A Sanctuary Named Zayn

I was carrying the child of the devoted second male lead.

But when I was hemorrhaging during a difficult labor,

He was by the female lead's side, anxiously attending to her.

The pain was unbearable, my body growing cold.

As my consciousness faded, I murmured bitterly, If I could start over, I'd never waste my heart on a man again.

When I opened my eyes again,

I had been reborn at the very beginning of the story.

Back then, the male and female leads were passionately entangled, the picture-perfect bickering couple.

And the gentle second male lead, Ethan, was the female leadLily's childhood friend, silently watching over her all along.

In this story, he was the classic beautiful, strong, tragic archetyperaised by a single mother battling illness, juggling studies and work to support his family and pay for her treatment. His life was one setback after another, his mother's death, failing college entrance exams, a failed business venture

As the devoted second lead, he was Lily's eternal safe harbor, her most solid support. After the male and female leads married, he left the country, fulfilling his destined to be alone ending.

He made readers cr buckets of tears.

I've always had a soft spot for the gentle, devoted type. After finishing the novel, I found myself unbearably heartbroken for him.

In my previous life, after dying, I inexplicably crossed into this world as a beautiful extra.

Logic screamed at me, Stay out of their story. Be a quiet background character.

But emotion, as always, won out.

Maybe it was a sense of shared hardship, but I couldn't help but gravitate towards Ethan.

I willingly became his guardian.

Did everything I could to save him.

I would have gladly torn out my own heart and given it to him.

But all of it, everything I did, couldn't withstand Lily's tearful plea, Ethan, I really need to see you.

So Ethan abandoned me, waiting to give birth in the hospital, to comfort Lily who had run away after a fight with the male lead.

The emotional turmoil caused my water to break prematurely.

And then, I died on the cold operating table.

I actively distanced myself from the main cast.

Ethan picked up on the shift pretty quickly.

After all, it had always been me shamelessly clinging to him, forcing my way into their tight-knit circle.

The sudden distance was obvious even to outsiders.

My nerdy desk mate leaned over and quietly asked if Ethan and I had gotten into a fight.

I gave my textbook a pat and flashed a bright, totally unconvincing smile.

Of course not! I just need to focus on studying. Finals are coming up, and I refuse to be ranked last again.

The moment I said it, I felt a heavy stare from the front of the classroom.

No prizes for guessingit was Ethan. He'd been sneaking looks at me for days, always with this expression like he had something to say.

But he was so scared of Lily reading into it the wrong way that he never dared to actually come over.

In my past life, I was foolish and pathetic, thinking I could save him.

I never dreamed my story would end so absurdly.

Now, I don't even have the energy for revenge.

First, I refused to have any connection with the main cast. Second, I genuinely don't have the guts or the drive to play the villain.

All I wanted now was to just live my own damn life, foe me.

Having died twice now, I've never valued life more. It was so precious. Whether it was back in the real world or here in this novel, I've never truly lived for myself.

Before I transmigrated, I was my mom's precious treasure.

But back then, I had congenital leukemia. My dad took off, and my mom worked herself to the bone, raising me completely on her own.

But then

I died falling at fifteen. Mom... her heart must have been utterly shattered.

Just thinking about it makes my nose sting and my eyes prickle with unshed tears.

Suddenly, Lily's sickly-sweet voice piped up right behind me,

Gwen, how come you never hang out with us anymore? Did you and River have a fight?

I looked up and immediately met Ethan's searching gaze from across the room.

A split second later, I flipped him the bird with a venomous smile, raised my middle finger, and mouthed the words silently but perfectly,

Fuck you, asshole

His smile froze, disbelief etched on his face.

Looking at Lily's innocent expression, I smiled sweetly.

Yeah, we had a fight. A really bad one.

Oh no! How come? She pretended to be shocked, but I caught that flash of satisfaction in her eyes.

So young, and still so terrible at hiding what she's really thinking.

Because I put on my best hurt and angry face, I realized he likes you, so I decided to stop liking him.

Chloe went pale instantly, nervously glancing around the hallway.

After a moment, she stammered, Gwen! Wh-what nonsense are you talking about!

I've always seen River as a brother! He definitely thinks of me as a sister!

We're just really close friends, don't say things like that

Her voice faded out, losing all conviction. She was clearly feeling guilty.

I found it pretty amusing.

Everyone could see Ethan had feelings for her.

Was she really that clueless?

Let's be real, she was using the whole sibling label to enjoy all the benefits of being his girlfriend.

No rejection, no initiative, no commitment. As long as she didn't tear down that paper-thin excuse, she could just keep basking in Ethan's devotion.

Tired of watching her face cycle through different shades of embarrassment, so I grabbed my vocab book and headed out to find somewhere quiet to study.

I brushed right past Ethan as he was coming my way.

He tried to grab my arm.

I snapped, Get lost!

The usual gentle smile vanished completely from his face, replaced by this confused anger.

The male lead, Chase, sauntered over, probably to mock Ethan.

Me, You too, get lost!

Useless idiot who couldn't even keep tabs on his own girlfriend.

I honestly hated every single member of the main friend group equally!

Chase jumped, startled, then turned sheepishly towards Lily. Sheesh, what's her problem! Who pissed in her cornflakes this morning?

I shoved right past Ethan, who was still blocking my path, and stormed out of the classroom.

For several days, we coexisted peacefully.

But it was that awkward, cold kind of quiet.

After school one day, I headed to the alley like always to feed Chubs.

Chubs was this big orange stray, super wary of people.

My plan was to slowly gain his trust and then take him in for good.

Back in my past life, both Lily and I had wanted him. Chubs was basically about to come home with me when Ethan stepped in.

After he kept pushing, I ended up letting Lily have him.

But since Chase hated cats, she casually dumped Chubs on Ethan like it was nothing.

That's when I saw my chance and took him.

This time, I wasn't going to wait around.

Just as I got to the alley entrance, I heard Lily's fake little laugh.

Wow, River, this cat is adorable! I'd love to take him home

I hurried over and swatted her hand away before she could touch him.

Don't touch him! Chubs bites.

She reluctantly pulled her hand back, pouting. Oh? Gwen, is this your cat?

Hah! The switch was fast! No more Gwen Goose like we're buddies.

Yes. My cat, I stated flatly, kneeling down to set out the food.

Lily bit her lip, putting on her helpless act. But it looks like a stray, doesn't it? Maybe I could give it a proper home?

No! I shut her down straight out. This is mycat. I'm taking him home.

I wasn't backing down on this.

And Lily was dead set on having him.

Ethan gave her this look, like he was annoyed but still wrapped around her finger.

He turned to me politely, Gwen, could you perhaps let Lily have this cat

I had no patience for their nonsense. I scooped Chubs up and turned to leave.

Strangely, Chubs didn't struggle this timejust stayed totally chill in my arms.

Seeing me walk off with the cat, Lily panicked.

She whined desperately, Ethan, help me

Ethan sighed with a smile. Tsk, what am I going to do with you?

He caught up and blocked my path, turning on that signature gentle persuasion.

Looking at the boy with the warm, sunny smile, I felt pure rage.

It was that exact gentle, broken look that had trapped me over and over in my past life.

Staying with him through his mother's death.

Helping him pick up the pieces after he failed his exams.

Giving him everything I had.

It was him who confessed first, making me believe we had a chance!

It was him who proposed, swearing we'd be together forever!

So why was he still wrapped up with Lily!?

All the pain and bitterness from my past life hit me at once.

The anger I'd been holding back just exploded.

Smack! My hand flew out before I could stop it, landing a hard slap across his face.

You spineless worm!

Ah! Gwen! How could you hit him! Lily shrieked indignantly.

Ethan's head snapped to the side. My nail had caught his chin, and a drop of blood welling up.

I reluctantly pulled my hand back.

That slap was for your cold-hearted betrayal. For being so wishy-washy and disloyal.

Lily was heartbroken, indignantly accusing me of being vicious, of wanting to destroy what I couldn't have.

Then call the cops I shot back with a sweet smile.

And what's this about 'ruining what I couldn't have'? I don't get it.

Why don't you explain the whole story to me, Lily?

Hah! Like she would!

Explaining would mean tearing down that flimsy facade right to his face.

How could she keep up the "just friends" act then?

Sure enough, Lily immediately clammed up, looking at me in panic, terrified I'd spill the beans.

Tsk tsk. Guilty conscience showing.

But why would I ever enlighten Ethan?

This was the fate he deserved!

Remembering my ride was waiting, I pulled a few hundred-dollar bills from my backpack.

Not wanting to get near either of them, I let the cash flutter to the ground.

Ethan, this should cover the medical bill. Enough? Want more?

Gwen! That's too far! Lily yelled, her face red. You think money fixes everything? Apologize to River right now!

I ignored her, studying Ethan.

Even a doormat has its limits.

The nicer they seem, the scarier they get when they snap.

Having been with him for years in my past life, I knew him too well.

What he hated most was being disrespected.

And that's exactly what I was doing now.

He was furious, his face terrifyingly dark.

Even with rage burning in his eyes, he still forced a smile to comfort Lily, saying it was fine.

What a classic second lead move!

I rolled my eyes, turned, and walked away without looking back, Chubs held tight in my arms.

I wanted to switch schools.

As long as I stayed anywhere near the main cast, I kept getting dragged into their nonsense.

One wrong move and I'd be right back in the middle of their messy love triangle.

Watching the drama from a distance was one thing, but being forced to participate? No thanks.

My transmigrated character was a wealthy heiress, an extra. After her parents died, she left a massive fortune, and a non-blood-related uncle became her legal guardian.

In my past life, I'd had little contact with this uncle. He was like a ghostshowing up randomly and disappearing just as fast.

The minute I turned eighteen, he ended the guardianship, transferred all the assets to me, and vanished.

That inheritance was what allowed Ethan, after college, not just to avoid going bankrupt but to build a whole empire that eventually went public.

In business circles, everyone respectfully called him Mr. Hayes.

In comparison, Chase, running a game studio seemed pretty pathetic.

Lily was always jealous of my life as a wealthy wife, dreaming about high society galas, and Ethan's immense wealth benefited both her and Chase.

I knew the Clarks family had helped him, and he wanted to repay that debt. As long as it wasn't too excessive, I turned a blind eye.

But he went way too far.

A cheater who crossed the line doesn't deserve a second chance.

In my past life, I'd planned to divorce him after having the baby, but I never expected to die during childbirth.

Was that the price for messing with the original plot?

I was lost in these gloomy thoughts when my phone rang.

I checked the caller ID and was stunned.

He was calling me? Him?

How bizarre!

As soon as I answered, my uncle's deep, magnetic voice came through, Did you get into a fight at school?

I was confused. No?

Your homeroom teacher called. Said you hit someone. He sounded annoyed.

Ah, so the main cast had snitched.

Since I needed his signature to transfer schools, I couldn't afford to piss him off.

While I was scrambling for an excuse, he cut me off,

Video call!

Huh?

Video call. I need to see if you're hurt.

Before I could respond, he hung up.

The next second, a video call request popped up on my screen.

Totally unprepared, I answered.

Instantly, a ridiculously handsome face filled the screen. I instinctively held my breath.

He was wearing a perfectly fitted suit, tall and imposing, holding a wine glass.

Looked like he was at some fancy event.

His eyes had this calculated charm as he chatted with someone, smiling but not quite reaching them, sharp edges hidden beneath the surface.

Uncle I called softly.

He turned, posture relaxed, scanning me up and down with an appraising look.

Then, his frown disappeared, and he almost looked pleased. Good. Not hurt. As expected of someone under my care.

Now, what happened? He asked casually, briefly turning briefly to acknowledge someone approaching him.

I chose my words carefully, going with a simple stroy about a small clash with a classmates.

Without wasting a second, I added, I'm sorry. It was my fault. I shouldn't have hit anyone.

Hmm? He shot me a sharp look, lazily dragging out the sound. Did I say you were wrong?

One little slap, and your teacher acts like it's the end of the world.

Frankly, you went too easy on that little punk. Next time something like this happens, tell me. I'll have someone chop his hands off and feed them to the dogs.

I gasped. What?!

He raised an eyebrow. What? You want to do it yourself?

Well, it's not completely off the table He actually seemed to think about it. But a young lady shouldn't be involved in such messy business.

I was shocked and utterly confused.

Wow, mister, your double standards are something else.

Anything else? If not, I'm hanging up. Got some old men to deal with. He raised his glass toward me and finished the wine.

Yes! Actually, yes! I blurted out. Uncle, I want to transfer schools!

He paused, locking me in an icy stare for a moment.

Heh. Giving up on chasing that little boyfriend of yours? Sworn off love forever?

His words sent a weird shiver through me.

How did he even know about that?

Had he been keeping tabs on me?

Maybe my suspicious look was too obvious, because his expression darkened instantly. He sounded seriously annoyed as he brushed me off.

Transfer if you want! Talk to Lester. He'll handle it. Lester is his executive assistant.

And next month, I'm returning to the country. We'll talk about your academic performance then. You'd better have a good explanation for why they're so... pathetic.

???

What's pathetic about my grades!?

Okay, sure, I was near the bottom of my class, but I'm still in the top hundred for the whole grade!

I was about to argue when he tossed the phone to Lester, leaving me staring at his cold, retreating back.

On screen, Lester gave me an awkward but polite smile.

Me,

Temperamental old man!

No wonder you were still single at thirty in your past life!