All Chapters of Reborn to Walk Separate Paths: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

The cardiac monitor let out a sharp alarm, and I kept my eyes fixed on the ceiling. I had lived through 35 years, and now my life was ending in this small room that reeked of disinfectant."Her blood pressure's dropping. Get the epinephrine ready—now!"The doctors' and nurses' shouts blurred into the background.There was no family by my bedside or friends to see me off. Right now, Maxwell Sutton was probably standing at an altar, sliding a diamond ring onto Angelica Xavier's finger. It was funny how he'd never bought one for me.Rebecca Sutton, the daughter we had raised together for ten years, was probably standing there with the ring pillow in her hands.The irony wasn't lost on me. Those people I had loved with everything in me were celebrating my disappearance while I took my last breath.As my consciousness faded, I made one last wish. If there was another life, I hoped I would never meet Maxwell again.…"Jocelyn! Get up. Otherwise, you'll be late for your mock exam toda

Chapter 2

Maxwell handed me a glass, but I didn't drink from it."Change of plans," I said."Because of me?" He lowered his voice and added, "If this is about Angelica and me…""Don't flatter yourself," I replied, setting the glass down and meeting his eyes. "I just think Stonewick University suits me better."Maxwell looked stunned. In my previous life, I'd never had the guts to look him in the eye like this. I was constantly second-guessing myself, trying to read his mood."Actually…" He trailed off before continuing, "I already broke up with Angelica."I almost laughed at his words. History was repeating itself. He'd dropped this same bombshell at the exact moment in my previous life. I'd immediately changed my college choice because of it. Just when I'd worked up the courage to confess my feelings to him, he'd gotten back together with Angelica.I just replied curtly, "Oh." Then I stood up and added, "That's none of my business. I wish you all the best, Maxwell."I turned and walke

Chapter 3

I looked at Zachary intently.He smiled and met my eyes. "Jocelyn, you're… full of surprises," he remarked.The negotiation went on for three hours before we finally came to an agreement. With a two-million-dollar investment for a 15% equity stake, I retained full ownership of the patent and a seat on the board as an observer.When I left, Zachary walked me to the building entrance."Just so you know, I don't usually invest in student startups," he said."So why make an exception?" I asked.I was genuinely curious why he'd sought me out."You've got an edge I don't usually see in students," he said, giving me a look I couldn't quite read. "Like you're pushing yourself harder than someone your age normally would."My stomach dropped. He saw straight through me, as if he could tell that behind this young face was someone who had already lived a lifetime and come back from the edge."I'll try not to disappoint you," I replied.I turned to leave without telling him the truth th

Chapter 4

When Zachary followed me to my office, I was clearing out my desk drawers."I want your explanation," he demanded in a low voice, shutting the door behind him."It's personal," I replied."Because of Maxwell?" he asked, eyes narrowing. "Do you two know each other?"I stopped what I was doing and responded, "He's my high school classmate.""Just a classmate?" Zachary pressed, stepping closer. "Given your reaction, it doesn't seem like you've just run into an old classmate."I let out a bitter laugh. He was too sharp, and there was no way I could hide anything from him."Maxwell is just someone I used to have a crush on," I admitted.At least, that was what had happened in this life."Is it worth giving up everything you've worked for for five years?" Zachary asked, planting both hands on my desk and leaning in. "All that just to avoid him? Jocelyn, have you lost your mind?""You don't understand…""Then make me," he snapped, his voice unusually sharp. "I've known you for fi

Chapter 5

"Reborn? I have no idea what you're talking about," I said.My eyes darted around, and the cramped space inside the elevator was making it hard to breathe.Maxwell's smile turned creepy.The second the doors on the ground floor opened, I bolted.While lying in bed that night, I couldn't stop thinking about what he'd said. I wondered if he also had been reborn.I woke up the next morning with a splitting headache. Standing at the floor-to-ceiling windows in my office, I spotted Maxwell chatting with a female employee at the coffee shop downstairs. Even from behind, I recognized her immediately—Angelica.She'd applied to Zachary's company for a receptionist position. With her looks, she was perfect front desk material."What are you looking at?" Zachary asked, standing beside me and following my gaze. "Isn't that the new admin intern, Angel Lockwood? She seems pretty friendly with Mr. Sutton.""Angel Lockwood? Pull her resume for me," I said, keeping my voice calm. "I want to see

Chapter 6

The next day, I pretended to take the vitamins and secretly pocketed the pills instead. The lab results were horrifying. It turned out those pills contained a slow-acting toxin that caused liver damage."That's enough to press charges," the lawyer Yvonne introduced said. "But we need a more solid chain of evidence."I decided to bait them.At the quarterly company meeting, I announced a completely fake "breakthrough technology" that I claimed would revolutionize the entire industry. When Maxwell heard that, his eyes lit up immediately.After the meeting ended, I watched him hurry over to the reception desk and whisper something to Angelica, who immediately started furiously typing on her phone."They took the bait," Zachary murmured. "I've also found out he has a small startup in the city. It's set to go public later this year. What's your next move?""We wait," I said calmly. "Let them walk into the trap themselves."On Friday night, our system showed someone had logged in us

Chapter 7

"This wasn't a spur-of-the-moment thing," the police officer, Luke Sawyer, said grimly. "This was premeditated over a long period."What made my stomach turn was Angelica's message to Maxwell."The poison's in place. Six months from now, she'll die of liver cancer, and nobody will suspect us."So that was how it had happened.In my previous life, I had thrown myself completely into married life with him. Every day, all I cared about was keeping him happy and living a good life. I never imagined the man sleeping beside me had been plotting to murder me all along.Angelica was pregnant, so the police allowed her to stay at home while waiting for further notice. Maxwell got dragged into the interrogation room. Even with the evidence staring him in the face, he kept denying everything."Officer, I have a business trip coming up. This is all a mistake. I barely know Angelica, and she's just some crazy woman who won't leave me alone."He looked genuinely panicked. If I hadn't known

Chapter 8

The ambulance arrived with sirens blaring, and paramedics loaded Zachary onto a stretcher. Angelica was also seriously injured since the driver's seat was stained with blood. They took her away in the ambulance as well.While waiting outside the operating room, I called Luke. He and his team arrived shortly after."Try not to worry too much. Let's wait for the doctor," he said, trying to calm me."Angelica has to pay for what she did," I said, my eyes red as I dropped to my knees and clutched at his pant leg."Get up," he said. "The law will handle this. I promise you that justice will be served."Half an hour later, a doctor emerged from the room."Mr. Cole is out of danger. We just need his family member to sign some paperwork."Zachary's parents had arrived ten minutes earlier. When they heard he'd pull through, the relief was visible on both their faces. His mother came over and took my hand."You must be Jocelyn. Zachary's always been the stubborn type, even as a kid. He

Chapter 9

Angelica suddenly laughed. It was so chilling that it made my skin crawl. "How pathetic. You're nearly dead, and you still don't know why. Jocelyn, you're such a fool. Maxwell's been planning to get rid of you since high school. "Your dad reported his dad for embezzlement back then. Mr. Sutton went to prison, while his mom couldn't handle the humiliation and abandoned him. But your dad got promoted for exposing the corruption. You're the one who ruined his family."The truth hit me like a freight train. What I had thought was love in my previous life had been nothing but a meticulously planned act of revenge from the start."He pursued you, then planned to marry you. All of it was for revenge," Angelica said, her eyes gleaming with malice. She continued, "And me? I just liked taking things that belonged to you. Life isn't fair. Why did you get the grades, the friends, and the rich dad? Am I not prettier than you?"But what's the use of being pretty? You could sit in your offic

Chapter 10

Zachary pushed through the door while balancing two coffee cups. "Sorry to interrupt, Ms. CEO, but your investor's here in three minutes.""Investor? You didn't tell me we had a meeting today.""I wanted to surprise you," he said, winking playfully.When I walked into the conference room, I froze. Sitting there were partners from one of the country's top venture capital firms and my parents."Mom? Dad? What are you doing here?""Zachary invited us," Mom said, pulling me into a tearful hug. "He said today was a big day for your new venture."It turned out Zachary had been talking to my parents behind the scenes, showing them a year's worth of performance reports to prove their daughter had made the right choice.I'd been so busy building the company that I hadn't seen them in over a year. I held them tight, soaking in that sense of safety I'd missed."There's something else," Dad said, handing me an envelope. "The one you always wanted."Inside was an old photograph. It was t

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