Cutting Off My Fiancé After Rebirth

Natalie's Point of ViewZachary Lawson and I grew up together. Our families were evenly matched, and we were childhood sweethearts everyone admired.Everything changed in our senior year of high school, when a transfer student named Vivian Larson joined our class. She seemed delicate but surprisingly strong, and Zachary couldn't help but feel the need to protect her.Three months later, Zachary said, "Natalie, let's call off our engagement. Vivian needs me. She can't survive without me."I couldn't accept it and made such a scene that everyone found out about it. In the end, Zachary was placed under house arrest by his family, while mine used their influence to transfer Vivian to a better school in another city.Yet a month later, Vivian jumped to her death after enduring relentless bullying at her new school.When Zachary found out, it was as if his soul had died with hers. He stopped speaking and refused to eat. Overwhelmed by love and guilt, I left everything behind to stay

I practically ran out of the school building. It was only after I rushed into the car waiting to take me home that my racing heart gradually calmed down.My phone started buzzing in my pocket. It was a call from my sister, Judith Hooper.Judith's bright, eager voice rang through the phone. "Natty! How's it going? Have you considered what I told you last time? "Your grades are so good. It'd be such a waste to stay in the country and study that lousy finance major. Come to Norell and study media instead. Just think of it as keeping me company. What do you say?"As I held my phone, the image of Mom's old box came to mind. It was neatly filled with records of the brave work she had done as a journalist.When I was little, I loved flipping through those notebooks and believed that Mom was the bravest person in the world. Influenced by her, I fell in love with journalism and resolved to study media. But because Zachary wanted to study finance at Prestwick University, I changed my own

Perhaps my words had some effect, for Zachary stopped seeking me out.But that only lasted for a few days. After that, he insisted on handing me his notes and would sometimes stubbornly stay behind to walk me through exercise questions. "Aren't you going to Prestwick University with me to study finance? You're still not very good at math."For once, I didn't argue back. After all, in his eyes, I was still that girl who followed him without hesitation no matter what he did.Perhaps in this new life, even if we couldn't be husband and wife, we could still be friends.Yet whenever I grew tired from studying and looked up, I caught Vivian glaring at me.One month before the SATs, I walked out of the school gates and headed to the bookstore across the street to buy some reference books.Zachary rushed toward me, holding Vivian in his arms. Her face was pale, and her clothes were stained with blood.Before I could react, he had already blocked my path. "Natalie Hooper!"His voice w

There was a delicate box on my desk. Inside were the little trinkets Zachary had given me over the years, along with a thick stack of letters he had written to me.I opened the box and glanced inside. Then I grabbed it without hesitation and tossed it into the trash bin out in the yard.Mom stood at the doorway, staring at me in surprise. "Natty, you—"I dusted my hands and said casually, "They're all useless and should be thrown away."Mom walked over and wrapped me in a gentle hug. "Good. It's time to move on."The days before I was to leave the country passed in a blur. I hung out with friends, spent time with my family, and packed my luggage.I deliberately ignored all news about Zachary and Vivian. All I knew was that Zachary had tried to contact me multiple times, but he had failed each time.His mom told me that he had cried for hours the day he found out that I had thrown away his gifts and letters. He said that he didn't understand why I had become like this and that he

Zachary's Point of ViewI watched Natalie's familiar figure recede as she walked away.Two years earlier, I had watched her leave in the same way. There was nothing I could do to stop her. Airport security restrained me tightly, while travelers nearby watched with a mix of surprise and disdain.I struggled and screamed Natalie's name until my voice went hoarse. Yet all I could do was watch her disappear down the passageway beyond security, without a single trace of hesitation."Natalie!"In the end, I was thrown out of the terminal. Dazed, I stood in the middle of a busy street, with people streaming past me. Solette City's early autumn sunlight was still warm, but when it fell on me, all I felt was bone-chilling cold.I realized that Natalie was truly gone.Later, when it was time to enroll at Prestwick University, my family took me there against my will.Mom slapped me hard across the face. "Pull yourself together! You're the one who broke off the engagement and drove Natalie