CHAPTER 3
1680 Words
I wasn’t dead.
I had come back.
The realization sat heavy in my chest as I stared at the shattered glass on the floor. Tiny pieces glittered under the light like scattered diamonds.
My breathing turned uneven.
Eight years before, everything went wrong.
Before, Ethan destroyed my life.
Before my parents died.
Before I became the broken woman standing in the rain, begging him to choose me.
My hands slowly curled into fists.
Not this time.
“Amanda?”
My dad’s voice pulled me back to the present. He crouched in front of me, concern written all over his face.
“Are you alright?”
I looked at him carefully, memorizing every detail of his face. The faint wrinkles near his eyes. The small scar on his chin from when he slipped in the kitchen years ago.
I had buried him.
I had watched the coffin lower into the ground while Ethan stood beside me pretending to comfort me.
The memory made something cold settle in my chest.
“I’m fine,” I whispered.
“You don’t look fine,” my mum said from the couch. “You’re talking about ghosts and the afterlife. If this is your way of avoiding work, it’s not funny.”
Work.
Right.
My job.
In my previous life, that job was where everything started.
Where I first met Ethan.
The old woman really wasn’t lying when she said I would return to the moment my soul first bled.
Because today…
Today was the day I accepted Ethan’s confession and became his girlfriend.
“Just go have some rest,” Dad said, helping me up. “I’ll let Ethan know you aren’t feeling well. It’s a good thing your boyfriend is your boss.”
I froze.
“Ethan? Boyfriend?” I asked, my voice sharper than I intended.
“Don’t tell me you don’t remember him too,” Mum said, panic rising in her voice. “Because I swear to heaven I will make you remember.”
“Of course, I remember him,” I said quickly before she lost it. “I just don’t remember accepting him yet.”
“Oh!” Mum laughed awkwardly. “I guess I ruined the surprise. He was supposed to ask you out today.”
Dad groaned. “Helen… it wasn’t ruined until you just said it.”
I stared at them both.
Here I was thanking every god in existence for saving my soul from that devil’s trap, and they were casually pushing me right back into it.
But it wasn’t their fault.
They didn’t know what Ethan would become.
They didn’t know the man who smiled, so sweetly today would one day destroy everything I loved.
Which meant it was up to me.
There was no way in hell I was letting that monster ruin my family again.
Fine.
If fate wanted me to return to Hastings Holdings, then I would go.
But this time…
I would be the one pulling the strings.
“Mum,” I said suddenly, turning toward them. “On second thought, I’m going to work.”
I walked toward my room before they could question me.
Behind me, I heard my mum whisper excitedly.
“See? Telling her about the surprise worked. Now she’s excited.”
I smiled faintly to myself.
Don’t worry, Mum.
This time… I’ll protect you.
When I walked into the office, the reaction was immediate.
Conversations died mid-sentence.
Chairs stopped moving.
Several people actually froze with papers still in their hands.
And then the whispering started.
“Wait… is that Amanda?”
“Hold on… is she… back?”
“Oh no.”
My lips almost curved.
That look.
I knew that look very well.
Fear.
Everyone in this office remembered who I used to be before Ethan came into my life.
Amanda Smith.
The crazy b***h who said whatever she wanted, did whatever she wanted, and didn’t give a damn about anyone’s opinion.
The girl who once told the marketing director his presentation looked like a kindergarten art project.
The girl who laughed too loudly, dressed too boldly, and left chaos wherever she went.
And then Ethan appeared in my life.
And I changed.
I became quieter.
Softer.
Modest.
All because I overheard him once say he preferred his women, “graceful and composed.”
God.
Thinking about it now makes me want to punch myself.
But today…
Today I walked in exactly like the girl I used to be.
Sharp black heels clicking confidently across the marble floor.
A fitted black skirt that hugged my waist perfectly.
My hair loose around my shoulders.
My red lipstick bold enough to make a statement.
I looked hot.
Not the quiet, obedient woman Ethan shaped me into.
But the dangerous woman I had always been.
Someone whispered behind me.
“Is… is crazy Amanda back?”
Another voice whispered nervously.
“Please tell me she didn’t fight with Ethan again…”
I almost laughed.
Oh, if only they knew.
“Wow.”
“Amanda?”
“You look… incredible.”
“You should dress like this more often.”
Compliments followed me as I walked past.
I smiled politely.
But inside, something twisted.
All those years, I bent myself into shapes just to fit Ethan’s preferences.
Pathetic.
“Thank you,” I said lightly. “I just felt like trying something...”
Suddenly someone grabbed my arm and dragged me away from the crowd.
“So!”
Bella’s voice burst beside me.
“Tell me the truth right now.”
I turned to face her.
And the moment I saw her, my chest tightened.
Bella.
My best friend.
My childhood partner in crime.
The girl who stood beside me through every stupid decision I ever made.
The girl I abandoned…
Because Ethan told me she was a bad influence.
My throat closed.
Before I could stop myself, I wrapped my arms around her tightly.
Tears spilled down my face.
Bella stiffened.
Then slowly pushed me back so she could stare at me.
“Amanda… why are you crying?”
I couldn’t answer.
Because in my previous life, the last time we spoke was during a horrible fight.
She begged me to leave Ethan.
I told her she was jealous and dramatic.
We never spoke again after that.
“I missed you,” I whispered.
Bella blinked in confusion.
“You literally saw me yesterday.”
Right.
Yesterday.
For her, nothing had happened yet.
Bella suddenly squinted at my outfit.
Then at my face.
Then back at my outfit again.
Her eyes widened.
“Oh my God.”
She grabbed my shoulders.
“Did Ethan break you?”
“What?” I sniffed.
“You’re dressed like this again!” she said dramatically. “You haven’t dressed like this since you found out his preference.”
She leaned closer.
“Did you two fight? Did he make you cry? Because I swear if he did…”
Bella cracked her knuckles.
“...I will personally drag him across the parking lot by his expensive hair.”
Despite everything, I burst out laughing.
God, I had missed her so much.
“If he hurts you,” Bella continued angrily, “I will destroy him.”
“Bella,” I laughed through my tears, grabbing her arms before she could start marching somewhere. “Relax.”
“Relax?” she said loudly. “You’re crying!”
“I’m crying because I’m happy to see you.”
She stared at me like I was insane.
“You saw me yesterday!”
I wiped my tears and smiled.
“Still counts.”
Bella shook her head slowly.
“You are unbelievable.”
Then she narrowed her eyes again.
“But seriously… if that guy ever hurts you, I will end him.”
I laughed again.
If only she knew.
If she knew Ethan was the reason we stopped being friends…
She would probably bury him alive.
“Amanda Smith.”
The voice cut through the office like a blade.
Every muscle in my body locked.
I knew that voice.
Deep.
Low.
Dangerously calm.
The entire office went silent.
Slowly, I turned.
Ethan Hastings stood in the doorway of his office.
And for a moment…
Even he looked surprised.
His eyes widened slightly as they landed on me.
Like he didn’t recognize the woman standing in front of him.
Because the Amanda he remembered was quiet.
Reserved.
Soft.
Not the woman standing here now.
Then the surprise disappeared.
His gaze darkened.
Slowly.
Dangerously.
Like a predator who had just spotted something fascinating.
The room felt colder.
His dark suit fit him perfectly. His presence alone commanded attention without him even trying.
And his eyes never left mine.
That familiar expensive cologne drifted through the air.
One scent.
And suddenly memories flooded back.
Late nights.
Soft laughter.
His hands around mine.
Promises.
Lies.
My stomach twisted.
God.
Why was I still reacting to him like this?
Why was my heart beating faster?
“Amanda Smith.”
His voice was lower this time.
Quieter.
But somehow more dangerous.
“Come to my office.”
My heartbeat slammed against my ribs.
Bella leaned toward me and whispered excitedly,
“Ooooh. Looks like someone is finally getting her love confession.”
Love confession.
If only she knew what that confession would eventually lead to.
I forced my legs to move.
Step by step.
Closer to Ethan.
Every instinct inside me screamed to turn around.
To run.
But another part of me…
The part I hated…
Still wanted him.
As I passed him, our shoulders brushed slightly.
Electricity shot up my spine.
My breath caught.
Ethan leaned closer.
Just enough for his voice to reach my ear.
“Interesting,” he murmured.
My pulse thundered.
Then he stepped aside and gestured toward his office.
“After you, Amanda.”
I stepped inside.
But one terrifying thought echoed inside my head.
I wanted revenge.
I wanted to destroy him.
I wanted to protect my family.
So why…
Why did a part of me still want him?
Was I completely insane?
- Writer
