After Being Reborn, I Decided Not to Love Him Anymore Chapter 06

After Being Reborn, I Decided Not to Love Him Anymore Chapter 06

Marcus POV

The photo showed Nancy in a red coat and gray scarf, standing in the snow, laughing.

Her eyes were all crinkled up. Bright.

She’d never smiled at him like that.

Or maybe she had, and he’d just never noticed.

Lily came out of the kitchen and saw him staring at his phone. She leaned over for a look.

“Nancy posted on Twitter? Wow, she looks great in that coat.”

Marcus locked the screen and put the phone face-down on the table. “Yeah.”

Lily gave him a look but didn’t say anything.

That night, after Lily went to bed, Marcus sat alone in the living room.

He pulled out his phone and scrolled through Nancy’s Twitter feed.

All photos of her in London.

Libraries. Cafés. The Thames. Big Ben.

She looked happy in every single one.

Every so often there was a guy’s back in the frame—tall and lean. Probably that Sean guy.

Marcus put the phone down and closed his eyes.

He didn’t know why, but he’d been having strange dreams lately.

They were jumbled—Nancy, Lily, a room he didn’t recognize.

He kept trying to grab onto something, but nothing stayed.

The day of Lily’s follow-up, everything went perfectly.

The doctor said she was recovering well—just needed checkups every six months.

Lily was over the moon. She tugged Marcus’s sleeve. “I want hot pot! Let’s celebrate!”

Marcus laughed. “Okay. Whatever you want.”

That night, Lily ate a ton, her eyes bright and smiley.

Marcus watched her, but something felt off.

He couldn’t put his finger on it.

That night, he had a dream.

It was so clear it felt real.

He was in a bar, completely wasted. Everything was blurry.

Someone was helping him. They smelled faintly of something floral.

He pulled that person close.

The scene shifted. He was lying in a bed. Someone was next to him.

He couldn’t see their face. He just knew he’d started it.

Then he saw a door, not fully closed. Someone was standing outside.

Lily.

She had her hand over her mouth, tears streaming down her face. She stood there for a long time. Then she turned and walked away.

He wanted to call out. Nothing came out.

He wanted to chase her. He couldn’t move.

All he could do was watch Lily disappear down the hall.

The scene shifted again.

He was standing at Lily’s grave, soaked to the bone.

It was pouring rain. He fell to his knees in the mud, sobbing like a child.

Then he was home, smashing everything in sight.

He saw Nancy standing in her doorway, white as a sheet, her lips trembling.

“Marcus…” she said.

He shoved her aside, stormed into her room, and yanked open the drawer.

At the very bottom was a diary.

He flipped it open. Page after page.

“Marcus made me noodles today. They were so good. He’s the best brother in the world.”

“Lily is so good for Marcus. They’re perfect together. I should be happy for them.”

“Marcus got drunk tonight. He held me and called me Lily’s name. I know he’s always seen me as just a sister.”

“I wish that night had never happened. Then Marcus wouldn’t be hurt, and Lily wouldn’t leave.”

“I hate myself.”

He threw the diary in her face.

“You planned this, didn’t you, Nancy Monroe? You wanted her to see. Admit it.”

She shook her head, tears falling. “No… I didn’t… I swear…”

“Your love makes me sick.”

Then he saw her, alone in that rundown apartment. Feverish. Coughing. Not a soul around.

Her phone screen lit up with his missed call.

She didn’t answer.

She never answered again.

“NANCY—”

Marcus’s eyes flew open. He was drenched in cold sweat.

Outside, it was still dark. Lily was asleep beside him, breathing evenly.

His heart was slamming so hard he thought it might burst.

The dream had been too real. It felt like he’d lived it.

He closed his eyes again. The images came flooding back.

It wasn’t a dream.

He remembered.

All of it.

That night, he’d been drunk. Someone had slipped him something.

He’d forced himself on Nancy.

And Lily had been standing right outside the door. She’d seen everything.

That’s why she’d left for good. That’s why she’d said, “I don’t love you anymore. We’re done.”

And him? He’d blamed everything on Nancy.

The divorce. The blacklisting. Leaving her with nothing. Making sure no one would hire her.

She’d died sick in that rented room. Completely alone.

The last words she heard were “Your love makes me sick.”

Marcus covered his face with both hands. He was shaking.

He remembered. All of it.

Marcus didn’t sleep that night.

The second the sun came up, he grabbed his phone and dialed Nancy’s number.

“The number you have dialed is no longer in service.”

He froze. Dialed again.

Same thing.

He opened Instagram and messaged her: “Nancy, I need to talk to you.”

The message went through—but with a red exclamation point next to it.

He’d been blocked.

Marcus gripped the phone so hard his hand shook.

Lily woke up. She saw him sitting on the edge of the bed, his face the color of paper.

“What’s wrong?” She sat up. “Bad dream?”

Marcus turned to look at her. His eyes were bloodshot.

“Lily…” His voice cracked. “I… I remembered something.”

Lily blinked. “What?”

He opened his mouth. He didn’t even know where to start.

Finally, he told her everything about the past life.

Marcus closed his eyes, his voice shaking. “Lily, please… help me get in touch with her.”

Lily shook her head. “No. I won’t.”

“Please.”

“Marcus.” Lily looked at him, her eyes calm. “You don’t get to ask me that. And you sure as hell don’t get to ask her.”

“She died sick and alone in a rented room.”

“The last thing she heard was you saying ‘Your love makes me sick.'”

Marcus’s face went gray. He couldn’t say a word.

“I won’t help you contact her. If you want to apologize, figure it out yourself. But whether she forgives you? That’s up to her.”

That night, Marcus dialed Nancy’s number again and again. Disconnected every time.

He tore through his phone looking for any way to reach her. Nothing.

Finally, he begged Lily to pass along a message.

Lily hesitated for a long time. Then she texted Nancy:

“Nancy, Marcus remembers the past life too. He told me everything. He wants to apologize.”

A long time later, Nancy replied.

One sentence: “I don’t hate him. But I won’t forgive him. And I’m never coming back.”

Lily showed Marcus the message.

He stared at the words. Read them over and over.

Then he laughed. And the laugh turned into tears.

Marcus started drinking.

Every day. From morning till night.

He stopped caring about work. Projects fell through. Clients walked.

His business partner called to scream at him. He hung up and poured another drink.

Lily came to see him once.

He was holed up in that big house. Empty bottles everywhere. The curtains drawn tight.

“Marcus, what’s the point of this?” Lily said from the doorway. She didn’t come in.

He was slumped on the couch, his eyes unfocused. “No point.”

“Then why don’t you pull yourself together?”

“Pull myself together for who?” He laughed. “Nancy’s not coming back. Neither are you.”

Lily was quiet for a moment. “You’re right. I’m not.”

“We’re done.”

Marcus didn’t try to stop her.

He knew he didn’t have the right.

Six months later, the Flint Group imploded. Major financial problems. As the legal representative, Marcus was held accountable.

The company went under. His properties were seized. All his assets were frozen.

The one and only Marcus Flint, high and mighty, lost everything practically overnight.

People in their circle just shook their heads. “Guy’s washed up.”

Some wondered: “He used to be so sharp. What the hell happened?”

Nobody knew the answer.

Only Marcus knew the truth.

He’d destroyed himself.