I Loved You Once, I’ll Destroy You Twice Novel – “100 million. Take the money, leave the country within a week, and never come near my grandson again.” Mrs. Livingston, my boyfriend’s grandmother, sat across from me in her silk blouse and diamond earrings, her face tightened with disgust, as if my very presence dirtied the air she breathed. In my old life, I would have broken down, red-faced and trembling, telling her I loved Austin, that I was not after money.
I would have fought for him until my last breath. But this time, I only smiled faintly and nodded. “Alright.” Her brows lifted for a second, then she gave a cold laugh. “At least you finally know your place.” I lowered my eyes, took the check, and stood. I did not argue. I did not beg. Not anymore… Because I had already died once for Austin.
He pulled the trigger himself in my past life by staying at his side. It was an accident, they said. A drunken rage, a gun meant for someone else, but it found my chest instead. And while my blood soaked the floor, he did not even look at me.
He only whispered another woman’s name. When I opened my eyes again, I was here. Back to the night I was still his wife. Back to the time before the betrayal was complete. Back to this moment, where his grandmother handed me a check meant to erase me from his life. So I took it. Quietly. By the time I returned to the villa, the night was heavy.
The house was far too big and the only warmth came from a photo on the coffee table. Austin’s arm around my waist, his eyes locked on me with a tenderness so deep it once melted my heart.