9
The two of them went back and forth, becoming a laughingstock for the crowd around them.
The once refined and elegant artist was now disheveled and demoralized by life, utterly deflated.
Any relationship, without a material foundation, will eventually fall apart.
In my last life, I worked tirelessly to earn money, hoping that financial conditions wouldn’t threaten my relationship with
Blake.
But in his eyes, it had turned into me being vulgar and lacking integrity.
Everything he had was given by me. Once I took it back, he was nothing.
After another stroll, as dusk settled, I returned home to find Blake sitting at my doorstep.
Seeing me, he stood up, his lips moving, looking utterly helpless.
“Viv… Vivian, you’re back…”
“Spit it out.”
“Vivian, I know you might not believe anything I say right now, but I’m reborn. In our last life, we were married, and I loved you very much.”
I smirked, looking at Blake like a pathetic dog begging for scraps.
“I believe you. I’m reborn too. Didn’t you want to marry Daisy, to have a different life? I made that happen for you!”
“You never loved me. Maybe after being together for so long, you felt some familial affection for me, but it was mostly about exploiting my value.”
Blake froze, then after a moment, he dropped to his knees before me, tears welling in his eyes.
“Vivian, you’re reborn too! I did have feelings for you! I know what I’ve done in this life has hurt you, but can you please give me another chance? Let me make up for what happened in this life and the last. Can we just start over?”
I pushed him away, took out my key, and opened the door, a look of utter disdain on my face.
“What, Daisy dumped you? You’re at your wit’s end and have nowhere else to go, so you thought you’d come begging to me?”
“Blake, you self–righteous piece of trash. I wouldn’t even spare you a glance if I saw you on the street.”
With that last sentence, I slammed the door shut, ignoring Blake’s pleas and cries from outside.
Ten dave passed quickly and soon it was the day of the exhibition.
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9:44 AM
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“Blake, you self–righteous piece of trash. I wouldn’t even spare you a glance if I saw you on the street.”
With that last sentence, I slammed the door shut, ignoring Blake’s pleas and cries from outside.
Ten days passed quickly, and soon it was the day of the exhibition.
Jasper had also worked incredibly hard, explaining each of his paintings to the visitors in the gallery.
After the exhibition, he asked all the visitors to stay. He then pulled out a bouquet of flowers from somewhere and slowly walked towards me.
“Vivian, thank you for giving me this opportunity. If you could give me a chance, I’d like our relationship to go a step further.”
“Like I said before, my feelings for you are pure, unadulterated love. Will you be my girlfriend?”
I couldn’t deny it. During my time interacting with Jasper, I had indeed developed feelings.
Across two lifetimes, I had never met anyone so genuinely sincere and driven in this circle.
I had once thought I would never form a deep bond with anyone again, but his earnest affection made my heart flutter
once more.
The moment I took the flowers from Jasper’s hand, I saw Blake.
He stood by a pillar at the side of the exhibition hall, just as I had been when I first heard him utter those words after my rebirth.
Only now, our positions were swapped. I was the one in power.
His figure was desolate, he had clearly lost more weight, his cheeks sunken, dark circles under his eyes. He looked as if he hadn’t slept or eaten properly in a long time.
He saw me take the flowers, and tears instantly streamed down his face. His fists clenched, he turned and walked away, reluctantly.
I felt no lingering attachment to Blake. I let out a long sigh, a farewell to the past.
Jasper’s technique was exceptional, his style full of personality, his works infused with spirit and depth, and he was humble and polite.
After this exhibition, he became widely renowned in the art world.
Jasper was truly good to me. His affection came from the heart, something that couldn’t be faked.
My career also soared. More and more partners actively sought me out. I no longer had to stoop low, and my wine glass no longer had to be tipped awkwardly.
Since that art exhibition, I never saw Blake again.
But I would always hear stories about him and Daisy from others
But I would always hear stories about him and Daisy from others.
It turned out Mr. Thompson wasn’t Daisy’s relative at all; he was her former sugar daddy.
Blake was furious when he found out and broke up with Daisy, exposing her online.
Daisy’s reputation was ruined. Unable to bear the pressure, she disappeared without a trace.
Blake, after these events, became completely demoralized. His paintings lost their spirit.
Now, he had no stable job, and coupled with his pretentious pride–too proud to ever truly ‘get his hands dirty‘–he struggled even to eat a decent meal.
Blake and Daisy’s fates were their own doing.
I no longer paid attention to them, shifting my focus back to my career and life.
Only by loving yourself first can others truly love you.
This life, my life, would be even more spectacular.
