Chapter 1

For the first time, Thomas Bright's expression faltered. He stared at the divorce agreement for a long moment before finally picking it up.

"Fine. If you're going to be this generous, who am I to refuse? But remember one thing. Once something belongs to me, I never give it up."

"Don't worry." Harry Carson smiled faintly. "I won't go back on my word."

After all, he had already experienced a lifetime of loneliness and misery.

Thomas got up and moved to another table in the café. He took out his phone and tapped a few times on the screen. The moment the call connected, his voice softened.

"Laura, I'm at B'Mont Café. Could you come pick me up?"

Harry sat nearby, a bitter smile tugging at his lips. There had been a time when nine out of ten calls he made to Laura Jensen were answered by her assistant, Traci Ballard.

Yet now, less than 20 minutes later, the woman who was supposedly always "in a meeting" appeared at the café.

Through the glass window, Harry watched Laura stride inside. Her tailored black designer dress accentuated her long, slender legs.

Their six-year-old son, Ethan Carson, and four-year-old daughter, Emily Carson, rushed toward Thomas the moment they saw him. They threw their arms around him and showered him with kisses.

"Thomas!" Emily called out sweetly, nuzzling her face against his chest.

Laura placed a cake box on the table and gently slid it toward Thomas. "Your favorite chocolate cake. I asked the pastry chef to go easy on the sugar."

Thomas' eyes lit up. "You always remember what I like."

Sitting quietly in the corner, Harry unconsciously dug his fingernails into his palms. Laura never knew his favorite food even after six years of marriage.

There was this one time in his previous life when he had been hospitalized, and he was craving something sweet. Laura had instructed Traci to simply buy him something, and Traci ended up getting a mango-flavored cake, which he was allergic to.

"What would you like for dinner?" Laura asked in her low, smooth voice. "Frichian or Chinoise?"

Thomas smiled and pulled the divorce agreement from his bag. "Before that, there's something I'd like you to take a look at."

He flipped the document straight to the signature page and continued, "I found a villa I really like, but I'm a little short on cash right now. Do you think you could…"

Laura took the pen and signed her name without even glancing at the document. "Since when do we need to keep score between us?"

"Is Thomas buying a new house?" Ethan asked, looking up at them. "Mommy, why don't you buy one next door then? Emily and I want to move in with Thomas. We don't want to stay with Daddy all the time."

Laura frowned slightly, but when she saw the hopeful expressions on her children's faces, she gave in.

"Alright, I'll buy one," she said.

"There's really no need to go through all that trouble," Thomas quickly replied. "I'll make sure there are three extra bedrooms for Ethan, Emily… and you. You can stay whenever you like."

The children cheered with excitement. Emily even wrapped her arms around Thomas' neck and kissed his cheek.

"Thomas is the best! He's a thousand times better than Daddy!"

Harry felt as though an invisible hand had wrapped around his heart and squeezed mercilessly. The pain was so overwhelming that he could barely breathe.

Then, he noticed the faint smile on Laura's lips. It was a tenderness she had never once shown him.

Unable to watch any longer, he picked up his bag and walked away. The moment he stepped outside, memories of his previous life came rushing back.

In that life, he had entered an arranged marriage with Laura to strengthen their families' business interests. They had a son and a daughter, and he lived to the age of 62.

However, he never knew happiness because Laura never got over Thomas, her first love.

At one time, they broke up, and Thomas went abroad. Laura spent days drowning her sorrows in alcohol, but she was too proud to go after him or beg him to stay. So, she agreed to the marriage arrangement with Harry.

Laura had been Harry's dream girl since he was a teenager.

Not only was she beautiful, aloof, and fiercely independent, but she was also the powerful woman at the helm of the Jensen family empire. Every eligible bachelor in the city's elite social circles had dreamed of marrying her.

So when Harry learned that he was going to marry her, he was overjoyed. After the wedding, he poured his heart and soul into loving her, but all he ever received in return was her endless indifference and emotional distance.

Then, Thomas returned from overseas.

Laura never asked Harry for a divorce, but her attention never left Thomas either. What made it worse was that their children grew attached to Thomas and eventually drifted away from their own father.

In his later years, Harry was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Under the pretense that he needed peace and quiet to recover, Laura left him to rot in the family's old mansion.

On his birthday, he called his wife and children with trembling hands, only to discover that they were vacationing in the Solmere Islands with Thomas.

He tried to make himself some soup and forgot to turn off the stove. As flames engulfed him, Harry's final memory was of the cold look in Laura's eyes when she slipped the wedding ring onto his finger.

He closed his eyes in agony, with only one wish left in his heart. If there were another life, he would never again sacrifice his entire existence for that woman.

…

By the time Harry returned to the villa, it was already dark. Instead of resting, he went straight to clearing out his belongings.

Laura's dresses, the children's toys, and their family photographs… He packed everything into cardboard boxes, one item after another.

"What are you doing?" Laura's voice suddenly came from behind him.

Harry turned around and saw her standing in the doorway, holding both children by the hand. Her brows were drawn together in a deep frown.

"Daddy, why are you throwing away our stuff?"

Emily ran over and spotted her teddy bear inside one of the boxes. Her little face turned bright red with anger.

Ethan glared at him furiously and asked, "We only went out to play with Thomas for a little while. Do you have to get this upset?"

Laura looked at Harry with the same cold expression she always wore around him.

"The children enjoy spending time with Thomas. Are you seriously throwing a tantrum over something so trivial?"

"I'm not upset," Harry replied calmly.

"Liar!" Emily shrieked. "You're just jealous of Thomas! That's why you're throwing away my teddy bear! You're a bad daddy!"

"When I grow up, I'm moving in with Thomas!" Ethan declared angrily, grabbing his little sister's hand. "And I'm never coming back to see you!"

Laura made no attempt to stop the children. She merely frowned and cast Harry a detached glance, as though he were some unreasonable stranger making a scene.

Her red lips opened slightly as she said, "That's enough."

Her voice was crisp and commanding, carrying the effortless authority of someone who had always been accustomed to getting her way.

"I still have a video conference with the board. Throw away whatever you want, but keep the noise down."

The moment the door closed, Harry's eyes silently filled with tears. His heart felt as though it had been torn to pieces, and every breath left a bitter, metallic taste in his mouth.

He wiped away his tears and looked at the mess scattered across the floor.

Then, suddenly, he smiled.

She had nothing to worry about. He wouldn't disturb her.

Not now. Not ever again.