Chapter 1

Matthew's POV

"Mr. Matthew, we're almost at Ms. Ruppert's house. Mr. Fred has prepared the flowers for you. Did you bring them?"

"Flowers? What flowers?" I slowly opened my eyes and saw my butler, Gary Mitchell, looking at me with concern.

"Today is the day you and Ms. Ruppert start college. Didn't you say you wanted to bring her favorite jasmine?" Gary asked.

I looked down at my body, and it finally hit me.

I'd been reborn! I'd gone back to the day I was supposed to pick up Shannon and start college with her at Rocchi University. I'd forgotten the jasmine at home because I'd been in such a hurry to see her.

Gary had already turned the car around without me having to tell him. He knew I'd want him to go back for the flowers.

If Shannon liked something, I'd get it for her. I'd done that for her countless times over the years.

We had grown up together and had always been close. In everyone's eyes, she was my future wife, and they assumed she'd be more than willing to marry me.

But they were only half right. What Shannon and I shared couldn't compare to the love she had for Charles Rice, who came from a poor family.

Our families had been close for generations. In fact, her family had only become what it was because of my family's support. She cared deeply about her parents' wishes, so she had no choice but to break things off with Charles.

At our wedding, the officiant asked Shannon if she was willing to marry me. Instead of answering, she looked at me with red-rimmed eyes and said, "Are you happy now? I'm stuck with you for the rest of my life."

The wedding went ahead smoothly, but I still felt like the fool in their love story.

During our ten years of marriage, Shannon never once let me touch her. The closest we'd ever been was when I held her in my arms and jumped from the sixth floor, breaking her fall.

Even when I was dying, she couldn't bring herself to say anything just to make me feel better.

Now that I had another chance at life, I saw it as an opportunity to make different choices.

Since forced love never bears sweet fruit, I'll let it go. My previous life had been painful enough. This time, I just wanted a happy life.

I patted Gary on the shoulder. "Gary, don't go back. Just take me to the train station. I'm going to Belham University."

"Sure. I'll drive faster—wait, what?"

The car came to a sudden stop. Luckily, I'd already grabbed the handle.

Gary apologized repeatedly, then asked, "Mr. Matthew, did I hear you right? You're going to Belham University? What about Ms. Ruppert?"

Rocchi University was here in Varmont, so it was an easy drive, but Belham University was far enough away that taking the high-speed train made more sense.

"Yeah, Gary. I've made up my mind. I want to go to Belham University. Shannon can get a cab and go to Rocchi on her own."