Karma for the CEO: My Second Chance at True Love

The very first thing Vance did after we were reborn was drop five Plan B pills into my open palm. "Be a good girl." His tone was flat, empty. "You don't want to spend another lifetime chained to a crippled kid, do you?" He snatched my bra off the carpet and tossed it at my chest. "That last life with you was pure misery," he said casually. "Take the pills.

We're done." I stared at his flawless, unbothered face, my nails biting into my palms until the skin went numb. Because I had been reborn, too.

And in my memories, we didn't have a disabled child. We had Jude and Eden—perfectly healthy boyandgirl twins. They were kind. Fiercely devoted.

When Vance and I finally passed away from old age, they had visited every altar they could find, praying until their knees bruised.

All so that even in death, we would never be torn apart. Chapter 1 Morning sunlight spilled across Vance's perfectly sculpted abs.

Seeing my stillness, he nudged the Plan B pills closer across the mattress. A smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. "What?

Can't bear to let me go?" "In our last life, you hated my guts for giving you that crippled kid.

You spent countless days and nights regretting it." My brain was still spinning from the shock of waking up in the past. I shoved the pills back instinctively. "Five?

Vance, are you insane?

Even a normal dose has massive side effects, and you want me to—" "Just making sure nothing sticks," Vance cut in, flashing a lazy smile as he picked up a glass of ice water. "The condom broke." "What if one or two pills aren't enough?

Seriously, Fallon, we can't let a kid force us into marriage again.

I'm not doing another lifetime of misery." His eyes were bright, burning into mine as he pressed the pills and the rim of the glass against my lips. "So, a little physical damage now versus a lifetime of happiness.

It should be an easy choice." I just stared at him. My mind was flooded with Jude and Eden's warm, resilient smiles.

When I finally spoke, my voice was barely a tremor in the quiet room. "Vance, was it really the kid making you miserable, or was it me?" None of this made sense.

Yes, the unexpected pregnancy was what originally pushed us to the altar. But our marriage had been solid. We never fought. Our kids had been perfect—smart, wellbehaved.

Even our careers had taken off without a hitch. Why was Vance acting like he was backed into a corner? Vance dropped to one knee beside the bed, tilting his head up to look at me.

His gaze collided with my bloodshot eyes. A flicker of panic broke through his dark, steady stare. Heavy silence stretched between us.

Then, his hand gripped my waist, pulling me fully onto the mattress.

He caught my lower lip between his teeth, tugging gently. "No condom this time," he rasped, his voice rough and intimate. "Okay, baby?" That familiar endearment froze my hands against his chest.

In the haze of the moment, I only let myself think for half a second. He was ready to risk it. He was ready for me to get pregnant today.

Deep down, he couldn't let go of Jude, Eden, or me. My muscles went slack. I let Vance take over, allowing him to claim every inch of me with reckless, driving force.

Hours blurred together before exhaustion finally dragged me under. Thunder rattled the windows.

Through the storm, I heard Vance's low voice. "Fallon—" I was still halfasleep, my arms automatically reaching up to loop around his neck.

Then his words registered. "Take the pills before you go to sleep. I just checked. The sooner you take them, the better they work." My eyes snapped open.

The words died in my throat.

Chapter 2 Vance turned his back to me and answered his phone. "Mia, do I look like I'm joking?" His voice softened, a sickeningly fond smile spreading across his profile. "I blew off a multimillion dollar pitch—you think I have the time to mess around with a nineteenyearold college girl?" "Whatever.

I actually have a free schedule today. I'll come find you on campus." Mia. That longforgotten name detonated in my skull like a live grenade. I didn't even wait for him to hang up.

The air scraped my throat as I lunged forward, my chest heaving. "You're throwing away our child for a younger girl? For Mia?" Vance's smile vanished.

He stared at me, the phone slipping slightly in his grip. "You came back, too?" He muttered a few dismissive words into the receiver and ended the call.

He dropped onto the sofa, his face completely closed off. "Let's get straight to it, then. I'm done." He lit a cigarette.

He choked on the first drag—his body hadn't built up the tolerance of his older self yet.

He exhaled a cloud of gray smoke, leaning back against the cushions with a look of twisted satisfaction. "When Mia and I crossed paths, you had just given birth. You were wrecked.

Weak.

I wanted to ask for a divorce, but doing that… it felt inhumane." "You have no idea the hell I went through those days." His expression was dead, his eyes meeting mine with zero remorse. "Then you started raising the kids.

I looked for a chance to come clean a thousand times, but the moment never came. In the end, I sacrificed my own love for that damn family.

I sacrificed Mia." "I spent the rest of my life suffocating in regret.

Now the universe gave me a doover, and I'm not letting it slip through my fingers." I looked at his arrogant, untouchable posture.

The words I wanted to scream congealed in my throat like swallowed glass. I kept my mouth shut.

I didn't tell him that it was our children's desperate prayers that gave me the chance to fix my own regrets.

My biggest regret was the car accident when Vance turned forty, the one that shattered his right leg. That lingering limp became the greatest agony of his later years.

I hadn't expected my second chance to drop me back to when I was twentysix. Clearly, I had severely overestimated my place in his heart. The apartment wasn't big.

It took me thirty minutes to pack my life into a single suitcase. When I dragged my luggage toward the door, Vance was leaving voice notes, coaxing Mia.

He glanced up at the click of the latch, his expression hardening into ice. "You know me, Fallon.

I don't make empty threats." He pointed a finger at me. "Using a baby to trap me won't work this time.

Don't even think about secretly having this kid to back me into a corner." "And remember, your brother is still in college overseas.

If his funding gets cut off—" "I took the pills." I turned my head, unable to stomach the sight of him. "You really think I want anything to do with you?" Vance stopped.

His thumb hovered over his phone screen, a text left unsent. The silence stretched for a long, heavy moment.

Finally, a low chuckle vibrated in his chest. "Fine." "See that you do." Chapter 3 In the adult world, there's no time to sit around mourning a dead relationship.

After moving out of Vance's place and back into my own apartment, I threw myself straight into my job.

When my manager texted me the address for a highpriority client dinner, I didn't overthink it. I just went.

But the moment I stopped outside the heavy oak doors of the private dining room, a painfully familiar voice drifted into the hallway. "Oh, Fallon's gorgeous, alright.

Why else would I have chased her so damn hard for years?" My hand froze inches from the brass doorknob.

Vance's tone was careless, loose. "But don't forget, she dated her childhood best friend for ten months before me. Ten months." "He broke her in long before I got there.

Honestly, just thinking about the way she looks in bed makes me feel dirty." One of his business partners drew out a sleazy, mocking laugh. "Well—I don't mind getting a little dirty.

Vance, teach me your moves." "When she gets here, I'll turn on the charm.

See if I can score a home run tonight." Glass shattered violently against the floorboards. "Screw off." Vance's voice dropped to ice. "You think you're in her league?

When Fallon walks in, she'll probably throw herself at me." "Keep her off my back, alright? Mia's still giving me the silent treatment over one phone call.

I don't need this getting messier." I dug my nails so deep into my palms the skin broke.

The man who had once treated me like a goddess, the man who had been perfectly willing to play the other man just to steal me away—this was how he talked about me to his friends.

I took a slow, silent step back.

I pulled out my phone and dialed my manager. "Can you send someone else to this dinner?" Ten minutes of getting screamed at over the phone sobered me up real fast.

Without Vance's untouchable status backing me, I was just another corporate drone. I didn't have the luxury of turning down my boss.

I spent three minutes in the restroom fixing my hair and smoothing the wrinkles out of my skirt. Then, I walked back to the private room. I pushed the door open.

I locked eyes with a young, strikingly pretty girl. "That's her?" Mia glared at me, crossing her arms. "Fine.

Here's your chance." "How are you going to prove you don't care about her?" Vance pulled Mia effortlessly onto his lap.

He flashed her a sickeningly sweet smile. "How about I kiss you right in front of her?" He tilted his head, his gaze dragging over me with chilling indifference. "You don't mind, do you, Fallon?" Mia's face flushed a deep red, her hands weakly pushing at his chest in a halfhearted protest.

Vance ignored the resistance. He gripped the back of her neck and crashed his mouth down on hers. It was a punishing, desperate kiss, like he was trying to swallow her whole.

The room erupted in hoots and catcalls. Someone shoved my shoulder hard. "Why aren't you clapping?

Aren't you happy Vance finally found true love?" My eyes fixed on the scattered contract pages across the glass table. I swallowed down the bile rising in my throat.

I raised my hands. I brought them together in a slow, steady clap. "Congratulations, Mr. Vance." I figured that would stroke his ego enough to get the paperwork signed.

Instead, the muscles in his jaw locked. He tore himself away from Mia, a flash of pure, dark irritation crossing his features.

He turned his head slowly, his eyes hardening into black ice as they locked onto mine. "How boring." My throat clicked as I swallowed hard.

I bit down on my tongue, burying the words wishing you a lifetime of happiness before they could slip out. The air in the room went dead. Vance's face remained a mask of cold stone.

He didn't say a word. He just tapped his knuckles against his crystal whiskey glass. Tap. Tap. Tap. Chapter 4 I took a slow, deep breath. "Mr.

Vance, if there are no further issues, let's get this contract signed." Since Vance had made it explicitly clear that we were done, I needed to focus on my career.

I forced a polite, empty smile. "Besides, having a third wheel around probably ruins the mood for you and your girlfriend—" "Is she really not pregnant?" Mia blurted out.

She didn't look at me. She tugged at Vance's sleeve, her voice dropping into a sullen pout. "I distinctly heard her say something about giving up a baby. I'm just a college student.

I don't get all these complicated corporate games… but I am not going to be the other woman." She stood up abruptly, snatching her coat off the chair. "Whatever.

I'm going back to my dorm." "Fallon." Vance caught Mia's arm, stopping her in her tracks.

He looked at me, a ghost of a smirk playing on his lips, and tapped his index finger against the unopened bottle of liquor on the table. "Drink." I stared at the full bottle.

I gripped the hem of my skirt, my voice trembling. "I'll take a glass—" "No." Mia cut in, her bright, innocent smile returning. "What does one glass prove?

Drink the whole thing." "She has zero tolerance." A dark shadow crossed Vance's eyes. "A whole bottle will put her in the hospital—" "Perfect.

Then she can get a full workup." Mia shrugged, her tone sickeningly light. "Wait, Vance. Don't tell me you actually feel bad for her?" The room went dead silent for a few seconds.

Vance stepped right up to me, leaning in until his breath brushed my ear. "College tuition overseas is expensive, Fallon.

It'd be a crushing burden if your family had to cover your brother's expenses all by themselves." "And this contract… it's the key to your promotion, isn't it?" He let out a low chuckle, his fingers covertly squeezing my hand. "Be a good girl.

She just wants to save face. Help me out here." I thought about the promotion. The one that would allow me to transfer to a branch hundreds of miles away from him.

I stopped hesitating. "Fine. I'll drink it." In my past life with Vance, I had been completely sheltered.

I almost forgot that I was just another corporate worker carrying my family's financial survival on my back.

The burning liquor seared my throat, tearing hot, humiliating tears from my eyes. I kept my head down, staring blankly at my lap.

Mia's sweet, whining voice filtered through the ringing in my ears. "Vance, you said I was obsessed with you in our past life… is that really true?" "Did we get married?

I love kids. We definitely had kids, right?" At the words past life, something shifted in Vance's expression.

A genuine, unguarded smile touched his lips. "Yeah," he rasped, his voice thick and heavy. "We got married. We had twins. A boy and a girl." "Jude and Eden.

Just like their names… Jude was meant to conquer the world, and Eden was beautiful, like a glimpse of paradise." I couldn't hear the rest. The room spun violently.

As the blackness pulled me under, the crisp pages of the signed contract fluttered down onto my body.

Mia was tugging at Vance's arm, whispering excitedly about taking him somewhere special tonight. Before Vance left, he kicked his friends out of the room.

He shot me a text: [ Stay right here. ] [ Once I get Mia settled, I'll come back and pick you up. ] Chapter 5 My skull felt like it was splitting open, and my stomach burned like swallowed acid.

I was fumbling for my phone to dial 911 when Graham called. His voice came through sharp and irritated. "Not home again at this hour?

Out with your boyfriend?" "Send me your location. My mom made your favorite dumplings and practically ordered me to put them in your fridge—" My brain was a thick, hazy mess.

I completely forgot how ugly the fallout had been back when Graham and I broke up. "Graham. Come get me. Right now." "What, do I look like Superman to you?

I can't just—" Graham's voice stopped dead. The irritation vanished, replaced by a cold edge. "What's wrong? Are you crying?" I heard the rustle of fabric on his end.

He cursed under his breath. "Fuck. That pretentious bastard. I'm on my way," he clipped, and the line went dead. Everything blurred.

I slumped against the cold glass of the table, slipping into a fractured, feverish dream. When I finally came to, strong arms were already lifting me.

Graham had me scooped up, my face pressed against his chest. I opened my mouth to explain, but blinding headlights slashed across my face. I threw a hand up to shield my eyes.

A familiar silhouette stepped out of the car. Vance. His jaw was clenched so tight the muscle twitched.

He closed the distance in long, aggressive strides. "Fallon." His voice was rough. "Come here." He stopped a few feet away, his lips pressed into a thin line. "Fallon.

Come here." He completely ignored Graham. He reached out to grab my arm and pull me toward him. "I don't want to see you." The nausea rolled through me in violent waves.

I buried my face deeper into Graham's jacket. "Graham, take me to the hospital." I kept my eyes shut.

I couldn't see Graham's face, but I felt the deep rumble in his chest as he spoke. "You heard her. Piss off." Graham carried me past him.

Vance grabbed Graham's arm, his face turning to stone. He opened his mouth, but his phone started ringing. He answered it.

His mother's voice poured out of the speaker, loud and vibrating with joy. "Am I finally going to be a grandmother?

Vance, you two kept this way too quiet!" Vance pinched the bridge of his nose. "Mom, I don't have time for this right now, you—" "I found the folic acid supplements!

Are you telling me she's not pregnant?" Her words spilled out in an excited rush. "Even if she isn't… you're obviously trying! Thank God.

If I hadn't been cleaning out your cabinets, I'd still be in the dark." Vance's grip on Graham's arm loosened.

His whole body went rigid. "Regardless," his mom went on, oblivious. "Fallon is a good girl. She's taking this baby thing so seriously, and you're crazy about her.

Let's get this wedding on the calendar—" Vance's lips curved upward. A faint, arrogant smile touched his face. "We'll talk later.

I have something to handle." He hung up and let out a long, slow breath. He turned to me, his tone careless. "I didn't realize your obsession ran this deep.

You really can't let me go, can you?" He didn't wait for me to answer. "Makes sense. We spent decades together in that life.

Expecting you to just flip a switch in a few days is asking a lot." "Relax. I'm right here." His phone buzzed twice in his palm. Text messages.

Vance swiped open the screen and quickly typed a reply. He let out a soft chuckle, his attention already miles away. "I need to go find Mia.

Throw whatever tantrum you want tonight." He turned and walked away. I didn't say a word.

I didn't bother explaining that my mother had severe anemia and was on prescription folic acid. The bottles in the cabinet were for her.

I just hadn't found the time to drop them off at her house yet. Chapter 6 The hospital. The sharp stench of bleach burned my nose.

My consciousness was still wading through a heavy, druginduced fog. Memories of Vance violently crashed into my brain—the old Vance, drowning me in money and desperate affection.

The Vance from our past life, pulling me in by the waist while everyone around us called him a "winner in life," whispering how damn lucky he was to have me.

Decades of us growing old together. But the reel snapped. The images twisted. Vance's face morphed into something repulsive, something suffocating.

I jolted awake, my shirt glued to my spine with cold sweat. The first thing I did when my eyes snapped open was grab my phone.

I texted my manager to finalize my promotion and my transfer out of the city. From now on, I was severing every last tie to Vance. I was done. Graham didn't say a word.

He just sat in the chair by the bed, watching me. When my shoulders finally dropped with the relief of a confirmed reply from my boss, Graham's voice broke the sterile silence.

It was rough and tight. "You dumped me for that guy?" He raised an eyebrow, picking up a steaming dumpling with chopsticks and holding it near my mouth.

His tone was breezy, almost perfectly casual. "A guy who willingly plays the other man obviously has zero moral boundaries. Him cheating on you is just par for the course.

I always knew this day would come." I frowned at his words.

I chewed the dumpling, swallowed, and stared at him. "If you hadn't gone on blind dates behind my back, do you really think I would have said yes to Vance right after you dumped me out of nowhere?" "You're both exactly the same." Graham's face changed instantly.

His knuckles went dead white as his grip tightened on the thermos lid. The casual air vanished, replaced by a dark, brewing storm.

After a long, heavy beat, his eyes locked onto mine. He dropped his voice, letting every word land like a stone. "What did you just say?

Say it again." I looked at him in total confusion, taking a slow bite of another dumpling. "You sneaked around. You went on dates.

I saw the pictures." "I'm saying you're both—" "You kept us a secret because you were already falling for Vance." Graham's eyes went red.

His voice cracked as he cut me off. "Vance's assistant came to me and laid it all out." "That exact same night, you asked to split up.

I didn't want people calling you a cheater, so I swallowed the whole damn thing." "I never confronted you. I never aired our dirty laundry." His Adam's apple bobbed hard.

He leaned forward and gripped my shoulders, his fingers digging in with desperate anxiety. "Do you still have that picture?" I nodded blankly. Of course I did.

It was the proof of his betrayal. But a few minutes later, reality hit me like a freight train. The woman in the photo. The "date." It was Vance's assistant.

Vance knew I had a zerotolerance policy for cheating. He knew I would cut Graham off cleanly the second I suspected something. He orchestrated the whole damn thing.

And then, he swooped in to pick up the pieces. Graham and I stared at each other. The silence dragged on, thick and suffocating.

Looking at his sharp, handsome features, a memory from my past life broke the surface. He had spent his entire life traveling, writing scripts, looking for inspiration.

He died unmarried.

It suddenly clicked in my head. "Graham, you coming back to the city this time… was it for a project—" "No." He shook his head. "I was terrified I wouldn't have an excuse to see you." He looked down, his broad shoulders trembling slightly under his jacket. "So I made your favorite dumplings myself.

I used my mom as an excuse just to check on you. To see if you were okay." His bluntness knocked the air out of my lungs. I froze.

A second later, his voice was a raw, broken whisper. "Do I still have a chance?

If you're still worried about the fallout between our families, if you don't want to go public… I can accept that." "I'll be your secret.

I don't care." Chapter 7 I was just scrolling through my phone when Vance and Mia's travel photos popped up. I had just arrived at the airport.

My thumb hovered over the glowing screen, freezing completely over a painfully familiar landmark. In our last life, the four of us had traveled to this exact spot.

We had taken so many photos together, leaning into each other, smiling at the camera. But it was different back then.

Our trips spanned decades, dragging Jude and Eden along, our hair slowly turning from black to gray. But Vance and Mia? They were in their prime.

They speedran through all these cities in two months, treating the map like a rapidfire checklist. The thought of my kids hit me hard.

A sharp, hot sting burned the back of my nose.

I was just reaching up to wipe my eyes when a voice cut through the noise. "Fallon?" Vance's tone was cool, but there was a distinct, smug undertone of surprise. "Checking my flight itinerary?

I knew you couldn't help yourself." "You did this in our last life, too.

Always worrying about me, always bothering my secretary for my schedule in advance." He slowly raised his wrist to check his watch, letting out a soft chuckle. "So, I left Mia out there to play for a couple more days and came back early.

It's still early. Dinner?" I stared at him. He was acting insane. I took a deliberate step back. "You left a young girl alone in a foreign country?

Is that really appropriate?" He froze. Then, he offered a helpless, almost fond smile. "You're still so gentle.

If Mia had even half… no, a tenth of your empathy." "You have no idea. Her constant clinging is wearing me down.

She has zero sense of boundaries—" The airport intercom crackled to life, announcing a boarding call.

I pulled my ticket from my bag, glanced at the gate number, and cut him off completely. "I have to go." Vance's smile solidified into a grimace.

He opened his mouth to speak, but my brother came striding out of the restroom crowd.

He brushed right past Vance, stopping in front of me with a huge grin. "Hey, is my future brotherinlaw coming to the house this weekend? Does he game? I need a duo partner.

It'll be a great way to bond." I rolled my eyes at him. The words hurry up were right on my tongue. Suddenly, Vance lunged forward. He grabbed my brother's jacket collar.

His knuckles went dead white. His voice shook. "What did you just say?" My brother had never met Vance. At first, there just wasn't an opportunity.

Later on, Vance actively avoided getting involved with my family