Chapter 1

At my deathbed, when I was barely clinging to life, Melanie Sutton finally dropped her act.

"Edison Clark, do you have any idea how much I hate you? We grew up together, but I stopped loving you a long time ago. You were the one who forced me to marry you!"

As she spoke, her voice trembled with emotion, and she wiped away tears as if she had suffered years of abuse at my hands.

However, that was not the truth.

Within my means, I had always given her the best I could.

The moment I received my salary, I handed it over to her. I fought hard to get her tickets to her favorite artists' concerts. I never let her step into the kitchen, afraid she wouldn't tolerate the smoke and grease. I even went out of my way to create little surprises for her, filling her life with small moments of happiness.

On the surface, she would smile sweetly and say, "Thank you, darling. You're so good to me."

Behind my back, she had been entangled with Fred Grayson all along.

It was only after I fell ill and became bedridden that she finally tore off her disguise.

"Ed, the money you gave me… I gave it to Fred Grayson to cover the gaps in his company's cash flow. He needs it more than you do! If his company collapses, he'll jump off a building!"

A choked sound escaped my throat. I couldn't even swallow without feeling as if blades were carving into me.

Tears of despair slid from the corners of my eyes, soaking into the white bedsheets beneath me.

Was his life worth more than mine? Did mine count for nothing?

When the last of my tears fell, the jagged line on the monitor flattened into a single, unbroken line.

…

When I opened my eyes again, bright sunlight streamed directly into them.

I stared at my surroundings in a daze. Students in school uniforms filled the classroom.

At the front of the classroom, the homeroom teacher called out my name.

"Edison Clark! Why are you spacing out? Stand up and solve this geometry problem."

I couldn't remember how to solve it, but I knew one thing with absolute certainty.

I had been reborn.

After getting scolded harshly by the teacher, Melanie gave me a puzzled look. "Ed, you're acting kind of strange today."

I looked at her, at the younger version of Melanie. She looked so innocent and pure.

Then she added teasingly, "Today's the day I confess to Fred Grayson. Don't tell me you're jealous."

When she realized that I was watching her, a subtle satisfaction crossed her face.

The student in front of us turned around and laughed.

"Melanie, I think Ed just can't bear to let you go. He's totally jealous."

Melanie's face lit up even more, as if my desperation only fed her ego.

Memories from my past life surfaced.

She had once handed me a love letter and asked me to pass it to Fred.

I gave her my word, but secretly, I held on to the letter.

Fred was nothing but a delinquent who smoked, got into fights, dyed his hair, and picked on younger students.

On the other hand, Melanie and I were the pride of our parents—the model students others looked up to. We consistently ranked at the top, and people often described us as childhood sweethearts destined for each other.

It was true.

I had always liked Melanie.

She was gentle, beautiful, and well-behaved.

However, Fred's appearance shattered everything.

Back when our relationship hadn't completely fallen apart, I once asked her, "Mel, why are you so obsessed with Fred?"

Resting her chin on her hand, she answered without hesitation, "Because he's the only one who makes me feel free. We're both trapped, like birds in a cage, aren't we?"

Free?

Caged birds?

What he had wasn’t freedom—it was pure recklessness, a waste of his youth.

That was the first time we had ever truly argued.

But this time, I simply shook my head and said, "No. I hope you two end up together."