Second Life: I Choose My Childhood Sweetheart

I'm born with a congenital heart condition. But when my illness flares up, my longtime boyfriend, Zeke Fulton, doesn't try his best to save me. On the contrary, he forces me to sign over my shares while I'm in agony. Then, he stands by and watches as the pain rips through me. I end up dying on that hospital bed. Thankfully, I'm given a second chance at life. I'm reborn on the very last day of filling out college applications. This time, I don't fall for Zeke's sweet talk. I turn my back on him and run straight into the arms of my childhood friend, Hugo Lodge. Hugo wraps me up in his embrace, his lips brushing against the side of my neck. He says, "Elisa, come to Joslin University with me." Chapter 1 In my last life, I let myself get played by Zeke Fulton's good-guy act. I took his manipulation as proof of love and foolishly gave up a spot at a top university to follow him to some no-name college in the middle of nowhere. Zeke… Even now, I couldn't help gritting my teeth at the thought of him. All that nonsense about how he would love me forever and how he would treat me right if I left with him—every word was a lie he cooked up to get his hands on my family's money. The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. But just then, my phone rang, interrupting my train of thought. Speak of the devil—it was Zeke. I drew in a deep breath and answered. I wanted to see what he would say to try to fool me this time. "Liss, today's the last day to submit college applications. Do you wanna double-check that you filled yours in right?" Over the phone, Zeke's voice was gentle and warm. If I hadn't already lived through this once, I would probably still be stupid enough to think he was planning for our future. "Relax, Zeke. I'll send you a photo later. I'm not gonna mess this up," I said. "That's good. I'm just worried about you. You're always so scatterbrained, after all. Lucky you've got me watching your back." It was so like him to act like he was super considerate. "It's late. I'm going to bed," I said, hanging up in a hurry. One more second of his voice and I really might've thrown up. It was a little after 10:00 pm. There was still time. On this last night before the due date, I checked the requirements from previous years and changed my application. I applied to Joslin University's literature department instead. By the time I'd checked and rechecked that everything was in order, it was past 11:00 pm. I grabbed my keys and headed out. The summer night was warm, a soft breeze stirring the air and scattering my thoughts. I was in the middle of my graduation trip, in an unfamiliar city, at a strange turning point in my life, when old memories came rushing back. I was Elisa Sutherland, the youngest daughter of the Sutherlands, based in Joslin. My dad was one of the city's top real estate tycoons, and my mom was a famous painter. They were a loving couple. I also had an older brother, Edgar Sutherland. He was a junior majoring in finance at Joslin University, but he was currently on exchange overseas. Edgar never liked the way I constantly lowered myself for Zeke. In his eyes, a daughter of the Sutherland family should've carried herself like a proud swan, not a doormat. Because of that, we'd had a horrible relationship in my last life. Come to think of it, he and I had gotten into a huge fight before he'd left the country, and we hadn't spoken since. Just thinking about it gave me a headache—though it could also be because I'd stayed out in the night breeze for too long. I headed back to the hotel, showered, and got into bed. I tossed and turned for ages, unable to sleep. In the end, I booked the earliest flight back home to Joslin. For some reason, I was hit with this overwhelming wave of homesickness the next morning. I left the hotel in a hurry, not even bothering with makeup. That was how I ended up just standing around at the airport like an idiot. I couldn't help laughing at myself. I'd literally been given a second shot at life, so why was I still so impulsive? At least my waiting around didn't end up being for nothing, because I ran into my childhood friend, Hugo Lodge, at the airport. Hugo… I remembered… In my last life, he told me he'd liked me since sophomore year of high school. But back then, I'd only had eyes for Zeke, and I'd said some really awful things to Hugo. Now… I felt a little embarrassed. Still, I figured that I might as well say hi since we'd already bumped into each other. I was just about to stand up and wave when Hugo walked right past me as if I wasn't even there. I froze. Seriously? What was his problem? Had he just acted like I was invisible? I stared at his back as he walked away, and a familiar pang of guilt rose in me. In my last life, he'd looked just as lonely as he seemed now as he walked off alone. Chapter 2 Okay, fine. I was the one who'd messed up first. Besides, mentally I was already pushing 30. There was no point holding a grudge against a 19-year-old brat. Maybe Hugo really hadn't seen me. Right then, the boarding announcement came on, so I hurried to the gate and deliberately walked ahead of him. He still didn't react. Because I'd booked so late, I'd only managed to snag an economy seat. When I reached my seat, I ran into a problem. The overhead bin was too high, and I couldn't get my suitcase up there. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw that the flight attendant was busy with someone else. I turned back and met Hugo's gaze for a split second, hoping he would help me out. He looked at me for maybe one second, then broke eye contact, walked right around me, and headed straight for first class. Wow. Okay. This time, I was 100% sure he was deliberately acting as if I didn't exist. Some nice guy helped me hoist my bag into the bin, and I dropped into my seat, my cheeks puffed in annoyance. I fired off a sticker of an angry hamster to Hugo, then turned on airplane mode. What was his deal? What was he even doing in Stavalon? Was he here on vacation, too? If he was, why hadn't he mentioned it to me? The questions flooded my head. Somewhere in the middle of trying to puzzle them out, I fell asleep. The plane touched down on time. This trip back home was a spur-of-the-moment thing, so Mom and Dad hadn't sent a car. I wanted to surprise them anyway, so I didn't call the family driver. I pinned my hopes on a ride-share app, but I'd underestimated Joslin's rush hour. There were over a hundred people ahead of me in the queue. I was frowning at my phone, just about ready to cave and call the driver after all, when a luxury car eased to a stop not far away. The license plate was familiar. Well, well. The car belonged to Hugo, who was also my neighbor. I hurried over for a closer look, and sure enough, it was the Lodge family's driver, Mr. Moore. My mood instantly brightened. "Mr. Moore!" He blinked in surprise. "Ms. Sutherland, you just landed, too? What a coincidence. You can ride back with Mr. Lodge. He's not out yet, though. You'll have to wait a bit." That was exactly what I'd been hoping he would say. I handed over my suitcase and happily slid into the backseat. What on earth was taking Hugo so long, really? What was he doing in there? Just as I thought that, I saw him emerge from the terminal, his brows drawn together as he yanked open the back door. He froze for a second when he saw me, but he didn't say anything. I scooted toward the far side, very considerately patted the seat next to me, and motioned for him to get in. He arched an eyebrow but still remained silent. He wouldn't talk, so I didn't, either. The silence in the car gradually turned awkward. At least Mr. Moore was chatty. "Ms. Sutherland, did you just come back from a trip?" "Yeah." "Stavalon's a great place. It really has that old-town vibe." I was a little puzzled. "How'd you know I went to Stavalon?" Mr. Moore scratched his neck and said Mom and Dad had mentioned it. I didn't dwell on it. My only issue now was that Hugo still wouldn't say anything. It left me feeling restless. I sneaked several glances at him, but all he did was sit there with his eyes shut and his lips sealed. I flipped open the car's mini-fridge and spotted my favorite banana milk. I grabbed it in delight and was just about to twist it open when Hugo reached over, snatched it away, and shoved it back into the fridge. He even closed the door. I gaped at him. Since when had he become this stingy? I couldn't even drink a bottle of milk now? He was allergic to bananas, so the drink was obviously there for me. I bristled and shot him a glare. He acted like he didn't see a thing and went right back to his fake nap. Fine. He wanted to pretend we were strangers, huh? I gave up on him, leaned against the window, and shut my eyes, too. I hadn't slept much the night before with my thoughts all over the place, so I was wiped. What I didn't know was that the second I stopped looking at him, Hugo opened his eyes and stared at me for a long, long time. … When I woke up, I was already in my own bed at home. It was a little after 4:00 pm. I dragged myself out of bed and wandered around the house until I found Mom in her studio. I padded over, sat down at her feet, and rested my head on her lap. Chapter 3 "Mom," I said. She set down her paintbrush. "Honey, you're up. Hungry? I can heat up the lunch the housekeeper made." Not that she mentioned it, I was indeed kind of hungry. But she was so warm, and it felt so good leaning against her that I didn't want to move. Besides, Dad would be home soon, and we'd have dinner together. I could hold out until then. Mom ruffled my hair. "Alright, alright. Go call Hugo over for dinner. Look at you, still glued to your mother like this, even though you're already a big girl. Honestly." Hugo? Again? Remembering how he'd ignored me this morning, my first instinct was to refuse. But then I thought about how he was always home alone and felt a little bad. After arguing with myself for a while, I decided to go get him anyway. Maybe I could also take the chance to ask what his problem was. I quickly straightened myself up and went to knock on Hugo's door. The door opened a moment later. He didn't look surprised to see me; he just turned around and walked back inside. I stepped into the entryway and shut the door behind me. Hugo sat cross-legged on the rug in front of the couch, playing a motion-sensor game. I went over and sat down next to him without saying a word. I opened our chat. The last thing there was still the sticker I'd sent this morning. I sent the exact same one again. His phone chimed, but he didn't check it. I wasn't discouraged and started full-on spamming. His phone went off again and again, and his brows knitted in irritation. He finally grabbed the phone, glanced at the screen, then tossed it back down. "What?" His voice came out low and rough, probably from not talking much. It'd probably sound sinfully good if he panted in my ear… The second I realized where my brain had gone, my whole face went up in flames. I shook my head hard, as if I could fling those dirty thoughts right out of my skull. I snuck a guilty look at Hugo. He was still focused on his game, completely oblivious to me. I poked his arm. "My mom told me to call you for dinner." "I'm not going," he said without hesitation. What? Seriously? I'd invited him to dinner, and he was turning me down? What was his problem? I shot to my feet and stared at him for a long moment, thinking he was being absolutely unreasonable. He was nothing like the Hugo I remembered from my last life. Wait. My last life… I vaguely remembered telling him once that he came over to my house for dinner every day like some stray dog… I honestly hadn't meant it like that. Back then, I'd been dead set on marrying Zeke, and Hugo had kept trying to talk me out of it. I'd gotten angry and lashed out without thinking. But that made no sense. How could the Hugo in this life be angry over something I'd said in a different lifetime? Unless he'd also… My heart lurched. I grabbed Hugo's arm hard, like I needed something to steady myself. A suffocating wave of panic crashed over me. My fingertips went white, and my breathing turned ragged. A high-pitched ringing filled my ears. Through the noise, I could vaguely hear him calling me. "Liss? Liss!" I smiled self-deprecatingly. After everything I'd done to him, why would he still call me by my nickname? When I came to again, I was in a hospital ward. Mom and Dad were sitting on my left. The moment they saw my eyes open, they both sagged in relief and started fussing over me. I knew this scene all too well. In my last life, I'd hovered at death's door more times than I could count. I knew my heart condition had flared up again. I shook my head weakly to tell them I was okay. Mom turned away to wipe her tears. Right then, Hugo came back with takeout. He hadn't expected me to be awake, so he'd only bought enough for my parents. "I'll go buy more," he said, then hurried for the door like I was some kind of man-eating monster. Dad caught his arm and told him to stay and watch over me while he and Mom went to get things sorted. I knew they were trying to give us some space. They'd definitely noticed something was off between us. "Mr. and Mrs. Sutherland, I'm sorry. I didn't take good care of her." Hugo set the food down and lowered his head in apology. Chapter 4 Mom patted Hugo on the shoulder without saying anything, then left with Dad. The two takeout meals became just enough for Hugo and me. Thankfully, I'd inherited my congenital heart disease from my grandpa; it wasn't some condition that restricted my diet to liquids. Otherwise, I really would starve to death. Hugo still didn't say anything, but he carefully set out the food in front of me. I was too hungry for words, and I couldn't think of anything other than eating. I wolfed down my portion in a few bites, then pushed the food container toward Hugo, signaling that he should eat. However, he snapped the lid back on and set it aside. Then, he looked at me darkly. "Feeling any better?" His tone was hard and stiff, like I owed him big. My heart sped up a little when I thought about why I'd ended up in the hospital. I was about to ask if he'd been reborn too when an abrupt ringtone cut me off. We both looked down at my phone and saw the caller ID—Zeke. It went without saying who it was. Hugo snorted, shoved his chair back, and walked out of the room. The chair scraped loudly against the floor, drowning out my soft call of his name. I sighed inwardly and answered the call in resignation. "Liss, I just heard from my aunt that you're in the hospital. Are you okay? I'll come see you tomorrow," Zeke said. It wasn't surprising—his aunt was my attending physician, after all. That hadn't changed in this life. He sounded worried, but it was all for show. "I'm fine. You don't need to come. I just want to rest," I said softly, making myself sound as frail as possible. "Okay. Get all the rest you need. I'll ask my aunt to keep a closer eye on you." After I hung up, I craned my neck toward the door. It was quiet outside. Hugo showed no sign of coming back in. I sent him a sticker of a peeking hamster. A soft rustle of clothes sounded outside, then I heard the door open. I straightened up in bed, ready to have a heart-to-heart with him the second he walked in. I waited and waited, but he never came through the door. Instead, he texted, "I'll sleep in the outer room. Call me if you need anything. Get some rest." I poked his profile picture on the screen. How bold of him to ignore me! Without realizing it, I sent him another sticker, this time of a hand patting a hamster and ruffling its fur. Oh, God. What had I just done? I really hadn't meant to. In my flustered panic, I deleted the sticker as fast as I could, still feeling rattled. Would he think the sticker represented what I wanted to do to him? He sent a question mark. I replied with a sticker of a hamster bowing out. After that, he didn't respond. Things went on like this for several days, even though he took care of all three of my meals every day. By the time I was discharged, we still hadn't had a real conversation once. … "Liss, did you and Hugo make up yet?" Mom sat with me on the couch and held my hand. I shook my head. "Hugo's had it rough since he was a kid. His parents divorced early—he's lived with his father since, but his father doesn't really care about him. Naturally, he's not the most sensitive young man. You need to guide him more. "But remember that as a daughter of the Sutherland family, you should still have your pride. Don't lose your backbone over anyone." Hugo… "I know, Mom. I'll go talk to him today and clear things up," I said. "Right now?" Mom hesitated. "It's pretty late, though. Go tomorrow." I shook my head, checked the time, then headed out. When I knocked on Hugo's door, he'd just showered. His hair was still damp. Wet strands clung to his forehead, softening his features. He looked a little less roguish than usual and a little more boy-next-door. Before I realized what I was doing, I reached up and ruffled his hair. Chapter 5 I froze, and so did Hugo. His gaze darkened, but he didn't push me away… or pull me closer. I slowly withdrew my hand and rubbed my nose, feeling a little embarrassed. Seriously, hand? Could you be any hornier? Have some self-respect! I gave Hugo a sheepish smile. "Why didn't you dry your hair? You're gonna get a headache." He didn't answer. He just went over to the kitchen island, poured himself a glass of water, and knocked it back in one go. I stared at his Adam's apple for a long time. He was so hot and sexy… The second I realized where my thoughts had gone, I honestly wanted to slap myself. I cleared my throat and said, "Uh, so… I, uh, wanted to talk to you." I moved over to the couch, sat down, and patted the seat beside me, wanting him to sit. Hugo glanced at me, then sat down on the rug by my feet instead. "What about?" His voice sounded as low and rich as a cello. "About why you've been icing me out." He ignored that, picking up a game controller like I hadn't spoken. I felt irritated. It looked like I had to bring out the big guns and force an answer out of him, one way or another. I asked, "Have you sent your puppy for its shots yet? Can I see it sometime?" In my last life, after graduating college, Hugo had gotten a Samoyed just to get my attention—he knew I loved that breed. I'd practically lived at his place after that. I tried to sound casual, but I watched him closely, desperate for any kind of reaction. His fingers jerked on the controller. On the screen, his character promptly died. "Elisa Sutherland! Don't project whatever happened between you and Zeke onto me. I'm not him. I'm not the man you like!" Hugo flung the controller aside and turned to glare at me, the corners of his eyes faintly red—maybe from anger. I couldn't tell. He'd actually yelled at me. I blinked, feeling stunned. He thought I'd mixed Zeke's dog up with his? If that was how he saw it, then that meant he hadn't been reborn. Had I overthought this? "Sorry, my bad. I remembered wrong. Don't be mad, okay?" I decided to roll with it and reached out to tug at the hem of Hugo's shirt. The second I pulled, I caught a glimpse of a tattoo on his shoulder. "Hmm?" He batted my hand away and yanked his shirt back into place. I knew I was already in the wrong, so I didn't push it or ask. I hurriedly changed the subject. "Hey, what's your first choice for colleges? Joslin University?" In my last life, he'd gotten into Joslin University as the top science student in the state. I already expected him to choose Joslin University in this life; I was really just making small talk to clear the air and kill the awkwardness. "Yeah." "Then we might end up as college mates! I just hope I get into Joslin University's literature department. Fingers crossed they don't bump me to something else." Honestly, I was quite happy. Going to college with my childhood friend and being able to look out for each other sounded pretty perfect. As I thought about that, Hugo suddenly grabbed my wrist. His eyes were bloodshot and almost terrifying. "What did you say? Say it again." What the hell? I tried to yank my hand back, but I failed. "Ow." I whimpered pitifully. It really did hurt. I had no idea what had gotten into him all of a sudden. Hugo loosened his hold and stared at my wrist, which was already turning red. His fingertips brushed over the redness, but he still didn't fully release me. He just kept his hand loosely circled around my wrist. "Sorry. But just now, you said you…" He trailed off mid-sentence, but his eyes were as bright as a puppy's. "Huh? I said my first choice is Joslin University's literature department. I just don't know if I'll make the cut." I pulled my wrist free, rubbed it, and got ready to head home.