Reborn : Ditching The Traitor, I Married His Rival

"Iris, if there's another life after this, please don't get in the way of Chloe and me . You can choose another man."

Slowly, Axel pushed Irish toward the edge of the road, his grip tightening on both of her shoulders.

"Go, Irish. Join Chloe in the afterlife and pay for what you did to her!"

"Axel ... please, don't ..." Irish whimpered, her voice trembling through the heavy rain pouring over the London streets. Her body felt completely weak, blood soaking her evening gown. "I'm really sick, Axel ... please, let me go ..."

"Shut up!" Axel screamed like a madman, his eyes bloodshot and consumed by wild rage. His hands dug deeper into her shoulders. "Chloe died because of you! You're going to pay for this with your life!"

"I didn't kill her, Axel! Please ..." Irish clung tightly to his shirt, using every last bit of her strength to beg for her life.

But Axel was far past reason. There was no mercy left for the woman who had been his wife for five years.

With one brutal, hatred-filled shove, Axel hurled her fragile body right into the middle of the slick, wet highway.

The blinding yellow headlights of a massive container truck flashed directly into her eyes. A long, deafening horn pierced the quiet night, clashing with the harsh screech of tires skidding over wet asphalt. Irish barely had time to close her eyes before the giant vehicle slammed violently into her.

BRAKKK!

A violent impact shattered the drenched night. Irish was thrown like a broken ragdoll, crashing onto the cold asphalt under the pouring rain. Agonizing pain surged through every single nerve, paralyzing her rapidly cooling body.

"Hahaha! Die, Irish!" Axel laughed hysterically from the curb without a single trace of regret, before turning around to walk away.

Through vision blurred by blood and rain, Irish gasped for breath.

Hurried footsteps suddenly broke through the heavy rain. A luxury sedan slammed to a halt, and several men in black suits bolted out. At the front, Xander sprinted like crazy across the highway, dropping to his knees beside Irish's blood-soaked body.

"Irish! Open your eyes! Irish!"

His trembling hands cradled her head, pulling her close in sheer panic and terror. His deep voice cracked with pure desperation.

Xander snapped his head toward Axel, who was trying to slip away, his eyes burning with lethal rage.

"All of you, finish Axel right now! Don't let that bastard get away alive!" Xander roared at his bodyguards.

"Yes, Mr. Xander!"

Xander's guards immediately chased down and surrounded Axel.

"Xander?" Irish whispered faintly with what little consciousness she had left. Why do you look so completely broken for me?

"Hold on, Irish! Please ... don't close your eyes!" Xander pleaded, his voice shaking uncontrollably as he held her cold body tight. "We haven't even started anything yet, Irish. Please, just hold on."

But Irish couldn't hold her breath any longer. Total darkness pulled her consciousness under, drowning her soul in the cold void of death.

"Irish! Are you even listening to me?!"

Brak!

A loud slam against the wooden table snapped Irish's eyes wide open. The glaring light of the chandelier greeted her vision. Her chest heaved, her breath coming in fast, heavy gasps.

"Irish? Why are you staring off like that?" Arthur Ryder asked, his brow deeply furrowed. "I'm talking to you!"

Irish froze, her eyes scanning the room in complete confusion.

Where am I? Didn't I just die getting hit by a truck after Axel pushed me?

"What is with you, Sis?" Chloe chimed in with her fake, spoiled tone. "You spaced out for two seconds and your face went totally pale."

"See, honey? Your daughter clearly has no intention of giving that project to Chloe," Elena chimed in, whispering poison into Arthur's ear. "Even though Chloe is her own sister."

Those voices suddenly triggered a rush of traumatic memories from the future, crashing into Irish's mind one after another:

"That bankrupt Xander actually thought I loved him," Chloe's sweet, fake laugh echoed sharply from the West Wing. "As soon as Sterling Group stabilizes, I'm divorcing Irish and marrying you, Chloe darling."

"Besides, her body is being slowly destroyed by that poison anyway, right?"

"She doesn't even know her mother didn't actually die by suicide ... hahaha!"

"Mom," Irish whimpered, her voice shaking. "M-mom didn't actually die by suicide?"

"What are you muttering about, Irish?" Arthur cut in harshly. "I'm just asking you to hand over the Robert Group medical network procurement project to Chloe! Chloe's ready to handle it. Besides, aren't you supposed to focus on your upcoming wedding with Axel?"

"Wedding ... with Axel?" Irish looked up, her once confused eyes instantly turning blood-red with vengeance.

The wedding that trapped me in a living hell for five years? The marriage that ended with me poisoned and thrown onto the highway by Axel?!

"Yeah, Sis," Chloe added with a sweet smile, grabbing Irish's arm. "Just hand the project files over to me, okay? It'd be a shame if you're too busy with business to focus on Axel."

Seeing Chloe's innocent face—the exact same face that laughed so giddily about the poison in her body—made the blood in Irish's veins boil over.

"You absolute demon ..." Irish growled under her breath. "So you're still alive, huh?"

"What, Sis?" Chloe leaned in closer, pretending she didn't hear. "What did you say —"

BRAK!

Without a shred of mercy, Irish bolted off the sofa, grabbed Chloe tightly by the throat, and slammed her step-sister brutally against the wall!

"Ugh! I-Irish?!" Chloe shrieked in panic, her eyes popping as she gasped for air. "D-dad, h-help me!"

"Irish! What the hell are you doing?!" Arthur screamed, losing his mind.

"Let go of my daughter! Have you lost your mind?!" Elena yelled, trying to swat Irish's hands away.

"Let go?" Irish barked, her voice sharp and dripping with vengeance. "You think I'm just going to stand here while you poison me, steal my mother's inheritance, and trample all over my life again?! Answer me, Chloe! Answer me! You little thief! You and your mother are the exact same!"

"Irish, let her go! What is wrong with you?!"

A rough yank suddenly grabbed Irish by the wrist from the side, forcing her grip off Chloe's neck.

Axel Sterling, who had just pushed open the front door, now stood right between them, his eyes wild with anger.

"Are you insane, Irish?!" Axel snapped harshly. "I just walked in and saw you practically trying to murder Chloe! What is wrong with your head?!"

Chloe collapsed straight onto the floor, coughing hysterically while clutching her reddened neck. Elena instantly dropped to her knees, wrapping her arms around her daughter with dramatic, tearful sobs.

"Look at what your oldest daughter just did, Arthur!" Elena cried out, her voice trembling. "She was actually trying to kill Chloe!"

Arthur stepped forward with ragged breathing, glaring at Irish with fury peaking in his eyes. "Irish! Explain to me right now why you suddenly attacked your sister like a lunatic?!"

Irish stood tall, adjusting her clothes with tightly clenched fists. Her gaze showed zero guilt.

"Your father just asked you nicely to transfer that project to Chloe!" Arthur shouted, his voice rising higher. "If you didn't want to give it to her, you should've just said no! Why did you have to do something so vicious to your own sister?!"

Axel took a step closer to Irish, pointing his finger right in her face with a lecturing tone.

"Listen, Irish. I know you're selfish, but your violent behavior today is way out of line. Apologize to Chloe right now! Or ... or we're going to have to reconsider this wedding."

Looking at Axel's finger pointed right at her face, paired with the vivid memory of how he destroyed her in her past life without a second thought, Irish's last thread of patience completely snapped.

PLAK!

A loud, stinging slap shattered the silence in the room. Axel's head snapped to the side from the sheer force of Irish's palm.

Everyone in the room froze solid. Axel stood motionless, slowly touching his burning, red cheek, staring at Irish with eyes wide in utter disbelief.

"Watch your attitude and don't you ever dare point your finger at my face again, Axel Sterling," Irish said in a bone-chilling tone. "As for the wedding? Ha! In your absolute dreams! You really think I'd ever degrade myself to marry a man like you?"

"You ... you dared to slap me?!" Axel hissed through tightly clenched jaws, barely holding back his humiliation and rage. "Irish!"

Irish didn't waste another second dealing with them. Without offering a single word of explanation, completely ignoring Arthur's furious shouts and Elena's dramatic crying behind her, Irish snatched her bag and car keys off the nightstand, then strode swiftly out of the room.

Her heels clicked in a steady rhythm down the hallway of the grand mansion. But the moment her fingers wrapped around the steering wheel and the car engine roared to life, her heart beat frantically against her chest. She stared down at her palm, still burning hot from slapping Axel. The pain was real. The cold skin of Chloe's neck was real. The slap was undeniable.

"T-this is actually real. I'm really alive again!"

A sudden chill ran down her entire body as a huge realization struck her mind.

If none of this is a dream ... if I really made it back ten years into the past ...

Irish's eyes trembled. Memories of the past flooded back into her mind with terrifying clarity. Ten years ago, the one person who truly loved her and constantly protected her from the Ryder family was still in this world.

Which means ... Grandma? Is Grandma still alive?