After being reborn, we went our
separate ways.
Chapter 1
We crashed on the way home for Christmas,
me and my husband, Fred.
I woke up, and bam, we were back before we
even started dating.
Last time around, we were married for seven.
years, all polite smiles, but he wouldn’t even
think about having kids with me.
Turns out, Fred was still hung up on his high
school sweetheart.
So, this time, I decided to let him go.
We ghosted each other on social media, kept our distance, and went our separate ways. Fast forward seven years, and he’s this
hotshot stock trader, partying at our high school reunion with his darling, Ashley.
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Seeing me still single, he just had to get in a
dig.
“You know, Sarah, I get it. I’m like, the best
guy you ever had, twice over. But you don’t
have to mope around forever!”
I just ignored him and took my son’s hand.
Fred’s face went white. His eyes were
bloodshot as he demanded, “Didn’t you say
you’d love me forever? That you only wanted
to have my babies?”
- 1.
The reunion was the first time Fred and I had
been in the same room for years.
I’d just finished a bunch of surgeries and was
too tired to dress up, so I went to the party in
my scrubs.
Fred was holding court in the middle of the
room, his arm around Ashley’s waist, soaking
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“Freddy, you’re killing it! A few years on Wall
Street, and you’re already the next big thing?
You’re making us all proud!”
“Seriously, I heard some bigwigs are paying
Fred just for his advice. I heard he got like
fifty grand! That’s a year’s salary for some
people!”
“Hey, Fred, I’ve been dabbling in stocks. Hook
a brother up with some inside info, will ya?”
Someone piped up, “So, Fred, are you and
Ashley getting engaged?”
Fred looked all gooey at Ashley.
“Yeah, we’re making it official on December
20th.”
Everyone cheered and congratulated them.
Then some old classmate had to ask, “Fred,
do you ever hear from Sarah? You guys were,
like, the power couple back in the day. Didn’t
you write a song for her?”
I saw Fred’s smile freeze when he heard my
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Ashley, standing next to him, just laughed and
said, “Oh, you know how it is. High school
crushes never last. He’s totally over Sarah!”
Everyone laughed, going on about how
perfect Fred and Ashley were.
But I remembered that song. Fred wrote it for
me when he asked me out.
Last time around, he was my college
sweetheart, and we fell hard for each other.
He was so sincere back then, looking me
right in the eye, “Sarah, I swear I’m telling the
truth. Eyes don’t lie.”
I believed him.
Too bad he lied to me the first time.
I walked into the party, trying not to make a
scene.
One of the sharper classmates saw me.
“Sarah! Where have you been?”
“Why are you wearing scrubs? You couldn’t
change?”
Λ
“Did you just get of work? Where are you
working? Let’s get one of these success
stories to help you find something easy.”
A bunch of people started making fun of my
clothes.
I smiled and kept my head up.
From the moment I walked in, Fred’s eyes
hadn’t left me.
I just said, “Long time no see.”
Fred looked surprised and then smirked.
“Sarah, you haven’t changed a bit. Still aiming
low.”
Ashley glared at me.
She hugged Fred tighter, like she was
marking her territory.
“Oh, Fred, don’t be mean! Maybe she’s had a
hard time. Don’t rub it in.”
She looked me up and down, sneering.
“But seriously, Sarah, what are you wearing?
You’re not getting any younger. You need to
- 1.
take care of yourself, or you’ll never find a
guy. Who wants a slob?”
“Want me to lend you some makeup?”
The room cracked up at that.
Ashley was dripping in designer clothes and
makeup, rich–girl vibes all the way.
I was coming off a 24–hour shift at the
hospital. I was exhausted, and my scrubs
came from a store down the street. I couldn’t
compete.
“No, thanks. I’m good,” I said, and sat down
to eat.
After all, I hadn’t had anything to eat in a day.
I was enjoying my food, when Fred came over and dropped a $10,000 check in front of me.
“This is, you know, because we used to be
something. Use it to get yourself together.
Find a better job, buy some new clothes, take
care of yourself.”
“Sarah the past is the past. Don’t get stuck
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in it.”
“If it wasn’t for you…never mind. It doesn’t
matter.”
“Just don’t ruin your life because of me,
okay?”
I looked up at him, confused.
He wasn’t saying something, and I was
curious about what I did to make him so
eager to dump me this time around.
The first time, we were high school
sweethearts and college lovers.
He wanted to be a musician, and I wanted to
be a doctor. Both of us spent a lot of time
and money on our careers.
Someone had to give.
Because I loved him, I gave up my chance to
go to medical school so I could start working
and help him chase his dreams.
He failed, got discouraged, and wallowed.
I was there when he came home, and I always
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I thought he knew I loved him.
But when he wanted a new guitar, and I
couldn’t afford it, he smashed his old one.
“You know what? If I had gone to America
with Ashley, I wouldn’t be stuck in this dump!”
“I regret being with you.”
He stopped playing guitar and gave up on his
dream.
I spent the rest of our marriage crying myself
to sleep because of “I regret being with you“.
I tried to get back with him one last time.
“Fred, I want to have a baby with you.”
He shoved me away, with disgust written all
over his face.
“Can we even afford a baby? And I told you
before, I hate kids! I don’t want to have a
baby with you!”
That was the last straw.
We were in a car accident and died.
I wasn’t scared. I was relieved.
V
Now we were here, we had chosen to forget
about the past, and it wasn’t necessary to
bring it up.
I pushed the check back. “No, thanks. I don’t
take things from strangers.”
