Reborn to Leave My Toxic Ex Behind

When I learned that her first love had passed away, my wife, who was on our honeymoon cruise with me, jumped straight into the freezing ocean, ending her life without a second thought.

It was only then that I realized she had never actually let go of Julian.

When we were miraculously reborn back to our college years, she didn't hesitate for a second. She threw my hand away and ran toward her first love with big, eager strides.

I watched their retreating figures, turned around, and walked away.

From that moment on, our lives were destined to be parallel lines that would never cross again.

Ten years later, we crossed paths again at a high-society charity gala in San Francisco.

She had become the new darling of the business world, looking radiant as she arrived with her arm tightly looped through Julians.

Seeing me wander into the ballroom looking for someone, she couldn't help but walk over to give me some unsolicited advice.

"Why are you still so obsessed with me, Ethan? Even if youve waited ten years for me, Im telling you, I will never love you."

I completely ignored her. Instead, I reached into the corner under the dessert table and dragged out my seven-year-old son, who was busy stuffing his face with chocolate cake.

Fionas eyes instantly went red. She grabbed my arm with a death grip.

"You're doing this just to hurt me, aren't you? You promised me once... you said you would only love me in this lifetime!"

I never, in a million years, expected to run into Fiona Vance again.

At this glamorous San Francisco gala, she stood in the center of the crowd, her arm wrapped around Julian Sterling. Her smile was elegant and poiseda far cry from the insecure girl she used to be in college.

The people surrounding them were practically dripping with flattery, their faces stretched into sycophantic grins.

"Fiona, youre truly a force to be reckoned with! Winning that municipal tech-hub project at such a young ageyour future is absolutely limitless!"

"And this handsome gentleman next to you must be your fianc? You two look like a match made in heaven."

Julian looked down at Fiona with eyes full of cheap devotion and said softly, "Were actually planning our wedding for the end of this year. Wed love for you all to come when the invitations go out."

Another wave of congratulations washed over them. Then, someone in the crowd asked curiously, "I heard you guys have been together for ten years. How come youre only getting married now?"

Honestly, I was a little curious about that myself.

In our past life, Fiona loved Julian so much she was willing to die for him.

After we were reborn, she had broken up with me almost instantly to be with him.

I figured they would have gotten married right after college. I didnt expect them to still be unmarried ten years later.

Hearing the question, a flicker of stiffness passed through Fionas face, but she quickly masked it with a polite laugh.

"Career first, then family. I wanted to make sure I could give Julian the absolute best life possible."

She looked at Julian, her eyes practically overflowing with warmth.

Back in our past life, when she was with me, I had proposed to her multiple times.

It wasn't until her parents put immense pressure on her that she finally, reluctantly, agreed to marry me.

I guess the difference between loving someone and just settling for them really is that obvious.

I was about to turn around and slip away when a tiny, familiar shadow caught the corner of my eye. My body reacted before my brain did, and I quickly followed.

*Clash!*

Champagne spilled all over the marble floor. A waiter holding a tray glared at me, his face twisted in annoyance.

"Where did you even come from? Watch where youre going!"

His voice was loud enough to draw the attention of the nearby guests.

When Fiona turned and saw my face, her eyes widened in shock.

"Ethan? Ethan Miller? What are you doing here?"

I kept my head down, apologizing to the waiter. "I'm sorry. I'm just here looking for someone."

Someone in the crowd asked Fiona, "Fiona, do you know this guy?"

Fionas hand tightened around her champagne flute, her expression turning cold and distant.

"Yes. Hes my ex-boyfriend."

An awkward chatterbox in the crowd chimed in, "Oh, I thought you and Julian were each other's first and only loves since you've been together for ten years."

The smile on Julians face dimmed. He took Fionas hand and said in a dismissive, breezy tone, "We were young back then. We had a silly fight and parted ways for a brief second. Who doesnt make a few wrong turns when theyre young?"

Fiona didn't say anything. She let her eyes drift over me before looking at the waiter.

"Put the damage on my tab. Just let him leave."

She stood there, perfectly composed. Aside from that initial look of shock, she didn't even bother giving me a second glance.

Clearly, she wanted to make it absolutely clear to Julian that I was nothing more than a "wrong turn" she had long moved past.

The waiter immediately started pushing me toward the exit.

"Miss Vance is being generous by cleaning up your mess. Don't let there be a next time."

He glanced at my wrinkled, casual loungewear and sneered. "This isn't a place for someone like you. Get out."

I shook his hand off my arm, keeping my voice level and polite.

"I told you, I'm just here to find someone. Once I find him, I'll leave on my own."

The waiter scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Ive seen plenty of social climbers like you trying to sneak into these events. Do you even have an invitation? If you don't leave right now, I'm calling security!"

"Wait."

Fionas voice sounded from behind him.

She lifted her gown slightly, walking over to us. She let out a heavy sigh, looking at me with a mixture of pity and exhaustion.

"He's here for me. Let me talk to him."

Julian stepped up beside her, wrapping a possessive arm around her shoulders.

"Ethan, Fiona and I are getting married soon. Id like to think a man with any self-respect wouldn't show up to bother his ex at a time like this."

Fionas expression hardened, and she spoke to me in a low, pleading tone.

"Why are you still so obsessed with me, Ethan? Even if youve waited ten years for me, Im telling you, I will never love you."

"Being with you in the past was a mistake. Now that I finally have the chance to correct that mistake, I really hope you can just let go of the past and move on."

Julian looked me up and down, a mocking smirk playing on his lips.

"Honestly, I get why you're trying so hard to cling to Fiona. Times have changed. She's a highly successful CEO now. Naturally, losers are going to try and crawl back to her for a handout."

Maybe my rumpled clothes gave him a massive ego boost, because Julian sneered, "You went to an Ivy League school, didn't you? How did you end up looking like a total bum? If I were you, Id be too embarrassed to even step outside!"

Fiona frowned, pulling out her phone with a trace of impatience.

"Look, if you feel like I owe you for how we broke up, I can give you a buyout."

"Is a hundred thousand dollars enough?"

Her thumb hovered over her screen for a second, then she froze.

"Did you... delete me on Snapchat?"

I was genuinely baffled. I didn't understand why she was reacting so strongly to that.

Deleting your ex after a breakup is completely normal, isn't it?

Besides, I had a very gorgeous, very possessive wife waiting for me. If she found out I still had my ex-girlfriend's contact info, she would definitely tease and torment me for days.

"Didn't you say back then that you hoped I would never contact you again after we broke up?"

Fionas face went pale. She looked like she wanted to say something, but she forced herself to stay quiet.

I kept my tone entirely neutral and added, "And I don't need any buyout money. Keep it."

Having her pride wounded repeatedly in front of everyone made Fionas face turn even darker. She said coldly, "Are you still trying to play hard to get with me? If I didn't see how pathetic you look right now, I wouldn't even waste my breath on you."

Julian patted her arm soothingly. "Fiona, sweetheart, you're just too kind. If you ask me, why even bother with a guy like him? Just look at him. Hes a charity case who can't even stand on his own two feet."

His voice was dripping with condescension. He seemed to have completely forgotten that ten years ago, he was far more pathetic than I could ever be.

In our past life, the only reason Fionas parents refused to let her be with Julian was because he was a drop-out, a lowlife who constantly got into trouble with the law.

The first time I met Fiona in college, she had just bailed Julian out of a local police station, and her family was forcing her to break up with him.

During the darkest, most depressing period of her life, I was the one who stayed by her side, helping her pull herself together.

She loved photography, so I used the money I had saved to start my own business to buy her high-end camera gear that cost tens of thousands of dollars.

Through the freezing winters and scorching summers, I carried fifty pounds of equipment behind her, doing everything I could just to see a genuine smile on her face.

Who would have guessed that Fiona was actually the one who confessed to me first?

I knew about her past with Julian, and I had seen her staring longingly at their old photos.

So, when Fiona confessed her love to me, I had looked her in the eyes and asked her very seriously: *Have you truly let go of Julian?*

Back then, she had hugged me tightly, her voice filled with absolute certainty.

"He is in the past. I finally see who truly cares about me. Ethan, I love you. Let's be together."

We dated for seven years. Even her best friends were shocked.

"She was so obsessed with Julian, I honestly didn't think you guys would last this long," they had told me.

But what nobody knew was that Fiona had rejected my marriage proposals countless times behind closed doors.

"Ethan, I don't believe in marriage. Why can't we just stay like this forever?"

It wasn't until her parents practically forced her hand that she finally agreed to marry me.

Yet, during our honeymoon, when the news of Julians fatal car accident reached us, she jumped off the cruise ship without a second thought. She left nothing behind but a suicide note.

The entire note was a confession of her undying love for Julian. There wasn't a single word, not a single letter, meant for me.

At the very end of the page, written in her own blood, were the words:

*Julian, I only ever wanted to be your bride. I'm coming to find you now.*

My love for her had turned to absolute ash at that very moment.

So, when we were reborn and Fiona demanded a breakup, I didn't try to stop her.

Because I knew there was no point in holding onto someone who was already gone.

Watching them get back together, I deleted Fiona from every single social media platform, assuming we would never cross paths again.

Yet here we were.

I wanted to leave, but Julian refused to let it go, determined to humiliate me in front of the crowd.

"You really went through all this trouble just to get Fionas attention, didn't you? Wearing rags like this... I bet you don't even have a job to feed yourself."

"Tell you what. I can pull some strings and get you a job here as a busboy. If you learn how to serve people right, you could make a decent living."

An eager-to-please guest nearby laughed and added, "This hotel is prime real estate in San Francisco. Being able to work here is a massive upgrade for someone like you. Hurry up and thank Mr. Sterling!"

Surrounded by the crowd, I sighed, feeling completely trapped. "Thanks, but I already have a job."

"I'm a photographer."

The moment the word "photographer" left my mouth, Fionas gaze instantly snapped to me. A complex wave of emotions rushed through her eyes, and her lips parted slightly.

But she quickly looked away, her voice icy. "How much can photography even make? You can't turn a hobby into a career. Since we used to know each other, I can talk to my HR department and get you a real corporate job."

I blinked, instantly realizing she had completely misunderstood.

My love for photography had absolutely nothing to do with her anymore.

Truth be told, the moment I read that bloody suicide note in our past life, my feelings for her had died completely.

It was just that when I was reborn, I realized all my savings had already been spent on that expensive camera gear.

I couldn't get a decent price for it on eBay, so I figured I might as well use it myself.

And ironically, I actually fell in love with the craft.

In this life, I didn't shoot to please anyone else. I did it entirely for myself.

I politely declined Fionas offer once more, keeping my tone completely detached. "My 'hobby' covers all my expenses just fine. But thank you for the concern."

Seeing me repeatedly reject her "charity," a flash of anger crossed Fionas face. "Fine. Reject my help. Just don't come crying to me when you're starving on the streets!"

I didn't say anything, nor did I bother to explain things to her.

My work was currently being contracted by several major national publications and top-tier global magazines.

My licensing fees alone brought in more than enough moneydefinitely not less than what Fiona was making with her startup.

But if I said it out loud, shed probably just think I was lying to save face.

After all, my wrinkled loungewear did make me look incredibly out of place.

I had my son to thank for that. He had begged me to play in the sandpit with him earlier, and the second I turned my back, he had vanished downstairs.

I hadn't even had time to change before running out to find him.

As I was looking for a way out, the waiter suddenly pointed at my clothes as if he had made a major discovery.

"Wait, is that Balenciaga? Where did you steal that from? Are you one of the janitors here? Did you steal that from a guest's room?"

I frowned, losing my patience. "Is it so hard to believe that this is my own shirt?"

Julian burst out laughing, his tone mocking. "Yours? Can you even afford it? What kind of wealthy person runs around looking like a total slob?"

He dramatically covered his nose. "It's so dirty. I bet you stole it and threw it on without even washing it."

Fiona glared at me, her eyebrows furrowing so deeply they almost met. "Ethan, you've sunk this low, and you're still lying to protect your useless pride?"

I ignored both of them and looked directly at the waiter. "If you really think I stole something, feel free to call the police right now."

I knew he was only barking because he saw Julian disliked me and wanted to suck up to him.

Sure enough, his bravado withered slightly at the mention of the police. He muttered under his breath, "If it weren't for the VIP guest staying here today, I would have called the cops already. We can't have trash like you causing a scene."

Julians eyes lit up, and he immediately chimed in, "You mean the heiress of the Lockhart family? I heard shes visiting San Francisco with her family and staying at this exact hotel."

Fiona nodded, a look of ambition in her eyes. "Our company is working on a new project. If we could get the backing of the Lockhart family, it would change everything."

The name "Lockhart" was like throwing a match into a pile of dry wood. The crowd instantly erupted into excited murmurs.

"Honestly, half of us only came to this gala hoping to catch a glimpse of Mrs. Lockhart. Her family literally owns this entire high-rise."

"I heard she married young and already has a son. I wonder which billionaire family she allied with."

While everyone was gossiping, the hotel general manager suddenly rushed into the ballroom, sweat pouring down his face, followed by a security detail.

"Excuse me, everyone! Has anyone seen a seven-year-old boy? About this high, blonde hair, blue eyes?"

The manager wiped his forehead anxiously, his eyes scanning the room frantically.

Someone quick on their feet immediately put two and two together. "Is it the young heir of the Lockhart family? I heard hes seven years old!"

The guests instantly became eager, searching the room.

After all, if they could find the boy, they would have a golden ticket to introduce themselves to the Lockhart family.

Fiona and Julian quickly joined the search, completely forgetting about me.

I looked around the chaotic room and walked straight toward the VIP dessert buffet.

Sure enough, tucked under a table with a white tablecloth, was my son, his face completely covered in chocolate frosting.

I stood there with a cold face and held out my hand. "Get out here. Now."

My son gasped, wrapping his arms around the table leg. "No way!"

I was about to reach in and grab him when Julian suddenly appeared out of nowhere, dramatically stepping between me and the table.

"Ethan! What do you think you're doing?!"

"Even if youre desperate to climb the social ladder and suck up to the Lockharts, you can't just lay your hands on a child!"

Fiona rushed over, looking at me with absolute disgust and disappointment. "Ethan, I can't believe youve become this desperate for fame and money. It's pathetic."

The waiter grabbed the manager, pointing a finger at me. "Sir! This is the guy! He snuck into the gala, and he's wearing stolen clothes!"

The managers face instantly darkened, and he yelled at the security guards, "Grab this thief and call the police! If he frightens the young master, youre all fired!"

A triumphant smirk flashed across Julians face. He bent down, putting on his best, most gentle smile for my son.

"Hey there, little guy. Come to me. I'll make sure this bad man doesn't hurt you."

My son didn't even look at him. Under the stunned gazes of everyone in the room, he crawled out from under the table and carefully grabbed my hand.

"Daddy... I'm sorry."