Chapter 1: From Wife to Stranger

The sirens wailed through the city as Dexie Hansley lay helpless on the stretcher.

Her vision was blurred, and pain spread through her entire body. She could barely move, but she could still hear the nurse speaking beside her.

“Hello? Is this Dexie Hansley’s husband? Your wife was in a car accident. She’s badly hurt. We’re taking her to the hospital now.”

A cold voice came through the phone.

“Is she dead?”

The nurse froze. “N-No. Not yet.”

“I’m busy. Call me when she’s dead. I’ll pick up the body.”

The call ended.

Dexie felt as if something had crushed her heart.

She knew that voice.

Luke Huxley Dawson.

Her husband.

The man she had loved with everything she had. The man she once believed would protect her.

Yet while she was fighting for her life, he was already waiting to collect her body.

A bitter smile touched Dexie’s pale lips as darkness slowly swallowed her vision.

How foolish she had been.

How could she have believed that a man as cold as Luke could ever love her?

Her hand slipped from the stretcher.

“The patient’s heart has stopped!” someone shouted.

Then everything went black.

---

When Dexie opened her eyes again, there were no flashing ambulance lights, no sirens, and no doctors shouting around her.

She was lying in a bed.

Her bed.

Dexie stared at the familiar bedroom in confusion and quickly raised her hands.

There were no wounds. No blood.

She touched her body.

No pain.

Her breathing quickened as she looked around the room. Everything was exactly as she remembered it, but that was impossible.

Then her gaze landed on the clock.

January 1, 2020.

Dexie went still.

No.

That couldn’t be possible.

She rushed to the nightstand and pulled open the drawer. Her untouched diary was there, along with the familiar papers she remembered from that day.

She checked the date again.

January 1, 2020.

One year before the accident.

Dexie slowly sank onto the edge of the bed.

She had come back.

She had been given another chance.

Tears filled her eyes, but this time, they weren’t tears of heartbreak.

“Thank you, God,” she whispered.

In her previous life, she had wasted everything chasing Luke’s love.

Not anymore.

This time, she wouldn’t beg him to love her. She wouldn’t waste another year trying to save a marriage that had already died.

And she would never again trust a man who could hear that his wife was dying and ask only one question.

Was she dead?

Dexie’s eyes hardened.

Luke Huxley Dawson would never get the chance to destroy her again.

Then her gaze fell on the papers resting on the nightstand.

The divorce agreement.

Of course.

Luke hadn’t even bothered to give it to her himself. His lawyer had delivered it.

In her previous life, Dexie had refused to sign. She had believed that if she held on long enough, Luke might eventually change.

Instead, the more she fought for their marriage, the colder he became.

He stopped coming home. He barely spoke to her. And whenever they were under the same roof, he treated her as if she didn’t exist.

Still, she had refused to let go.

She had loved him too much and foolishly believed that if she became a good enough wife, she could eventually melt his icy heart.

Now, Dexie almost wanted to laugh at herself.

Even when she had nearly died, Luke hadn’t cared.

That single phone call had finally taught her what years of rejection could not.

Their marriage was over.

And this time, Dexie was going to be the one who walked away.

She picked up the divorce papers and carefully read through them.

Luke might have been heartless, but the settlement was generous. The money and assets he had offered were enough for Dexie to live comfortably for the rest of her life.

In her previous life, she hadn’t cared about any of it. All she had wanted was Luke.

This time, she wanted something far more valuable.

Freedom.

Dexie rose and walked into the study. A few minutes later, she returned with a new file.

Her revised divorce agreement.

She picked up her phone and called Luke’s lawyer.

“Mr. Lawrence.”

“Mrs. Hansley?”

“I’ve signed the divorce papers,” Dexie said calmly. “But I made some changes. Please take them to Luke. If he agrees, tell him to sign.”

There was no hesitation in her voice. No pleading. No sadness.

For the first time, Dexie wasn’t waiting for Luke to decide her future.

She had already decided it herself.

---

A knock sounded at the president’s office of Huxley Dawson Corporation.

“Come in,” Luke Huxley Dawson said.

Mike Lawrence, the company’s chief consultant and lawyer, entered with a folder in his hand. His expression was unusually complicated.

Luke didn’t bother looking up from his work.

“She still refuses to sign?”

Mike paused. “No. She signed them, but...”

Luke finally raised his eyes. “But what?”

“She changed the property division.”

A cold sneer appeared on Luke’s face.

“She thinks I didn’t give her enough?”

Of course.

Another demand for money.

Luke had seen it too many times. People spoke about love until money was placed in front of them.

Mike didn’t answer. Instead, he handed Luke the folder.

Luke opened it.

Then his hand stopped.

The agreement he had originally sent Dexie contained pages of terms, assets, properties, and financial arrangements.

Her version was only one page.

Clear. Simple. Final.

Dexie Hansley wanted nothing.

Luke’s eyes narrowed.

Then he saw the second document.

A stock transfer agreement.

Dexie was returning the five percent shares in Huxley Dawson Corporation that his grandfather had given her.

Those shares alone could have guaranteed her financial security for the rest of her life.

Luke stared at the documents.

Dexie had spent so long refusing to let their marriage end. Now she had suddenly agreed to the divorce, and she wanted nothing from him.

Not his money.

Not his property.

Not even the shares that were already hers.

“What did she say?” Luke asked.

His voice had grown quieter.

Mike noticed the change immediately.

“She said that if you agree with the changes, you should sign.”

Luke’s fingers tightened around the paper.

Something wasn’t right.

Dexie had always tried to please his grandfather. She had even agreed to marry Luke because of the old man’s wishes.

So why was she suddenly willing to leave so easily?

Nearby, Luke’s assistant, Weldon Williams, noticed his expression.

At first, Weldon assumed Dexie had demanded a larger settlement. He had been present when Luke ordered the lawyers to give her a fair one.

Curious, he glanced at the document.

His eyes widened.

Dexie hadn’t asked for more.

She had rejected everything.

Even the five percent company shares.

The yearly dividends from those shares alone could have made her wealthy for life, yet she had handed them back without a fight.

Weldon stared at the papers in disbelief.

What exactly was Dexie planning?

Mike broke the silence.

“Mrs. Hansley also said she hopes you won’t delay. She wants the divorce finalized as soon as possible.”

Luke’s expression darkened.

Dexie wanted him to hurry?

For months, she had refused to let him go. Now she couldn’t seem to get away from him fast enough.

Luke looked down at her signature again.

He should have been satisfied.

This was exactly what he had wanted.

So why did the sight of Dexie willingly walking away leave him feeling anything but relieved?