Rebirth: From Devoted Wife to Ice Queen CEO

Ethan's pov

My chest felt tight, like someone had wrapped steel bands around my ribs. I couldn't believe I'd forgotten all about Lisa.

His girlfriend, who was at the gala as the event planner.

Sweat beaded on my forehead even though the room was cool.

How could I forget that Lisa was there? I'd recommended her myself, since she kept begging me to make the connection for her.

Planning the end-of-year gala for the Lins would definitely open more doors for her, but I regretted that decision now.

From where I stood with Aria still in my arms, I saw Lisa turn her back on me and storm out of the hall.

My heart raced, pounding in my ears. Each beat reminded me of the anxious panic running through me.

One minute I was standing at the edge of the hall, making sure everything ran smoothly, and the next minute, Aria was kissing me.

"Aria!" Mr. Lin's voice cut through the blood rushing in my ears.

The older man swept his daughter from my arms, her head falling against his shoulder, and rushed out of the hall with his wife right behind him, probably to take her to the hospital.

What I needed to do now, and fast, was follow Lisa and explain myself to her.

But it seemed the reporters wouldn't let me through easily.

"Mr. Lou, how long have you been dating the Lin heiress?"

"When do you plan on proposing?"

"Do you plan on taking over the CEO position as soon as you marry Aria Lin?"

I stopped and glared at the reporter who asked that last question. I held my breath as I tried to control my anger.

I signaled for the guards to escort all the reporters out of the ballroom, and I was finally able to go search for Lisa.

I checked all the balconies, but she wasn't in any. I decided to check the storage room at the back of the hall and was lucky to find her there, fuming.

I wiped my sweaty palms on my pants before approaching her slowly. "Lisa, let me explain..."

But I never got to finish what I was about to say. The sharp sting of her slap stunned me into silence.

"I don't need your stupid explanations, Ethan. I know what I saw," she spat.

"No, you don't. It was all a misunderstanding," I said, my voice thick and unsteady.

"I know what I saw. You... you kissed her. In front of all those people," she said, her voice cracking.

My heart hammered against my ribs like thunder echoing through my body. I couldn't lose Lisa. I just couldn't.

"Let me explain, my love. Nothing is going on between me and Mr. Lin's daughter. I swear it," I said, my voice shaking.

"I don't believe you. I felt humiliated out there, Ethan," she stammered with rage.

My hands shook uncontrollably, betraying how terrified I was.

When I tried to touch her, she pulled back like my skin burned her, and the rejection was a physical ache in my chest.

My hands shook more as I pulled out the ring I'd bought just a week ago from my pocket. I'd been planning to propose to her tonight at my place, after the gala.

"My love, hear me out please. Look, I was planning to propose to you tonight. Do you really think I would have bought this ring if I was seeing someone else?" I choked out.

My voice felt like a thin thread about to snap under the weight of my panic.

My breath came in jagged, uneven gasps, like my lungs struggled to draw in air through the suffocating fear of possibly losing Lisa.

"And what? You expect me to believe that? You kissed her in front of everyone. I saw your hands holding her waist," she scowled.

I couldn't believe the usual warmth in her voice was now replaced by cold distance.

"I can fix it," I stammered quickly.

"And how are you going to do that?" Her words dripped with sarcasm.

"Two days. That's all I'm asking for. And I swear, I will make everything right," I said nervously, licking my dry lips.

She scoffed, a sound that showed the contempt written across her frowning face.

"And you expect me to believe that? Come on, Ethan, I wasn't born yesterday," she spat.

My pulse throbbed in my ears, drowning out all other sound.

"You know what? It's over. I don't want to be in a relationship with you anymore," she sneered, her eyes narrowed.

I stumbled back, my body reeling like I'd been hit by an invisible force. My face twisted with disbelief and shock.

My eyes glanced around the storeroom, not focusing on anything. In the silence that followed, I could hear the beat of my own pulse. Feel it everywhere in my body.

"Please... please, my love. Don't do this to us," I stammered, wringing my hands.

"Why don't you get it, Ethan? I want nothing to do with you anymore. And I swear, you won't like what I'm going to do to you if you follow me out of this room," she spat.

Lisa stormed out of the room, slamming the door against the wall on her way out.

Silence hung over the storage room like a suffocating blanket after Lisa left.

I fell to my knees on the cold floor, feeling the ache Lisa left behind in my chest. I didn't think I would ever feel normal again.

Aria's POV

I blinked against the sudden brightness that hit my eyes as soon as I opened them. I raised my hands to cover my face from the assault.

There was movement at my side and I turned to check.

My jaw dropped, eyes widening in disbelief like a sudden jolt of electricity had shot through my veins, leaving me momentarily stunned.

I stared at my parents.

My parents, who the last time I saw them was about three months after my wedding to Adrian.

I remembered waking up that awful day to news that both my parents had died in a plane crash on their way to London.

I blinked my eyes harder, trying to stop the tears at the edge of my eyes from falling.

I really tried to stop the tears, but they still flowed down my face. It had been five years since I saw them last, so the ache in my chest was too much to bear.

I did remember vaguely seeing them yesterday at the gala, but my emotions were running high, so I didn't pay much attention to my surroundings.

My crying must have alerted them that I was awake.

My father was the first person to approach my bed in a hurry.

"Princess, you're finally awake. What's wrong? Where does it hurt?" Mr. Lin asked, his eyes wide with alarm.

My mother came close as well, taking my hand in hers. "Should we call the doctor back? Tell us where it hurts?" Mrs. Lin asked as she bit her lip worriedly.

I couldn't stop my tears from falling more upon hearing their concern.

Both my parents looked at each other, probably wondering what could possibly make me cry so much.

I was finally able to control my tears and wiped at my face with the back of my hands. "I was just glad to see you both. That's all," I choked out.

My father still looked unconvinced.

"You gave us the shock of our lives yesterday, Aria. Care to explain what that was?" he asked.

"Now come on, dear, I don't think now is the right time to question her about that. Let her recover first," my mother replied to my father.

"Forgive me, Princess, your mother is right. You need all the rest you can get," Mr. Lin said.

"No... no, it's all right, Dad," I hiccupped.

I couldn't begin to tell them all I'd been through. No one would believe I went back in time. I found it hard to believe myself.

"How about we let you rest now, hmm?" my mother said, as she fluffed my blanket.

I smiled and watched as my mother practically dragged my father out of the room.

Finally left alone, I stood up and looked around my old room. The last time I saw it was on the day I married Adrian.

The sharp ringing of a phone interrupted my thoughts, so I searched around for where it was coming from and found it in the clutch I used yesterday.

The caller was my best friend Mia Wong.

A smile immediately spread across my face, and I picked up the call on the fourth ring.

"Hi Mia," I said into the phone.

"Don't 'hi Mia' me, Aria. I thought I was your best friend, so how is it that so much happened and I didn't know a single thing?" Mia shouted.

I had to immediately pull the phone from my ear because of how loud Mia was shouting.

"Calm down. How do you know all this?" I asked.

"How did I find out? Have you even checked your phone today?" Mia continued without pause.

"No, why?" I asked back.

"Just check your phone immediately, girl," Mia snickered.

I immediately hung up the call and opened my browser. I searched my name.

It felt like the floor was pulled out from under my feet and I put my hand over my mouth to cover my gasp upon seeing what Mia must have seen.