When Ashes Speak

Everyone believed I was Bradley Hunter's one and only love.

Appearing ascetic, he could make me climax seven times in one night. Because he worried that birth control pills might harm my body, he didn't hesitate to get a vasectomy.

Until I was trapped in a mansion engulfed by a massive fire.

Bradley immediately abandoned a ten-million-dollar deal to rush back, but when I hysterically cried for help amidst the flames, he grabbed the safe and bolted out the door without looking back.

As his skin sizzled from the burns, he seemed oblivious to the pain, rescuing his adopted daughter Selena's mementos from the inferno—her fallen baby teeth, panties stained red from her first period, and the red high heels she wore on her first date...

He growled in a frenzied whisper:

"Selena, since you left, Uncle's world has lost all color."

"I've stayed single for three years for you, at least leave me something to remember you by."

So in his eyes, I was merely the perfect cover for his forbidden love.

I closed my eyes in despair, letting the flames consume my body.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day of my engagement to Bradley.

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1

"Olivia, why hasn't Bradley arrived yet? Is there a traffic jam on the highway again?"

Mom's anxious voice rang in my ears.

I turned to see my deceased parents, confirming that I had truly been reborn.

Tears welled up uncontrollably.

In my past life, my parents' investment firm was hit by the financial crisis.

Bradley, as a Wall Street financial titan, voluntarily proposed to marry me and promised to resolve my family's debt crisis.

My parents put up the company as collateral to Bradley, but the wire transfer never came.

My father was driven to the top of the office building by debt collectors and jumped to his death.

My mother, witnessing everything, fainted and was rushed to the hospital.

Unable to pay the exorbitant medical bills, she ultimately passed away.

Just as the creditors were about to sell me to a brothel to pay off the debt, Bradley finally showed up.

He, filled with remorse, embraced me:

"I'm sorry, an avalanche in Aspen delayed my trip. From now on, I won't let anyone hurt you again."

With Bradley's orders, those vicious creditors vanished overnight.

I saw him as my savior and loved him with all I had.

It wasn't until after my rebirth, when I carefully recalled Selena's social media posts from that time, that I realized Bradley's absence was spent skiing with her.

The so-called avalanche was just a lie he made up on the spot. And yet, I naively believed, leading to my parents' tragic deaths.

Given a second chance at life, I'm determined not to let tragedy repeat itself.

Mom saw the tears on my face and mistakenly thought I was upset about Bradley being late. She tenderly wiped my tears away.

Dad angrily vowed:

"If that damned man embarrasses my daughter in front of everyone, I don't care how powerful he is, I'll make him pay."

I was stunned.

In my past life, Bradley had shown up on time for the engagement party. Why was he late today?

Suddenly, gasps of surprise erupted from the guests outside.

The engagement party was being held beside the outdoor pool of the family estate.

At that moment, a black Lincoln stretch limo burst past security and drove straight into the venue.

Guests scrambled to get out of the way in panic.

The recklessly driven car left the place in shambles before screeching to a halt.

Bradley stepped out, holding Selena's hand.

When his gentle gaze fell on me, it instantly turned to frost.

"Olivia, who gave you permission to send Selena this kind of invitation?"

He held up his phone, the screen displaying the text message where I had invited Selena to be a bridesmaid.

Bradley's voice was ice cold:

"If I hadn't found out in time, Selena would have already planned her own funeral"

At that moment, I finally realized that Bradley had also been reborn.Selena's parents died in a plane crash, and she was taken in by her father's close friend, Bradley.

In my past life, I naively thought they were just an ordinary uncle-niece relationship, and invited Selena to be my bridesmaid.

Unexpectedly, she couldn't bear it and invited Bradley to go skiing in Aspen as a farewell. After returning to New York, she died by slitting her wrists in the bathtub.

Seeing that I remained silent for a long time, Bradley narrowed his ice-blue eyes in displeasure.

"Olivia, hurry up and apologize to Selena!"

I calmly retorted, "Why should I?"

He was afraid to face society's moral judgment and voluntarily proposed to get engaged to me. Why should I bear the consequences?

Bradley's gaze turned fierce as he picked up a nearby champagne bottle and smashed the wedding cake.

He leaned close to my ear and said coldly, "Think about your parents' company. Don't cause trouble."

The splashing champagne and cream ruined my dress, leaving me in a mess.

Yet I couldn't lash out.

Bradley was ruthless, and I knew well the consequences of offending him.

In the end, I could only suppress my anger and grudgingly apologize.

A flash of smugness appeared in Selena's eyes as she said in a coquettish voice:

"It's all my fault for relying too much on uncle. I was being foolish and made you all worry."

"Now that I know how much uncle cares about me, I won't do anything stupid again." Bradley affectionately stroked her golden curls, then coldly warned me:

"Olivia, nothing enrages me more than backhanded games."

"As punishment for provoking Selena, the engagement is off and the wedding is indefinitely postponed."

A wave of sarcasm washed over me.

So, he still wanted me to be Mrs. Hunter in name only.

I was about to reject this marriage outright when Bradley walked away with Selena in tow, without so much as a backward glance.

Dad's face turned ashen, too angry to speak.

I took a deep breath and made up my mind:

"Mom, Dad, we need this marriage alliance to stabilize the company's stock price. The wedding will proceed as planned."

Mom asked in disbelief:

"Sweetheart, do you really love Bradley that much?"

I shook my head, another candidate coming to mind.

In my past life, only one person shed genuine tears at my funeral.

I dialed that international number I knew by heart.

"Hey, I'm getting married in two weeks and need a groom. Want to come save the day?"

The man on the other end suddenly breathed faster, but still feigned nonchalance:

"Olivia, it's not April Fools' Day."

I stayed silent.

Sure enough, within three seconds, he hastily changed his tune, worried I might hang up:

"Alright, I'll book a flight right away."