My Reborn Ex Dumped Me Again. Joke’s on Him, I Married Better Chapter 01

My Reborn Ex Dumped Me Again. Joke’s on Him, I Married Better Chapter 01

After I accidentally slept with my future brother-in-law, both families rushed to switch the betrothals to cover up the scandal.

I was married off to Grayson Blackwood, the man my sister loved.

My sister was sent to be a deathbed bride for the elderly Harrington patriarch — a superstitious ritual meant to cure his failing health.

On the wedding day, my sister couldn’t bear the humiliation and took her own life.

Grayson harbored a relentless fury towards me.

For thirty years of marriage, I endured his cold silence, his contempt, his utter indifference.

Until the day I died, hollowed out and alone.

He sent someone to deliver a single message: “Seraphina Vance, stay the hell out of my life in the next one.”

When I opened my eyes again, I was back at that party.

The night the mistake happened.

Before I could even move, Grayson hurled his glass to the floor.

Shards scattered against my ankles.

The look he gave me was glacial.

I knew then.

He remembered too.

In this life, he got what he wanted.

He put distance between us immediately and announced to both families without hesitation: “Let’s move the wedding up. I want to marry Celeste as soon as possible. As for Seraphina… she was always meant for that deathbed match.”

The room went silent.

Every gaze turned to me.

I simply lifted my eyes and said, “Fine. I’ll do it.”

……

The three words landed and the ballroom fell deathly still.

My mother recovered first, her face arranging itself into a smile as she patted my hand. “There we go. Seraphina’s being sensible. I always knew you were a mature girl.”

Sensible. Mature.

In my last life, I had bent over backwards to be sensible.

I died in a hospital bed with no one to claim my body.

Celeste peeked out from behind Grayson, her eyes rimmed red.

“I’m so sorry, Sera… it’s all my fault. If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have to…”

She trailed off, biting her lip, tears spilling down her cheeks.

Watching her, I nearly laughed.

If it hadn’t been for the need to send her to be a deathbed bride for old Mr. Harrington, the Vance family would never have bothered tracking down their biological daughter in the first place.

Yet in my last life, everyone believed I had wronged her.

No one ever asked me a single question.

Grayson pulled her into his arms and murmured, “It’s not your fault, Celeste. She agreed to it herself.”

Then he lifted his head and shot me a frigid glare.

“You said it yourself, Seraphina. Don’t regret this.”

I said nothing.

My father cleared his throat and raised his glass to smooth things over.

“Alright then, everyone’s happy. Grayson, Celeste — both sisters will marry on the same day next month.”

“Does Seraphina have to rush too?” My mother’s concern was pure theater.

“A deathbed healing calls for urgency. The sooner she marries in, the sooner the good fortune flows.”

A few relatives seated nearby chuckled along.

I understood precisely what their laughter meant.

“Isn’t the Harrington patriarch past seventy? Bedridden for years. Marrying a girl off to cure him — they’re throwing her straight into the fire.”

“What do you expect? She only just returned. Celeste is the one they raised. You think she matters the same?”

The whispers stabbed like needles.

In my last life, I fled to the restroom with burning eyes.

In this life, I lifted my teacup and took a slow sip.

When the party ended, Celeste walked ahead, arm in arm with Grayson. My parents flanked them, the four of them laughing like a real family.

I trailed behind alone.

Outside the hotel, Grayson’s car waited at the curb — the latest black Mercedes S-Class.

He circled to the passenger side and opened the door for Celeste himself, his palm shielding the frame so she wouldn’t bump her head.

She tilted her face up at him with a sweet smile and murmured something. Grayson bent down and kissed her forehead.

My mother watched, beaming. “Look at how devoted he is.”

My father nodded. “That boy’s solid.”

No one looked at me.

I stood on the steps, the wind snapping at my dress.

Grayson shut Celeste’s door and turned to leave. His gaze caught me at the edge of his vision.

He hesitated, then walked over and stopped in front of me.

“Seraphina.”

His voice dropped low. “The Harrington man may be old, but the family won’t mistreat you. Marry in, take good care of him, and when the time comes…” He paused. “I won’t abandon you afterward.”

“Got it.”

Grayson frowned. My answer came too easily. It didn’t match the Seraphina he remembered.

But he didn’t press. He turned and left.

The black Mercedes pulled away.

My parents climbed into another car. My mother rolled down her window and called out, “Seraphina, grab a cab. We’re heading home first.”

That car disappeared too.

I stood alone outside the hotel. My phone buzzed.

A message from Celeste. A photo attached — her and Grayson, fingers laced, matching diamond rings gleaming on their fingers.

“Thank you for letting us be together, Sera. Grayson says the luckiest thing that ever happened to him was marrying me.”

I didn’t reply.

I pocketed the phone and hailed a taxi.

I climbed in. The driver asked, “Where to, miss?”

“The Vance estate.”

He hit the gas.

It wasn’t until we had driven a long way that I finally let my eyes close.

In this life, I would give them exactly what they wanted. I would let the marriage return to its proper place.