A Second Chance At Broken Love

David Chen, my fiancé, lay dead on top of me, his blood soaking through my clothes.

His last words, a whisper against the chaos, echoed in my head: "If there's a next life, let's not be together again... I want to wait for her."

For nine years, I had chased his shadow, followed him on dangerous missions, hoping my devotion would break through his icy heart. It never did. He hated me because his childhood sweetheart, Emily, had died, and I was the one left living. His father even spat, "You drove Emily to despair, and you killed David!"

Everyone, even my guardian, General Thompson, regretted our forced engagement, blaming me. I regretted it most of all, feeling like a disaster magnet, destroying so many lives with my selfish, naive love.

The irony was a bitter taste: I had survived, and he was gone. So, I prepared to grant his wish and finally disappear.

I stood on the Golden Gate Bridge, the wind whipping my hair, the water dark and final below. Closing my eyes, I let myself fall, embracing the end. But the impact never came. Instead, I jolted awake in my own bed, sunlight streaming in. My phone buzzed, and the date on the screen made my heart stop: the day before our engagement party. I was back. This time, I wouldn't make the same mistake. This time, I would set them all free.