Reborn After the Crash My Ex-Fiancée’s Regret

My fiancée and I went abroad on vacation, only to be struck down in a tragic plane crash. When I opened my eyes, I had been reborn—back to when we had just met. In my previous life, I had dated her for three years and spoiled her endlessly, but she always cited severe germophobia as an excuse never to let me get close. An accident later revealed the truth: she had always been in love with her childhood sweetheart. Given a clean slate, I decided to step aside gracefully and cut all ties with her. Five years passed. She was now an award-winning movie star. Clinging to the arm of her childhood sweetheart, Ethan, she was personally handing out wedding invitations to a line of adoring fans. Noticing me standing alone at the very back of the line, sheer contempt filled her face. "Sean, no matter how amazing I am, and no matter how much you crave me, isn't it a bit pathetic to stalk me across two lifetimes?" I didn't even bother looking at her. Instead, I bent down and scooped up my little daughter. Vivian’s face drained of all color in an instant. Her voice cracked into a frantic, piercing scream: "Didn't you promise you'd only ever marry me? That you only ever wanted me to be the mother of your children?!" Five years later, I ran into Vivian again at an exclusive private club. I had just finished planning and setting up three lavish weddings back-to-back. Dressed in scuffed work clothes, looking disheveled and worn out, I sat in a dim corner of the lobby, sipping water and catching my breath. Across the hall, Vivian and Ethan were busy handing out wedding invitations to eager fans, soaking in every drop of their breathless praise. "Vivian, you're an absolute powerhouse in the industry! It only took you three years to snatch Best Actress! And now, you're marrying your childhood sweetheart! You really are the ultimate winner at life!" "Seriously! Top casting directors from New York to London are literally begging to work with her. She's got wealth, status, and Ethan just made millions on Wall Street. Honestly, the two of you make everyone so jealous!" "Vivian, if there are ever any background roles in your upcoming films, bring us along! Let us grab a little piece of the spotlight and make some real cash with you!" Vivian smiled gracefully and motioned toward Ethan. "Once the wedding is over, I'll make sure Ethan sorts out some sweet gigs for all of you." Out of nowhere, an older woman among the fans piped up with a juicy question. "Hey, Vivian, that Sean guy hasn't been bothering you lately, has he?" "Back then, he followed you around like a lost puppy, acting like you two were something special. Word on Twitter was that the very first drama series you ever invested in was practically based on your story with him." I froze with my water cup half-raised and looked over at Vivian. Her brows knotted in pure distaste. Ethan, ever the chivalrous gentleman, stepped in with a smooth grin. "Come on, guys, that's just silly gossip. If Vivian and Sean ever actually had something going on, why would I be standing here passing out our wedding invitations?" The younger fans nodded vigorously in agreement, immediately scolding the older woman for stirring up inappropriate drama. Sitting quietly in my corner, a bitter smirk tugged at my lips. Once upon a time, Vivian had looked me in the eye and promised that if she ever became a famous actress, she would show the whole world the beauty of how we met, so everyone would envy the purity of our love. In our past life, both of us had grown up in single-parent households. A mutual roommate had introduced us, and we gradually clicked. Perhaps sharing such similar, difficult childhoods made it so we never ran out of things to talk about. One night after a few drinks, Vivian had gathered the liquid courage to confess her feelings to me. Blushing furiously, she had murmured, "Sean, you've lived in my heart for so long. I want to be with you forever." Young and head-over-heels, I had said yes without a second thought. Back then, I truly believed I had found my soulmate. But reality soon slapped me with one humiliating blow after another. My foot accidentally nudged my water cup. It tipped over, crashing loudly onto the floor and echoing across the marble lobby. Every single head snapped in my direction. "Well, well, well! Isn't that Sean? He's still stalking Vivian?" "Look at that faded blue jumpsuit. Did he really stoop so low as to work security here?" "We're Vivian's top-tier fans—every one of us is successful and respectable. Sneaking in uninvited just to loiter near us... don't let the paparazzi catch you and make a fool out of our girl!" "Why don't we all chip in a hundred bucks to cover his lost wages and tell him to get the hell out? Spare us the embarrassment!" A chorus of snide laughter erupted throughout the room, everyone glaring down their noses at me. I picked up the cup, calmly wiped it clean, and completely ignored them. Vivian stared at me with complicated, stormy eyes, though her voice dripped with raw condescension. "Sean, take a good look at yourself. Have you no shame?" Ethan pulled her into a tender embrace, soothing her softly. "Vivian, come on. We all go back a ways. The guy is down on his luck working as a doorman. It's on us to show a little charity and give him a hand."Ethan sneered, feigning lighthearted amusement. "Seriously, Sean, if you were struggling over the last five years, all you had to do was ask. Even if you were too embarrassed to face Vivian, you could've just come crawling to me!" "A grown man with no money, no steady career, and still single—it's honestly pretty pathetic!" His sharp jab brought a round of enthusiastic applause from the fans. I casually reached out to hold the side door open for a passing pregnant woman, then turned back and coolly declined his offer. "No thanks. I can provide for myself just fine." Having coordinated three weddings in a single day at this venue, my back was screaming in protest. All I wanted was to rest my feet. Since my heavy-duty work pants were meant to take a beating anyway, I casually sat cross-legged right there on the floor. The fans stared in utter disbelief, as if they wanted nothing more than to kick me out the front doors. "Look at this doorman acting like he's somebody! If Ethan wasn't being generous, who the hell would even look twice at him?" "He just had to park his ass right next to our meet-and-greet! He's definitely playing the victim to get Vivian to pity him and toss him some spare change! What a disgusting creep!" Vivian's eyes flared with suppressed turmoil, her brow furrowing tighter and tighter. She unzipped her designer purse, pulled out a dazzling emerald necklace, and hurled it straight into my lap. "Hock it. The money you get will easily buy you a decent condo. Whether you live in it or rent it out, at least you won't be so broke that you have to work security!" "Sean, you don't need to make your life look this miserable. No matter how incredible I am, or how deeply I touched your heart, we're done. That chapter is closed." "I don't hold a grudge against you anymore." "Can't we just live our own lives in peace? Did you really have to show up here just to humiliate us both?!" Leaning against the wall, I stared at her, completely baffled by her sudden outburst. I couldn't fathom what I could have possibly done in our previous life that warranted her holding a grudge—what could have made her so determined to draw such a hard line the second we were reborn. In our past life, Vivian had carried the heavy burden of paying for her mother's terminal cancer treatments. Yet, she had always been ambitious, dreaming of nothing but becoming a glamorous movie star on the silver screen. To give her my unconditional support and be her rock, I hadn't hesitated to sell the house my late parents left me, handing over every single cent to her. When she wanted to move to another state to attend elite acting classes but worried about her hospitalized mother being left alone, I didn't think twice. I quit my high-paying corporate job just as I was up for a major promotion, working day and night around the clock to care for her mother so she could chase her dreams without looking back. Back then, I gave her everything I had. I only wanted her to know that I loved her, that she could always lean on me. Yet, when Vivian was preparing for another audition and couldn't even find a decent designer dress in her closet, she completely lost her mind. She lunged at me in a hysterical frenzy, digging her sharp nails into my arms until bloody scratches tore down my skin. "I've lost my damn mind! Why did I ever tie myself down to a loser like you?! You can't give me a single thing! If I had just swallowed my pride and taken Ethan's financial backing, my life wouldn't be this endless uphill battle!" "I hate myself for ever choosing you!" From that day on, Vivian became a completely different person. She never talked about acting with sparkling eyes again. She never went to another audition. The rift between us grew wider with every passing day. Remembering the vicious words she had spat at me made my chest ache with phantom pain. Seeing how utterly depressed I was, a friend gifted me two first-class tickets for a weekend getaway. Terrified of losing her forever, I dropped to one knee mid-flight and proposed. "Vivian, you're the only woman I'll ever want to marry. Let's get married!" I could never forget the sheer disgust dripping from her eyes. She smacked the modest silver ring right out of my hand, screaming at the top of her lungs, "No money, no house, and you want to get married?!" "Do you seriously have zero self-awareness? How did your pathetic brain even cook up this idiotic idea?" "Let me make one thing crystal clear: I could marry literally anyone in this world, but you? In this lifetime, not a chance in hell!" Her icy glare and venomous words finally shattered my delusions. She was gone, and there was nothing left to save. I slumped back into my seat, entirely hollowed out. Even when the plane began to pitch and shake violently in severe turbulence, I didn't feel an ounce of fear. As the nose plunged toward the earth in a terminal dive, I closed my eyes and silently prayed in the dark: Let it end. Just let all this madness end.Whatever fragile love Vivian and I once shared had burned to ash in that fiery plane crash. In this second chance at life, we had silently chosen to treat each other like ghosts—two parallel lines that would never cross. Even running into her by pure accident now, I had zero desire to engage. Calmly picking up the emerald necklace, I handed it right back to her. "Miss Vance, if you're in the mood for charity, take a right out the front doors and find the nearest shelter. I'm not your personal dumpster." Vivian flared up, her voice rising hysterically. "Sean, you know damn well what I'm trying to do! Why do you always have to twist my good intentions?!" My tone remained deadpan and detached. "Miss Vance, you have a fiancé standing right next to you. Mind your boundaries. I'm under no obligation to understand your motives, nor do I care. The money I make covers my life just fine, and I'm perfectly happy." With that, I turned away, completely tuning her out. Trembling with rage, Vivian slammed the emerald necklace onto the floor with a sharp, sickening crack. Ethan's expression instantly tightened. He bent down, carefully scooped up the bruised jewelry, and turned to me with a patronizing, condescending smile. "Sean, man to man, I get it. Pride is a tough thing to swallow." "Vivian is my girl, and she genuinely wants to help you out. Whatever she wants, I'll make happen. Since you're too proud to accept such a high-end necklace, how about I offer you a nice, easy gig instead?" "Our purebred dog needs a full-time, live-in handler. Five grand a month, room and board covered, plus basic health insurance. Don't let your stubborn pride starve you to death. Just come report to our penthouse tomorrow!" A loud, mocking buzz rippled through the gathered crowd. "Hear that?! Vivian and Ethan are absolute saints! They're bending over backward to help Sean out, basically handing him a retirement fund on a silver platter." "Taking care of a pampered puppy is a million times better than being a club doorman!" "If he turns this down, it just proves how greedy he really is—probably hoping to leech off Vivian for free! Why doesn't he take a good look in the mirror? He isn't fit to lace Ethan's shoes!" My brow furrowed, my voice dropping an octave. "I said, no." Vivian snapped impatiently, "Fine! If you love being an obedient dog that much, go right ahead! Rot in your own misery for all I care!" Seeing Vivian treat me with such open hostility, her die-hard fans immediately piled on. The loud older woman who had started the gossip earlier puffed up her chest, marching right up to tower over me with a sneer. "Hey, Sean! Since you've got such a big appetite, how about this? Crawl between my legs ten times and call me 'gorgeous.' If you do, I might just take pity on you, make you my little boy-toy, and pay your bills. How's that sound?" A couple of young female fans beside her, desperate to score points with Vivian, rushed forward and shove me hard. Caught off balance, I fell forward, landing squarely between the older woman's feet as if I were bowing at her feet. Vivian's face turned thunderous. She lunged forward, violently shoving the older woman and the girls back. "Is this the kind of garbage my fan club represents?! Who gave you permission to pull a stunt like that?!" "If anyone ever pulls this kind of cheap, trashy nonsense in front of me again, get the hell out! Don't you dare disgust me with your filth!" The older woman and the girls tumbled to the floor, completely stunned. Realizing what they had done, they scrambled to their knees, sobbing and begging Vivian for forgiveness. Vivian didn't show a shred of mercy, kicking them away in disgust. Ethan hurried over, catching her arm and whispering urgently, "Vivian, people are watching! Don't give anyone a chance to record this and spin it against you! You're a freshly crowned Best Actress! Watch your public image!" Vivian glared daggers at the women on the floor, her fury barely contained. "That's even more reason not to pull this vile crap in my name!" I slowly sat up, genuinely bewildered. Did Vivian just turn against her own fans... to stand up for me? Ethan swiftly changed the subject, pointing toward the massive flat-screen mounted on the lobby wall. "Vivian, do you know why I booked your fan meet at this specific club?" "The owner here is an absolute titan in the New York media scene. She controls over fifty production and talent agencies. More than half the award-winning dramas and films in recent years came straight out of her studio. Everyone in the entertainment world would kill to get in her good graces." "She's actually bringing her family for an inspection tour today. If we can get in her inner circle, our careers will literally skyrocket overnight!" The fans, who had been gossiping a moment ago, instantly swarmed toward the glass entrance, craning their necks in anticipation. Right on cue, a sleek, stretch Lincoln Navigator pulled up to the club's private curb. A tight security detail flanked a nanny who gently escorted a little girl into the grand foyer. The older fan woman shrieked at the top of her lungs, "The little heiress is here! Our little golden ticket has arrived!" I pushed through the crowd, wanting to catch a glimpse of the child. The older woman slammed her elbow sharply into my ribs. "Back off, loser! This VIP is only for Vivian's real fans to greet! Who the hell do you think you are? You disrespect Vivian, refuse my generous offer, and think you have the right to stand here? Get lost!" Ethan subtly arched an eyebrow, and another fan caught the hint, giving me a violent shove. The little girl caught in the center of the crowd turned pale with fright. Without a second thought, she broke away from her nanny, sprinted through the sea of people straight toward me, and gasped in panic, "Daddy! Are you okay?!"