After rebirth, I no longer chose my ex-husband

In my past life, I was Jason Miller’s doormat for six years, finally achieving my dream of marrying him.

But on our wedding night, he kicked me out of the honeymoon suite with Sarah Collins in his arms.

He claimed he gave me the title of wife, but his love belonged entirely to Sarah.

A month later, Sarah was “swept off her feet” by the wealthy playboy, Ethan Stone, becoming his cherished possession.

Jason, in a desperate attempt to win back his true love, clashed with Ethan, both ending up worse for wear.

Distraught over losing Sarah, Jason’s hatred for me intensified.

He firmly believed that I, driven by jealousy, had driven Sarah away, giving Ethan the opportunity to snatch her.

As punishment, nine months later, he abandoned me, heavily pregnant, in a deserted wilderness, where I ultimately died, along with my unborn child.

So, when I was given a second chance at life, and my father gestured towards the ballroom below, filled with eligible bachelors from the city’s elite, asking me who I wanted to marry.

I didn’t hesitate to choose Ethan Stone, the man currently charming a beautiful woman.

This time around, I chose to cherish my life and stay far away from Jason Miller.

But when he realized I truly didn’t want him, the esteemed Jason Miller, heir to the Miller fortune, actually knelt down, begging me to return.

My mom, her face etched with worry, looked at me.

“Honey, if you like him, even if Jason doesn’t agree, your dad and I will kidnap him and bring him to you. Why would you settle for that good-for-nothing playboy?”

My eyes fixed on Ethan Stone, flirting with a beautiful woman while holding a wine glass.

I swiftly filled in his name on the share transfer agreement.

“A playboy is good. They know how to please a woman.”

Only I knew that his playboy persona was just a facade.

Under my parents’ puzzled gazes, I slowly descended the spiral staircase, walking towards Ethan.

My steps were halted by an irritating voice.

“Well, well, if it isn’t Ashley Green, the art prodigy who was supposed to be in New York for her exhibition. Ditched it just to spy on Jason?”

“Not even engaged yet, and already checking up on him. Isn’t that a bit desperate, Ashley?”

A brief pang of pain shot through my heart.

Jason didn’t like me, and his friends treated me with disdain because of it.

When our eyes met, the smile vanished from Jason’s face, replaced by a frown.

“Ashley, can you please stop haunting me like a ghost?”

“Every time you’re around, it ends badly for everyone. Are you trying to ruin my dad’s 60th birthday party?”

To please Jason, I had postponed my art exhibition in New York, rushing back to present him with a birthday gift.

I hadn’t expected to be met with his scorn and disgust.

In the past, I would have been heartbroken, crying silently, convinced that I wasn’t good enough for him.

But now, I simply looked at him coldly.

“You’re overthinking it. I’m just here to celebrate Mr. Miller’s birthday. I’ll be leaving soon.”

The next moment, a waiter in formal attire approached me, holding a gift box.

“Miss Green, as agreed, we’ve delivered the diamond ring you custom-designed for Mr. Miller, symbolizing a lifetime of love and commitment.”

My face burned with embarrassment.

Damn it, how could I have forgotten about this!

I had planned this gift three months ago, intending to propose to Jason at his father’s birthday party.

I was mortified.

If I had been reborn even an hour earlier, I wouldn’t be in this awkward situation.

With a cold expression, I waved the waiter away.

“No need, just throw it away.”

A burst of laughter erupted around me.

“That’s gotta hurt. Still pretending, Ashley? Doesn’t your face hurt?”

“Poor Jason, stuck with Ashley. Even as the Miller heir, he has to play along with her games. Doesn’t even have basic freedom.”

“Well, the Greens are the top family in the city. One wrong move from them, and the whole city shakes. Marrying Ashley also means getting 10% of Green Corp’s shares. In ancient times, Jason would be like a prince chosen by the emperor. Money and power, all in one.”

“Jason, once you’re in power, don’t forget to help us out, buddy.”

Jason smirked, his gloomy expression lightening up, a hint of pride flashing in his eyes.

He took the gift box, opened it, and took out the pair of diamond rings, playing with them in his hands. Then, he sneered.

“I knew the proposal was your main goal, Ashley. Don’t waste your time. I don’t like your gifts. Even if you get me, my heart will always belong to the one I truly love.”

And the one he truly loved, Sarah Collins, walked up to me.

Clearly surprised to see me back from New York, her face paled, and she lowered her head.

“Ashley, I didn’t know you’d be back. I’ll leave now.”

But Jason pulled her close by the waist.

“Why are you afraid of her? If she dares to give you trouble, I’ll call off the engagement and humiliate the Greens.”

Sarah was the daughter of our housekeeper. I treated her like a sister, but behind my back, she had secretly gotten together with Jason.

She shyly lowered her eyes, noticing the diamond rings in Jason’s hand, her eyes lighting up.

“Wow, they’re beautiful.”

Jason deliberately glanced at me, casually placing the rings in her palm.

“You like them? Take them. They’re not worth anything anyway.”

In my past life, all my efforts were less valuable than a single strand of Sarah’s hair in Jason’s eyes. It took me paying the ultimate price to realize that.

Anger flared within me. I reached out to take back the rings.

Jason pushed me away.

“Can’t handle it already?”

“You’re so petty. If you marry me, you’ll have to watch me give Sarah gifts and be affectionate with her every day. What will you do then?”

I gave him a fake smile.

“Jason, when did you hear that I was going to marry you?”

Catching him off guard, I snatched the rings back.

“You like them? Even something this worthless is too good for you!”

Sarah’s face turned pale, her lips pressed together, tears welling up in her eyes.

Jason protectively held her tighter, glaring at me.

“Ashley! How dare you bully Sarah! Apologize to her!”

Jason, emboldened by my affection, continued to humiliate and belittle me. Did he think I was still the same Ashley, always obedient to his every whim?

I didn’t even spare them a glance, turning to grab a glass of wine and offer birthday wishes to Mr. Miller.

Before leaving, I scanned the hall but didn’t see Ethan Stone.

Never mind, there’s always another time.

As I walked out the door, I tossed the diamond rings into the trash can.

To my surprise, Sarah followed me out.

Without Jason and his friends present, the white lotus dropped her act, revealing a fierce expression.

“Ashley, Jason doesn’t love you. There are so many men, why do you have to fight with me for him?”

“Even if you get him, you won’t be happy!”

Who I loved, who I married, and whether I was happy or not was none of her business.

But I was curious…

“Sarah, if there was a man who treated you better than Jason, who was willing to spend more money on you, would you still want Jason?”

Sarah looked at me with a guilty expression.

“What do you mean?”

She knew exactly what I meant. In my past life, she wasn’t forcibly taken by Ethan; she went willingly.

The day after the birthday party, I arrived at the airport, ready to head back to New York for my art exhibition.

My dad said that when I returned, he would announce my engagement at the Green Corp centennial celebration, with the engagement ceremony taking place on the same day.

I had one month to reconsider my choice of spouse.

What a small world. I ran into Jason and Sarah again in the VIP lounge.

Sarah was lying on his lap, and Jason was peeling an orange for her, carefully placing each segment into her mouth.

I had been devoted to Jason for six years, and he had never treated me with such tenderness.

When Jason saw me, he was visibly startled, but quickly looked away.

He deliberately picked up an orange segment and fed it to Sarah, mouth to mouth.

Sarah blushed, her eyes sparkling with affection, and she playfully scolded him.

Jason glanced at me, as if expecting something.

I ignored them, pulling my suitcase to the furthest seat away from them.

I picked up a magazine and started flipping through it, not giving them a single glance.

With a frown, Jason took another orange segment and fed it to Sarah.

His eyes kept darting towards me.

Seeing that I still didn’t react, he pulled Sarah onto his lap, continuing to feed her orange segments mouth to mouth.

After a while, Sarah burped, blushing.

“Jason, I’m full…”

Jason finally stopped, pushing her away, and walked towards me with a puzzled expression.

“You’re not jealous?”

In the past, I would not only be jealous, but I would also make a scene, making everyone uncomfortable.

This time, I didn’t even look up, silently cursing him for being an idiot.

He smiled in satisfaction.

“Good, you’ve improved. Not as childish as before.”

“But I’m curious, how did you find out about my itinerary again?”

“Sarah hasn’t been abroad before. I’m just taking her on a trip. Do you have to follow us?”

Sarah hadn’t expected to run into me here either, her eyes filled with resentment.

So they thought I was stalking them.

I didn’t bother explaining, simply saying:

“I won’t disturb your romantic getaway. Please don’t bother me either.”

Jason scoffed, clearly not believing me.

“Are you that pathetic? Do you have to watch Sarah and me being affectionate to feel satisfied?”

“I told you, I’ll never love you. No matter how hard you try, it’s pointless.”

“But considering your parents are sincerely offering 10% of their shares, I can reluctantly accept you. But I’ll give you the title, and my love will always belong to Sarah.”

Their fingers intertwined, their love evident.

It was my fault. My constant concessions had turned him into a brainless fool.

I looked up, my eyes devoid of warmth.

“Jason, I’m also telling you very clearly, I’m not stalking you, and I won’t marry you.”

“I don’t love you anymore.”

Jason laughed in disbelief.

“Don’t love me? Everyone knows you’re my biggest fan. You’ve been following me for so many years, your reputation is ruined. Who would believe you’re not marrying me? Who would even want you?”

I had never realized what a massive idiot Jason was.

Too lazy to waste another word on him, I stood up, grabbed my suitcase, and prepared to switch lounges.

Jason grabbed my wrist.

“Have you forgotten? You still owe Sarah an apology.”

“Apologize to her now, and I promise to marry you after this trip. But I’ll also keep her by my side, and you’re not allowed to bully her again.”

I couldn’t bear it anymore and甩开他的手jerked my hand away.

“Apologize my ass! Does that backstabbing bitch even deserve it?”

I turned and strode away.

“You won’t apologize? Then don’t even dream of me marrying you!”

I paused, hearing Jason sneer behind me, smugly saying, “Don’t worry, Sarah, she’ll definitely apologize.”

I sneered inwardly. Just you wait.

My art exhibition went smoothly. During that time, I contacted the world’s most renowned designer to create a custom-made engagement dress and wedding gown for me.

A month later, I returned home, filled with excitement for the Green Corp centennial celebration and my engagement party.

I arrived at the hotel an hour before the celebration, heading to the dressing room with my assistant.

At the end of the hallway, I saw Sarah. She looked stunning, wearing my engagement dress!

This was the dress I had pulled many strings to meet the talented designer for, a one-of-a-kind, dazzling creation that took a month of sleepless nights and my financial backing to complete.

I hadn’t even tried it on once, and she was shamelessly wearing it!

Fury surged through me.

My assistant’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“I specifically told them no one was allowed to touch this dress.”

Then Jason emerged from the next room, smiling and taking Sarah’s hand.

I stormed towards them, fuming.

“Who allowed you to wear this dress?”

Sarah hid behind Jason, whispering, “Ashley, Jason gave it to me as a gift. Why can’t I wear it?”

“Take it off!”

Jason frowned.

“Are you crazy?”

My chest heaved with anger.

“This is my engagement dress! Why is she wearing it?!”

Jason scoffed.

“Precisely because it’s the engagement dress, I let Sarah wear it. I’m getting engaged to you tonight, and I don’t want Sarah to feel left out. What’s wrong with her wearing the dress?”

“Not just the engagement dress, even the wedding gown is Sarah’s. It doesn’t matter what you wear, I won’t even look at you.”

I gritted my teeth.

“Jason, are you deaf or stupid? Did I ever say I was going to marry you?”

“You won’t take it off? Fine, it’s mine, and I’d rather destroy it than let you ruin it!”

I reached out to rip the dress off her, but Jason pushed me away.

I stumbled backward, bumping into a solid embrace.

I looked up and met a pair of beautiful eyes, sparkling with mischief.

Ethan Stone?

My heart skipped a beat, and my face flushed involuntarily.

I was mesmerized, a subtle smile playing on my lips.

Finally, Jason, unable to stand it any longer, gritted his teeth and yelled my name.

“Ashley!”

“You’re about to get engaged to me, yet you’re flirting with another man right in front of me! What do you take me for?!”

“A jerk, air, trash, whatever.”

My words were directed at Jason, but my eyes never left Ethan.

Ethan steadied me, smiling and raising an eyebrow.

“Miss Green, need some help?”

I finally snapped out of it, pointing angrily at Jason.

“They stole my engagement dress! Help me stop him!”

Ethan shrugged nonchalantly, walking towards Jason with a lazy gait.

“Sorry, Mr. Miller, I can’t refuse Miss Green’s request.”

Jason’s face was full of contempt.

“Who do you think you are? A freeloading Stone thinks he’s worthy of attending my engagement party with Ashley?”

“Mr. Miller, has Mr. Green even announced Miss Green’s fiancé yet…?”

“Whether he announces it or not, it’s already decided that it’s me. Would Ashley choose a loser like you over me?”

A flicker of coldness crossed Ethan’s eyes.

“Get out of my way, or I’ll…”