Reborn to Forget You

I was on a romantic getaway abroad with my fiance, Grace Fletcher, when our plane went down in a catastrophic crash.

When I opened my eyes again, I realized I had been reborn. We were back to the days when we had just met.

In my past life, I loved her to the point of madness for three years. I spoiled her rotten, but she never allowed me to get physically close to her, using her extreme germophobia as an excuse.

It was only by pure accident that I discovered the truthshe was still deeply in love with her childhood best friend, Isaac Vance.

Having been given a second chance at life, I decided to let her go. I chose to step aside and stop entangling myself with her.

Five years had passed. Grace, now an award-winning actress, was walking arm-in-arm with her childhood sweetheart, Isaac, handing out wedding invitations to a line of her loyal fans.

When she noticed me standing alone at the very back of the line, her face twisted with sheer disdain.

"Edward, no matter how amazing I am, is it really necessary for you to stalk me through two lifetimes?"

I couldn't be bothered to waste my breath on her. Instead, I reached down and scooped up my daughter, Maria, into my arms.

The color instantly drained from Grace's face. She screamed at the top of her lungs, her voice cracking with hysteria:

"You promised me! You said you would only ever marry me, and that I was the only one allowed to be the mother of your children!"

Five years later, I ran into Grace again at an exclusive private country club.

I had just finished planning, coordinating, and setting up three major weddings back-to-back.

Absolutely exhausted and looking a bit of a mess, I was sitting in a quiet corner of the lobby, nursing a bottle of water.

Nearby, Grace and Isaac were handing out invitations to a crowd of adoring fans, soaking in their endless flattery.

"Grace, youre literally the breakout star of the industry! An Academy Award in just three years!"

"And you and Isaac are finally getting married! You really have it all!"

"Seriously! Grace is the most sought-after actress both here and abroad. Her wealth and connections are insane now."

"Isaac is a rising star in Los Angeles' elite circles, too. You guys are the definition of couple goals!"

"Grace, if your next movie needs extras, please throw us a bone! Let us experience the star life too."

"Yeah, let us ride your coattails and make some quick cash!"

Grace smiled warmly, pointing at the man beside her. "Once our wedding is over, Ill make sure Isaac sets something up for you guys."

Suddenly, one of the fans piped up, "Hey, Grace, is that guy Edward still stalking you?"

"Ugh, remember how he used to follow you around like a lost puppy? It was so annoying."

"Yeah, rumor has it that the first TV show you invested in was actually based on your story with him."

Hearing my name, I paused and looked up.

Graces smile vanished, and she frowned in annoyance.

Being the perfect, attentive fianc, Isaac quickly stepped in with a smooth smile. "Oh, come on, guys. Those are just internet rumors."

"If Grace and Edward actually had anything going on, would I be standing here handing out our wedding invitations today?"

The young fans nodded in agreement, immediately turning their anger on the internet trolls who started the rumors.

Sitting in my corner, I let out a mocking, silent laugh.

In our past life, Grace had once told me that if she ever became an actress, she would tell the whole world our love story so everyone would envy how pure our love was.

Back then, we were both kids raised by single parents.

We met through a mutual college roommate and gradually became inseparable.

Perhaps because we shared similar lonely childhoods, we always had endless things to talk about.

After a group dinner one night, Grace got a little tipsy and confessed her feelings to me.

With blushing cheeks, she had said, "Edward, youve been in my heart for so long. I want to be with you forever."

Young and hopelessly in love, I happily agreed.

At that time, I genuinely believed I had found my soulmate. But reality soon started slapping me in the face.

Clank!

My water bottle slipped and rolled across the marble floor, the sharp noise instantly drawing everyones attention to my corner.

"Wait, isnt that Edward? Is he seriously stalking Grace again?"

"Look at that blue utility jumpsuit. Don't tell me hes working here as a janitor?"

"We, as Graces loyal fans, are all high-class people with actual money."

"You sneaked in here without an invitation. Don't get caught by the paparazzi, youll make Grace look bad!"

"Honestly, lets just start a GoFundMe and throw him a thousand bucks so he can get the hell out of here! Hes embarrassing us!"

The crowd erupted into nasty laughter, throwing looks of pure disgust my way.

I calmly picked up my water bottle, wiped it down with a napkin, and ignored them.

Grace looked at me with a complicated expression, her voice dripping with condescension. "Edward, look at yourself. What have you become?"

Isaac wrapped a comforting arm around her waist and said gently, "Now, Grace, we did know Edward back in the day."

"Since he's reduced to working as a low-level setup guy here, we should show some charity and help him out."

Isaac looked at me, a smug smirk playing on his lips. "Seriously, Edward, if youve been struggling so hard these past five years, you should have just asked us for help!"

"Even if you were too embarrassed to face Grace, you could have come to beg me."

"A man with no money and no stable job... its just pathetic."

The fans cheered at Isaac's words, praising his generosity.

I got up, opened the heavy glass doors for a pregnant woman walking by, and then turned back to decline his offer.

"No, thank you. I can feed myself."

Having just managed three luxury weddings in a row, my entire body was aching. All I wanted was to sit down and rest.

Since I was already wearing my durable work clothes, I didn't care about manners and simply sat back down on the clean floor.

The fans gasped, looking like they wanted to physically throw me out.

"Wow, the nerve of this guy! Isaac was just being nice, who do you think you are?"

"He's staying here on purpose just to play the victim card in front of Grace."

"He wants Grace to pity him and throw him some cash! Disgusting!"

A storm of emotions flashed through Graces eyes, her frown deepening.

Suddenly, she reached into her designer bag, pulled out an expensive emerald necklace, and threw it right into my lap.

"Pawn it. The cash you get will be enough to buy a decent apartment."

"Whether you live in it or rent it out, you won't have to humiliate yourself working as a janitor anymore."

"Edward, theres no need to make yourself look this miserable. No matter how much you loved me, we are in the past now."

"I don't even hold a grudge against you anymore."

"Can't we just live our own lives? Why do you have to show up like this and make things awkward for both of us?!"

Leaning against the wall, I looked at her, utterly baffled by her sudden outburst.

I couldn't understand what I had done in our past lifewhere I had literally given her my heart and soulthat made her "grudge-holding" and so determined to completely cut me out of her life after we both got a reset.

In our past life, Grace carried the heavy burden of her mother's terminal cancer bills.

But she was vain and beautiful, obsessed with the dream of becoming a famous Hollywood star.

To support her dream and be her rock, I didn't hesitate to remortgage the house my parents left me and gave her every single penny.

When she said she wanted to move to another state to attend an elite acting school but worried about her hospitalized mother, I didn't hesitate.

I quit my job just as I was about to be promoted to regional manager.

I spent my days and nights at the hospital, taking care of her dying mother so she could pursue her Hollywood dream without any worries.

Back then, I gave her everything.

I just wanted her to know that I loved her, and that she could lean on me.

But when she was preparing for a crucial audition and couldn't find a single designer dress in her closet, she completely snapped.

She lost her mind, scratching my arms until they bled.

"I was crazy! Why did I ever get stuck with a loser like you?!"

"You can't give me anything! If I had just accepted Isaacs sponsorship, I wouldn't be struggling like this!"

"I hate myself for choosing you!"

From that day on, Grace became a completely different person.

She stopped talking about her acting dreams with excitement, and she stopped going to auditions.

Our relationship turned ice-cold.

The memory of her harsh words still felt like a physical stab to my chest.

To cheer me up, a close friend gifted me two tickets for a three-day tropical getaway.

Terrified of losing her, I got down on one knee on the plane and proposed.

"Grace, you are the only one I want to marry. Lets make this official."

But I would never forget the look of absolute disgust in her eyes.

She slapped the silver ring out of my hand and snapped, "No money, no house, and you want to get married? Are you insane?"

"Do you have zero self-awareness? How did you even come up with such a pathetic idea?"

"Let me make this clear. I could marry anyone in the world, but you? Never."

Her cold, ruthless words made me realize it was truly over.

I sat back in my seat, utterly hollowed out.

Even when the plane began to violently shake and dive, I felt no fear.

As the nose of the plane plunged toward the ocean, I closed my eyes and whispered in my heart:

Let it end. Let this messy, miserable life finally end.

The tiny spark of affection I once had for Grace had been completely incinerated in that plane crash.

In this new life, we had both silently agreed to ignore each others existence, living like parallel lines that would never intersect. Even running into her now, I had zero desire to have anything to do with her.

I calmly picked up the emerald necklace and tossed it back into her lap.

"Miss Fletcher, if you want to make a charitable donation, the orphanage is down the street. Im not your trash can."

Graces face flushed with anger. "Edward! You know exactly what Im trying to do. Why do you have to twist my words like this?"

"Miss Fletcher," I replied, my voice cold and flat. "You are a taken woman. Please mind your boundaries."

"I don't need to understand your intentions, nor do I care. I make enough money to support myself, and Im perfectly content."

With that, I turned my back on her.

Furious, Grace slammed the emerald necklace onto the floor, the heavy gems making a sharp clattering sound.

Isaac's expression darkened instantly.

He picked up the necklace, dusting it off, and looked at me with a condescending, patronizing smile.

"Edward, were both men here. I get it, youre trying to save face."

"But Grace is my fiance, and since she sincerely wants to help you, Ill make sure it happens."

"Since you're too proud to accept a valuable piece of jewelry, how about a comfortable, easy job?"

"Grace and I just got a golden retriever, and we need a live-in dog nanny. The pay is five thousand dollars a month, room and board included."

"Drop the useless pride, Edward. Come report to our mansion tomorrow morning."

The fans immediately began to murmur in awe.

"Oh my god! Grace and Isaac are literally saints!"

"Theyre basically offering to feed him and pay for his retirement."

"Playing with a puppy pays way better than being a janitor!"

"If he rejects this, hes just being greedy and probably wants to blackmail Grace for more!"

"Seriously, does he not look in the mirror? Hes not even a fraction of the man Isaac is!"

My brows furrowed. "No interest," I said coldly.

Grace lost her patience and snapped, "Fine! If you love being a lowly setup guy so much, keep doing it. Go ahead and rot at the bottom of society!"

Seeing Grace turn hostile toward me, her rabid fans immediately jumped at the chance to please her.

The fan who had been called out earlier for spreading rumors stepped right in front of me, a nasty, mocking sneer on her face.

"Hey, Edward, aren't you just holding out for more money?"

"Tell you what. If you crawl through my legs ten times and call me 'gorgeous' each time, Ill gladly pay for your rent and meals. What do you say?"

The girls next to her, eager to show off in front of Grace, surged forward and aggressively shoved me.

Losing my balance, I tripped and fell hard right at her feet, my forehead hitting the floor as if I were bowing to her.

"What the hell is wrong with you guys?!" Graces face turned furious. She rushed over and violently shoved the fans away.

"Is this the kind of garbage behavior my fan club represents? Who gave you the right to do this?"

"If anyone ever pulls a disgusting, low-class stunt like this in front of me again, get the hell out of my sight! Youre making me sick!"

The fans who had been pushed to the ground were completely stunned.

Realizing they had crossed a line, they burst into tears, begging Grace for forgiveness.

But Grace showed no mercy, coldly kicking their hands away.

Isaac quickly grabbed her arm, whispering urgently, "Grace, calm down. People are watching. Don't let anyone record this and twist it!"

"You just won Best Actress! You need to protect your public image!"

Grace glared at the crying fans, her chest heaving with anger. "Then they shouldn't be acting like trash under my name!"

I slowly sat up, feeling incredibly perplexed.

Did Grace just turn on her own fans... to defend me?

Isaac quickly tried to change the subject, pointing to the massive LED screen in the club lobby.

"Grace, do you know why I booked your fan meetup at this specific private club?"

"The owner of this place is a legendary billionaire tycoon. She owns over fifty major media, entertainment, and production companies."

"Almost all the award-winning blockbusters recently were produced by her companies. Everyone in the industry is desperate to get a meeting with her."

"Today, shes bringing her family here for a routine inspection."

"If we can get on her good side, our careers will skyrocket!"

The fans who had been crying a moment ago immediately forgot their tears and crowded around the entrance, craneing their necks to look outside.

A moment later, a sleek, custom stretch Lincoln pulled up at the entrance.

A crowd of elite bodyguards and private nannies walked in, surrounding a beautiful little girl.

A fan squealed in excitement, "Oh my god, the billionaire's family is here!"

I tried to step through the crowd to see the little girl.

But a fan violently shoved her elbow into my chest.

"Get out of the way, loser! Only Graces VIP fans get to stand here. Who do you think you are?"

"You insulted Grace and refused to be my boy toy. You don't even deserve to breathe the same air as us!"

Isaac smirked slightly, giving the fan an encouraging look, and another girl pushed me hard.

The little girl in the center of the crowd suddenly gasped, her face turning pale.

She broke away from her nannies, running past the security guards straight toward me.

"Daddy! Are you okay?"