The day I was diagnosed with advanced bone cancer, Serena’s childhood sweetheart came to our house and then mocked my condition before setting the house on fire.

But I didn’t call Serena this time. Instead, I covered my mouth and nose with a wet towel and waited for rescue in silence. This was different than what happened in my past life.

In my past life, I panicked. As soon as the fire started, I called Serena Moon, begging her to take me to the hospital to the ICU. While I was lucky enough to survive, Roman Dunbar, her childhood sweetheart, was burned alive in the flames.

Despite Roman being burnt to death, Serena told me that she never put the blame on me. Instead, she reassured me, stayed by my side at the hospital and even took time off to care for me. But on the day I was discharged, she dragged me straight to Roman’s grave.

Before I could react, she drove a dagger. It was one she had sharpened in advance. And then she stabbed it straight into my chest.

Blood splattered across her face, her eyes filled with hatred.

"If you hadn’t set that fire, Roman wouldn’t have died! Do you think you can fool me by pretending to be the victim? Dream on, James! You will pay for his life!"

As soon as Serena stabbed me, she poured kerosene over me and set me on fire. Then, I watched as the flames consumed me. I could feel my flesh burn away until nothing remained but ashes.

And then …

I opened my eyes and found myself back in the fire.

——

Thick smoke filled my lungs, choking me. I coughed violently as the pain jolted me awake from the memories of my past life.

This time, I didn’t hesitate. I grabbed my phone and dialed for help, but I didn’t call Serena, the head of the rescue team. Rather, I called 911.

In the meantime, I saw Serena from a distance. She was leading the hospital staff, directing them to rescue Roman from the fire. Only after I saw him being carried out did I finally make a sound and call for help.

The rescuers turned to look at me, but their expressions were cold. They thought I was making a scene. In fact, they even berated me for wasting their time.

The wedding photo on the wall collapsed, crashing down onto my chest. Pain exploded through my body as several ribs shattered. Blood gushed from my mouth, but no one seemed to care.

I gritted my teeth, pushing through the agony. I forced myself to use what little strength I had left to crawl out of the burning house. But all the emergency equipment that was used to cool the body had already been used on Roman.

Serena didn’t even glance at me. Instead, she sneered mockingly.

"You brought this on yourself," she said.

Pain wracked my body. Cold sweat dripped from my forehead. Blood pooled in my mouth and I could feel my life slipping away.

In my past life, when the fire broke out, Roman and I had both called Serena at the same time. Thanks to my illness, she had chosen to save me first. By the time we returned to the burning house, the flames had grown too strong. No one could get inside.

Roman was swallowed by the fire, reduced to nothing but ashes.

Serena had told me it wasn’t my fault. She even took care of me while I recovered. But the moment I was discharged, she dragged me to Roman’s grave and plunged a dagger into my chest. Blood splattered across her face as she whispered through gritted teeth,

"James, do you know what it feels like to watch the person you love burn to death? I want you to suffer ten times the pain I went through!"

And Serena made sure I did. I died in that fire, just as she had wished. But this time, I only wanted to escape after I got reborn. Yet, Serena wouldn’t let me go even in this life.

Serena refused to give me any emergency treatment. Not even a cooling pad. Indeed, she was very cruel.

Another mouthful of blood spilled from my lips. Desperation clawed at my chest as I let out a hoarse, final cry for help.

"Save me ... please ..."

One of the rescuers finally turned to look at me. Disdain filled his gaze. He sneered, then kicked me.

"Dang it, James! Just quit your acting. Everyone knows you hated Roman. Who would’ve thought a weakling like you would actually set a fire? Serena’s busy saving real lives. No one’s watching your performance anymore."

"To be honest, we admire you. You’re really willing to do all this for a woman. But it’s a shame … Serena only has Roman in her eyes. You’d better pray he’s okay. Otherwise, she’ll divorce you without hesitation."

I knew Serena didn’t love me, but I never expected even her teammates to look at me with such disdain.

The searing pain from my burns made it impossible to make a sound. My skin peeled under the intense heat, my body trembling with agony. The rescuers were busy putting out the flames. However, none of them even glanced in my direction.

Through my dazed state, I heard one of her teammates exclaim, “Why is there so much blood? Damn, this is bad. Is something really wrong with James?”

“What could possibly happen to this weak-ass grown man? I think he just wants Serena to come running to him. He’s probably faking it.”

Still, someone reluctantly suggested, “Fine, let’s call Serena over and see.”

But when she arrived, there was no concern in her voice. Instead, what greeted me was cold interrogation. A gloved hand slapped my face twice.

"James, wake up! Quit pretending. I’m here."

Her tone was sharp, full of impatience.

"How could you act so stupid? You set a fire and got yourself burned like this. Was it fun to see the consequence of your action?"

Even now, Serena believed that I was the one who started the fire. It was me who was jealous and putting on an act. Even though I wanted to explain, my throat was too scorched to form words. The pain in my chest from my broken ribs was unbearable.

Desperate, I reached for her sleeve, hoping she’d finally understand that I needed help. But she hesitated for only a second before shoving my hand away.

"Nice performance. If Roman hadn’t told me you hid after setting the fire, I might have believed you."

With that, she turned and walked away without a second thought.

The next moment, I heard someone shout, "Serena! Blood! He’s bleeding!"

"Is he actually injured?"

"Don’t worry about him," Serena said coldly.

"Roman said James’ blood is just fake blood. He’s just acting fragile, that’s all. Let him keep up the act if he wants to."

The pain became too much. My vision blurred. After that, everything faded into darkness.

In my dreams, I returned to the time I first met Serena.

At a university lecture, Serena stood on stage. Her expression was as cold as ice. Her professional skills were unmatched to none. She had an aura that made many men want to challenge her. I was no exception.

The moment I saw Serena, I was captivated. I started asking around, trying to learn everything I could about her. At that time, I was just an intern lecturer. She barely acknowledged me.

Determined to earn her attention, I worked harder than ever. When I finally became a full-time professor, I invited Serena to dinner as a thank-you dinner. That night, I noticed something change in the way she looked at me.

I seized the opportunity, pursuing her with everything I had with flowers, cakes and expensive gifts. Eventually, I got what I wanted. She accepted my confession. I thought it was the start of something beautiful. But in reality, it was the beginning of my nightmare.

Once we were together, Serena became distant. Every date was interrupted by work or an emergency rescue. I never doubted her excuses. Not until our wedding day. That morning, an email arrived from overseas.

It was from Roman.

He had documented their ten-year relationship in excruciating detail. Every moment they had shared, every memory they created together. It was all there. The truth shattered me.

Every time she canceled on me, every time she disappeared, she had been with him. And the worst part? I didn’t even have the courage to confront her. I was terrified she would leave me.

In my past life, after Roman died, Serena had been eerily calm. For a moment, I had foolishly thought that meant I had won. But I never knew how wrong I was.

Even though I was terminally ill and dying, I thought I was the happiest man in the world. Unfortunately, the sudden rush of love clouded my judgment, made me reckless. I stopped thinking rationally.

It wasn’t until I was discharged from the hospital, only to die by her hands, that I finally understood one thing. Serena never loved me. She wasn't risking her life for me. She was taking her revenge.

Because in Serena’s heart, from beginning to end, the only person she truly loved was Roman.