Chapter 1

I had always thought my marriage was perfect. But during the family gathering on my wedding anniversary, my wife, Jenna Cooper, slammed a stack of papers right in my face. "Calvin Weber, you're bankrupt. You have nothing left to threaten me with."

"Have I treated you badly?" I asked.

She looked at me coldly. "If it weren't for you, I would've never broken up with Simon. This is what you owe me."

Jenna grabbed the hand of the man behind her and intertwined her fingers with his. "It's all over now."

The moment she stepped aside, a group of creditors flooded in. Everything valuable in the house got hauled away. The papers she threw at me included stock transfer documents, a dismissal notice, and the bankruptcy declaration. Jenna hadn't just taken over my company. She had also borrowed 50 million dollars in my name.

I asked her why.

She said, "Only when you completely fall apart can I go after my own happiness."

So, these three years of marriage had just been an act. She had been swallowing her pride and bearing it all just for today. She wanted to see me stripped of everything, utterly ruined.

"This is my fault alone. Spare my family," I said.

There was a smile on Jenna's face, but her gaze was ice-cold. "Beg me on your knees, then."

I dropped to my knees at her feet. "Please, spare my parents."

She lowered her head and leaned close to my ear, in that intimate way she used to do, before whispering, "Sure, as long as you die."

I looked up into her eyes. All I saw was resolve and cruelty.

I climbed up to the rooftop. Standing at the edge, I looked down.

Jenna watched from a shadowed corner of the wall, savoring every moment. She really wanted me dead.

I jumped.

Behind me, I heard my parents shout, "No!"

The last thing I heard was their cries mixed with Jenna's voice. "Now, it's your parents' turn."

She had never intended to spare my family.

…

I never thought I'd wake up again.

As I looked at the room full of guests before me, the last life felt like a nightmare. But I knew it was real.

Standing outside the hotel, all I wanted was to cancel this ridiculous party, which was meant to welcome Jenna home from her studies.

Mom looked at me with worry. "What's wrong?"

"Mom, I want to cancel the party today."

I was once the laughingstock of everyone in my last life. Now that I had a second chance, I wanted to save my family's reputation.

"Don't say nonsense. Jenna's finally back. How can we not celebrate?"

I sighed silently. "You're right, Mom. I was just joking."

Mom rolled her eyes. "Still so childish."

Just then, Jenna's parents arrived, but Jenna was nowhere to be seen.

Jenna's mother, Erin Sharp, asked with concern, "Calvin, why do you look so pale?"

Before I could answer, Mom spoke for me. "He hasn't seen Jenna in a while. He's just nervous."

Erin laughed, and they all gave me teasing looks. To them, I was just a lovesick fool, anxious about seeing my fiancee after so long. But I was only thinking about how to gracefully step aside and let her be with the one she truly loved.

After a while, all our family and friends were seated.