All Chapters of Back to the Past, I Gave Them a Future: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

8 Chapters

Chapter 1

"Mom, I'll marry Nathaniel."Hearing Catherine Brown's words, both my mother, Amethyst Lowe, and I froze in shock.By all logic, since I was still single as the older sister, I should've been the one to marry Nathaniel Cole. I never expected Catherine to step forward on her own.My mother glanced at me, clearly wanting my opinion. "Bella, don't you have anything to say? Weren't you and Nathaniel seeing each other? I heard that he walked you to work every day."I was struggling to find the right words when Catherine's sharp laugh cut straight through my thoughts. "Mom, how could Nathaniel possibly be dating Bella? He only helps her because of me. I'm the one he likes!"A loud buzzing rang in my head. It was as if something inside me snapped. Memories that had never made sense from my last life came flooding back.Before I had died, Nathaniel had written one final line in his journal."If you have a choice, never marry someone you don't love."So the one he loved was Catherine, w

Chapter 2

After that day, I moved into Briarwood Manor by myself.The Cole residence wasn't far from the Brown residence. They weren't on the same street but were close enough that running into each other was always possible.Since I had chosen to give up the marriage agreement with Nathaniel in this life, I needed to cut things off completely and avoid unnecessary contact.On my first day back at Briarwood Manor, I started cleaning. I didn't expect to find the old marriage agreement tucked away in one of the cabinets.It was the Cole family who had someone write it up years ago. The agreement had been set here, in this very house.Two crooked, childish names were scrawled across it—mine and Nathaniel's.Back then, we were still little. When I had accidentally found out about the engagement between our families, I told him about it. He had pounded his chest and swore up that he'd marry me. So I secretly wrote our names on it.Thinking for a moment, I crossed out my name and replaced it

Chapter 3

That night after work, I returned to Briarwood Manor. I hadn't even gotten the chance to rest before my mother dragged me back to the Brown residence, saying it was time to start preparing Catherine's wedding.Her wedding with Nathaniel was set for next month, and there was still so much to do. They had to choose her wedding dress and shoes, order the flowers, and finalize the venue. They even needed to pick out suits for the groomsmen and dresses for the bridal party.I frowned immediately, and Catherine caught it. She crossed her arms and shot me an impatient look. "Bella Brown, are you that unwilling to do a little work?"Every time she was upset, she'd call me by my full name.In the past, I'd always swallowed it, telling myself she was my younger sister. But this time, I didn't feel like giving in. I answered flatly, "I have work tomorrow. I don't have time."It was an excuse, but also the truth.I turned to leave the room. Just then, a series of knocks came from the door. "

Chapter 4

I slipped out of the theater before the movie even ended. After making sure no one was following me, I wandered around until nightfall before finally taking the bus home.On the road leading back to Briarwood Manor, I suddenly noticed a long shadow stretched across the ground.Nathaniel was smoking under the moonlight, his face hidden in the dark.I turned on my heel and headed straight for the Brown residence. As soon as I pushed the door open, I saw Catherine flaunting the things she'd gotten with him that day.She held a wedding dress against her body, looking at me with smug delight. "Bella, you've probably never worn anything this nice, have you? But don't worry, after I marry Nathaniel, I'll hand this one down to you. You can wear it at your wedding."Then, she showed off a watch on her wrist, parading it in front of me.The knot of pain in my chest slowly eased into numbness, and eventually, a quiet sense of acceptance settled in.In my last life, when I married Nathaniel

Chapter 5

Looking at Nathaniel's twisted face and hearing his roar, even the bus ticket agent froze.After snapping out of it, she glared at him coldly. "Who are you? Whoever's on this bus has nothing to do with you!""How can that be? The one sitting inside is my—"Halfway through the sentence, he suddenly stopped. It hit him that I had nothing to do with him anymore.I was only his sister-in-law now. He had no right to demand answers about where I was going.Just then, Catherine came running up from behind, grabbing his hand. "What's wrong? Did you see someone?"He clutched at her like a drowning man grabbing a lifeline, pushing her forward. "Catherine, hurry and ask them if the person who just got on the bus was Bella!"Her excitement from moments ago froze instantly on her face. She shoved him away and said angrily, "Nathaniel, it's our wedding day today! Why do you care where Bella goes or what she does?"Gather yourself! I'm your bride now!"He stood there stunned, unable to say a

Chapter 6

After moving to the city alone, I rented a small room near a movie theater and picked up a job there doing odd tasks.In my last life, I loved watching movies. But whenever I suggested going for one, Nathaniel was mostly against the idea. He'd scold me mercilessly, saying it was a complete waste of time.Now, it felt like I was making up for that regret. I practically threw myself into work every day. Before I knew it, half a year had gone by in the city. I'd gone from just another worker doing grunt work to a junior manager at the theater.I never expected to run into Nathaniel there on Christmas.He was standing in line to buy tickets.It was Catherine who spotted me first. "Bella, you're actually here!" Her eyes burned with fury and resentment.I couldn't figure it out. I'd been gone for over half a year, doing everything I could to avoid them. So why was she still holding such a grudge against me? But I didn't take it to heart.After being away for over half a year, I had lo

Chapter 7

After that fiasco, the New Year came quickly.I didn't want to go back, but since it was Catherine's first year married to Nathaniel, she'd probably be spending the holiday with his family. That left my mother alone at home for New Year's, and I couldn't shake the worry.So after thinking it over, I bought some gifts for the holiday and went home.I didn't return until New Year's Eve. I hadn't expected to run into Catherine. It was like she had been waiting for me, because the second she saw me, she started mocking me with that fake, syrupy tone."Bella, it's already New Year's Eve and you're just getting home. You must've made quite a bit of money these past months. I wonder how much money you're giving Mom this year."My mother frowned, trying to smooth things over. "It doesn't matter if she gives one or not, as long as you both come home for the New Year, that's enough."Bella, you've been gone almost a year now. Is there anything you've been craving? I'll cook it for you righ

Chapter 8

When word got out that I was back, Nathaniel started showing up at the house almost every day.I had no choice. On the second day of the new year, I told my mother I was leaving. Once I left home, I got back on the bus heading into the city. I had barely sat down when I heard shouting from the station.Nathaniel had spotted me. He hadn't even bought a ticket and just tried to rush inside. The security guard caught him and blocked the way. "Let me through! I need to find someone!"The guard didn't budge. "Sir, buy a ticket first. Once you've got one, you can go in."Grinding his teeth, he had no choice but to go back and get a ticket.Thankfully, the bus I was on was already full. By the time he came back, the bus was just about to pull out.He threw himself in front of it, waving his ticket frantically. "Stop! I need to get on this bus!""Sorry, sir, this one's full. You'll need to wait for the next."Of course, he wouldn't give up that easily. He clung to the bus door like a m

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