Reborn to Walk Away His White Moonlight Can Keep Him

Everyone on campus knew I was totally obsessed with the Student Council President, Tristan Vance. To stay close to him, I went out of my way to please the faculty advisors and every council member, just to earn the position of vice president. In my past life, I was accused of drugging his drink to climb into his bed, later using an unexpected pregnancy to force him to marry me. Yet on the day of my agonizing labor complications, he locked me in the dark basement of his estate. He stood by, watching me die in excruciating pain. Right before I took my last breath, his twisted, spiteful voice rang out: "It’s all your fault. If you hadn't drugged me..." "How could I have lost Serena? She never would've taken her own life!" Serena Moore—his pure, untouchable first love. It turned out everything I sacrificed was just my own pathetic delusion. When I opened my eyes again, I was back to the very night someone spiked his glass. Watching him drink every last drop of the poisoned bourbon, I didn't hesitate for a single second. I pulled out my phone and dialed his dream girl. This time, I was done. I wanted nothing to do with him ever again. "Chloe, call Serena. Now!" Hearing Tristan's familiar, strained voice, I couldn't help but look back. His cheeks were flushed a deep crimson, his eyes feverish and wild as he stared at me. The spiked drink was finally taking full effect. Without an ounce of hesitation, I pulled out my phone and dialed Serena Moore's number. Once the call went through, I gave him a quick heads-up: "Hang in there, Tristan. Serena will be here in ten minutes." With that, I turned around and walked out the door without looking back, closing it firmly behind me. In my past life, I was the idiot who picked up the wrong cup, drank from it, and ended up carrying the blame for drugging him, only to meet a horrific death. In this life, I simply watched with cold detachment as he tilted his head back and finished the drink. Then, the moment the drug stripped away his control and he struggled to look at me, I called Serena. Right as the door clicked shut, I thought I heard him rasping my name. I acted completely deaf to it and quickened my pace down the hall. Ten minutes later, Serena rushed out of the elevator. She cast a wary, suspicious glance at me. Seeing that my clothes were neatly in place and my eyes completely clear, she breathed a visible sigh of relief. Before pushing the suite door open, she sneered at me, "You can leave now. Your services aren't needed here." I turned around, took the elevator down, hailed an Uber, and went straight back to my dorm. The next morning, Serena and Tristan walked into the Student Council office side by side. Tristan took a casual sip of his iced latte, then nonchalantly announced to the department directors: "Starting today, Serena is my girlfriend and our new executive vice president. I expect all of you to show her proper respect." He paused, turned his gaze toward me, and pointed his Montblanc pen directly at my face. "Especially you, Chloe." I knew exactly why he singled me out. Who on this campus didn't know I was utterly head-over-heels for him? Instead of breaking down, I just nodded blankly, not showing the slightest flicker of emotion. Serena curled her lips, throwing me a smug, triumphant smirk. I pretended not to notice, gathered my meeting notes, and got up to leave the boardroom. Just as I pushed my chair back, Serena let out a pathetic, dramatic whimper. "Tristan... does Chloe not want me involved with council business?" "I know how important she is to your team. If she’s unhappy with me being here, maybe I shouldn't join after all..." Tears welled up in Serena's eyes, looking as delicate and wronged as humanly possible. Tristan frowned. Before he could speak, I stopped in my tracks and answered cleanly: "Not at all. Since my presence makes you uncomfortable, I'll do my best to stay out of your sight from now on." Without waiting for Tristan's reaction, I walked straight out and headed to the library to study. Half an hour later, someone sharply tapped on my desk. I looked up, only to be met with Tristan's dark, brooding glare.My first instinct was to pack my laptop and leave. I wanted zero drama with him. Tristan moved faster, slamming his hand down on my textbook. He narrowed his eyes, staring me down. "Are you avoiding me? Why?" He leaned in closer, studying every inch of my expression. "Are you mad? Because of Serena?" I shook my head and answered evenly, "Not mad at all. I'm actually happy for you. Lovers finally finding their way to each other." A flicker of dissatisfaction crossed his eyes, as if he hated how calm I was. "Is that the truth? Or are you just throwing a tantrum?" He scoffed coldly: "Chloe, don't tell me you still can't let me go. At the freshman formal, you had a few drinks and secretly kissed my cheek—did you really think I didn't know?" "All those little thoughts hidden in your journal over the years... that password-protected folder on your laptop filled with my photos and academic papers? I’ve seen every single bit of it." "You thought you hid it so well, but the affection in your eyes was blinding. Who in the entire Student Council couldn't tell you were hopelessly in love with me?" "Never confessing to my face was the smartest decision of your pathetic life, because I honestly would have laughed right in your face!" "Laughed at how drastically you overestimated your own worth." He let out an arrogant laugh, snatched my tote bag, pulled out my notebook, and ripped it to shreds. Tristan grabbed a handful of printed journal pages, scattered them across the library floor, and ground his leather shoe into the paper: "Chloe, I brought you into the council freshman year and personally built you up to where you are. And this is where you put your focus? You knew damn well my heart belongs only to Serena, yet you secretly hoarded these pathetic fantasies!" "Do you have any idea how disgusting you make me feel?" My chest constricted sharply, a dull, familiar ache stabbing at my heart. I hadn't expected him to drag out my private past feelings like this, stepping on them like worthless trash. He leaned down close to my ear and whispered venomously: "I came here to tell you: last night, after I drank that glass and saw the way you looked at me, I knew you wanted to offer yourself up as my cure!" "Lucky for you, you had enough shame to step back. Otherwise, I would've been disgusted for the rest of my life. Because a girl like you isn't worthy!" Even though I no longer loved him in this life, hearing such callous cruelty still left a bitter taste. "Tristan, don't worry. I have zero feelings for you," I said, taking a slow breath as I knelt down, picking up the torn pages one by one. Surprise flashed in his eyes, quickly replaced by a haughty sneer. "You'd better mean what you say." He threw out another warning, telling me to stay far away from him so Serena wouldn't get the wrong idea, then stormed off. I didn't care to be an eyesore to them anyway. I already had paperwork to finalize for an overseas exchange program. After tidying up, I left campus. That night, I waited until almost ten to return to the council office to grab my belongings. The moment I stepped inside, something felt off. The official recommendation letter on my desk for the prestigious exchange program was gone. Opening Instagram, I saw Serena had just posted a screenshot of the exchange acceptance. Her caption read: 'Just casually mentioned I wanted to study in Europe, and he gave the spot to me instantly. Having a capable, attentive boyfriend really changes everything!' She stole my exchange spot. That was an exclusive departmental incentive, prioritized for the director who managed all annual reports—which was me. As president, Tristan had the final signature. Knowing full well it was designated for me, he handed it to Serena on a silver platter. Hearing me come in, Tristan leaned against my office doorframe, his tone completely careless. "Serena wanted to go abroad, so I transferred your spot to her. With your GPA, you can just apply again on your own." I didn't even look up. A simple "Okay" was my only response. Tristan's brows pulled together as he glared at me. "Chloe, aren't you the one who hates seeing me treat anyone else well? Why aren't you throwing a fit?" "Are you secretly plotting something behind our backs?" "Let me make this clear: if you dare mess with Serena, I'll kick you out of the council before you can blink!" I finally lifted my eyes, meeting his gaze coldly. "I'm not trying to mess with anyone. In fact, I'd appreciate it if everyone left me alone." "Besides, haven't you always demanded that I remain strictly professional? You should be thrilled to see me acting this way, shouldn't you?" Tristan pressed his lips tightly together, his ego clearly bruised. "Fine! Chloe, just fine!" He slammed the door and walked away. Every time he used that tone, it meant he was furious. Too bad I had zero interest in placating him ever again. Whether he was pissed off or not meant nothing to me. I was leaving soon anyway. Aside from the council recommendation, I had already secured an elite fellowship abroad through an international competition. He was right about one thing: I never needed his favor to get what I wanted.The following weeks were uneventful. Serena flaunted their relationship at the council office every single day. Tristan was still giving me the silent treatment, waiting for me to apologize, but I treated him like air. A month later, Serena officially announced her acceptance into the foreign program. Tristan acted like he wanted the whole world to celebrate. Around the same time, rumors of their upcoming engagement gala spread across every campus chat. In this life, his precious white moonlight got the spot, and I was more than happy to let them have each other. Once my independent visa paperwork was processed, I booked a one-way ticket to Oxford. The departure date was set for the exact evening of their engagement celebration. I didn't expect Tristan to corner me again. He deliberately chose a time when Serena wasn't around. He pulled up an email from the academic portal on his phone and shoved the screen in front of my face. "You applied for an independent exchange? What, are you running away to hide because Serena and I are getting engaged?" My heart skipped a beat, but his arrogant assumption quickly put me at ease. "Yes. I just need some space to clear my head," I played along. Seeing me look down without arguing, his tone softened, though it remained condescending. "Chloe, haven't you thrown enough tantrums?" "Ever since Serena joined the council, you've been avoiding me." "We're getting engaged sooner or later. Are you planning on running away every time you see us together?" I shook my head calmly. "Tristan, you're misunderstanding. I only ever viewed you as a senior who mentored me. All I have for you is gratitude." "You have a girlfriend and you're getting engaged. Keeping a healthy boundary is basic decency, not avoiding you." He barked out a laugh, as if he had just heard the funniest joke in the world. "Gratitude? Chloe, every single soul on this campus knows you're hopelessly in love with me! Who would buy that you only feel gratitude? Ask yourself, do you even believe that lie?" His eyes drifted to the luxury fountain pen sitting on my desk, a smirk spreading across his lips. "You kept every single little gift I gave you over the years in pristine condition, and you still claim you don't love me?" He then took on a serious, lecturing tone: "You should pack all this junk away. I'm about to be an engaged man. Stop clinging to delusions that will never happen." "We may have worked closely together, but I will never fall for you. If Serena sees these keepsakes, it might upset her, and I won't have my future wife feeling uncomfortable for a second." "Understood," I replied casually. I grabbed a cardboard box and swept every gift on the shelf straight into it. I was going to throw them out before leaving anyway. Getting rid of them now just saved me time. I had never realized before just how sickeningly narcissistic he was. Seeing my careless reaction, Tristan frowned deeply, reaching out to grab my wrist. "Chloe, can't you be a little more gentle? Look, you nearly bent the nib of that pen!" I looked at the designer pen in his hand. It was the very first gift he gave me the day I passed my council probation and became an associate director. For years, I treated it like a sacred treasure, not letting anyone else even touch it. Now, seeing me toss it like worthless trash made him visibly agitated. "Chloe, you're obviously hurting so much from my engagement that you're running abroad, yet you're putting on this act right in front of me! Whatever, maybe going overseas to cool off is best. Serena needs my full attention right now anyway, and it saves her from having to look at you around the office!" Tristan pulled out his phone and transferred two hundred dollars to my Venmo. "Take this. Settle in properly once you get to Europe. Focus on your classes, travel around, and take a month to unwind. By then, Serena's spot will be completely locked in." He shot me a loaded, knowing look: "Sort out your feelings while you're away. Don't spend your time missing me. I'll be an engaged man when you return, and you need to get used to that reality. Otherwise, working together will just be awkward." He rattled off a few generic tips about adjusting to living abroad. What he didn't realize was that I had lived an entire lifetime before this one. And this time, I wasn't going abroad for a short study trip. I was leaving his world permanently. On the day of Tristan's grand engagement gala, the venue and the council headquarters were buzzing with chaos from early morning. While everyone was completely consumed with event prep, I rolled my suitcase down to the curb, got into a yellow cab, and headed straight for JFK.