Chapter 1

“Miss Louise York, will you take Mr. Stanley Xander as your lawfully wedded husband and be with him…”

The emcee’s stern question entered my ears in an unreal way, as if his voice were muffled.

The guests turned to look at me, the unwelcomed man who had just interrupted the emcee’s speech.

“My goodness, isn’t he the Xander heir who died three years ago in the ocean? Why is he still alive?”

“Look at his getup. He looks so… pathetic. I heard that today’s bride used to be his fiancee and that they were a really loving couple in the past. Is he here… to steal the bride?”

“Hush… Quiet. Things are getting interesting.”

Those voices dragged me out of my muddled thoughts.

I watched as Louise stared at Stanley with loving eyes.

In my previous life, I had rushed on stage like a madman and acted hysterical. I asked her why she would betray me and why she would marry Stanley when he was just an adopted son who had taken my place.

My parents had run after me to shut me up. “Nathan, stop throwing a tantrum and come back with us!”

Louise’s eyes had held no trace of joy for our reunion. There had been nothing but deep annoyance. Later on, she had no choice but to cancel her wedding with Stanley to marry me.

That was the start of my nightmare.

Stanley was then diagnosed with severe anxiety and would sometimes hurt himself. In order to comfort him, Louise often spent the night at his place while lying to me by saying that she had to work overtime.

Later, I realized that her ‘company dorm’ was really just Stanley’s house.

She spent every night accompanying him while leaving me alone in our house.

At some point, in order to get her sympathy, Stanley threw himself down the stairs in front of me and broke his leg, thus ruining his own future of becoming a professional athlete.

Louise even ended up becoming pregnant with Stanley’s child.

When I demanded answers from her with her pregnancy report, she only looked at me in disgust and said some really cutting words, “I’m already your wife in name. What else do you want?”

Stanley also was the one my parents pitied the most. As for Louise, she did not care to learn the truth of his fall.

She just insulted me, “How could you be so evil? You should have just died in the ocean back then! Why did you come back and ruin our lives?!”

None of them wanted me to live.

“...Nathan, I’m returning your favor of saving my life in the past. I just hope that you won’t bother us again…”

Those were Louise’s ruthless words before she died.

This time, I would fulfill her wish.

Just as I was about to leave, my mother held my hand and cried. “Nathan, my son, I’m glad you’re alive…”

I no longer believed in this false familial love.

Suddenly, Louise grabbed the microphone.

“I was in despair when Nathan disappeared into the ocean after saving me. Now that he’s back, I’m happy.”

Then, she tightened her hold around Stanley’s hand.

“But the past is the past. The person I love now is Stanley, and I won’t marry anyone else because I’m told I owed them.”

I was stunned. Then, I put on a mocking smile.

She had returned to the past too.

Slowly, I pushed my parents’ hands away and took the microphone from Louise.

“I’m not here to elope with you.”