Return His First Love to the Ascetic Husband

1
On my wedding day, Adrian Mantzoukas’s childhood sweetheart, Isabelle Shaw, threatened to jump off a roof.
He ignored her and continued with our ceremony. It wasn't until she actually leaped that he finally panicked.
From that day forward, Adrian sought refuge in a monastery, becoming known as the city’s ascetic heir. In the name of atonement, he forced me to copy a thousand holy texts and kneel on a hundred meters of cold stone steps, tormenting me until I lost our child.
The day I miscarried, I asked for a divorce. He refused, claiming we both owed Isabelle a debt that could only be paid through a lifetime of shared penance. He threatened my family, shackling me to his side and grinding my soul to dust for the rest of my life.
I opened my eyes and was back on my wedding day.
This time, I decided to push him toward Isabelle.
And I would become the one that got away—the ghost he’d chase into a life of solitude.
…
"Tell Isabelle if she wants to die, she can go right ahead. I'm not going to play her games!"
Adrian's cold voice cut through the haze. I jolted awake, my eyes focusing on my own reflection in the mirror, a stranger in a white wedding gown.
I was reborn. Back in the moment I once believed was the happiest of my life.
Behind me, Adrian's face was a mask of stone, his tone sharp with impatience.
In my past life, I had felt a surge of triumph in this moment, so sure that he had chosen me, definitively, over Isabelle. But now, I could see the truth. His impatience was laced with a frantic, gnawing anxiety.
His heart had likely surrendered to Isabelle’s obsessive love long ago. He was only marrying me to avoid the scandal of infidelity. It took her death for him to realize the truth of his own feelings, and it drove him mad.
To atone for the loss of his true love, he had trapped me in a cage of his grief. He found religion for her, but there was no mercy in his heart. He had methodically destroyed me, and our unborn child with me.
The world praised his unwavering devotion to his first love and condemned me as the vicious other woman who had stood in their way. I deserved, they said, to die unloved.
But it was Adrian who had pursued me for four years. He had been gentle, persistent, relentless. I only agreed to marry him because I thought his love was real.
He was the one who came after me. What was my crime?
This time, I wouldn't have him.
I reached out and gently tugged on his sleeve. "Adrian," I said, my voice soft, "you should go to her. Please."
He froze, staring at me in disbelief. In the past, whenever Isabelle crashed one of our dates, I would fly into a rage. I saw her for what she was: a two-faced, spoiled brat, a childish drama queen who used her family's power to get what she wanted. Any contact between them sent me into a spiral.
Why the sudden change of heart?
Seeing the seriousness in my eyes, his face hardened. "You want me to leave you at the altar to go see another woman? Stella, do you have any idea what the tabloids will do to you if I walk out of here?"
I laughed silently. The tabloids couldn't kill me. But he could.
I feigned a generous smile. "I don't care what anyone says, Adrian, as long as I know your heart is with me. Besides, we can postpone the wedding. She's your childhood friend. If something really happened to her, I know you'd regret it for the rest of your life. And I would blame myself."
I added, for effect, "This is a human life we're talking about. Even if she were a stranger, I would ask you to pause our wedding to save her."
My words had the desired effect. The guests murmured their approval, praising my compassion and grace. Even Adrian's parents, who had never thought much of me, gave me a look of grudging respect.
Adrian pulled me into a tight hug, pressing a kiss to my forehead. "I knew I chose the right person," he whispered, his voice thick with emotion. "Stella, wait for me. I'll get Isabelle down, and then we'll finish our wedding."
I nodded, giving him a gentle push. "Go. Saving her is what's important."
He didn't hesitate again, turning and bolting towards the elevators that led to the rooftop.
I watched him go, my hands clenching the fabric of my dress so tightly my knuckles turned white, the only way to stop them from shaking with exhilaration.
Adrian, in our last life, you hated me for a lifetime because of Isabelle. In this life, I'm setting you free. May you and your precious Isabelle have a long, long time together.
To sell my performance, I stood on the stage in my heavy gown for a full hour, waiting. The guests below gossiped about the drama unfolding on the roof while casting sympathetic glances my way.
Soon, Adrian returned. But he wasn't alone. On his arm, also in a wedding dress, was Isabelle.
I had almost forgotten. In my past life, she had worn a wedding gown to jump.
Now, she clung to Adrian's arm, her eyes locking with mine in a look of pure, triumphant malice. The entire ballroom erupted in whispers, the pity in their eyes now thick and suffocating.
Adrian looked at me, his expression pained. "Stella, Isabelle said... she's loved me for years. She just wants to have a wedding with me, to fulfill her one wish. She promised that if I do this one thing for her, she'll never bother us again. So... can we just let her have today's ceremony?"
His words detonated in the hall. No one could believe it. I had selflessly paused my own wedding for him to save another woman, and he had returned with this ludicrous request.
Even his mother, who had never approved of me, was appalled. "Adrian, this is absurd!" she hissed. "A marriage is not a game. You can't just swap out the bride!"
His father frowned but remained silent, his mind clearly already calculating a new angle.
Adrian looked at me, his eyes pleading. "I know I'm asking the impossible. I'll make it up to you, I promise."
The guests were a sea of shocked faces, their pity now mixed with sneering contempt for the magnanimous fool who had been hoisted by her own petard.
I didn't care. I arranged my face into a mask of deep humiliation, tempered by a noble forbearance for the sake of his family's reputation. Tears welled in my eyes.
"It's alright," I choked out. "The moment I chose to save Ms. Shaw's life, I decided that her well-being should be our top priority."
Isabelle immediately bristled. "It was Adrian who saved me! If he hadn't agreed to marry me today, I would have jumped. What does it have to do with you?"
Her callous words only made the crowd more sympathetic towards me. As their murmurs grew louder, Isabelle slowly realized it was my urging that had sent Adrian to her in the first place. A flush of embarrassment crossed her face, quickly replaced by her usual arrogance.
"If Adrian didn't want to save me, no one could have convinced him. It just proves that his heart was always with me."
Adrian, exposed, exploded with rage. "Isabelle! If it weren't for our families' friendship, I wouldn't have given a damn! Stella has suffered enough because of you. If you say one more word to undermine our relationship, you can go right back to that roof!"
Isabelle's eyes filled with tears of frustration. Seeing that no one in the room was on her side, she lowered her head. "I'm sorry, Adrian," she mumbled. "I just love you so much. Since… since Stella is willing to give us the wedding, let's just get started. We shouldn't keep the guests waiting."
Adrian looked at me, hesitating. I gave him a small, sad smile and stepped off the stage, heading for the dressing room. Before I even reached the door, the wedding march began to play. By the time I was inside, I could hear Isabelle's deeply emotional vows.
I had just finished removing my makeup and changing back into my own clothes when one of the hotel staff burst in, saying there was a commotion in the main hall.
I rushed back out. The first thing I saw was Adrian pinning my nephew, Leo, to the ground, punching him. Isabelle stood nearby, her wedding dress splattered with what looked like juice. She was shrieking, "Kill the little bastard! Beat him to death!"
Rage, hot and blinding, surged through me. I ran forward, grabbing at Adrian's arm. "Adrian, let him go! Stop it!"
Leo saw me, his eyes red and swollen. "Aunt Stella!" he cried.
He was my sister's only child, the one person left in the world who was my blood. In my last life, he was the leverage Adrian had used to control me. Consumed by guilt for being my weakness, Leo had thrown himself from a building, ending his young life. The grief had shattered me, and I fell into a sickness from which I never recovered.
To see him here, alive and whole, brought tears to my eyes.
But Adrian ignored me. With a single, powerful shrug, he threw me to the ground. A split second later, a deep, pulling pain shot through my lower abdomen.
An icy dread washed over me. I had almost forgotten. At this exact moment in my previous life, I was already pregnant.
Seeing me on the floor finally made Adrian stop. He rushed over, trying to help me up.
I shoved him away, my eyes burning with hatred. At the same time, Leo scrambled to my side. "Aunt Stella, are you okay?" he asked, his voice filled with worry as he helped me sit up.
I shook my head, hugging him tight. "I'm fine, Leo."
But I wasn't. The pain in my stomach was intense. I had a terrible feeling that I was losing this baby.
And it was exactly what I wanted.
I was sorry for this child, but I couldn't bring it into a loveless world. I couldn't let it be born with his vile blood in its veins.
While I was lost in thought, Isabelle's mother stormed over. "Stella!" she snapped. "Your nephew threw juice all over my daughter! If Adrian hadn't taught him a lesson, the Shaw family would have ruined him!"
Adrian quickly added, "Stella, I only did it to appease them! I was holding back, I swear. He's not really hurt."
I glared at him. Leo's lip was split and bleeding, his cheek already swelling. This was him "holding back"?
Adrian wilted under my hateful stare, looking down in shame.
I turned to Isabelle's mother, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "Mrs. Shaw, half an hour ago, your daughter was on a rooftop, threatening to end her life. I was the one who convinced my groom to go and save her. That would make me her rescuer, would it not? My nephew, rushing here from school, saw a different bride at the altar and assumed his aunt was being humiliated. He acted rashly to defend my honor. Don't you think my act of saving her life might just outweigh his act of spilling some juice?"
Mrs. Shaw's brow furrowed. She wanted to argue, but seeing the eyes of the crowd on her, she just snorted and fell silent.
With Leo's help, I slowly got to my feet. "Stella, you look so pale," Adrian said, his voice laced with concern.
I ignored him and turned to Leo. "Call an ambulance."
Leo immediately pulled out his phone.
Adrian was frantic. "What? Why an ambulance? I just pushed you lightly. It can't be that bad, can it?"
Isabelle sneered. "She's probably just trying to get your attention, Adrian."
Adrian’s brow furrowed. "Is that true, Stella? I don't like it when you play these kinds of manipulative games."
Leo was so angry he looked ready to lunge at him again, but I held him back.
"Help me to the entrance," I whispered.
Leo supported me as I clutched my stomach, fighting waves of pain, and made my way towards the hotel lobby. Adrian moved to stop me, but someone suddenly shouted, "Ms. Shaw has fainted!" His attention snapped to Isabelle. He swept her up in his arms. "We need a doctor!"
I turned back to watch him, his face etched with worry as he held another woman. A dull ache spread through my chest. Even during our most loving moments, his choice had always, always been her. If I had only seen it sooner, my last life would not have ended in such misery.
"Aunt Stella," Leo said, his voice thick with sympathy, "you still have me. Don't be sad. I'll always be here for you."
I squeezed his hand, a small warmth spreading through me. "Don't worry, Leo. I'm not sad."
He didn't believe me. "When I grow up," he said, his voice fierce, "I'll never let anyone bully you again."
We had reached the hotel entrance. The hospital was nearby, so the ambulance arrived quickly. But before I could say a word, Mrs. Shaw rushed out. "Help! My daughter has fainted! Please, you have to help her!"
Someone shoved me hard. If Leo hadn't been holding me, I would have fallen. I looked up angrily to see Adrian carrying Isabelle out. He saw me, but there was no guilt in his eyes, only a sense of righteous justification.
"Stella, you just took a small fall. Isabelle is unconscious. We need to find out why. Give her the ambulance. I'll have my driver take you home."
The pain in my abdomen was getting worse. "No," I said, shaking my head. "I have to go to the hospital. Now."
I knew Isabelle was faking. I couldn't risk my own life.
Mrs. Shaw stormed up to me and slapped me hard across the face. "You bitch! Who do you think you are, competing with my daughter?"
Leo tried to fight back, but her bodyguards pinned him to the ground.
I crumpled to the pavement, the impact sending a fresh wave of agony through me. I looked to Adrian for help.
He avoided my eyes. "Aunt Carol is just worried about Isabelle," he said. "And this is a matter of life and death, Stella. This is not the time to be jealous."
The crowd started to turn on me, muttering that my earlier compassion had all been an act.
Adrian walked right past me, carrying Isabelle, and climbed into the ambulance. Before the doors closed, he looked back at me. "Stella, you've always been so kind. You understand why I have to do this, right?"
He didn't wait for an answer.
As the ambulance sped away, I screamed his name, my voice raw with fury. "Adrian Mantzoukas, you are a monster!"
A moment later, someone in the crowd pointed at my legs and shrieked. "Oh my God! Blood! She's bleeding!"

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