Our Engagement’s Off, I Chase My Dream

The phone rang just as Maya Moore saw the words on her computer screen: Medical mission in Abloure application approved. "Miss Moore, have you and Mr. Cole scheduled your wedding dress fitting yet?" Maya's gaze drifted from the screen to the city beyond the window. Her voice came out calm, cold enough to frost over. "No need. I'll stop by the boutique soon to cancel everything and process the refund." She ended the call and slid open the drawer to sort through the documents inside. The photo rested on top. In it, she leaned against Evan Cole's shoulder, smiling so brightly her eyes curved into crescents, every bit of her happiness laid bare. Her fingers stalled above the picture, trembling faintly. No one knew that photo had sat beside her hospital bed for five years in her last life. And no one knew she had already died once, only to open her eyes and return to this exact day with every memory still carved into her mind. A knock sounded at the door. Evan pushed the door open and walked in, dressed in a black suit that only made his tall frame and sharp features stand out more. But there wasn't a trace of warmth in his eyes. "The bridal shop called. Wanna go try on dresses today?" Maya looked up, her eyes lingering on him for a moment. Then she shut the drawer, picked up her coat, and stood. "Sure. Let's go." She opened the rear door and slid straight into the back seat. Evan glanced at her through the rearview mirror. His lips shifted slightly, but whatever he meant to say never came out. The car rolled slowly out of the garage. On the passenger seat, a pair of smiling dolls swayed gently with the movement of the car. Evan had brought them back from France himself, saying they symbolized everlasting love. Maya stared at them, a sharp sting piercing her chest. In her last life, she didn't learn the truth until just before she died. Tiny words had been carved into the bottom of the dolls: Evan Cole loves Lydia Lane, forever and always. The day she discovered it, Evan had walked in carrying her medicine. He'd glanced at the doll in her hand and said flatly, "Old junk. Throw it away." Not even an explanation. "What are you thinking about?" Evan's voice drifted from the front seat. Maya turned toward the blur of passing streets outside the window. "Nothing. The hospital's been busy. I'm tired." "If you're tired," his tone cooled abruptly, "why did you steal Lydia's Golden Scalpel Award thesis?" There it was. The exact same accusation from her past life. Maya's fingers tightened slightly. Back then, she'd asked him with red-rimmed eyes why he always sided with Lydia. He'd only replied in that icy voice of his. "I'm being fair." Now she finally understood. Evan's fairness had always belonged to Lydia alone. "I wrote the thesis," Maya said calmly. "The data's still on my computer. If Lydia has objections, she can take it to the academic committee." Evan looked at her again through the mirror, surprise flickering briefly in his eyes. Maya had always been gentle around him. She'd never spoken to him like this before. "We're here." Maya looked up, only to see the glowing sign of an upscale restaurant. "We'll do the dress fitting another day." Evan unbuckled his seat belt. "Lydia's leaving soon. You got promoted while she's being sent overseas somewhere dangerous. You should at least come to her farewell dinner." Maya's heart sank. Even after living twice, some things still refused to change. Inside the private room, Lydia Lane sat surrounded by coworkers, eyes slightly red. The moment she spotted Evan, her face lit up. "Evan, you made it!" Then her gaze landed on Maya. Her expression stiffened for a split second before she forced out a fragile smile. "Maya came too... that's unexpected." "Oh, don't say that," one of the women beside her chimed in with a mocking laugh. "Maya has already stolen your boyfriend and your promotion. What's wrong with her coming to send you off too?" Another voice added, "Exactly. Mr. Cole was obviously your childhood sweetheart..." The chatter gradually died under Maya's calm gaze. She didn't argue. She simply found a vacant seat in the corner and sat down quietly, as though she barely existed. Evan naturally took the seat beside Lydia and accepted the wine glass Lydia handed him. Soon the room turned lively with rounds of drinking and endless toasts. Maya watched silently, and for the first time, her past self seemed laughable. She had given up the shares her father left behind for a man like this. Given up invitations from the world's top hospitals. Given up even her dignity. "I'm going to the restroom." She stood and left the room. The mirror reflected a face still young, yet exhausted to the bone. Cold water rushed over her wrists, sharp enough to ache. Her father's dying moments surfaced again before her eyes. The old man had placed her hand into Evan's trembling palm, his voice barely hanging on. "Maya... Evan will take care of you... the two of you have to stay happy..." Her father died never knowing what kind of cold-hearted man he had saved. And his daughter had wasted an entire lifetime on that man, only to die from illness and heartbreak. "I've repaid what I owed Mr. Moore." Evan's words before her death still echoed like a curse in her ears. "If there's a next life, I'm begging you. Leave me alone. Stop ruining the life Lydia and I are supposed to have." Only then had she finally understood. Those five years of care, selling off assets to search for treatments, holding her hand through endless nights... None of it had been love. He'd only been repaying a debt to her father. Everything she gave him had looked like nothing but obsession in his eyes. "Maya?" Lydia's reflection appeared in the mirror behind her. "You don't look so good." Lydia stepped closer, concern coating her voice while triumph leaked from her eyes. "Is it because Evan stayed with me tonight?" Maya shut off the faucet and slowly dried her hands with a paper towel. "You're overthinking it, Lydia. I was just thinking about the medical mission in Abloure." Lydia froze. "Abloure?" "Yeah." Maya turned toward her. "I had already applied to lead the medical team myself. So..." A faint smile curved her lips. "You won't have to go anymore." Lydia's expression froze instantly. Shock. Delight. Panic desperately trying to hide itself. Every emotion flashed openly across her face. Maya suddenly wondered how blind she'd been in her previous life not to see through something so obvious. "Why?" Lydia's voice trembled slightly. "Aren't you supposed to marry Evan?" "Marriage and career don't conflict." Maya's tone stayed calm. "Besides, Evan never wanted to marry me. You know that better than anyone." Lydia opened her mouth but couldn't find a single word. Maya walked past her toward the door. Her hand settled on the handle. She paused without turning back. "Oh, right. The engraving on the dolls was beautifully done. I wish you two... Forever and always." The door clicked shut softly behind her. In the mirror, Lydia's face drained white.