to worry.

But the atmosphere in our home was never the same again.

And Asher and I, we lived in a hollow marriage, sleeping in separate rooms, two polite strangers, until our family was torn apart by tragedy.

I dug my nails into my palm, the sharp pain keeping me grounded in the present.

I looked up, my expression open and innocent. "Sera, who've you been listening to? I was asleep early that night. I didn't see him at all." I tilted my head and gestured behind her with my chin. "If you don't believe me, why don't you just ask Asher? The man himself wouldn't lie, would he?"

As if on cue, a soft footstep sounded from behind the gazebo.

Sera turned.

Asher stood under the wisteria trellis, holding a bouquet of fresh white roses. He was tall and handsome, with sharp, intelligent eyes. His gaze flickered over me for a split second before quickly moving to Sera, his expression instantly softening into a look of pure adoration.

That look was always reserved for her.

He walked over and offered her the flowers, his voice uncharacteristically hesitant. "Sera, I'm sorry. I was an idiot that night. I never should have said we were breaking up."

She turned her head away with a sniff but didn't push the flowers away. "I haven't forgiven you yet."

"I know," he said, his voice gentle, his eyes full of affection. "You can punish me however you want. Just... don't ignore me."

I sat there, watching them, a familiar ache in my chest. This was how they were supposed to be. The perfect couple, deeply in love. All the tragedy had stemmed from that one drunken mistake.

Suddenly, Sera turned back to Asher, her tone serious. "Asher, I have to ask you something. Have you ever, in any way, hurt Lena?"

Asher's body went rigid.

His eyes found mine again, and this time, he didn't look away. I could clearly see a storm of emotions in them: panic, a flicker of blame, and something else I couldn't quite decipher.

He was blaming me for bringing this up, for ruining his apology. And perhaps there was a sliver of guilt, but it vanished as quickly as it appeared.

"Of course not," he said, his voice steady, but with an undercurrent of tension. "Lena is your sister. I would never do anything to hurt her."

I quickly took Sera's hand, trying to smooth things over. "See, Sera? I told you. Stop worrying. You two just made up. Go on your date, don't waste your time with me."

But Sera held onto my hand, her eyes twinkling. "Actually, you said you wanted to see that new sci-fi movie, right? Let's all go together. The three of us."

We used to be inseparable. Asher doted on Sera, and by extension, he was always kind to me. Dinners, movies, it was always the three of us.

But now, the words flew out of his mouth before he could stop them. "Let's not take her this time."

The air went still.

Sera looked at him, confused. "Why not? We always go together." A mischievous glint appeared in her eyes. "Besides, we haven't officially made up yet. I can go with whoever I want."

Asher's face paled. He was at a loss for words. How could he possibly bring me along, with such a huge secret hanging between us?

I quickly pulled Sera aside, whispering, "Sera, you know how he is. He's all talk. He was just saying that because he was angry. He secretly asked me to put in a good word for you a few days ago."

"You two just made up," I pushed. "You need some time alone. I'd just be a third wheel. You go on your date, and I'll go home and catch up on sleep."

My words seemed to soften her, and she was about to agree.

But in that exact moment, I clapped a hand over my mouth, a wave of nausea washing over me as I retched violently.

My face went white, and a cold sweat broke out on my forehead.

"Lena!" Sera cried, grabbing me to steady me.

Behind her, Asher's face contorted in alarm, his pupils constricting. His voice was a strangled whisper. "You're not...?"

My heart hammered against my ribs. I waved a hand dismissively, my voice strained. "I'm fine! I ate some leftovers from the fridge last night, must have been something bad. My stomach's just upset."

I didn't dare look at Asher, terrified he would see the panic in my eyes.

"You two go, don't worry about me. I'll just go home and lie down for a bit." I pushed Sera toward Asher, my steps hurried. "You'll be late for the movie. I'm really okay."

"No!" Sera grabbed my arm, her face etched with worry. "You look terrible. We're going to the hospital right now. I'm taking you."

"You don't have to!" I pleaded, my eyes welling with tears. "Sera, I know my own body. It's just a little stomach bug. A hot cup of water and some rest, and I'll be fine. If you don't go now, you'll miss the movie for sure!"

Asher stood by, his expression a chaotic mix of guilt, panic, and a deep-seated fear he wouldn't even admit to himself.

Sera was about to argue, but Asher gently took her arm. He shook his head, his voice low. "Let her go home and rest. She really doesn't look well. I'll buy some medicine and drop it off at the house later."

Sera looked from me to Asher, and finally relented. "Alright, you go home and get some rest. Call me immediately if you feel worse."

"I will, Sera."

I watched them walk away, side by side, and let out a long, shuddering breath. My back was soaked with cold sweat.

Without a moment's delay, I pulled out my phone, called a car, and headed straight for the hospital.

In the car, my phone vibrated. A message from Asher.

[You're not pregnant, are you?]

The short sentence landed like a ton of bricks on my chest.

My fingertips were ice-cold as I typed back: [No.]

The indicator showed that he was typing a reply. The cursor blinked for a long time, but no new message appeared.

Seeing his hesitation, I typed another line.

[There is nothing between you and me. Never was.]

[Just focus on your date with my sister. Treat her right. You don't need to worry about anything else.]

After hitting send, I put my phone on silent. I opened a group chat with my classmates. The class president was organizing a trip to see a meteor shower in a few days. I opened the sign-up sheet and added my name to the list.

The car pulled up to the hospital. I walked straight to the gynecology department and scheduled the soonest available abortion procedure.

The procedure was quick. It didn't hurt as much as I had imagined. It just felt, for a brief moment, like something had been untethered from my body.

After a short rest, I took the post-op diagnosis sheet and walked out of the hospital. The moment I stepped outside, a large hand clamped down on my wrist.

Asher stood before me, his face a thunderous mask of anger and panic. His eyes were glued to the paper in my hand.

"Lena, what are you doing at the hospital?"

"You're pregnant, aren't you? Are you going to take that report to Sera?" His voice was a harsh, ragged whisper. "What are you trying to do? Ruin us?"

His grip was painfully tight.

I looked up and saw the raw fear in his eyes. He really was terrified of losing Sera over what happened between us.

I held the diagnosis sheet up to his face, my voice calm and devoid of emotion. "Asher, read it carefully."

He looked down, his eyes scanning the text. His pupils contracted violently.