My Reborn Life 💀

Chapter 10: A New Alliance

The black sedan remained parked across the street long after Selena left the café with Lucien.

Inside, the atmosphere was suffocating.

Aria's manicured nails dug into her palm as she stared at the photos on Ethan's phone.

One showed Selena smiling faintly at Lucien.

Another captured Lucien opening the café door for her.

The last photo was the one that unsettled her the most—Selena looking at Lucien with a softness she had never shown Ethan in months.

Something was changing.

Something neither of them had anticipated.

"Delete them," Aria said sharply.

Ethan's eyes remained fixed on the screen.

"No."

She turned to him in disbelief.

"No?"

His jaw tightened.

"Selena barely knows Lucien Dregor. They met at the gala. How are they suddenly this close?"

Aria forced herself to stay calm despite the jealousy rising inside her.

In their previous plans, Selena had always been predictable. Easy to manipulate. She trusted too easily and forgave too quickly.

But lately, she had become impossible to read.

First, she distanced herself from Ethan.

Then she avoided Aria's constant invitations.

And now she was spending time with Lucien.

Aria's eyes narrowed.

"We need to find out what he's after."

Ethan finally slipped his phone into his pocket.

"No."

She blinked.

"What do you mean, no?"

"I'll handle Selena."

There was an edge to his voice she hadn't heard before.

Possessiveness.

Aria looked away, hiding her irritation.

Fine.

Let him think he was in control.

She had her own plans.

After all, she had worked too hard in her previous life to let Selena take everything away again.

Not this time.

Never again.

---

Meanwhile, Selena sat in Lucien's car, her mind replaying every word he had spoken.

In my previous life, I loved you.

The confession still echoed in her chest.

She glanced at him from the passenger seat.

His attention remained fixed on the road, one hand resting casually on the steering wheel.

As if he hadn't just turned her world upside down.

As if sharing the impossible truth between them had changed nothing.

But everything had changed.

For weeks, Selena had carried the burden of her memories alone.

Every betrayal.

Every regret.

Every sleepless night spent reliving the moment Ethan and Aria destroyed her life.

And now...

She wasn't alone anymore.

"Where are we going?" she asked quietly.

Lucien glanced at her briefly.

"Somewhere private."

Selena raised an eyebrow.

"That sounds suspicious."

A rare smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

"If I wanted to kidnap you, Selena, I would've done it already."

She rolled her eyes, but a small laugh escaped her.

The ease she felt around him startled her.

Trust had once come naturally to her.

After her rebirth, she had trusted no one.

Except, somehow, Lucien.

Perhaps because he understood her pain without explanation.

Or perhaps because, even in her previous life, some part of her had always felt safe around him.

Twenty minutes later, the car stopped in front of a quiet lakeside property.

Selena looked out the window.

"This is yours?"

Lucien nodded.

"No one comes here except me."

As they stepped outside, a cool breeze swept across the water.

The city noise felt distant.

For the first time in weeks, Selena could breathe.

Lucien led her to a wooden bench overlooking the lake.

Neither spoke immediately.

There was no need to rush.

They had spent an entire lifetime apart.

A few moments of silence meant nothing.

Finally, Selena broke the silence.

"Tell me about your previous life."

Lucien's expression darkened.

"There isn't much to tell."

She looked at him expectantly.

He exhaled slowly.

"I met you much later than I did this time."

Her brows knitted together.

"How much later?"

"Three years."

Three years.

Three years in which she had suffered alone.

Three years in which Ethan and Aria had tightened their hold on her.

Three years he hadn't been there.

"I knew Ethan was using you," he continued quietly. "But every time I tried to warn you, you defended him."

Shame washed over her.

She remembered.

Not the details.

Just the feeling.

The certainty that Ethan loved her.

The belief that everyone else was trying to separate them.

"By the time you realized the truth, it was too late."

His voice remained calm, but she could hear the pain beneath it.

"What happened after I died?"

Lucien's jaw tightened.

For a long moment, he said nothing.

When he finally spoke, his voice was barely above a whisper.

"I made sure they lost everything."

Selena turned to look at him.

His expression was unreadable.

Cold.

Dangerously cold.

For the first time, she saw the man who had built the Dregor empire.

The man feared by his rivals.

The man who had loved her enough to destroy everyone responsible for her death.

A strange warmth spread through her chest.

"Did it help?" she asked softly.

Lucien's gaze remained fixed on the lake.

"No."

The single word carried years of grief.

Because revenge after death changed nothing.

It couldn't bring her back.

Selena understood that better than anyone.

Without thinking, she placed her hand over his.

Lucien froze.

Slowly, his eyes met hers.

This time, neither looked away.

"We have another chance now," she said.

A breeze stirred her hair.

Sunlight danced across the water behind her.

For a moment, Lucien simply stared.

As if committing this version of her to memory.

Alive.

Safe.

Here.

He turned his hand over, intertwining their fingers.

A silent promise.

This time would be different.

This time, they would protect each other.

Selena's phone buzzed, shattering the moment.

Her expression hardened as she looked at the screen.

Aria.

She declined the call immediately.

A second later, another message arrived.

Aria: Ethan is worried about you. He says you've been avoiding him.

Selena almost laughed.

Worried?

No.

Panicking.

Because he was losing control.

She showed the message to Lucien.

His expression darkened instantly.

"They're moving faster than before."

"I know."

The leak had forced their hand.

They could feel Selena slipping away.

And desperate people made mistakes.

Lucien's thumb brushed lightly against her hand.

"Then we'll move faster too."

Selena looked at him.

Not as Lucien Dregor, the powerful heir.

Not as the mysterious man from the gala.

But as the only person in the world who truly understood her.

For the first time since her rebirth, revenge no longer felt like a lonely road.

She had an ally.

Someone who remembered.

Someone who cared.

Someone who had chosen her in two lifetimes.

A slow smile spread across her face.

"Let's rewrite the future together."

Lucien returned her smile.

"Together."

Neither of them noticed the figure standing in the distance near the entrance gate.

Watching.

Waiting.

Aria lowered her phone after snapping several pictures.

Her eyes burned with jealousy.

Selena was changing the script.

And if Selena refused to play her role, Aria would simply write a new one.

One that ended exactly the same way as before.