Rebirth: We Go Our Own Ways

In my previous life, Timothy Shepherd and I are married for eight years. We treat each other with courtesy and respect but never with real intimacy. To help him pursue his dream of becoming a painter, I give up my own dream. But as our financial situation grows worse, he keeps complaining. Some time later, he can't hold back anymore and finally admits what's really on his mind. He says with resentment, "If I'd listened to Yvonne back then and gone abroad with her, I wouldn't have to live such a miserable life." Fate gives us a second chance. We are both reborn to the time before we start dating. This time, I decide to let him go. Without saying a word, we delete each other's numbers and keep our distance. We choose different paths in life. Timothy goes overseas to reunite with Yvonne Jacobson, the woman he's never been able to forget. On the other hand, I stay behind and devote myself to working diligently in the laboratory. Who would have thought that eight years later, he would look down on me and mock me for living such a humble life when we meet again? But the moment a little girl calls me "Mommy" in a sweet voice, he flies into a rage and demands, "How could you have a child with another man?" Chapter 1 I crossed paths with Timothy Shepherd, my husband in my past life, eight years later at an alumni reunion in this life. I had only just emerged from a series of intense and demanding pharmacology research projects, so I barely had time to tidy myself up before heading straight into the banquet hall. Timothy stood in a corner of the hall, standing side by side with Yvonne Jacobson, his girlfriend. They were encircled by prominent figures from various industries and were engaged in an earnest conversation that repeatedly elicited expressions of commendation from the onlookers. "Your achievements are nothing short of extraordinary, Timothy! You've spent only a handful of years in Novaria's financial industry, yet you've already risen to become one of its most influential investment strategists! You're truly the pride of our alma mater, Riverside High School, and a source of honor for the whole city!" "I know, right? I heard that even those internationally renowned financial moguls are competing to invite Timothy to dinner. Timothy's consulting fees alone reach hundreds of thousands of dollars, which is basically what an ordinary person earns in a few years!" "I've recently begun investing in the capital markets, too, Timothy. I wonder if you could spare a few pearls of wisdom and let me benefit from your experience, especially considering our history as former classmates." It was then that someone in the crowd said curiously, "I heard things are going really well between you and Yvonne. Is it true that you're tying the knot with Yvonne soon, Timothy?" Timothy looked fondly at Yvonne, who was in his arms. "That's right. Yvonne and I are getting engaged this month." Those around immediately offered another chorus of congratulations. It wasn't long before a close friend of his suddenly asked, "Do you still maintain contact with Hope, Timothy? Everyone at school thought you two were the perfect match. After all, you were such a talented couple back then. They said you even composed a song for her!" I noticed that Timothy's smile immediately faltered after hearing my name. His gaze turned slightly downcast. Yvonne, who was standing beside Timothy, smiled faintly and responded with decorum. "Timothy and I are getting married soon, so let's let bygones be bygones. You see, youthful loves are invariably pure, yet they are also the most prone to drifting away easily. Timothy moved on from Hope a long time ago. Now, his heart belongs solely to me." Those around burst out laughing again and proceeded to compliment how perfectly Timothy and Yvonne suited each other. I knew that Timothy had personally composed that song when he confessed his love to me. Hidden within the melody were his deep feelings and commitment to me. In my past life, we were the couple everyone acknowledged, having fallen in love at first sight. I remembered him looking at me with absolute sincerity and saying, "I want you to look me in the eyes and believe that I truly love you, Hope. You can always trust a person by looking into their eyes." I believed him back then, but unfortunately, he still lied to me. I walked into the banquet hall with a composed expression on my face, immediately catching the eye of someone from our social circle. "What took you so long to get here, Hope?" "Why are you dressed so casually? You should have changed into formal wear." "Did you just get off work? What sort of demanding job are you doing? There are plenty of successful people in our group, so you should just have them recommend an easier job for you, Hope!" Those around me offered several mocking remarks after noticing my attire. I paid them no mind, though, merely smiling and maintaining a composed demeanor. I noticed that Timothy's eyes were fixed on me from the very moment I entered the banquet hall. I greeted him politely, saying, "It's been a while, Timothy." Timothy hesitated slightly. An inscrutable look appeared in his eyes. He then let out a sarcastic laugh and said, "You haven't changed at all after all these years, Hope. You're still just as unambitious as ever." Yvonne directed a resentful gaze toward me. She deliberately clung tightly to Timothy's arm in a coquettish manner, as if asserting ownership, and spoke with anguish directly in front of me. "How can you talk to an old friend like that, Timothy? Hope might not be living a very good life right now, but that doesn't mean we should hurt her feelings. After all, she has already been through enough." Chapter 2 Yvonne sized me up and down with a mocking smile. "Your outfit is really quite inappropriate for the occasion, Hope. You're already a grown woman now, so you ought to learn how to dress yourself properly. Otherwise, you won't even be able to get married when the time comes. "I mean, what kind of man would be attracted to an unkempt woman? Do you want me to lend you something to wear, Hope?" Those around us burst into laughter the moment Yvonne finished speaking. Yvonne was decked out in high-end designer brands. She looked so perfectly put together that every strand of hair exuded the natural elegance of a wealthy woman. I, on the other hand, had just emerged from a rigorous medicinal chemistry laboratory after spending 24 consecutive hours working alongside various chemical reagents and instruments. I was wholly exhausted. I was dressed in a set of highly comfortable casual activewear—not a designer brand, but something simple and cozy that I had carefully chosen from a small storefront down the street. "I'm sorry, but I don't think that's necessary, as I just want to have a good meal right now," I replied flatly and began enjoying the food in front of me. I hadn't eaten for a whole day following the high-intensity medicinal chemistry experiments, so my body urgently needed to replenish its energy. Timothy suddenly walked up to me, took a bank card out of his pocket, and set it on the table. "I have 30 thousand dollars on this card. Consider this my way of giving you a hand for the sake of our past relationship. "You should take better care of yourself in the future, find a more decent job, buy some new clothes, and learn to love yourself, Hope. You and I are already a thing of the past, so you shouldn't keep dwelling on it. "If it hadn't been—never mind, it doesn't really matter anymore. You shouldn't completely lose your will to live and just give up on yourself just because I left you, Hope." I looked up at Timothy in confusion. I felt intrigued by his unfinished statement, wondering what I had done in my past life that caused him to abandon me so resolutely following his rebirth in this life. In our past life, we went from being high school sweethearts to getting married. Timothy pursued his dream of art, while I studied pharmacy, both of which required a lot of money and energy. Thus, one of us naturally had to make a sacrifice. I loved him dearly in the past, so I threw away the opportunity to attend graduate and doctoral programs in medical school without a second thought. I entered the workforce early, using my single income to support both of our dreams, while he faced failure after failure. He had constantly been depressed and despondent. I served as a power source for him that never depleted. I patiently placated him whenever he returned home exhausted. I had assumed that Timothy would have understood my love for him, but unexpectedly, when he wanted to continue his studies again, and I refused because we didn't have enough money, he lost his temper. He threw his paintbrush to the ground. "If I had listened to Yvonne back then and gone to Felvara with her to study art, I wouldn't have suffered like this in all these years. Do you know that? I genuinely regret ever being with you, Hope!" Timothy later stopped painting and gave up on his dream, while I—due to his statement of regretting being with me—frequently cried myself to sleep in the middle of the night. I still made one final attempt to save our relationship, though. I held him close and whispered, "I want to have a baby with you, Timothy." Timothy violently shoved me away. An indescribable look of disgust flashed in his eyes. "How could we ever afford a child with our current financial situation? I told you a long time ago that I despise children! I have absolutely no desire to have a baby with you, Hope!" Those remarks immediately shattered the last shred of hope I had left. In the end, while we were arguing in the car one day, an oncoming truck ended both our lives, and at that exact moment, I harbored no fear within my heart but a sense of liberation. Timothy and I had been reborn and had mutually resolved to maintain a distance. We aimed to never bring up our past relationship again. I silently pushed the bank card back toward him. "It won't be necessary, as I don't accept things from strangers." Timothy furrowed his brow. There was a note of disbelief in his voice as he asked, "Am I a stranger to you, Hope? What exactly do you mean by that?" I replied calmly, "I'm saying that no matter what job I'm doing right now, I consider it respectable. There's nothing to be ashamed of. I haven't given up on myself either. You should keep this money for someone who actually needs it." Chapter 3 Holding the bank card, Timothy pursed his lips and stood rooted to the spot. Yvonne walked over to Timothy's side, glanced at the bank card in his hand, and seemed to realize what was going on. There was a flicker of anger in her eyes, but she still pretended to be gentle as she asked, "You're actually turning down this gesture of our goodwill, Hope? I'll give you something more practical, then. "I recently opened a cafe on Crescent Avenue. I'll arrange a barista apprentice position for you as long as you go over there. It only pays 2,500 dollars a month, but you'll at least get to learn the trade. That way, even if you run out of options down the road, you can always open your own cafe, Hope. "How does that sound? Do you have any interest in trying it out? That position ought to be considerably more respectable than your current job, Hope." I calmly ate the food and declined their offer, saying, "I'm grateful for your offer, but I'm very happy with my job and have no plans to switch lines of work right now." Those around us started criticizing me after hearing that. "How can you be so ungrateful, Hope? Timothy and Yvonne are being kind enough to offer you money and a job, yet you won't even accept their goodwill." "I know, right? I mean, take a good look at yourself, Hope. You're obviously struggling, yet you're still enduring it to keep up with appearances. You even chose to attend an upscale gathering like this despite having a hard time. "Aren't you just trying to network and make some connections in this gathering? Why are you still acting all high and mighty now, Hope?" Yvonne deliberately played the peacemaker when she noticed how tense the atmosphere was. "You guys shouldn't say that about Hope! Perhaps she truly loves her current job!" She then turned to me with a smile, though her eyes carried a subtle hint of provocation. "It's truly our goodwill, and we're only recommending you for this job because of our past relationship. You shouldn't let a fleeting sense of pride make you miss out on such a good opportunity, Hope." I felt completely exasperated, unable to comprehend why they were so intent on forcing their charity on me. "It's really not necessary, but thank you both anyway." Timothy gripped the bank card tightly. His voice dripped with sarcasm as he said, "You're completely hopeless, Hope. It shouldn't be this hard to give you a hand! You should just resign yourself to being poor for the rest of your life!" As soon as he spoke, a few men approached me. They tried to force drinks on me, and one of them even chimed in, saying, "You're doing so badly right now, so I'll transfer you one thousand dollars for every glass you drink, Hope. If you're really that desperate... I'll even throw in a little extra money!" I furrowed my brow, thinking that this so-called networking event was nothing like what I had imagined. If I weren't waiting for someone, I would have stormed out right then. Just as I was about to call security, Timothy suddenly stubbed out his cigarette and snapped with a gaze brimming with wrath, "You guys better behave yourselves!" He gripped the man's hand so hard that the man couldn't help but cry out in pain. I couldn't help but glance at Timothy. I had not expected him to step in to help me. Yvonne was seething with anger, though she still kept a smile on her face and said, "You guys shouldn't take things too far. You see, I heard that a big shot will be coming to the conference room upstairs soon. "It's none other than the CEO of Fortunecrest Group. If we're lucky enough, we might actually catch a glimpse of the richest person in Norevane soon!" Upon hearing that, those around instantly grew excited, as the wealthiest person in Noravane was handsome, young, and successful. He was reported to already have a six-year-old child, though his spouse had never appeared in public. "Does that mean we might get to see his wife today? I've got to post this on my social media!" "It's going to be an exclusive scoop!" It wasn't long before a group of bodyguards escorted a young girl into the banquet hall, causing the crowd to instantly go wild. "That girl must be the daughter of Norevane's richest person, considering how grand her entourage is! She really is as cute as the rumors say!" In that instant, everyone crowded around the young girl with flattering smiles, desperately taking photos and videos of her on their phones. Yvonne, who had always carried herself with pride, walked forward wearing an almost ingratiating smile. She even seemed tempted to pinch the young girl's cheek while saying, "You're so beautiful, sweetie. May I take a photo with you?" That young girl, however, broke away from the surrounding bodyguards and walked straight toward me. She threw herself right into my arms with a sweet smile, exclaiming, "You're finally here, Mommy!"