I: "..."

Roman completely snapped. "You shameless—Genevieve!"

Roman’s voice boomed, turning every head in the restaurant toward our table.

I didn't hesitate. I swung my hand and slapped him hard across the face.

"Roman, when you and Sabrina were parading your 'romance' while we were still married, why didn't you feel shameless then? When you were rolling in the sheets with her, why wasn't it shameless? When you showered her with favor and let her steal my military commendations, did you feel shameless? And when the two of you teamed up to trash my reputation and drive me into the grave, why weren't you shameless then?!"

The color drained from Roman's face, leaving him deathly pale.

His lips trembled. "No... Genevieve, I never wanted you dead. You’re my wife! I didn't... you, you, you knew all along..."

"That’s right. I know everything. Sabrina told me herself."

In my last life, right before I drew my final breath, Sabrina had come to my bedside just to gloat.

"So, is that why you're..."

"Genevieve, I'm sorry. It was my fault. I was drunk that day, I swear, I never meant for any of this to happen! It only happened once!"

William interjected, his voice cold and steady: "You meant every bit of it."

"You!"

"Give it a rest, Roman," I said, cutting him off. "Whether you meant it or not doesn't matter anymore. Because you make me sick. Absolutely, gut-wrenchingly sick."

"Find some time to sign the divorce papers."

I didn't stick around. I’d finished my meal anyway, so I grabbed my things and walked out of the restaurant. William followed close behind.

After that day, I never saw Roman again. I reached out a few times to coordinate the divorce, but he never replied.

Just as my patience was beginning to wear thin, my editor, Joseph, called me.

"Roman is in prison. He pushed Sabrina off a high-rise balcony."

I paused. "What?"

Joseph sent me a clip of the security footage.

In the video, Roman and Sabrina were locked in a vicious confrontation.

"Didn't we agree you wouldn't tell Genevieve? Why did you open your mouth?!"

He slapped her, his hand wrapping around her throat like a vice. Sabrina was sobbing, clawing at his hands, begging for mercy, swearing she’d kept their secret. But Roman didn't believe a word of it.

He threw her over the ledge.

"You framed Genevieve for pushing you, didn't you? Well, let's make it real this time. Only, it’s me doing it instead of her."

It wasn't a massive drop, but it was enough. Sabrina was unlucky—she landed head-first on a jagged concrete mounting bracket.

The impact severed her spinal nerves, leaving her permanently paralyzed. The same scandal that ruined her social standing now left her destitute; she couldn't even afford her own medical bills. Her parents washed their hands of her immediately.

Roman was arrested for attempted murder and thrown behind bars.

When I heard the news, I was surprised, but not shocked. Ever since his family went through those devastating losses, Roman’s mind had been slowly rotting. I’d spent years trying to pull him back from the edge, but I was done holding the rope.

Joseph checked in with me. "A lot of the people who used to troll you online found out how badly Sabrina and Roman played them. They’ve been stalking them, throwing rotten eggs at the jailhouse gates."

"Even now, strangers keep breaking into Sabrina’s hospital room to curse her out. They throw rotten produce at her, and since she’s paralyzed and has no one left to look after her, she just has to lie there and take it. By the time the nurses find her, she’s covered in filth and rotting garbage. It’s a mess."

"Anyway," Joseph continued, "a lot of your old fans are asking if you’re planning on coming back. What do you think?"

I smiled, looking out at the city skyline. "No, I'm staying here. My life is exactly where I want it to be."

I may have lost my old life, but I’ve built something better in the wake of the wreckage. I’ve made new friends, found new challenges, and for the first time in years, the horizon is clear.

My real life is just beginning.