After Killing Me, My Ex Still Believed I Was His

The day I found out I was pregnant, Julian deliberately drove the car off a cliff.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back in my college days.

Only then did I understand

from beginning to end, the person in his heart had always been his first love, Serena.

I tore the love letter to shreds on the spot and walked away in the opposite direction from him.

Eight years later.

He booked the most expensive bar in the city, preparing a proposal for the love of his life.

When he saw me appear, he looked at me with open mockery and said,

I know you cant let me go, but you didnt have to chase me all the way here, did you?

But the moment he saw me holding another mans hand, he completely lost control.

Claire, he demanded, eyes burning red, didnt you promise to love only me for the rest of your life?

I never expected to see Julian again, especially not in a nightclub.

Traffic had delayed me, causing me to miss the class reunion dinner. I drove straight to the club where I had a prior engagement. To my surprise, I stumbled upon my old classmates who had moved on to their second venue of the night.

They were lost in the rhythm on the dance floor. Julian, with his fair skin and tall stature, stood out in the crowd. He held Serena close, his eyes full of adoration.

"Julian is truly a rare genius. At such a young age, he already owns several Formula 1 teams," someone remarked.

"Indeed. Tonight, he rented out this entire club just for Serena."

"This must be the most luxurious venue in the city. The rental fee for one night must be at least a million dollars."

"Well, you can't put a price on a beautiful woman's smile."

As the music stopped, Serena stood there, flushed and slightly out of breath.

Suddenly, the big screen lit up, playing a montage of Julian and Serena's romantic moments. The crowd started to cheer as Serena was ushered onto the stage. Julian, holding a bouquet of roses, got down on one knee before her.

"Serena, will you marry me?" His voice was as soft as a gentle stream, almost overflowing with emotion.

Someone in the crowd asked, "When did Julian break up with Claire?"

The question, neither too loud nor too soft, reached everyone's ears.

Hearing my name, Julian's expression darkened, his smile fading.

Serena's face froze for a moment before she quickly recovered, accepting the flowers from Julian with a polite smile. "Julian has always been popular with women, but who hasn't made mistakes when they were young? The important thing is that it all worked out in the end."

The crowd laughed, continuing to compliment the couple on how well-matched they were.

I stood in the corner, watching their intertwined fingers. Was I the mistake she referred to?

But she didn't know that in my previous life, it was Julian who had pursued me.

He had fallen for me at first sight, launching an intense pursuit. Who could resist a handsome, tall, intelligent man who loved you to the point of obsession?

So I agreed.

On the day we became official, Julian cupped my face, hesitating to kiss me. "Claire, am I dreaming?" he had said. "If I kiss you, will I wake up?"

I laughed, brushing his beautiful eyes before standing on tiptoe to kiss him.

That night, he promised me, "Claire, I'll be good to you for the rest of my life."

I believed him.

But he lied.

I took a deep breath and headed towards the elevator through the dim light.

A sharp-eyed former classmate spotted me and exclaimed, "Claire, what are you doing here?"

"What happened to you? You look so disheveled."

"Don't tell me you're still unemployed. Since Julian is here, why don't you ask him to help you find a job that pays at least $5000 a month, for old times' sake?"

Their mockery was undisguised. I didn't care, just smiling politely as I poured myself a glass of ice water.

From the moment I entered, Julian's gaze had been fixed on me, never wavering. Seeing me take a free glass of ice water, he seemed to relax a bit and said casually, "Order whatever you want. I'm covering all the expenses tonight."

I replied, "Thank you, but that won't be necessary."

My tone was polite but carried an unmistakable distance.

Julian's attempt to approach me halted. Half his face was hidden in the shadows, making his expression unreadable.

After a long moment, he let out a bitter laugh. "Claire, after all these years, you're still so prideful."

Serena's gaze was filled with wariness. She intertwined her fingers with Julian's, eyeing me with a look of ownership and contempt. "Claire, I don't mean to be rude, but as a woman, you should at least make an effort with your appearance when you go out."

"Look at your mismatched clothes and messy hair. How do you expect any man to want to marry you like this?"

"I have plenty of clothes at home that I don't wear anymore. If you don't mind, you can have them. After all, Julian buys me so many that I can't even fit them all in two walk-in closets."

The crowd burst into laughter.

I turned to look at my reflection in the glass. After two days of non-stop work on set, I was exhausted and hadn't bothered with my appearance. Standing next to the impeccably groomed Serena, I did look rather unkempt in comparison.

"No, thank you," I said, waving her off as I helped myself to some chilled fruit from the bar. I was too hungry to care about my table manners.

Julian suddenly walked towards me and held out his phone. I looked up at him, confused.

"Give me your account number. I'll transfer you $300,000," he said.

"Your current situation is ultimately because of me."

"But we're in the past now. Don't be so stubborn."

"Stop waiting for me and move on with your life."

Julian's phone wallpaper was a picture of Serena holding a large bouquet of flowers. Looking at her carefree smile, I felt a bit dazed.

In my previous life, let alone being his wallpaper, there wasn't a single trace of me on Julian's phone. He didn't even save my number because he never needed to contact me. Whether in life or work, I always arranged everything for him in advance.

It turns out that love and indifference are indeed very obvious.

We started dating in college and got married right after graduation.

He dreamed of becoming a race car driver, while I wanted to study film directing.

Two completely different dreams that would never intersect.

Seeing his dejected eyes, I gave in.

I gave up the opportunity to study abroad without hesitation, following him around with heavy toolboxes day after day.

He didn't have professional equipment, so I would ride my bicycle around the city at night delivering food, saving money to buy him the most expensive and best racing suits.

He didn't have a maintenance team, so I taught myself car repair techniques, taking on the work of an entire team for him alone.

But he still lost.

His second-hand race car, bought at a low price, could never outrun others' latest models.

Despite my tireless efforts to comfort him in his depression, he pushed me away harshly, his eyes filled with a disgust I had never seen before:

"I'm sick of this boring life with you."

"If I had chosen Serena back then, I wouldn't be living like this now."

Those words shattered all my hopes for the future.

I didn't even have time to look back at the road we had traveled before we both died in that cliff accident.

I wanted to beg him to save our child.

But the words were swallowed by the flames before they could leave my mouth.

Since fate had given us a chance to start over, we both chose to pursue the lives we wanted.

There was no need for any further contact between us.

I pushed the phone back to him. "There's no relationship between us. This isn't necessary."

Julian frowned, his voice trembling slightly, though he didn't seem to notice it himself. "No relationship? What do you mean? Am I just a stranger to you now?"

I looked up, meeting his gaze steadily. "Aren't we? Our lives have no intersection. Whether I dress well or poorly, whether I live comfortably or not, what does it have to do with you?"

"If you have too much money to spend, you might consider helping those in need."

Perhaps feeling that I had embarrassed him in front of everyone, Julian's expression turned impatient. He coldly rebuked me, "Claire, stop pretending. Didn't you show up here just to get my attention?"

Seeing this, Serena gently comforted him, "Julian, don't say that about Claire. It's too harsh."

Turning to me, the contempt in her eyes was barely concealed, though her tone remained gentle as ever. "Claire, don't mind Julian. He's just concerned about an old classmate."

"How about this? I opened a private clinic on South Street. We need a receptionist there, with a salary of $7000 plus room and board."

"If you're interested, you can work there."

Someone nearby exclaimed, "South Street is prime real estate! To have a clinic there, Serena must really be something."

"Claire, you've struck gold! Quick, thank Serena!"

I rolled my eyes, calmly eating my fruit and refusing their offer once again. "No need. I'm very happy with my current job."

Seeing that I didn't appreciate their gesture, those trying to curry favor with Julian immediately stood up to criticize me for being ungrateful.

"Claire, I think poverty has made you crazy. Julian and Serena are trying to help you, and not only are you not grateful, but you're acting all high and mighty."

"We're all old classmates. Everyone knows what you're worth. Don't miss this opportunity for the sake of your worthless pride."

After he finished speaking, Serena pretended to stop him. "Please don't say that about Claire... Maybe she really likes her current life."

As she spoke, her eyes welled up with tears, as if she had been bullied.

Seeing the tears in Serena's eyes, Julian pulled her into his arms, comforting her softly. "Serena, you're just too kind."

He turned to me and said, "Claire, I didn't expect you to still be so selfish and hypocritical."

"You really are beyond help! You only deserve the worst life has to offer."

I was curious why Julian would say such things about me.

In both my previous life and this one, I had never done anything to hurt him. Why, after all these years, was he still speaking to me so harshly?

I didn't want to engage with them any further and stood up to go to the private room upstairs. However, a former male classmate blocked my way.

He held a drink and leered at me as he approached.

"Claire, I always hated that high-and-mighty act of yours. Never thought I'd see you like this."

"How about you drink with me? $500 per glass, what do you say?"

"If you let me hold your hand, I might even pay extra."

I looked closely and barely recognized him as the guy who had confessed to me at the graduation ceremony.

I think his name was Jack.

At the time, I was focused on securing a spot for further studies abroad, so I had flatly rejected his advances.

I didn't expect him to hold a grudge for so long.

Everyone was laughing, and no one came to my aid.

I frowned.

It wasn't my intention to join their gathering. If I hadn't had a prior appointment, I would have left long ago.

The security guards were nowhere to be seen. As I was about to push him away, Julian, who had been quietly watching everything, suddenly threw his glass violently at Jack.

His tone was ice-cold: "Stay away from her."

Jack, now drenched in alcohol, was about to lash out but stopped when he realized it was Julian. He could only turn back and glare at me viciously.

The glass shattered on the floor. Serena's schadenfreude smile instantly vanished as she looked at Julian in disbelief. "Julian, what are you doing?"

Julian didn't even glance at her, his eyes fixed on me. "This is my event tonight. I don't want any accidents happening here."

I took two steps back, wiping the alcohol off my pants. "The security here is really poor."

Serena looked at me, her eyes almost shooting fire. "You're complaining now?"

"Do you know where you are? This is the property of Adrian, the movie star. If it weren't for Julian, someone like you wouldn't be able to set foot in here in a lifetime."

At the mention of Adrian, several female classmates suddenly became excited.

"Is that the Adrian who's won all those awards at such a young age and has been on the city's richest list for five consecutive years?"

"I heard he already has a child, but his wife has never been seen in public."

Just then, the main door was suddenly pushed open.

A little girl, surrounded by a group of bodyguards, entered the hall.

The girl looked around curiously. A butler in a suit followed closely behind her, cautiously saying, "Miss, please walk slowly. Be careful not to bump into anything."

The old classmates became excited instantly.

"Someone who can freely enter a private event and is called 'Miss' must be the movie star's little princess!"

"My goodness, she looks exactly like Adrian!"

I was about to step forward when the man who had been splashed with alcohol by Julian earlier blocked my path again.

He didn't dare confront Julian, so he took out his frustration on me: "Claire, if it weren't for Julian, how could someone like you even get to see the movie star's daughter? I suggest you kneel down and apologize to me right now. If I'm in a good mood, I might even marry you."

"A good man like me with a stable monthly income of $5000 is hard to come by. I advise you to be sensible!"

I ignored him and watched as the movie star's daughter was surrounded by people.

They bombarded her with questions, and some had already taken out their phones to take pictures.

Serena's face no longer showed the arrogance from earlier. Instead, she wore a fawning smile: "Little sister, is your daddy Adrian?"

After getting confirmation from the little girl, Serena's smile became even more ingratiating: "What are you doing here? Would you like some fruit? Let sister get it for you."

As she spoke, she reached out to touch the girl's face.

The little girl pushed Serena's hand away and walked straight towards me.

Under everyone's gaze, she threw herself into my arms, sweetly calling out: "Mommy!"

Her bright eyes instantly filled with tears as she looked at me pitifully: "Mommy, Lily missed you so much!"

"Why didn't you answer Lily's call yesterday?"

I held her in my arms, comforting her softly: "Mommy was rehearsing with the actors on set yesterday and didn't check her phone. Mommy won't do it again. Can Lily forgive mommy?"

Lily smiled brightly at me and planted a kiss on my cheek with a "mwah" sound.

"Lily isn't mad at mommy. I was just worried about you."

I poked her cheek: "Mommy's little Lily is the best."

Everyone present was shocked, all looking at us with disbelief.

Julian stood frozen, frowning as he was about to speak.

A handsome man wearing sunglasses rushed in from the entrance.

"Honey, why didn't you message me that you got off work early today? I would have picked you up. There's so much traffic, I worry about you going alone."

"The manager told me your classmates are having a gathering here?"

He put his arm around my shoulder, took off his sunglasses, and smiled at everyone:

"Hello, I'm Claire's husband. My name is Adrian."

"Tonight's gathering is on me. You're all Claire's classmates, so feel free to make any requests. I hope everyone has a great time tonight."

The man who had just tried to get me to drink with him suddenly turned pale, while almost all the female classmates became so excited they could barely speak coherently:

"Claire is actually the movie star's wife!"

"Oh my god, it's like a drama come to life. This is too perfect!"

Hearing this, I just smiled without responding.

Adrian turned his head, his gaze scanning Julian up and down.

After a while, he gave a contemptuous smile and said in a neutral tone:

"So you're Claire's college boyfriend?"

"I should thank you. It's because of you that I was able to marry such a perfect wife."

Julian didn't respond, his gaze fixed on me:

"Claire, are you lying again?"

"Are they actors you hired from somewhere?"

I sighed, directly taking Adrian's hand and showing the wedding ring symbolizing our vows to Julian:

"He is my only husband, Adrian."

"I never lie, and I have no reason to lie to you."

Julian suddenly panicked:

"But you said you would only love me forever!"

Fearing that Adrian might get jealous, I quickly explained to him:

"I never said that. Never."

These words made Julian's face lose all color.

He wanted to argue but knew he was in the wrong.

In my previous life, I had indeed promised at our wedding to love only him for life.

Living this life again, he chose a different path for himself. What right did he have to demand that I fulfill the promises of my previous life?

Julian couldn't accept it:

"Even so, we were once in love. How can you be with someone else so casually? Does our past mean nothing to you?"

Beside him, Serena's face had turned completely pale.

Looking at the photos still rolling on the big screen, I sighed helplessly:

"Aren't you with Serena now?"

"Half an hour ago, you were proposing to her. Now you're accusing me of not cherishing our past."

Julian had organized this gathering, and almost everyone had come with the intention of currying favor with him.

When I was harassed by a male classmate, not one person reached out to help me. Now that they knew my identity, they started to criticize Julian and Serena.

"That's right, Julian. Let it go. Claire is so happy now, you shouldn't disturb her anymore."

"After all, who wouldn't love a handsome and rich movie star?"

Serena couldn't bear to listen anymore. She stepped forward, trying to hold Julian's hand:

"Julian, let's go. I'm your fiance now. You and Claire have nothing to do with each other anymore."

But as soon as her hand touched Julian, he violently shook it off.

Serena lost her balance and fell onto the broken glass. Her delicate hand was instantly cut with several shallow wounds.

Her face immediately turned red, and she looked at me with resentful eyes.

Adrian's smile deepened as he spoke leisurely:

"Mr. Summers, you're not regretting your choice and wanting to win my wife back now, are you?"

"Claire is indeed very charming, but she's not interested in just anyone. Mr. Summers, it's best not to overestimate yourself."

Having his thoughts exposed by Adrian, Julian froze on the spot, stuttering as he tried to explain:

"No... I..."

I raised my hand to interrupt him, my tone cold:

"Julian, the past can only be the past."

"I have a happy family now, and you've found your true love as you wished."

"Let's not say any more meaningless words."

Our daughter had clearly lost interest in the situation. She tugged on Adrian's hand and pouted:

"Daddy, I don't want to celebrate my birthday here anymore. I want to go home and eat the food you and mommy cook."

Adrian asked the butler to take our daughter to the car.

Holding my hand, he gave a meaningful look to everyone present.

"I heard that someone offered a high price of $500 earlier, wanting my wife to drink with them?"

Jack's face instantly turned pale. His shoulders trembling, he apologized profusely:

"It was me... I was blind and offended Mrs. Smith. Please... please be magnanimous and forgive me."

He hung his head, stuttering slightly due to extreme nervousness.

With just a glance from Adrian, the bodyguards behind him lifted Jack and dragged him into a side room.

After dealing with Jack, Adrian turned his attention to Serena:

"I also heard that you wanted my wife to work as a cleaner at your clinic?"

"As it happens, I own an entire block of businesses in the South District. If even the cleaning staff needs to be personally recruited by the owner, I think I should reconsider the lease renewal."

The threat in his words was clear.

Serena managed to squeeze out a smile, hiding slightly behind Julian:

"I was just joking with your wife. Please don't take it to heart..."

Adrian then looked up, his gaze sweeping over those who had spoken disrespectfully to me earlier.

They all lowered their heads, not daring to even breathe loudly.

After all this, he finally turned to me, giving me a flirtatious wink.

I knew what that meant. He was seeking praise for standing up for me.

I took his hand and turned to leave.

Just as we stepped out of the main door, Julian caught up with us.

He called out to me:

"Claire!"

The late autumn wind was chilly, and I instinctively hugged my arms.

I signaled Adrian to wait for me in the car. After hesitating for a moment, he draped his coat over my shoulders before getting into the car.

Even when facing Julian, he chose to respect and trust me.

I clutched Adrian's coat tightly, watching Julian approach with unsteady steps.

His eyes were dark and unreadable.

"Why did you marry Adrian? Is he really better than me?"

I was speechless at his words, but thinking back to everything that happened before I married Adrian, I couldn't help but smile.

That year, I was still a rookie director barely stepping into the film industry. Even new media short drama producers wouldn't look at my scripts.

To chase my dream, I had spent almost all my savings.

When I was at my wits' end, Adrian took on my script.

He didn't look down on me. Instead, he carefully went over the plot details with me, recommended suitable actors, and helped me win my first director's award.

On the day I received the award, he confessed his feelings to me.

I won't deny that I had developed feelings for him during our long association, but because of the shadows from my past life, I forced myself to stay calm.

I asked him:

"If I'm with you, can I still continue my career as a director?"

Adrian was surprised by my question:

"You're an independent person. You can do anything you want without needing my permission. I love you, so I'll support you with all my might."

I took a deep breath and continued:

"I like children."

Adrian chuckled softly:

"So do I."

I accepted his pursuit, and from that day on, he became the catalyst for my new beginning.

Later, we got married.

Adrian respected my wishes and held a simple wedding in a church with only close friends and family.

Then, we had Lily.

Seeing my happy expression, Julian felt as if his heart was being pricked by needles.

With reddened eyes, he asked me again:

"That little girl, is she really your child?"

"Yes."

"You weren't willing to have a child with me, why could you have one with him!"

Hearing this, I suddenly recalled the ultrasound report I had clutched tightly until my death in my previous life.

That child had already developed a regular heartbeat, but ended up perishing with me in the fire.

My chest hurt so much I could barely breathe, and my vision blurred with tears.

Julian was still accusing me of betraying him. Finally, I couldn't hold back anymore and slapped him across the face.

Julian held his swollen cheek, looking at me in disbelief.

"We once had a child."

"On the day you drove us off the cliff, I was going to tell you."

"I used to feel incredibly guilty about that child, but now I'm just relieved. At least my child didn't have a father like you."

Upon hearing this, Julian froze on the spot.

He covered his mouth, as if he had received a massive shock, and asked me with a trembling voice:

"No, didn't you go to have an abortion that day?"

"Serena told me she saw you enter the abortion clinic with her own eyes!"

"She said you thought I was too poor, so you didn't want to have my child!"

At that moment, I finally understood why Julian had called me selfish when we met again after all these years.

"If I really looked down on you, why would I have married you without hesitation?"

Julian was completely devastated.

He collapsed on the ground, mumbling:

"I killed my child... I killed them."

Tears rolled down my cheeks as I looked at the man before me, feeling nothing but ridicule.

"I walked with you for so long, gave you so much, yet you easily believed someone else's words."

I turned to leave, but Julian grabbed my hand:

"Claire, I was wrong. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have doubted you."

"Please come back to me. I can't live without you."

I shook my head and pulled my hand away:

"Julian, you forgot."

"'Let's never see each other again in this life.' Those were your words that day."

I understood that no one could change the past.

Fortunately, I had truly let go.