Future Life
I died the year I loved him most. He walked
away from a multi–million dollar empire, just
like that. He died with me in the fire. Then I
opened my eyes, and it was ten years earlier.
We were newlyweds, back when I hated him
most. I raced to his company. The moment I
saw him, I choked out, “Ethan, I’m sorry.” After
a brief pause, he looked at me with a desolate
expression. “Go ahead, tell me. How are your
going to torture me this time?”
1
I remember, when the explosion happened, I
thought Ethan hadn’t made it out. But then he
was there, kneeling beside me, covered in soot.
He said, “Sarah, don’t be afraid. I’m here with
you.” He was 38 years old. He threw away his
empire, his fortune, everything. He died with me.
in the flames.
<
A midsummer evening. The setting sun painted
the sky blood–red. A muggy breeze drifted
through the open window. I woke up in a daze,
sitting on the bed, staring blankly. The alarm
clock ticked in the corner. The calendar sat
silently on the desk.
“Ma’am, Mr. Hayes called. He said he won’t be
home tonight.” Mrs. Davis’s voice came from
the living room, calm and peaceful.
I looked down at the new wedding ring on my
finger. I closed my eyes. I was back, ten years.
in the past. The raging inferno, the strong arms.
around me, it felt so real. In the last moment,
Ethan was still telling me, “Don’t be afraid,
Sarah. I waited for you for so long in this life. In
the next life, I’ll find you sooner.”
Was this a dream or reality?
pinched myself. A dull pain shot up my thigh.
he sound of car horns outside spanned me
<
The sound of car horns outside snapped me
back to the present. Shock gave way to a deep,
persistent ache in my chest. A manufactured misunderstanding had fueled my hatred for
Ethan for years. During that time, his rivals had used every dirty trick to undermine him, to
suffocate his business. And at home, he was
met with my coldness. It’s no wonder he rarely came home. Ethan’s parents were dead, and he had no close family. He lived a lonely life, presiding over his business empire.
Then, finally, the misunderstanding was cleared
- up. We had a few precious months of
happiness, and I even got pregnant. But I never
got to tell him. We died before I had the
chance.
“Ma’am, the flowers are delivered. Are you
ready to go?” Mrs. Davis’s voice interrupted my
thoughts.
“What?” My mind was still racing.
“The flowers. Aren’t you going to see Mr.
Miller?”
Dylan Miller… The name jolted me. A thread
appeared in the tangled mess of my memories.
This was that day.
2
Dylan was my childhood friend, a talented
actor. Until…an “accident” left him with severe
burns, confined to a hospital bed.
On this day, in my past life, I took flowers to the hospital. After celebrating Dylan’s birthday, I
came out of the hospital and saw Ethan sitting
in his car. The cigarette in his hand burned
down to the filter, unnoticed. I didn’t want to
explain anything. I didn’t even want to see him.
<
83
“Sarah.” Ethan noticed me, stubbed out his
cigarette, and got out of the car. His voice was desolate. “Today…is my birthday.”
I stopped and looked back at him coldly. “So?”
Ethan’s dark eyes met mine. He didn’t speak.
“Today is also Dylan’s birthday,” I said. “You used underhanded tactics to marry me, you ruined his face and his career. How do you
expect me to treat you?”
Ethan opened his mouth, trying to explain. “It
was an accident…”
“If you hadn’t invited him that day, he wouldn’t
still be lying in a hospital bed. How can I believe
it was an accident?”
Ethan fell silent. Finally, he said, “I’m sorry.”
From that day on, our relationship plummeted.
<
We began a long, agonizing cold war. Later, I
learned the truth. The “accident,” which even
Ethan believed was an accident, was a plot to drive us apart.
3
“I’ve put everything in the car for you, Ma’am. It’ll be rush hour soon,” Mrs. Davis reminded
- me.
Outside, the sun was setting, the light fading. I
snapped out of my reverie, hurriedly put on my
coat, and got into the car. I suddenly realized
this was ten years ago. There was still time.
Everything could be different.
The driver merged into traffic. “The road to the
hospital is already jammed. Maybe you should.
call Mr. Miller and tell him to wait…”
“Not the hospital,” I said, looking at the
changing traffic lights. “Go to the Hayes.
<
I didn’t have much of an impression of Ethan’s
company. When I hated him, I never went there.. Later, when I loved him, he was constantly targeted by enemies, surrounded by danger. I didn’t dare go to him. So now, standing beneath the towering skyscrapers, I was lost. Which one was his building?
Passersby glanced at me curiously: a woman
with a huge bouquet of flowers, dressed to the
nines, looking like she was about to confess her
love.
I awkwardly pulled out my phone and found
Ethan’s number. Just his full name, not even
saved as an emergency contact. I pressed the
call button, expecting to wait a while. But after
just two rings, he answered. His voice was cool
and distant. “What is it?”
Hearing his voice again, my eyes started to
burn. My voice choked up. “Ethan, where’s your
<
OTICE? I can’t пnd it…”
The passersby stared at me even harder now. A woman who couldn’t find her husband’s office, standing on the sidewalk, crying her eyes out.
Ethan seemed to be in a meeting. There was a brief pause. Then he said, “Meeting adjourned.” And then to me, “Stand on the sidewalk. I’ll
come down.”
A few minutes later, Ethan walked out of the skyscraper. His tall figure cut through the neon. lights. He was impeccably dressed, elegant and composed. I, on the other hand… I caught my reflection in a nearby window. My eyeliner had run down my face with my tears. I looked like a
it, I’d
character from a soap opera. Damn
ruined everything.
“What are you doing here?” His tone was flat, almost icy.
I turned around. The tall handsome man was
looking at me with an impassive expression. His
eyes flickered down to my tear–streaked face,
and his expression tightened slightly. Ethan was
always impeccable, no matter the situation. Like
a pristine flower blooming on a cliff edge.
“I’m sorry,” I mumbled, looking down,
embarrassed. “I’m disturbing you…”
“Today…” He started to say something, then
stopped.
I knew what he wanted to say. Today I should
be with Dylan, celebrating his birthday, not
here.
And that reminded me. I shoved the flowers into
his arms. “Happy birthday,” I muttered.
A long silence. I snuck a glance at him. He was
staring at the bouquet, not looking particularly
happy.
After a long moment, a bitter, ironic smile
touched his lips. “Sarah, he didn’t want them,
did he?”
“What?”
I realized something was wrong. My eyes fell on the bouquet, and my heart sank. Oh no.
Ice–blue roses. The language of flowers: I give you the stars and the sea. Dylan’s favorite
things were the stars and the sea. In the chaos
of waking up, I was so focused on finding Ethan.
that I’d overlooked these details.
“I’m sorry, I-“‘
“Thank you for the birthday gift.” Ethan’s voice
was almost stiff. “It’s getting late. Let the driver
take you home.”
He turned to leave.
I grabbed his sleeve, “Wait!”
Ethan hadn’t expected me to do that. He
stumbled, and I lurched forward, crashing into
his back. The back of his expensive suit jacket
was now decorated with a colorful array of
pollen.
Ethan turned around, stared at my hand
gripping his sleeve, and then at the pollen, and
remained silent for a long moment.
Stubbornly, I said, “Ethan, I’m not going back.”
His expression was desolate. “Sarah, how are
you going to torture me this time?”
4
That question was hard to answer. I
remembered this time. We were newlyweds, and
I was giving him a hard time. I was 23, he was
- The fights were almost entirely one–sided,
<
coming from me. I said the cruelest things I
could think of. Even birthday gifts were
carefully chosen to twist the knife. I was like the
boy who cried wolf. I’d lied and hurt him so
many times that he no longer believed me.
I remembered, after the misunderstanding was
cleared up, my method of reconciliation was pretty straightforward: I tackled him. This man,
despite his aloof exterior, was surprisingly easy
to appease.
But that might not work now. Besides, Ethan
had suffered so much, and I wanted to make
amends.
After thinking it over, I said, “Let me buy you
dinner.”
Ethan looked down. “No need. I have work to do
tonight.”
“Then let’s order takeout!” I followed him
