They Thought I Was Duped, Unaware I Had Truly Been Reborn Chapter 01

They Thought I Was Duped, Unaware I Had Truly Been Reborn Chapter 01

The day a buyout offer arrived for the house I inherited from my family, I got a text from my future self.

[In fifteen days, the government survey will find the land isn’t suitable for construction. The buyout will be canceled.]

[If you don’t want to get stuck with that house, sell it now.]

I didn’t hesitate.

I sold the inherited family home that should’ve brought me ten million dollars for five million instead.

By the time I finished the paperwork and got home, my boyfriend’s so-called “girl bro” was sitting on his lap, wearing my silk nightgown.

She laughed so hard her shoulders shook.

“I’m dying! I literally just grabbed some random number and pretended to be Future Simone.”

“I told her the buyout wasn’t happening, and that idiot actually believed me.”

“And she sold a ten-million-dollar property for half its value—just like that.”

Her hand drifted lower as she grinned at Wade Voss.

“C’mere. Let me check if sleeping with that moron made you stupid too.”

Of course I knew the text was fake.

Because I really had come back from the future.

—

The second Wade saw me, he froze.

He shoved Brynn off his lap and scrambled to his feet.

“Simone, it’s not what it looks like…”

Brynn casually brushed her hair back, exposing the vivid marks scattered across her neck.

Her cheeks were flushed as she smirked at me.

“Come on, Simone. I was just sitting on my buddy’s lap.”

“Don’t tell me you’re gonna throw another jealous fit?”

Wade laughed awkwardly.

“Simone, you know how it is. I’ve never thought of her like that.”

“We’re just buddies. We like to mess around, that’s all.”

Brynn grabbed Wade’s hand and pressed it against her chest, without a trace of shame.

“Exactly. As if I’d ever want this loser.”

“See? We can touch each other, and it feels just like touching ourselves. Nothing.”

“Right, buddy?”

Wade’s throat bobbed.

The way he looked at her made it obvious he wanted far more than friendship.

I felt like a third wheel, a buzzkill to their little make-out session.

I walked past the couch and pushed open the master bedroom door.

The air hit me immediately. The bed was a mess. Their clothes were scattered across the sheets.

Our framed photo was on the floor by the nightstand, the glass shattered.

Wade hurried after me. His voice left no room for argument.

“She’s been having nightmares lately. She can’t sleep unless someone’s with her.”

“So she’ll take the master bedroom. You can use the guest room.”

When I kept staring at him, he rushed to explain.

“I swear, she’s just a friend to me. Even if we share a bed, I’m not interested in her.”

“Don’t be like this, okay? Just be cool.”

My gaze dropped to the trash can.

Several used condoms sat inside.

The sting behind my eyes nearly broke me.

“Okay.” I said.

Wade blinked. He seemed genuinely surprised that I wasn’t screaming, crying, or demanding answers like before.

“Wait, you’re… not mad?”

I forced a smile. It probably looked more like a grimace.

“Why would I be?”

“You two are basically buddies.”

“It’s totally normal for buddies to sleep together, right?”

A strange look crossed his face. He studied me, as if trying to find a crack in my facade.

Before he could say anything, a sharp scream came from the living room.

Then Brynn’s irritated voice echoed through the apartment.

“Wade, get your ass over here.”

“You suck at this. I told you to stop and you didn’t.”

“Now I’m hurting, so get your ass over here and take care of me.”

I’d already made up my mind to leave Wade.

I thought I was done with him.

But when he rushed to her side without a second thought, pain still tore through my chest.