After Rebirth, I Became My Ex's Aunt-in-Law

By 10:00 AM the next morning, ICU Room 1 had been completely transformed into a sanctuary of high-end leisure.

Aria was finally free from the ugly prison of the hospital gown. Thanks to a dawn delivery run by Ken, she was now comfortably swathed in a plush, mint green silk pajama set covered in tiny, cartoonish pandas. Her rose-gold hair was swept up into a messy bun, secured in place by her silver acupuncture needles.

She had a hydrating, hyaluronic acid sheet mask plastered to her face. She was snacking on a bowl of perfectly sliced dragonfruit and mango with a tiny silver fork. And she was deeply engrossed in a toxic CEO romance on Webnovel on her iPad, profoundly enjoying the irony of reading about a fictional billionaire while her actual billionaire husband was at the office.

’He just bought her a private island because she said she hated everyone in the country,’ Aria read the digital text, chewing a piece of mango. ’Isn’t that a bit much?’

She was entirely at peace.

Until the glass door swung open.

Kai strolled in, though the word ’strolled’ felt a little generous today. He was wearing an impeccably tailored, dark burgundy button-down shirt and black slacks, but he looked like a very expensive puppy that had just been yelled at.

”Morning, Sister-in-law,” Kai greeted, forcing a bright smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

He walked over to the bed and casually put a thick rectangular box onto her lap. It was wrapped in gold ribbon.

”Your late get-well-soon gift,” Kai announced, gesturing to the box.

Aria paused her reading, her eyes dropping to the box. She gasped, nearly dislodging her sheet mask.

”Is this...” Aria tore the ribbon off, flipping the lid open. Inside sat a massive, thick chocolate bar, oozing with bright green pistachio cream and toasted knafeh. ”Oh my god. The viral Dubai chocolate. I’ve been trying to get my hands on this forever! It’s constantly sold out!”

”I know a guy who knows a guy,” Kai shrugged, shoving his hands into his pockets.

”Thank you!” Aria smiled.

She set the box carefully on her bedside table, fully expecting Kai to offer a quick salute and bounce out the door to go do whatever he usually did during the day.

Instead, Kai pulled out the terrible, stiff plastic chair, dragged it closer to the foot of her bed, and collapsed into it.

Aria blinked, staring at him through the narrow eye-holes of her sheet mask.

He didn’t say anything. He just pulled his phone out of his pocket, unlocked it, and stared at the screen with the intensity of a man trying to decipher an ancient, cursed scroll.

Aria didn’t want to seem ungrateful right after receiving the Holy Grail of snacks, so she cleared her throat.

”Are you okay, Kai?” she asked gently.

Kai didn’t look up from his screen. He flashed a quick, plastic smile at the wall. ”I’m great! Never better! Fantastic.”

Aria stared at him. ’Then why are you still haunting my room, Casper?’ ”Okay,” Aria muttered. She picked her iPad back up and returned to her novel.

She swiped to the next Chapter. A little digital warning icon popped up: Mature Content.

For two minutes, she was entirely immersed.

Then...

Ring... ring... ring...

It was a faint dial tone coming from the speaker of Kai’s phone.

Aria paused her reading, glancing over the top of her iPad. Kai was holding the phone to his ear, his jaw clenched tight.

Ring... ring...

”Your call has been forwarded to an automated voice messaging system,” a robotic female voice chimed from the speaker. ”The subscriber you have dialed is not available—”

Kai pulled the phone away from his ear. He stared at the screen, his thumb hovering over the red ’end call’ button.

He hung up.

Aria let out a soft breath, trying to refocus her eyes on the screen. ’Okay, back to the window. He was unbuckling his belt...’

Ten seconds later.

Ring... ring... ring...

Aria’s eye twitched under the sheet mask.

”Your call has been forwarded—”

Kai hung up.

He let out a heavy, frustrated sigh, slumping down in the plastic chair. He stared at the ceiling. Then, he lifted his phone and dialed again.

Ring... ring... ring...

”The subscriber you have dialed—”

”Okay, enough!” Aria snapped, tossing her iPad face-down onto the mattress.

Kai jumped, almost dropping his phone. He looked at her, blinking innocently.

”Did Damien assign you to be my bodyguard for today?” Aria questioned, crossing her arms. ”No offense, Kai, but why are you still here?”

Kai gave a weak, hollow chuckle, the sound completely devoid of its usual arrogant swagger.

”Wow,” Kai sighed, turning his phone over and over in his hands. ”Are you getting bored of my company already, Sister-in-law?”

”What company?” Aria shot back, her tone laced with pure snark. ”You haven’t said a word to me in fifteen minutes. You’ve just been aggressively sulking at your lock screen.”

She narrowed her eyes, studying the slump of his shoulders and the dark, frustrated storm cloud brewing behind his usually playful eyes. She was a master observer, and this particular brand of misery was universally recognizable.

”Is it girl trouble?” Aria asked bluntly.

Kai winced. He reached up, awkwardly scratching the back of his neck, suddenly finding the floor incredibly fascinating.

”Something like that,” Kai muttered.

Aria stared at him. The biggest playboy in the city and definitely top 5 in the world was having girl trouble?! The man who treated casual flings like a competitive sport was currently being sent to the automated voicemail shadow realm?

Aria peeled the sheet mask off her face in one fluid motion, tossing the wet fabric onto the bedside table next to the chocolate.

She shifted on the mattress, tucking her legs underneath her, and aggressively patted the empty space on the bed right next to her.

”Sit,” Aria commanded, shifting into full therapist mode.

Kai looked at the bed. He looked at Aria’s expectant, demanding expression.

”Spill,” Aria ordered, a gleeful glint in her emerald eyes. ”Tell Auntie Aria everything.”