Chapter 2

I frowned and looked at Francis in annoyance, refusing him. "I don't need it."

"There is 100 thousand dollars in it. No password needed," Francis continued smugly. "I'm giving you this because of the past we shared. Take it to improve your quality of life. Live better, and learn to love yourself. Don't keep holding on to the past. It's time to let go."

After he was done blabbing, he tried to shove the card into my hand.

I quickly took a step back and said loudly, "I don't need your charity, and I don't know you."

Francis' expression soured. "What's the point of pretending that you don't know me, Yvette?"

I frowned at him and answered sternly, "Do we need to know each other? Also, I don't need your money. I can buy the things that I want myself.

"I'm doing honest work in the countryside, so I don't feel ashamed. I don't think I dress sloppy either. We only live once. What's wrong with dressing comfortably?"

Instantly, Francis' gaze darkened, and his hand that was holding the card clenched tightly.

Heidi glanced at the card with a displeased expression. Then, she suddenly put on a friendly smile and tried to smooth things over.

She offered, "Since you don't want the money, how about I introduce you to a job? The luxury store my friend works at is hiring sales associates. The monthly salary is more than ten thousand dollars. I'll arrange for you to work there.

"As long as you work hard, I think you can make a good living. It would be much more respectable than working in the countryside."

I looked coldly at Heidi and shook my head. "I don't need it."

My repeated rejection ticked Francis off. He exclaimed in an enraged tone, "Heidi recommended a job to you out of kindness. How can you be so ungrateful?"

I looked at him helplessly. In my heart, I silently breathed a sigh of relief and was glad that I had dodged a bullet by being firm in my decision to not be with him in this life. A man like him was not worthy of my love.

In my previous life, Francis and I attended law school together. Our relationship started with love at first sight and lasted through four years of college.

Both of our families were not well-off, so we worked and studied at the same time. Back then, we both wanted to pursue our masters and then PhD. However, we needed a large sum of money to be able to do it.

I loved Francis. To support his dream, I gave up my own plans to pursue higher studies and started working first. I used my income to help him chase his dreams.

He failed again and again, but I stuck with him and encouraged him repeatedly. Even when he lost his temper with me because of his poor exam results, I comforted him like he was a spoiled child. When he was admitted to a PhD program, I even sold my family's only house to pay for his tuition.

I thought he would understand the depth of my love for him. However, when he wanted to study abroad and lacked the funds, he angrily scolded me for being a pauper.

"You're clueless, aren't you? If I had listened to Heidi back then and gone abroad with her, I might have succeeded and wouldn't have had to live such a poor life. I shouldn't have dated you in the first place," he complained.

Later, he gave up studying abroad. Still, I often shed tears when I was alone because of what he had said.

After we got married, we treated each other with respect. Even so, I still felt an invisible barrier between us.

I wanted to have a child to bridge the gap between us. But when I became pregnant, Francis didn't want the baby. He said that we were poor and couldn't afford to raise a child, so we should just be childfree for life.

I wanted to keep the baby, but he said that I was selfish for wanting that. "We are not doing that well financially. Who will raise the child? Besides, I hate children. I don't want to have a child with you!"

Those words completely shattered my expectations of him and destroyed his place in my heart.

He forcibly took me to get an abortion, and after the surgery, I happened to glance at his phone and saw that he had sent 200 thousand dollars to Heidi for her birthday.

He had once sworn to love me for life, and I believed him. But he proved with his actions that it was a lie. If he loved me, why wouldn't he let me have the baby? He had money to celebrate his first love's birthday but somehow had no money to raise a child with me?

I quarreled fiercely with him. During our heated argument, a car accident happened. When I was at death's door, I actually felt relieved because my relationship with him could finally end.

Now, we both had a second shot at life.

After going back to the day before we got married, Francis resolutely abandoned me and chose Heidi. Likewise, I also chose never to appear in his life again.

Some people were never meant to meet again. And even if they did, it was best to remain strangers.