Reincarnated To Steal My Married First Love
Chapter 3 — Recounting Memories
Imari startles awake from a nightmare, her heart racing as the terrifying scenes of her death replay in her mind. Bianca's face, her murderer, appears multiple times in her dream, a scary reminder of the tragic death she had from her past life.
Imari sat up in bed, panting, trying to catch her breath and shake off the lingering terror of the nightmare.
Imari
From this point on, I need to be extra careful and observant.
Imari
I think it's wise to keep a record of every detail and try to remember if it's already happened in my past life.
Imari
I don't have to interfere with every event, as that might disrupt something.
Imari
I just need to save myself from an early death and protect Ezra from Bianca's devious schemes.
Imari
He's my first love, but I only realized that too late in my past life. I was painfully in denial before.
Imari
I met Ezra during college, at an event where I needed to interview him for a project.
Imari
He was already making a name for himself in the business world, whereas I was a girl struggling to get by.
Imari
I admired him so much, amazed at his early successes. Over time, he began coming to see me frequently, buying me coffee and sharing conversations.
Imari
However, I never considered him in a romantic light. He confessed his feelings for me, and in denial, I told him I could never like him.
Imari
I foolishly blurted out my rejection in front of a crowd, not realizing how many people were listening.
Imari
Afterward, Ezra never spoke to me again until I applied for a job at this company and was shocked to see he was my boss.
Imari
It was then that I began to recognize my true feelings for him, but by then it was too late. I had already hurt him deeply.
Imari
Once I learned that he was engaged to Bianca, my chances seemed to shrink to almost nothing.
Imari
I tried to convince myself to be happy for him, reminding myself that it was my fault for rejecting him so harshly in the past.
Imari
My own actions had pushed him away, leaving me to regret my choices.
Imari was abruptly pulled out of her thoughts by the ringing of her phone. Checking the screen, she saw it was her friend, Krissy, calling.
Krissy's cheerful voice echoed over the phone as she spoke.
Krissy
Hey Imari, what are you up to this weekend? Want to join me for a night out? I'm heading to CitySquare bar this evening for a drink and some KTV. Would you like to come along?
Imari
Who else is going with us?
Krissy
It's just the two of us like always.
Imari
Alright, count me in. See you at CitySquare bar at 8 pm.
Krissy's gleeful laughter filled the phone line as she expressed her gratitude.
Krissy
Thanks, Imari! You're the best friend a girl could ask for, seriously!
Imari, after ending the call with Krissy, made her way to the kitchen.
Imari was about to pour the freshly brewed coffee into a mug when her phone rang again.
Seeing the caller ID, she noticed it was a call from her boss, Ezra. Mildly surprised, she picked up the phone.
Imari responded to her boss with a polite greeting,
Imari
Good morning, Boss! Is there something important you needed to discuss?
Ezra
Oh, it's not that important. I just want to ask if you have any plans for tonight.
Imari lied, saying that she was busy with some important task and unfortunately could not go out.
Ezra's voice, deep and authoritative, came through the phone line.
Ezra
I see. Is the task you're working on urgent?
Imari, trying to maintain a casual tone, replied,
Imari
Well, it's not urgent, but it is important. I really need to finish it tonight.
Ezra, now growing more suspicious of Imari's vague responses, pressed on.
Ezra
Is that so? What is this important task you're working on?
Imari, shocked by the unexpected line of questioning, scrambled for a believable answer.
Imari
It's just some personal work, nothing too significant.
Ezra chuckled at Imari's attempt to brush off the question, clearly not entirely convinced. However, he decided not to question her further and just ended the phone call.
Imari
What is he up to? Should I have said yes to his implied invitation? What if my decision to reject him now causes problems in the future?
Imari was filled with doubts and worried about how her decision not to accept Ezra's invitation might affect her future.
Krissy
I'm already at the KTV. Just come here, we're waiting for you!
Imari
Internal Monologue: What "we're"? I thought it's just us! Ugh! Krissy! You're so dead!
Imari felt a mix of surprise and embarrassment as she entered the KTV and found Ezra and Krissy waiting for her. Krissy happily introduced her new boyfriend, and then explained the unexpected twist.
Krissy
I didn't want you to be bored, just watching us being lovey-dovey, so I asked the cool boss to keep you company.
Imari felt her cheeks turn red as she realized she had lied to Ezra about being busy, and then found herself face to face with him at the KTV bar.
Imari sheepishly took a seat next to Ezra, feeling both embarrassed and nervous after being caught in her lie. She poured herself some beer, trying to distract herself from the awkward situation as Krissy began to sing loudly.
Ezra leaned in closer, a sly smirk on his face, and whispered,
Ezra
"This must be the important task you had planned then?"
Imari blushed deeper, feeling more embarrassed as he teased her.
Imari felt her face burn redder than ever as Ezra continued to tease her, a hint of amusement in his eyes.
Ezra
I recall you saying you were quite busy with a very important task. How is it going so far?
Imari fidgeted a bit, avoiding his gaze as she tried to come up with a clever response.
Imari could feel her cheeks flaming hotter with each passing second as Ezra continued to tease her about her lie. She fidgeted awkwardly, still avoiding his gaze.
Ezra, noticing her discomfort, couldn't help but chuckle softly to himself. He leaned even closer, his voice dropping to a low murmur.
Ezra
But I suppose this is all part of your grand plan, isn't it? A little white lie to hang out with me.
Imari, feeling a bit irritated but also secretly glad that Ezra was just teasing her, retorted with a firm voice.
Imari
Hey, that was just a white lie! I had my reasons, you know.
Ezra chuckled at her reaction and replied with a lighthearted tone,
Ezra
I know, I know. I was just teasing you. You're so easy to rile up, it's too cute.
Krissy, who had been singing loudly along with the music, paused for a moment to observe the interaction between Imari and Ezra. Her eyes widened in surprise as she heard Ezra let out a genuine laugh, something she had rarely heard before.
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