At Twenty-Eight, He Married My Enemy. At Eighteen, He Gave Me a Second Life. Chapter 10

At Twenty-Eight, He Married My Enemy. At Eighteen, He Gave Me a Second Life. Chapter 10

Eighteen-year-old Ethan sent me back in time, and the price was that he disappeared forever.

I was eighteen again.

And from that moment on, he no longer existed.

I stopped crying, and I stopped waiting for anyone to protect me.

After returning to the past, I finally understood something: the only person who could truly protect me was me.

When the student club members tried to dump all the cleaning work on me again, I didn’t silently accept it the way I had before.

I grabbed the trash can and slammed it down on the table in front of the girl leading them.

“Why is it always me? Starting today, we clean the club room on a rotating schedule. One person per day. If anyone has a problem with that, say it now.”

The people who had always enjoyed bullying me stared at me, stunned.

They were used to my silence. It had never occurred to them that I might fight back.

In the end, no one dared say a word.

“Good. Then we’ll follow the schedule.”

This time, when the school coach used the excuse of a private talk to get me alone in the equipment room again, I didn’t stay quiet and submit the way I had before.

The moment he shut the door, I screamed for help.

Nearby teachers and campus security came running.

I made sure every piece of evidence was saved, cooperated fully with the investigation, and clearly identified him as the man responsible.

No matter how many times the school hinted that I should settle the matter privately, I refused.

In the end, I testified against him myself and made sure the man who had hurt students faced trial.

This time, I didn’t give up on the school I truly wanted to attend just because I had no money.

I earned a scholarship, went to college, majored in political science, and followed a pre-law track.

With my help, Mom divorced my father much earlier than she had in my previous life.

Her lawyer secured the house, the savings, and the share of marital assets she was entitled to.

For the first time, we no longer had to panic over every medical bill.

I rented a two-bedroom apartment near campus and had Mom move in with me.

During the day, I went to class.

She took dance lessons at a nearby community center, went to yoga classes, or walked by the lake.

At night, she made dinner and waited for me to come home.

Her condition grew more and more stable.

She smiled more too.

Under her doctor’s supervision, she gradually reduced her medication.

I finally understood: love couldn’t cure every illness, but a safe, stable life where no one was hurting you anymore really could help a person slowly find their way back to themselves.

After college, I went on to law school, passed the bar, and joined a law firm in Chicago.

There were always more cases waiting, and I was busy every day.

Mom worried about me and often tried to convince me to find an easier office job.

I always smiled and said no.

My life was busy now, but it was a life I had chosen for myself. I knew why I worked and what this work meant to me.

Ten years later, I was twenty-eight again.

I bought a modest house.

Mom filled the backyard with flowers.

Every spring, the whole yard burst into bloom.

“Eileen, dinner’s ready!”

Mom called from the kitchen.

“I made your favorite spaghetti and meatballs!”

I smiled and called back, then got up to set the table.

Sunlight poured in through the window, and a breeze stirred the flowers in the backyard.

This time, I hadn’t waited for anyone to save me.

At last, the past no longer decided how I lived.

The End