Echoes of Redemption

In the shadowed corridors of my past life, I was Evelyn Hart, a woman whose every breath was tethered to Ethan Lewis, the golden heir of the Lewis dynasty. My father, a fallen soldier, had saved Ethan’s grandfather, forging a bond sealed with a childhood betrothal. Ethan was the sun—radiant, untouchable—while I, an orphan raised by his family’s charity, was a mere moon, reflecting his light. For decades, I poured my soul into loving him, only to be met with cold indifference.

That life ended in a cruel twist. Bedridden with illness, I lingered on the edge of death while Ethan, behind my back, planned a lavish wedding with Lily White. Their union coincided with my funeral—a final insult. His parting words haunted me: “If not for my grandfather’s promise, I’d have divorced you long ago and married Lily. You ruined us.” The sting of his hatred lingered even as I slipped away.

Then, rebirth granted me a second chance, three weeks before my fate was to repeat. The first act of my new life was to sever the engagement with Ethan. While he scurried to break ties with the Lewis family and grovel at Lily’s feet, I marched to the Lewis estate. Mr. Lewis, the patriarch, greeted me with a yellowed marriage contract. “Emily, marrying into the Lewis family was your grandfather’s last wish,” he intoned, his voice heavy with tradition.

I scanned the document, my eyes settling on Liam Lewis, the quiet youngest son, standing silently behind his father. “If I must marry in half a month, I’ll marry him,” I declared, pointing at Liam. The room fell into a stunned silence. Mr. Lewis’s face twisted in disbelief. “Marriage isn’t a joke, Emily. You and Ethan were promised since birth—childhood sweethearts. How can you refuse him for Liam?”

He wasn’t wrong. As a child, I’d dreamed of being Ethan’s wife, but his heart never mirrored mine. In my past life, our wedding day brought his bitter confession: “Since you insisted on this, be prepared—I’ll never love you.” I clung to hope, believing time would soften him. Yet, even in our sixties, he wept over love letters to Lily, his true regret. This time, I refused to be his pawn.

“Mr. Lewis, the contract specifies a Lewis family member, not Ethan specifically,” I argued. Liam, mature beyond his years, nodded calmly. “As long as you’ve thought it through, I have no objections.” Mr. Lewis, relieved, agreed, and the wedding was set for half a month hence at the Grand Horizon Hotel.

Chaos erupted when Ethan stormed in, his face a mask of fury. “This is the modern age—childhood betrothals are feudal nonsense! If you don’t let me marry Lily, I’ll never return!” Mr. Lewis’s cane slammed the table. “A woman like Lily, with a child out of wedlock, has no place here!” Ethan, blinded by obsession, moved out, vowing to wed Lily.

I distanced myself, moving from the new house Mr. Lewis had given me, only to find my belongings strewn in the hall by Lily, now living there with Ethan. “Ethan asked us to move in,” she smirked, her floral dress a mockery of hospitality. In my past life, this betrayal had broken me; this time, I gathered my things in silence. Lily’s taunt—“Aren’t you jealous?”—met my icy retort: “A dog and a match made in heaven.” Ethan’s accusations followed, but I walked away, unshaken.

Trouble brewed when I was accused of plagiarism at the school where I taught, a scheme traced to Lily stealing my drafts. Fired despite my protests, I confronted her. “It’s your fault for leaving your things lying around,” she sneered. Ethan’s celebratory dinner for her promotion became my stage—I poured wine over her head. “Are you insane?” he raged. “Lily’s a single mother!” My slap silenced him. “I wouldn’t marry you in a thousand lifetimes.”

Three days later, Ethan apologized, blaming Lily’s desperation. “Help her keep her job,” he begged. I refused, and soon Lily’s promotion unraveled, exposing Ethan’s interference. At a restaurant, I overheard Ethan’s drunken vow to marry Lily, belittling me. “Marrying her is just to placate Grandpa.” My resolve hardened.

My wedding to Liam proceeded, stunning guests who expected Ethan. His late arrival with Lily, in a red dress mirroring my past humiliation, faltered when he saw Liam as groom. “Uncle Liam, why are you in a groom’s suit?” he stammered. Liam’s calm reply and Mr. Lewis’s icy dismissal—“You didn’t want this marriage”—left Ethan reeling. Lily’s hope to marry into the family was crushed by Mr. Lewis’s scorn.

Months later, I thrived as a newspaper writer, encouraged by Liam’s support. A fabric shop encounter with Ethan and Lily revealed her pregnancy—a calculated move to secure her place. My cutting remark about their past disgrace sent them reeling. Ethan’s plea to Mr. Lewis for Lily’s acceptance ended in his expulsion, their small wedding a shadow of his former glory.

Scandal struck when Lily’s affair with the school principal was exposed, leading to her public humiliation and Ethan’s breakdown. He knelt to Mr. Lewis, who allowed his return but banned Lily. Ethan’s apology to me—“I was wrong about Lily”—fell on deaf ears. “I’m happy now,” I said, standing by Liam, who proposed we move out.

The move was interrupted by Lily’s furious demand for Ethan, claiming his child. Her shove left me unconscious, and I awoke to Liam’s guilt-ridden face. “You’re pregnant,” he whispered. Joy flooded me—my first child in two lives. Ethan’s plea for help for Lily met my advice: “Get a paternity test.” His realization of his infertility drove him to murder Lily, dying with her in a fire.

Mr. Lewis aged under grief, refusing to live with us, but my granddaughter’s laughter filled our home. As Liam served sweet and sour fish, I smiled, holding her tiny hand. The echoes of my past had faded, replaced by a redemption I’d forged with Liam.