The Ring She Tossed Away

By the bedside, my grandchildren presented a platinum ring encrusted with diamond. Lucius gripped it so fiercely that his knuckles turned ashen. Turning his head toward me, tears carving tracks through the lines on his face, he whispered.

"Amara, I kept my promise to you my entire life. I never betrayed you. But if there is a next life… I will never let Planette leave my side."

I stared at him blankly, my mind a blank canvas of confusion. Planette…Who was that?

Before I could gather my shattered thoughts, my grandchildren laid the truth bare. When Lucius was twenty-six, he had rescued a dancer named Planette Moore from harassment at a bar, hiding her away in a secluded villa and visiting her in secret. But at thirty, she died in a car crash. Back then, Lucius had reacted with a terrifying serenity. No one had suspected anything. Everyone believed he had returned to the family for good. That was the foundation upon which our love story was built.

Hearing of his hidden devotion, a deafening roar echoed in my skull, as if I had been struck by lightning. A trembling hand rose to point at him, my lips quivering, yet no sound escaped my throat. My lifelong affection and hard-won pride were instantly pulverized into a million jagged pieces. I stared fixedly at Lucius, my chest heaving violently as the metallic tang of blood flooded my throat. With a sudden, wet spurt, I collapsed backward like a marionette with its strings severed, dying on the spot from sheer, unadulterated rage.

When I opened my eyes again, I had been thrust back to the second day after Lucius and I were married. My body ached with a profound heaviness, as though I had been run over by a truck.

Without any hesitation, I hailed a cab and headed straight for that suburb villa.

The estate was enveloped by towering plane trees. In my previous life, Lucius had told me they were the symbol of unwavering love, which was why he had planted them throughout the yard. In that moment, a bitter epiphany struck me that plane tree was a homophone for Planette.

Peering through the window, I watched Lucius holding Planette in a desperate, passionate embrace. She was sobbing against his chest. "Lucius, are you really going to send me away?"

His answer was absolute, resolute. "Never. Planette, in this life, I will never let you leave me. Not even in death."

In that instant, I knew Lucius had been reborn, too. I didn't intrude upon their reunion and simply turned and walked away.

That night, Lucius sent me a message. "Amara, I have to work late at the company. You don’t have to wait up. Go to sleep early."

A wry smile touched my lips, followed by a strange sense of gratitude. His dying words from my previous life had already completely hollowed out my heart. Lucius would never have the chance to hurt me again.

The next morning, I woke to find Lucius kneeling on the floor beside my bed. I furrowed my brow, assuming I was still trapped in a nightmare.

But then he pulled me into his arms and confessed everything, his tears soaking the hollow of my neck.

"Amara, I had a dream. I dreamed that Planette only had two years left to live. She was suffering, and then she died in an accident."

I remained perfectly still.

"I want her by my side. We won't overstep any boundaries. I have only ever viewed her as a sister. What do you think, Amara?"

He wept uncontrollably. After a long silence, I turned to him. "Lucius, are you sure?"

He nodded vigorously. But catching the sorrow in my eyes, he immediately backtracked.

"If you dislike it, I can send her away. Planette is just a cheap life, anyway. What does it matter if she dies? But I cannot live without you, Amara."

"You don't have to." I interrupted softly. "Let her stay by your side. She is a poor soul."

A flash of pure delight crossed his face. He pressed a hard kiss to my cheek, his voice dripping with soft, manufactured affection.

"Thank you, Amara. I love you. If I ever betray you, may I die a horrible death."

It was the exact same vow he had sworn in my previous life. I wondered why his memory was so conveniently selective. He claimed to love me so deeply, yet he remained entirely blind to my true feelings.

I sighed, shaking my head slightly. "Just go ahead."

Lucius lowered his head to send a message as he left, his shoulders bouncing with barely contained excitement.

Behind him, he remained blissfully unaware. As he walked out the door, I had already sent a text to my lawyer. [Help me draft a divorce agreement.]

The reply was instantaneous. [No problem.]