Chapter 2

Yvonne sized me up and down with a mocking smile. "Your outfit is really quite inappropriate for the occasion, Hope. You're already a grown woman now, so you ought to learn how to dress yourself properly. Otherwise, you won't even be able to get married when the time comes.

"I mean, what kind of man would be attracted to an unkempt woman? Do you want me to lend you something to wear, Hope?"

Those around us burst into laughter the moment Yvonne finished speaking.

Yvonne was decked out in high-end designer brands. She looked so perfectly put together that every strand of hair exuded the natural elegance of a wealthy woman.

I, on the other hand, had just emerged from a rigorous medicinal chemistry laboratory after spending 24 consecutive hours working alongside various chemical reagents and instruments. I was wholly exhausted.

I was dressed in a set of highly comfortable casual activewear—not a designer brand, but something simple and cozy that I had carefully chosen from a small storefront down the street.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think that's necessary, as I just want to have a good meal right now," I replied flatly and began enjoying the food in front of me. I hadn't eaten for a whole day following the high-intensity medicinal chemistry experiments, so my body urgently needed to replenish its energy.

Timothy suddenly walked up to me, took a bank card out of his pocket, and set it on the table. "I have 30 thousand dollars on this card. Consider this my way of giving you a hand for the sake of our past relationship.

"You should take better care of yourself in the future, find a more decent job, buy some new clothes, and learn to love yourself, Hope. You and I are already a thing of the past, so you shouldn't keep dwelling on it.

"If it hadn't been—never mind, it doesn't really matter anymore. You shouldn't completely lose your will to live and just give up on yourself just because I left you, Hope."

I looked up at Timothy in confusion. I felt intrigued by his unfinished statement, wondering what I had done in my past life that caused him to abandon me so resolutely following his rebirth in this life.

In our past life, we went from being high school sweethearts to getting married. Timothy pursued his dream of art, while I studied pharmacy, both of which required a lot of money and energy. Thus, one of us naturally had to make a sacrifice.

I loved him dearly in the past, so I threw away the opportunity to attend graduate and doctoral programs in medical school without a second thought. I entered the workforce early, using my single income to support both of our dreams, while he faced failure after failure. He had constantly been depressed and despondent.

I served as a power source for him that never depleted. I patiently placated him whenever he returned home exhausted.

I had assumed that Timothy would have understood my love for him, but unexpectedly, when he wanted to continue his studies again, and I refused because we didn't have enough money, he lost his temper. He threw his paintbrush to the ground.

"If I had listened to Yvonne back then and gone to Felvara with her to study art, I wouldn't have suffered like this in all these years. Do you know that? I genuinely regret ever being with you, Hope!"

Timothy later stopped painting and gave up on his dream, while I—due to his statement of regretting being with me—frequently cried myself to sleep in the middle of the night.

I still made one final attempt to save our relationship, though. I held him close and whispered, "I want to have a baby with you, Timothy."

Timothy violently shoved me away. An indescribable look of disgust flashed in his eyes. "How could we ever afford a child with our current financial situation? I told you a long time ago that I despise children! I have absolutely no desire to have a baby with you, Hope!"

Those remarks immediately shattered the last shred of hope I had left.

In the end, while we were arguing in the car one day, an oncoming truck ended both our lives, and at that exact moment, I harbored no fear within my heart but a sense of liberation.

Timothy and I had been reborn and had mutually resolved to maintain a distance. We aimed to never bring up our past relationship again.

I silently pushed the bank card back toward him. "It won't be necessary, as I don't accept things from strangers."

Timothy furrowed his brow. There was a note of disbelief in his voice as he asked, "Am I a stranger to you, Hope? What exactly do you mean by that?"

I replied calmly, "I'm saying that no matter what job I'm doing right now, I consider it respectable. There's nothing to be ashamed of. I haven't given up on myself either. You should keep this money for someone who actually needs it."