The exact same phone call as my past life.
But this time I had a different answer.
“Yeah, I’ve decided. Til be there on time.”
“Good. After I die, everything I have is yours. You can do whatever you want.”
I hung up and breathed a sigh of relief.
In my past life, because I was head–over–heels for Ryder Kane, I turned down that man’s crazy request to be his good luck bride.
Later somehow, Mia got in that wedding car, and word spread that she was taking my place.
So when Mia died, Ryder hated my guts.
But it took dying once to realize that no love is more important than money.
Now I just want to stay far away from them.
I pulled at the corner of my mouth and the wound on my face tore painfully.
I was thinking about heading to the hospital when I saw the maid stumbling toward me, eyes red and out of breath.
“Miss, the boss took Miss Mia to see your ‘Starry Sky‘ and said he’s gonna rip all the ‘stars‘ right off the wall
I couldn’t care less about the pain and rushed over.
The ‘Starry Sky‘ wasn’t actual stars–it was various stones and minerals embedded in the wall.
At night, some of the stones would glow, so Ryder had named it ‘Starry Sky.‘
When I pushed open the door, I caught Ryder personally taking a hammer to one of the minerals, smashing it to pieces.
I recognized that little stone.
Ryder had brought it back for me from a South African mine when he was eight.
He said that little stone was as beautiful as my eyes and he’d treasure it forever.
Now Ryder was tenderly cupping Mia Sterling’s face, crushing the fragments under his feet.
“Mia, my bad for being too rough. Pick another one and I’ll get it down for you.”
Mia smiled with innocent delight, casually pointing at a crystal–clear mineral.
Ryder immediately walked over, raising his hammer to smash it.
“Wait!”
My voice cracked as I screamed with everything I had, not caring if it would tear open my facial wound.
“Pick a different one, Ryder! Pick something else, please don’t touch that one!”
Every single ‘star‘ in the ‘Starry Sky‘ was given to me by someone I loved.
The one Mia wanted now had been pried out of my grandmother’s own wedding ring the year she died.
Back then Grandma had been wearing an oxygen mask, could barely speak, but still insisted on giving it to me.
“Ivy, this is Grandma’s star for you. Isn’t it pretty?”
Damoncol
Watching my tears seep into the gash on my face, Ryder frowned with disgust.
You think you’re in any position to make demands?”
Mia bit her lip and tugged at Ryder’s sleeve.
“Forget it. These all belong to my sister. I have no right to take them.”
As she spoke, her eyes welled up with tears.
“My sister has everything, but she won’t even spare me one little stone. Is she mad at me for stealing Ryder away?”
At those words, Ryder got even more pissed, veins bulging at his temples.
He grabbed the hammer and swung it at that stone.
“No!”
I lunged forward to shield the stone, and the hammer came down hard on the back of my hand, which immediately swelled up red.
“Are you insane?!” Ryder kicked me away.
He had his bodyguards pin me to the ground.
“Remember, all your pain right now–you brought it on yourself!”
Then he had them smash every single stone embedded in that wall.
The day Ryder created the ‘Starry Sky‘ for me, he told me his feelings for me would be as eternal as those
Now he was stepping on the broken pieces, gently kissing Mia’s face.
“We don’t need these crappy rocks. I’ll take you shopping for better ones.”
“As for you.” He threw me a look.
minerals.
“Don’t even think about leaving the city until you’ve paid for your sins. You love me, right? When Mia and I get married, you can keep watch for us.”
With that, worried the broken stones might dirty Mia’s shoes, Ryder scooped her up in his arms.
I cried as I gathered the fragments piece by piece.
Mia’s eyes sparkled with amusement.
Even after they’d walked away, I could still hear them talking.
“Ryder, if my sister’s around you, I’ll get jealous…”
“Then we’ll just put a muzzle on her and lock her in a cage. When you need entertainment, we’ll let her out to amuse you. How’s that sound?”
I looked up at the empty wall and finally couldn’t hold back anymore, collapsing backward.
As my consciousness faded, I heard the sound of wheelchair wheels rolling.
Chapter 3
