After Rebirth: Falling for Ex-husband's Brother

The cold night breeze brushed against Rebecca Garcia's face, bringing a chill. She suddenly opened her eyes, finding herself half-hanging out of a window, with only one leg keeping her from falling. Peering down, she saw the dark thicket below, looking like a monster ready to swallow her. Fear gripped her, and she quickly grabbed the window sill, carefully pulling herself back inside. As she surveyed her surroundings, confusion washed over her. This was an incredibly luxurious room adorned with exquisite wooden furniture and spotless marble tiles. The blue velvet curtains fluttered gently in the wind. Rebecca recognized it as her and Adrian Rodriguez's suite in Rodriguez Manor. 'But how am I here? I should be dead!' Memories of moments before flooded back. 'The sterile white ward, the smell of antiseptic, and the relentless ticking of the clock marks my impending death.' Weakly lying in bed, she awaited her demise. Then, Layla Morris, Adrian's mistress, had come. This normally sweet-faced woman now wore a sinister grin as she rolled her wheelchair closer to the bed. "Dear Rebecca, I'm here to see you off." With that, Layla yanked out Rebecca's oxygen tube! The suffocating sensation crashed over Rebecca as she struggled to breathe, gasping for air, clawing at her throat in desperation. "Why?" Rebecca croaked. 'Why had Layla taken Adrian, banished me from the estate, forbidden him from seeing me, only to still threaten my life?' Layla seemed to relish Rebecca's agony, laughing cruelly. "Why? Because I hate you, Rebecca. If not for your meddling, I would be marrying Adrian! We were childhood sweethearts!" Layla's expression twisted into something grotesque. "You don't know, do you? Your frail state comes from the drugs I slipped into your food. Your parents' company going bankrupt? Well, that was my doing too. Their expressions before jumping were quite the sight. And your friend's tragic accident, your miscarriage, those were all my doing... Blame yourself for being so foolish, only thinking about Adrian and missing all the signs." Rebecca let out a piercing scream, her vision blurring and bloodshot, shaking uncontrollably as rage and despair washed over her. 'I thought these were all mere misfortunes, that God had simply forsaken me, but this wicked woman was behind it all!' Rebecca lunged to grab Layla's neck but was violently pushed to the floor. "Adrian and I will marry soon. As for you, the pathetic one, it's time to die!" Rebecca lay on the floor, clutching her throat, her eyes bulging out as gasping like a fish out of water. Layla walked away arrogantly as the strength drained from Rebecca. Hatred, anger, regret, and resentment crashed over her. 'If I could start over, I'd never let any of this happen!' At the next moment, endless blackness swallowed her whole... Suddenly, Rebecca's eyes snapped open, her breath coming in ragged gasps. She was drenched in cold sweat, her entire body soaked as if she'd just been pulled from the water. 'I'm back in my room at Rodriguez Manor. God must be playing a cruel joke on me. I've really been reborn!' "What are you up to this time?" A familiar voice suddenly came from the doorway. Rebecca forced herself to stay calm as she turned around. The speaker had short, light brown hair, mesmerizing amber eyes, smooth skin, and an exceptionally handsome face. But the man looked much younger than she had seen him on TV. 'How ironic. In my previous life, I had to watch my husband on TV to see him at all.' When Rebecca didn't respond, Adrian's brows furrowed in confusion. "Are you really going to threaten to jump off the roof just to make me take you to the ball?" 'Jump off the roof? The ball?' Rebecca paused for a moment, and then the memory came flooding back. Three years ago, not long after she and Adrian had married, Rodriguez Manor had hosted a grand ball. She'd wanted Adrian to take her, but he refused, intending to take Layla instead. Rebecca had caused a huge scene, even threatening to jump off the roof, before Adrian reluctantly agreed to let her attend the ball. Rebecca let out a sneer. One death had taught her many things. 'In my previous life, I tried everything to marry Adrian and get close to him, but I never made him love me. In the end, I lost everything because of it. This time, I won't waste any more of my time on this indecisive man. I'll protect my family and my friends!' Rebecca was about to refuse when a soft, timid voice came from the doorway. "Adrian, don't be so hard on Rebecca. She just wants to go to the ball with you." Rebecca's body instantly tensed at the sound of that voice. 'Layla Morris.'