Chapter 1

“Babe, don’t go…”

I snapped back to reality. I trembled from the same searing pain that had struck me during childbirth when the poison took effect.

Behind me stood the man I had loved for a decade in my previous life.

I had gone back to the moment before everything went wrong.

Simon lunged forward and held me tightly from behind. I felt his warm breath in my ears as he said in a low and hoarse voice, “Babe, I need you…”

In my previous life, I had given myself to him. His embrace and that seductive voice of his when he called me “babe” were the main reasons.

This time, all I wanted was to survive!

“Let me go!” I broke free with all my strength and charged out of the room. Then, I quickly called Camillia. “Camillia, Simon isn’t feeling well right now. Could you come over?”

She soon arrived and waved her hand at me dismissively. “There’s no need for you here. Get out of my sight.”

I nodded and turned to leave.

The moment the door closed, the sound of heavy, suppressed breathing was replaced by sensual moans.

The sounds continued until dawn.

I curled up in bed and never managed to fall asleep.

However, when the house finally fell silent, I breathed a sigh of relief. I was certain that I had managed to change my luck in this life.

As the tension left my body, the memories of my previous life flooded my mind like a tide.

After our wedding, my health kept deteriorating, but none of the doctors could identify the cause. Or rather, they did find it, but Simon stopped them from revealing it to me.

The day I gave birth to our baby, I suffered unbearable pain. Simon decided to save the baby without hesitation.

I thought that, at least, our baby would survive. But before I died, the doctor sighed softly. “The poison has already seeped into her heart and lungs. The baby won’t make it either.”

It was then that I realized Simon had been poisoning me. He did not even care about our baby’s life.

He hated me because I had stopped him from seeing Camillia one last time before she died.

So, he made me pay for it with my life.

In this life, he could finally have her. All I wanted was to leave him and escape my absurd ten-year crush.

The next day, Simon came downstairs with Camillia for breakfast.

The old Don frowned. “Who allowed you to bring an outsider home?”

Simon wrapped an arm around her waist as he said, “Father, Camellia isn’t an outsider. From today onward, she’s my fiancee.”

“Nonsense!” The old Don was usually gentle, but this time, he rebuked Simon coldly, “Do you think marriage is a game? How can you marry a side chick without learning more about her background?”

“Father.” Simon met his eyes squarely. “What happened last night was an accident. But Camillia isn’t just some one-night stand. I want to marry her.”

The old Don trembled with rage. “You insolent brat!”

I put down my glass of milk and calmly looked up. “Father, it’s good that Simon found someone to love. Congratulations are in order.”

Simon glanced at me, as he did not expect me to speak up for him.

In the past, I would sulk an entire day just because he spoke to another woman.

Camillia gave him a tug from him to sit beside her. She then shot me a knowing look. “I’m not sure who’s been calling me a side chick, but Simon and I are serious about each other.

“Irina, I know you’ve always been very fond of Simon. But you can’t force someone to love you. I hope you’ll give up on him soon.”

I put down my cutlery and nodded in response. Then, I got to my feet. “I’m done.”

I never spared Simon a single glance from beginning to end.

Back in my room, I began to pack my luggage.

In my previous life, I gave up on enrolling in Mitchell University because I did not want to leave Simon. Instead, I enrolled in a mediocre local college and ended up dying on the delivery bed at a very young age.

This time, I wanted to restart my life while I still had the chance.

I took out a thick stack of letters from the back of my desk drawers. They were my love letters for Simon. They were filled with the thoughts of a girl who was growing up and in love.

The corners of my lips twitched with contempt, and I got ready to toss them into the shredder.

Just then, someone knocked on the door.

I casually shoved the love letters into the drawer before I opened the door.

Simon was standing outside with a dark expression.

I automatically tried to close the door, but he quickly pressed his hand against it and glared at me. “Why are you throwing a tantrum? You took the initiative to call Camillia last night. How could you insult her by calling her a side chick in front of Father before I got home?!”

I stared back at him in shock. “I didn’t insult her or throw a tantrum. Both of you are a match made in heaven. I wish you nothing but a lifetime of happiness.”

Simon stared back at me and snorted. “A lifetime of happiness, huh? When did you start sounding so fake, Irina?

“Haven’t you had a crush on me since you were little?”

“That was in the past.”

“Really?” His lips formed a mocking smile, and he strode into my room.

“Then, tell me…”

He opened my drawer and pulled out the stack of love letters, which I had not managed to hide properly.

“What are these?”

I lunged forward to take them back, but he was too tall. He held the letters above my head and quickly flipped through them.

His expression gradually started to change.