Reborn, I Married the Man Who Buried Me in My Past Life

Julian Vance had tried every sick trick in the book to break me. He threw the breakfasts I cooked for him straight into the trash. He put the townhouse we had lived in for seven years up for sale without telling me. At our college reunion, he flaunted his new girlfriend and kissed her passionately right in front of everyone. That was the final straw. I finally agreed to sign the divorce papers. Yet, on our way to court the very next morning, a speeding truck smashed into us. When I opened my eyes again, I was back to the night of that very reunion. When Julian walked in with his arm around his new girl, I didn't even bat an eye. I just sat there sipping my drink in silence. My friend leaned in and whispered: "Chloe, your husband is humiliating you in front of everyone. Aren't you furious?" I smiled and set my glass down. "He'll be my ex-husband tomorrow. By the way, my destination wedding is next month. Make sure you don't miss it." Julian walked through the door with his arm draped around Gemma Reed. Every pair of eyes in the room darted between him and me. Three years ago, we were the golden couple everyone envied. Then, after graduation, we abruptly cut ties with everyone. I kept my head down, wanting nothing more than to blend into the background. Naturally, Gemma pulled Julian straight toward my table and sat right next to me. The air grew suffocatingly tense. A classmate raised a glass, trying to cut through the awkwardness. "Alright, everyone's here! Cheers, guys!" As someone reached over to fill my glass, Julian's voice cut across the table, cold and sharp. "She's allergic to alcohol. Don't pour that." The chattering crowd froze instantly. Everyone there knew about my severe allergy. A soft cough snapped me back to reality. Julian downed his drink in one gulp, his brow furrowed as if he had just realized his slip-up. Beside him, Gemma's smile stiffened, but she quickly covered it up. "Look at my memory! I almost forgot Julian was talking about me." "My immune system has been down lately. The doctor told me to stay away from alcohol." The room erupted into knowing chuckles, teasing Julian for being such a protective boyfriend. Bored, I pushed my chair back and stood up. "Excuse me. I need the restroom." I splashed cold water on my face. When I stepped back into the hallway, Julian was leaning against the wall, smoking. The moment he saw me, he instinctively put the cigarette out. A thin trail of smoke drifted from the crushed butt. Even he looked startled by his own reaction. I used to hate the smell of smoke. Julian had never smoked around me back then. Even if he had a cigarette outside, he would wait half an hour on the porch just to let the smell fade before stepping through the front door. His love had been real back then. But so was the fact that he didn't love me anymore. I walked right past him without making eye contact, but his fingers clamped around my wrist. Julian stepped closer, his voice dropping into a low, mocking whisper. "Chloe, did you show up tonight just because you heard I was coming?" "What? Looking to get back together?" I wrenched my arm free and scoffed. "Julian, get over yourself." He took half a step back, but his broad frame still blocked my path. "Good. Keep it that way. Saves me the trouble of turning you down. By the way, I heard you're working at St. Jude's Hospital now. Who would've thought? You actually got a job." I tuned out the condescension dripping from his words. I had heard it all in my previous life. During our worst fights, he called me a parasite who couldn't survive without him. He claimed I had no ambition and lived off his dime. Gemma's voice drifted down the corridor. "Julian? Where are you? We should get going!" Julian didn't say another word. He turned and walked away.The second time I saw Julian was strictly business. His company had made a massive donation of medical equipment to our hospital. In the boardroom, I stood beside the projector, giving a clear, professional presentation on the clinic's history and milestones. Julian sat in the front row, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the mahogany table. The medical director called his name twice, but Julian didn't react at all. I paused and looked at him. Only then did he snap out of it, his eyes locking onto my face with a fleeting, dazed expression. The director laughed smoothly to break the silence. "Looks like Dr. Hayes's presentation is so captivating that Mr. Vance got completely lost in it!" A few colleagues joined in the lighthearted chuckle, and the tension evaporated. When the meeting ended, I let out a long breath. My only goal was to finish my shift and never cross paths with Julian Vance again. Of course, life had other plans. My department head intercepted me on the way out. "Chloe, there's a dinner tonight with the donors. You have to be there!" That evening, I trailed behind my boss into the private dining room, aiming for the quietest corner I could find. Julian's voice cut in before I could even pull out a chair. "Sit next to me." He pulled out the empty seat beside him, his eyes fixed dead on mine. The room fell dead silent for a second. He added casually, playing it off like an innocent request. "I'd like to learn more about the department's operations. Dr. Hayes wouldn't mind giving me some insight, would she?" That neatly boxed me in. My boss beamed, nudging me forward while violently signaling with his eyes for me to play along. I took a quiet, steadying breath. It's just business, I told myself. Don't let him get to you. I sat down stiffly, every nerve in my body screaming in protest. Halfway through the meal, a tender slice of prime rib was placed directly onto my plate. Julian leaned in slightly, his voice dropping into that familiar, persuasive tone. "I remember how much you love steak. The cuts here are the best in the city. Try it." I stared at the glistening meat, a sudden wave of bitterness catching in my throat. Not for him. For myself. I had never liked steak. It was Julian who loved it, and over time, his preference had simply replaced mine. In my previous life, he hated seafood, so I stopped eating fish entirely—even though salmon had always been my favorite. Julian never knew that. He never bothered to notice anything that wasn't about himself. Seeing that I wasn't touching my plate, a warm hand suddenly covered mine beneath the tablecloth. I jerked back as if I had been stung by a scorpion, shooting to my feet. Clatter! My chair tumbled backward, rattling the silverware across the table. Every eye in the room locked onto me. I pressed my lips together and forced out an excuse. "Excuse me. I'm not feeling well. I have to go." Then, I turned and practically ran out the door.In the back of the cab, I yanked a sanitizing wipe from my purse and scrubbed my hand raw where he had touched it. My skin burned a fierce red. All I felt was a suffocating wave of disgust. The second I unlocked my front door, an unsaved number lit up my screen. I swiped to answer. Julian's raspy voice came through the speaker. "Chloe. You still feel something for me, don't you?" He sounded so smugly confident. "Otherwise, why would you freak out like that tonight?" Skipping dinner had triggered a sharp, twisting cramp in my stomach. I didn't even have the energy to curse him out. I pressed a hand to my abdomen and gritted my teeth. "Julian. I'm married." A harsh laugh crackled through the phone, thick with ridicule. "Married? If you're going to make up a lie, make it believable! Who else could give you the lifestyle you want?" "On your hospital paycheck, can you afford a penthouse? A luxury car? Designer bags and couture dresses?" "Chloe, you're just mad that I didn't call you all these years." "Well, guess what? You didn't reach out to me either." A dry laugh escaped my lips as I rummaged through the drawer for my antacids. "Julian, when two adults stop contacting each other, that's called a breakup." "Lose my number. Don't ever call me again." I hung up, tossed my phone onto the sofa, and swallowed two pills with water. Curling up on the couch, the pain finally began to recede. The stomachache kept me tossing and turning all night. I woke up with a pounding headache, but I still had rounds to make. Midway through my morning shift, the clinic door swung open. Julian walked in, supporting Gemma by the arm. I didn't even look up, keeping my tone completely neutral. "What seems to be the problem?" Gemma leaned coquettishly into Julian's chest. "Doctor, I've been feeling nauseous and dizzy lately. Could you check me out?" I printed out a lab requisition slip, my eyes fixed on the screen. "Go to the lab for a blood draw first." An hour later, I glanced at the lab results, my voice steady as stone. "You're pregnant." Gemma's face lit up instantly. She gripped Julian's arm with both hands. "Julian, I'm pregnant! We're having a baby!" Julian didn't look at her. His eyes were glued to my face, entirely unreadable. Acting as if he weren't even there, I went through the standard protocol, explaining prenatal care and scheduling her first ultrasound. "Did you catch all of that?" I looked down, clicking my pen to jot down the chart notes. Suddenly, Julian spoke up. "You can't keep it." The smile on Gemma's face froze. Her eyes went wide, welling with tears. "What? Julian, what are you talking about? Why can't we have our baby?" Julian merely repeated himself, cold and flat. "I said no. That's final." Gemma followed his gaze, which was still pinned directly on me. "Is it because of her? Julian, look at me! Is it because of this bitch?!" "You two broke up years ago! I'm your girlfriend now!" Julian frowned, his patience visibly wearing thin. "Now isn't the right time for a kid. Work comes first." "Bullshit! That's an excuse!" Gemma shrieked, lunging across the desk at me. Rip! She snatched the chart from my hands and tore it to shreds. Paper scraps fluttered around us like dirty snow. "You home-wrecking whore! Did you throw yourself at him behind my back? Why else would he abandon his own child?!" Slap! A stinging palm struck my cheek with full force. My glasses flew off, shattering against the tile floor. My ears rang with a deafening screech, pain throbbing across my face. Julian's expression snapped. He rushed forward, pulling Gemma into his arms and murmuring, "Alright, that's enough. Don't work yourself up. It's bad for your health." "If you really want to keep it, fine. We'll keep it." With that, he wrapped an arm around the sniffling Gemma, turning to leave. "Freeze." Their footsteps stopped dead. I bent down, retrieved my shattered frames from the floor, and pulled out my phone right in front of them to dial 911.Down at the precinct, Julian kept his arm tightly around Gemma, whispering words of comfort. I sat alone on the opposite bench. The left side of my face was swollen and throbbing hot. When my tongue brushed against the cut inside my cheek, the metallic taste of blood made my eyes sting. The officer walked over with a clipboard, his expression grave. "Ma'am, if you refuse to settle, Ms. Reed will be processed for misdemeanor assault and battery." Hearing that, Gemma clung to Julian's jacket, sobbing hysterically. "Julian, I'm scared... I just lost control. My hormones were out of whack, I swear I didn't mean it..." Julian rubbed her back soothingly, then turned to me, his chin tilted up with familiar arrogance. "Name your price. How much to drop the charges?" I looked at him. Trying to speak sent a sharp pang through my cheek, pulling a hiss from my lips. He was still the exact same man. Selfish to the bone. When he was infatuated with you, you were his queen. When he was bored, you were lower than dirt. Having spent two lifetimes entangled with him, I saw right through his act. I enunciated every single syllable. "I'm not dropping anything." Julian sighed deeply, as if his patience for my 'tantrum' had reached its absolute limit. "Chloe, don't push it." "It was just a slap. Take the check and walk away before you make this ugly." I met his glare and repeated firmly, "Keep your dirty money." "There is no settlement. And there is no forgiveness." Julian didn't waste another breath. He dialed his corporate attorney on speaker. Within twenty minutes, a slick lawyer in a bespoke suit arrived, immediately trying to talk me into signing a non-disclosure settlement. Between the lines, every word was a veiled threat. What chance did a regular doctor like me have against Julian Vance's legal team? Right on cue, my phone rang. It was Dr. Evans, my department head. "Chloe! Settle with Mr. Vance right now! If you don't, you can kiss your residency goodbye!" I knew this was Julian flexing his influence. But why should I swallow this poison? "Go ahead and fire me, Dr. Evans. I quit." Before I could hang up, a small crowd in hospital uniforms stormed through the precinct doors, led by Briggs, the HR Director. "Chloe Hayes! You've dragged this hospital's reputation through the mud! Rumors are already spreading on Twitter that you're a homewrecker who got into a catfight in an exam room!" "Our board is threatening to pull funding over this scandal! If you don't sign this waiver and issue a public apology, we'll sue you for breach of contract and strip your medical license!" They swarmed around me, shouting over my attempts to explain. Until a deep, furious voice boomed from the entrance. "I dare anyone to lay a finger on her!"