Reborn, I Married My Ex-Husband's Worst Enemy

Alice Casey had been given another chance at life. She awoke to find herself ten years younger, back in the year she was twenty-two. In her last life, she was killed by the man the world had praised as the perfect husband, Zachary Hawkins. He had driven a knife straight into her heart and leaned in close, whispering with cruel precision, "Alice, I never loved you. I'm sick of your body. You want the truth? Doris is a hundred times sexier in bed than you'll ever be. With you, it's like screwing a slab of marble, cold, stiff, and lifeless." (Cold, stiff, and lifeless?) Alice didn't scream. She didn't beg. Her upbringing had been steeped in discipline and pride. Even now, she clung to dignity while her soul shattered from the inside out. "Didn't you say you loved me?" he continued with a chilling smile. "Then die for me and for Doris. I'll be sure to remember your sacrifice." That venom-laced voice was the last thing she heard as he slowly pulled the blade from her chest. Her blood sprayed across his striking, refined face, painting his elegance with the full truth of his cruelty. He chuckled. Not a madman's laugh, but a mild, offhand sound, as if he weren't murdering the woman who had given him ten loyal years of her life. Alice died with her eyes wide open, determined to carve every inch of his betrayal into her soul. They had been married for ten years. They had grown up side by side, childhood sweethearts from elite families. Alice had been exceptional from the start, not just in etiquette and appearance, but in intellect and grace. But at twenty-two, she chose to marry Zachary. And from that day on, she buried every ounce of her brilliance. She became the woman behind the man, loyal, quiet, and tireless. She let go of her dreams and gave him everything, her resources, her reputation, her devotion, all so he could climb from nouveau riche to the inner circle of true aristocracy. She had never imagined that one day, this man would plunge a knife into her heart or that the total destruction of the Casey family would be his twisted wedding gift to his beloved Doris. She hated him. With a hatred so deep it blistered her soul. But fate had not abandoned her! A single car crash, violent, unexpected, shattered the laws of fate. And now, she was back in the year before she ever became his wife. Alice bit down on her lower lip, hard. She was staring straight at the man who had just crashed into her car, Raymond Landry, heir to the most powerful family in all of Nyxaria, the Landry family. His looks were devastating. The kind that silenced rooms. He stood six-foot-one, built like a statue come to life. He wasn't just handsome. He was a legend. In all of Kaldryn, no man surpassed him. And yet, despite such a pedigree, Raymond was infamous for wasting it all. He was the most notorious playboy, decadent, wild, indulgent. He had slept with more women than Alice had even met men. His name was whispered in elite circles with scandalous fascination. But one fact stood above it all. In her previous life, no matter how hard Zachary tried, he never beat Raymond, not once. "Ms. Casey," Raymond said, his tone amused as he caught her stare. "You keep looking at me like that... Should I take it as interest?" His voice was warm and magnetic, deep enough to echo, with just a trace of devil-may-care mischief. The words themselves were provocative, but from his mouth, they landed with unexpected charm. "Yes," she came back to herself and answered without hesitation. It wasn't Raymond who reacted. It was Natalie Finley, her lifelong best friend, who practically exploded beside her, "Alice, are you insane? Did the crash scramble your brain?" A flicker of something unreadable passed through Raymond's eyes, gone before it could be named. But his smile remained, aloof and slightly amused, like a man enjoying someone else's chaos. "Do you even know who this guy is?" Natalie shouted, rounding on Alice. "He's bad news, Alice. Like Olympic-level bad. He's a trust fund brat who only knows how to party and chase skirts. He's good for nothing except looking pretty. And you're saying you like him? Have you gone blind overnight?" Maybe she had been blind, blind enough to fall for Zachary Hawkins, that polished snake in a silk tie. Just that morning, she and Natalie had gone up to Kaldryn Mount to offer prayers. On the way down, a red sports car came flying around a sharp curve. Raymond, sharp-eyed, lightning-quick, swerved just in time to avoid a head-on collision. But the impact still hit, jarring them both. The cars were barely damaged. No one was hurt. And yet, that accident changed everything. Because in that moment, she came back! Alice didn't answer Natalie. Instead, she turned her gaze back to Raymond and asked calmly, "Would you be willing to crash a wedding?" "Alice!" Natalie looked like she was about to collapse. (Yes, Raymond is gorgeous, but ditching her wedding for him?) "I'm getting married next month," Alice said, each word slow and clear. "The eighteenth. Are you coming?" It took Raymond a few seconds to fully process what Alice had just said. Then, slowly, he gave a cool, dismissive reply. "Ms. Casey, I think you might actually need to get your head checked." As he spoke, he casually reached into the pocket of his tailored black slacks and pulled out a sleek black card. Pinching it between two fingers, he offered it to her with an expression of irreverent amusement. "Don't worry. I'll cover the bill." Alice glanced down at the card, a Landry family exclusive, the kind of ultra-elite VIP card that opened doors most people didn't even know existed. Everyone in Kaldryn knew the Landry heir didn't spend money. He threw it. And every woman who'd ever been with him came away more than compensated. Alice took the card without hesitation. A flicker of genuine surprise passed through Raymond's eyes. Everyone in Kaldryn knew who Alice was. She was the embodiment of poise and discipline, the kind of woman who carried herself with grace, who read Austen before breakfast, did charity work on weekends, and treated gossip like a disease. She had always been faithful to one man, Zachary, and had long been expected to become the picture-perfect wife behind his polished success. But now, she looked Raymond straight in the eye and said, "Let's call it a down payment." Natalie, standing beside her, nearly popped her eyes out of her skull. Raymond pressed his lips into a faint line, then let a subtle, unreadable smile spread across his face. He didn't say anything, and for that moment, chose silence. There was no way to tell what he was thinking. It was impossible to tell whether he had accepted her offer, or whether he was merely watching, calculating, waiting. "All you have to do is show up on the wedding day," Alice added quietly. "And I'll go with you." It sounded simple, casual, even. But in truth, she was answering a question he had once asked her. In her past life, on the night before her wedding to Zachary, Alice had been too excited to sleep. Sometime around 4 a.m., her phone rang. A number she didn't recognize. Just a low, slurred voice on the other end asking bluntly, "If I show up tomorrow to stop the wedding, will you come with me?" Alice frowned. "Who is this?" "Zachary's not the man you think he is." "Who are you?" "Not someone good either." And then the line went dead. At the time, she'd assumed it was a prank call, someone drunk. She brushed it off and never gave it a second thought. Later, by pure coincidence, she discovered that the number belonged to Raymond. That discovery only made her laugh. (Raymond, of all people?) She had always dismissed men like him, flashy, spoiled, drowning in women and power. They were nothing but scandal dressed in designer suits. And she had nothing to do with them. Now, having lived through betrayal and death, she saw the past more clearly than ever. She finally realized how serious he might have been. Still, Raymond had never shown up at the wedding. So she couldn't say for sure whether he'd meant it or simply lost interest. But none of that mattered now. Whether he came or not, she was never going to marry Zachary again. If Raymond showed up, then fine, her revenge would taste even sweeter! And if he didn't, she'd burn that bridge herself. Without another word, Alice turned and walked away. Natalie scrambled to catch up, falling into step beside her as they returned to their car. Raymond stood there, watching the vehicle pull away. For a long moment, he said nothing. Then, slowly, he smiled. (Alice Casey, Kaldryn's most untouchable heiress... The girl every man wants to marry. Well now. She is far more interesting than I ever imagined.) ***** In the departing car, Natalie could no longer hold it in. "Tell me the truth," she burst out, "did you hit your head during the crash? Is that why you just invited Raymond freaking Landry to crash your wedding?" "No," Alice replied calmly as she drove. Her tone was steady, almost unnervingly so. She didn't blink. She didn't flinch. In fact, there was something almost cold in her composure. After all, just seconds before that crash, she'd still been lying on the ground, bleeding out from Zachary's betrayal. "What about Zachary?" Natalie continued, her voice rising. "You two were like the it couple, the kind everyone envied. And now you're telling me you're gonna cheat on him before the wedding? What are you thinking, Alice?" (Cheat?) Alice let out a sharp laugh. She had once walked in on Zachary and another woman, both of them naked, tangled together on the bed they used to share. She clenched her jaw and muttered through her teeth, "I think Zachary is a f**king j*rk!" He didn't deserve to be called a man!