Switching Vows

As I was weakened to my very last breath by lung cancer, I finally closed my eyes.

However, my soul did not disappear. It simply left my body.

I watched as my husband, who was not yet past his 40s, and my childhood best friend tightly embraced each other in the hospital room. They looked like a pair of inseparable lovebirds, pouring out their hearts to one another.

"Hen, don't be too sad now that Ren's gone," Sadie murmured.

"Sadie, I'm just glad I still have you with me," Henry replied.

"Mm, I'll take Ren's place and stay by your side forever from now on. I'll even give you a child so we can be together," she promised.

If I were not a ghost at that moment, I would have applauded this shameless pair.

I thought back to when Sadie Shaw's husband passed away from stomach cancer. She had not seemed all that sad.

Instead, it was my husband, Henry Wagner, who had teary eyes as he tirelessly arranged everything for her. He even told me to take extra care of her since she would be all alone now.

At the time, I comforted her, and she said, "Honestly, I never really did love Quinn. You don't know how much I envy you for having Henry by your side."

I was too foolish back then to catch the hidden meaning behind her words. I hugged her and said, "We're all family. If it makes you happy, you can treat him like your husband too."

When I said those words, I did not notice Henry's hand knocking over a plate in his agitation, nor did I see the affectionate gaze Sadie cast in his direction.

Looking back now, I realized how inappropriate my words had been.

After 20 years of marriage, I never once realized they had been secretly involved all along.

The bitterness and resentment I felt swelled into a powerful force that dragged my soul into an abyss.

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself 20 years in the past, sitting in a cafe. My best friends and I were at a matchmaking event.

Across the table sat a much younger Quinn Green. He still wore his signature gold-rimmed glasses, and his face was delicate and handsome, like a character straight out of a comic book.

In my previous life, Sadie had said she did not like tall men. After the event, she proactively asked Quinn out, and they quickly got married.

Meanwhile, I ended up with the leftover option—Henry. Day after day, we had been dating and gradually decided we were compatible enough to settle down together.

However, looking at Henry now, I supposed his gaze was fixed on the petite Sadie the entire time.

I decided to take the initiative this time. Even if we could not end up together, saving Quinn from his fate would at least earn me some good karma.

"Mr. Green, right? I like you. Want to go for a walk with me?" I said, breaking from my usual habit of letting Sadie choose first.

Sadie looked at me in surprise.

Across from me, Quinn remained silent. I expected him to refuse, but to my astonishment, he replied, "Sure."

Quinn stood up and even picked up my bag for me. "Shall we?"

It was not until we were a good distance from the cafe that I snapped out of my daze. I looked at him apologetically.

"Sorry about earlier. I didn't mean for you to misunderstand. I'm not—"

"Not what?" he asked. There was a faint smile playing on his lips as he adjusted his glasses with a finger.

"Ms. Caswell, don't you want to go on a date with me?"

His smile sent my rational thoughts scattering, leaving only the pounding of my heart.

Frankly, Quinn's appearance did not align with conventional standards of attractiveness. He was too refined, and too scholarly.

He had a slim frame that did not exactly scream physical strength.