This Time, I Played the Innocent

Ethan Parker, the heir to the Parker empire, was hopelessly in love with the innocent girl from a remote mountain village. But she wasn’t nearly as innocent as she seemed. For the sake of her love story, she used other people as stepping stones. This time, I found Ethan first after he went missing during a skydiving trip. Later, I realized that sweet little innocent seemed to remember our previous lives, too. So what? Ethan leaned his warm body against mine, pulled me onto his lap, and wrapped his arms around my waist. His breath brushed my neck, making me shiver. “Emma, once I’m better, I promise I’ll give you a better life.” While he was recovering, I did everything I could to take care of him. Then I did even more. I slept slumped beside his bed all night, kept him company all day, talked him through his worries, and gave him the best food we had. And I really had nursed him well. Aside from his memory loss and inability to stand, he was perfectly healthy. Whether he loved me out of gratitude or had genuinely fallen for me over time didn’t matter. As long as he loved me, I’d accomplished my goal. I stroked his face. His stubble scratched my palm. “It’s okay, Ethan. As long as you’re happy. Ryan and I will take care of you.” “A man shouldn’t have to live off a woman…” As usual, I took Ethan out in his wheelchair for some fresh air. When I saw our elderly neighbor, Mrs. Miller, struggling with a pile of bags, I hurried over to help. Ethan took them and held them on his lap. Well… seeing a powerful heir buried under a pile of colorful shopping bags was pretty funny. “You two…” Mrs. Miller smiled. “Ethan, Emma’s practically my granddaughter. I watched her grow up. She has a kind heart. You take good care of each other, and don’t you go breaking hers.” “As long as I’m alive, I’ll stay with Emma.” In my previous life, my best friend and I had rescued Ethan together. I brought him soup every day, but she took all the credit. The two of them fell in love and lived happily ever after. This time, I’d carried Ethan home myself and showered him with care and affection. With government grants helping local tourism grow, I poured everything I had into opening a bed-and-breakfast with Ethan. Thanks to my brother’s cooking, business kept getting better. I saved money for Ethan’s treatment. Once he recovered, I wanted him to find his parents. They had to be worried, didn’t they? Maybe he felt he owed me. He insisted there was no rush and was happy to stay, promising me a future together. I watched Ethan laughing with my brother. Honestly… Ethan Parker, the pampered heir, lowering himself to love a pretty little innocent with no money and no status? My brother, my best friend, and I had grown up together. We’d been incredibly close. Ryan had always treated Sophie Reed like another little sister. And I’d been delighted to have her as the sister I’d never had. I never imagined she would sacrifice my brother just to win Ethan’s sympathy and love. She used all those years of trust to get Ryan drunk, then took compromising photographs. With her clothes disheveled and tears falling, Sophie found Ethan and threw herself into his arms. “Ethan, I’m dirty now. I don’t deserve you…” “Ryan… he tried to force himself on me. But you’re the only one I love. I fought him off and escaped.” Ethan flew into a rage. He stormed into our house and beat my brother until he nearly lost consciousness. No matter how desperately I tried to stop him, I couldn’t. The commotion drew too much attention. Before long, everyone in the village was gossiping about it. Eventually, Ryan could barely hold his head up. Our parents had died young. Before they passed, they’d made him promise to look after me. “Emma, I’ll find work somewhere else. Once I’ve saved enough, I’ll take you to the city. How does that sound?” I knew I couldn’t make him stay. “Ryan, I know you’d never do anything like that.” As he turned to leave, I caught the tears in his eyes. When I found Sophie, she and Ethan were wrapped around each other. I asked her to speak with me alone. “Why?” “Emma, wake up. How long are you going to stay trapped in a place like this? Once I make it, I’ll compensate your brother, okay?” “For the sake of our friendship.” I hesitated. With money, Ryan wouldn’t have to work himself to death anymore. But after Ethan’s family found him and took him home, my brother died in a car crash. I couldn’t take it anymore. I sent Ethan the recording of my conversation with Sophie. They had a huge fight, and Sophie came slinking back to the village. Furious, she asked me to meet her. When I wasn’t looking, she shoved me into the river. “You love running your mouth, don’t you? Why aren’t you talking now?” She stood on the bank, watching coldly as I thrashed in the water, no matter how desperately I begged for help… I’d underestimated her place in Ethan’s heart. In the end, they got back together anyway. The only price was two lives they considered as worthless as ants. I thought it was time to begin.Back then, I’d believed Sophie was my best friend. I would have done anything for her. This time, I went ages without visiting her, and she never bothered to check on me. There weren’t many guests that morning. I wheeled Ethan into the courtyard, handed him a book, and said gently, “Sweetheart, Ryan and I are going shopping. Be good and enjoy the sunshine, okay?” He lounged in his chair, looking up at me with a clear, easy smile. When we came home, we heard voices inside. “Ethan, have you forgotten? I’m the one you’ve always loved!” Ryan started forward to see what was happening, but I quickly caught his arm. I peered carefully through a gap in the doorway curtain, still holding Ethan’s favorite mille-feuille cake. Sophie was draped across his lap. “I’m the one who saved you! Your broken leg still hasn’t healed, and you have a mole at the top of your thigh. I know all of that! How can you still not believe me?” Even if Ethan believed some of what she said, I could see anger creeping across his face. “Ethan, I know where your parents are. I know who you are. I’m the woman you love most. I’m your fiancée!” Oh… so she’d been reborn, too. So what? I had more resentment than a vengeful ghost. We’d see which one of us came out on top. I pinched my thigh hard enough to force tears into my eyes. Then, with reddened eyes and a look of shock, I let everything fall from my hands. The crash was loud enough for them to hear. “Emma? Is that you? Are you back?” I turned and ran. Straight to Sophie’s house. Her parents were a classic pair: a vicious, foulmouthed woman and a man with a hair-trigger temper. Their fights were notorious. Little arguments every other day, huge blowups twice a week. During one particularly bad fight, her father had nearly stabbed her mother. Fortunately, the neighbors stopped him. But they agreed on one thing: they adored their daughter. They’d had her late in life, after all. Whenever I visited, they ordered me around, making me do this and that. I’d actually been happy to help. Maybe it was because I’d grown up starved of parental love… Or maybe I’d just been too weak. The moment I stepped inside, I started shouting. “Mr. and Mrs. Reed! Sophie and I have always been best friends. I’ve always come over to help you around the house.” “Now I have a boyfriend. You’ve both met him. I used to give Sophie anything she wanted, but now she wants my boyfriend, too!” I was loud enough to draw the neighbors over to watch. I wasn’t afraid of making a scene. “I lost my parents when I was little. I’ve always thought of everyone in this village as family.” “What kind of sister steals the same…” Hearing the murmurs outside, Mrs. Reed dragged her husband out. She hissed at me, “Shut your mouth, you little bitch.” Then she hurried to the door. “All right, everyone, go on home! It’s all a misunderstanding!” Only after shutting the door did she turn back to me, kneeling on the floor. “That cripple of yours? We wouldn’t take him if you begged us! Watch what you say. We might let this slide out of consideration for watching you grow up.” When I looked ready to start wailing again, she quickly signaled for her husband to drag me farther inside. I refused to get up and planted myself firmly on the floor. With no other option, he dragged me. My legs scraped bloody against the ground and struck the steps hard enough to leave bruises. “Ethan is the best man in the world! You’re older than me, but that doesn’t give you the right to talk about him like that. He’s only injured. He’ll recover soon! Then you’ll be sorry.” “Oh, I’ll be sorry, will I?” The door suddenly swung open. Ryan wheeled Ethan inside, with Sophie following behind. All three saw me on the floor. Ryan let go of the wheelchair and rushed to check on me. Desperate to reach me, Ethan tried to move on his own and fell out of his chair. I hurried to my feet. As I passed Ryan, I deliberately slowed and whispered, “Just watch the show.”I took Ethan from Sophie and hauled him back into his wheelchair. “Ethan, are you okay? Why were you in such a hurry? Your legs haven’t healed yet…” As I spoke, I started crying again. My hands moved anxiously over his legs, checking for injuries. He pulled me onto his lap without a word, his lips pressed tight. I immediately buried myself against his chest. He stared at the wounds on my legs. Sophie grew anxious. She grabbed me and tried to pull me up. “Emma, let me take care of those cuts. Sitting on someone’s lap in front of everyone… that doesn’t look very appropriate, does it?” “Let go.” My hand loosened on his shoulder. I looked even more heartbroken, tears streaming down my face. A deep, satisfied smile flickered in Sophie’s eyes. “I told that woman to let go of you.” He angrily tore her hand off me and flung it away, then wheeled us out. I knew he had to feel awful. He’d humiliated himself, and he hadn’t even managed to stand up for me. I wanted him to feel guilty. He took me home and treated my injuries. They weren’t serious. Just scrapes and a little blood. Holding me close, he stroked my hair. “There’s nothing between us.” “But… why does she know something so private? I’m the one who brought you home. I’m the one who took care of you…” I started crying again. “Still, if she knows who your parents are, you should go with her.” “The medical care here isn’t very good. Maybe they could fix your legs.” He brushed a finger over my nose, his eyes indulgent. “Silly girl. She’s lived here with you all this time. How could she know all that? And someone’s awfully jealous.” When he hugged me, I flinched as though my legs still hurt. “Does it hurt?” “I’m fine!” When I went back to my room, Ryan suddenly caught my arm. “What’s going on?” “Ryan, just go along with me and do what I say.” I knew he’d spoiled me since we were children and always tried to indulge me. “And don’t go anywhere alone with Sophie. If she asks you to meet her, you have to tell me!” I was worried, so I repeated it several times. After that, Mr. and Mrs. Reed became strangely attentive. They kept coming over to see Ethan. “Well, aren’t you a handsome young man! Don’t take what I said the other day to heart. There’s nothing wrong with your legs that a little treatment can’t fix!” That only made Ethan less willing to acknowledge them. They kept fawning over him anyway. A few days later, Sophie arrived with Ethan’s biological parents. “Emma, they’re a wealthy family. Why would they want anything to do with our little village?” Sophie’s eyes were full of sadness and helplessness. Once Ethan told his parents I was the one who’d saved him, their attitude toward me softened considerably. They insisted on taking Ethan home, but he refused. For one thing, he still hadn’t recovered his memory. For another, he didn’t want to leave me behind. In the end, they gave Ryan a large sum of money and brought me along. The cars had barely started moving. Sophie planted herself in front of the lead car. “Mr. and Mrs. Parker, I’m the one who helped you find him. Could you take me, too? I’ll do anything.” “Ethan, let her come. That way I’ll have company.” She’d delivered herself right to my door. I would have been disappointed if she stayed behind.