He Betrayed Me, I Dumped Him

Chapter 4

The moment the race began, my mom gripped my hand and stared anxiously at the track.

I squeezed her fingers. "Don't worry. Julian is going to win."

The grandstands erupted before I finished speaking. Julian's team had already pulled far ahead of Ryan's. Then Ryan suddenly swerved and slammed his car into Julian's, stealing first place with a deliberate foul.

I jumped to my feet and ran to Julian. "Are you hurt? How's your leg? Come out and let me see."

Julian lowered his head in shame while angry voices rose around us. "Ms. Carter, Ryan hit him on purpose. Mr. Reed would have won!"

Ryan held the jade necklace and watched Chloe throw herself into Ethan's arms, laughing with delight.

Ethan, usually so composed, looked at her with unmistakable tenderness.

Ryan's resolve wavered. Even after traveling back in time, he still believed that only Ethan could give Chloe the life she wanted.

He understood that she had pushed him toward me only because she was afraid of losing his devotion. Yet to him, as long as Chloe was happy, it did not matter whom he married.

Nora was pretty, talented, and from a respected family. In his previous life, his friends had envied him.

Then he remembered the despair in my eyes before I died, and pain tightened in his chest.

Once he had removed every threat to Chloe and ensured her safety, he would make amends to me and give me a peaceful life. Then he heard Chloe laugh.

"Nora, I told you that you and Ryan were meant for each other. Julian simply is not your guy."

Ryan hurriedly pressed the necklace into my hand and stepped between Julian and me. "Anything can happen on a racetrack. I won. Nora, in this life, you belong with me."

When I accepted the necklace, Ryan's heart softened. He remembered the beginning of our relationship in his previous life.

Chloe had been thriving at work, and he had resented it. He came home and pressured me to wear severe business suits like a boss, using me to satisfy fantasies he would never admit aloud.

I hated that style, so I tried different outfits every day in the hope of pleasing him.

"Would pearls look good with this floral dress?" I had once asked. "What about diamonds with a white blouse?"

Ryan could no longer remember how he had responded.

He remembered only the confident young woman twisting up her hair and securing it with a pin.

"Forget it. You always think I look best in a suit anyway."

The memory made his eyes sting. In his previous life, he had trampled on my sincere devotion.

Now he was given a second chance.

Once Chloe was safe, he planned to repay every debt he owed me.

He would tell me that the floral dress was pretty and that the simple white blouse suited me too.

He would never again force me into the role of a ruthless executive or use me as a substitute for someone else.

Then, without warning, I released the necklace.

It struck the floor with a sharp c***k and shattered.

I spread my hands wide.

"Really? Looks like it won't last. Even life itself seems unwilling to keep Julian and me apart."

Ryan stared at me as though he had seen a ghost.

"You would rather shatter the necklace than be with me?"