When my boyfriend proposed, I broke up with him

chapter 1

The sharp sting in my arm snapped me back to reality.

I was in the hospital's surgical office, a nurse gently wrapping the final loop of gauze around my forearm.

She told me to keep it dry for a few days.

Across the room, sprawled in an office chair, Julian Vance scoffed. "It's just a scratch, and now you're acting like some delicate princess?"

I didn't respond, my jaw tight.

The other doctors in the room exchanged awkward glances. They'd all witnessed the chaos.

A burly ex-con, fresh out of prison, had stormed in, brandishing a foot-long knife. That blade was meant for Julian's heart, but I'd thrown myself in its path, taking the hit.

The gash on my arm, raw and gaping, had required over 20 stitches to close.

My silence seemed to rile Julian up. His face darkened, his eyes glinting with frost. "Don't be so dramatic. I said you could have anything for saving me. What's with the attitude?"

Julian and I had been childhood sweethearts, inseparable since grade school. But somewhere along the way, his tone shifted to this condescending one, like he was a king addressing a peasant.

All his warmth and tenderness were reserved for his first love, Luna Hayes, the orphaned girl he'd sponsored during a flood relief effort years ago.

My gaze flicked to the pink bunny hair tie on his wrist. Swallowing the bitter ache in my chest, I forced a smile and met his eyes. "Anything, huh?"

He froze, his glance darting to the hair tie. A flash of unease crossed his face before he masked it with a scowl.

Grinding his teeth, he nodded grudgingly. "Yeah. Anything."

The room buzzed with his colleagues' teasing. A school buddy grinned. "Guess you're tying the knot, Dr. Vance."

Others chimed in, chuckling. "Eight years is long enough. When is the wedding?"

"I've got my gift ready."

Their laughter filled the air, but I was about to drop my bombshell.

A young nurse burst in, breathless. "It's bad. Miss Hayes is threatening to jump off the roof."

...

Here it came again.

If my math was right, this was Luna's 108th suicide stunt, just like in my last life.

Julian bolted out and rushed to the rooftop.

There, Luna stood precariously near the edge, with tearful eyes and a pale face.

She wore Julian's white shirt, its hem skimming her slender thighs.

Memory hit me like a slap. During the attack, she'd been there, cowering behind Julian as I took the blade meant for him.

She'd emerged from his private lounge, draped in that same shirt. It was a gift given to Julian by me.

"Scarlett saved your life," Luna sobbed, tears streaming. "You promised her anything she wanted. She's crazy about you. She'll propose, and you'll say yes, won't you? I'm sorry, but I can't live a life without you. I'd rather die."

Her voice broke, each word a calculated dart.

Julian's face crumpled, and his deep voice dripped with concern. "Come down, Luna. Let me explain."

Luna was his everything. Her love for pink meant the Dior bag he'd bought for my birthday ended up as her reward for passing her finals.

Her fear of thunder had him racing to her side in the middle of the night, leaving me alone in our bed.

Once, at my grandfather's funeral, there were no flights available. He grew anxious when Luna called him crying.

Julian snapped at me. "Can't he pick a better day to die?"

He'd promised me eternal, unconditional devotion when we were teens. But by 26, when he met 18-year-old Luna, that devotion had a new address.

In my last life, jealousy consumed me, leading to my ruin.

This time, I was done with him for good.

...

Luna's hysterical wails pulled me back to the rooftop drama.

Julian had managed to calm her and bring her down.

They clung to each other, their bodies pressed so close it turned my stomach. His lips trembled as he kissed her forehead repeatedly, murmuring, "Thank God, you're okay."

Luna shook in his arms, sobbing. "Are you marrying Scarlett? If you are, I should've jumped."

Julian wiped her tears tenderly, his gaze flicking to me, cold and predatory. "Marriage is just a formality. In my heart, you're always number one."

He sighed theatrically. "Scarlett has been with me for eight years. I don't love her anymore, but she saved me from drowning once. And she has been like a maid ever since, always there to care for me. I owe her that much."

The onlookers gasped, their pitying stares burning into me. Yes, I'd pulled him from a frozen lake when we were kids, sparking our romance.

But he acted like my sacrifice was a leash I used to chain him. If I'd known he'd become this, I'd have let him sink then.

Their pity grated on me, and I broke my silence. "Julian, I'm swamped. When are you keeping your promise?"