Chapter 1

At the engagement party, I spotted Connor right away.

Just like in my past life, he carried himself with grace. Yet when his eyes landed on me, all I saw in them was disdain.

“I heard you went to a fortune teller for a glimpse of your future. The party hasn’t even started, and you’re already this anxious?”

I let out a quiet sigh. “You don’t need to be so defensive. My fiancé isn’t you. From now on, we won’t have much to do with each other.”

Connor’s brows knitted in displeasure.

“Don’t talk nonsense. Do you think I’ll be satisfied just because you say so? Everyone knows you’ve been clinging to me since we were kids, begging me to marry you.”

He leaned in close, his voice low and velvety, though his words cut deep.

“I’ll go through with this marriage for the sake of our families’ alliance, but Rachel will always be my real wife.”

The way he openly mentioned Rachel Starks caught me off guard.

In my past life, Connor had worn a mask, pretending to be the perfect husband. If I hadn’t stumbled across the marriage certificate with Rachel’s name on it, I might have been deceived forever.

Yet now, before the engagement was even finalized, he flaunted their relationship as if it were nothing. He acted as though my acceptance was already guaranteed.

Could it be… he had been reborn as well?

Before I could question him, Rachel appeared with a glass of champagne in hand.

“Helen, congratulations in advance on finally becoming Connor’s wife.”

Though her words were directed at me, her eyes clung to Connor. She even let out a delicate cough, timed perfectly for effect.

“I wasn’t feeling well, so I stepped out to rest for a bit. Sorry, Helen—I might miss the announcement of your happy news.”

Watching her performance, memories of my past life resurfaced.

Back then, after I uncovered their affair, Rachel pretended I had pushed her down. With tears streaking her face, she played the victim.

Connor, blinded by rage, shoved me down the stairs. That fall ended my life, leaving me with nothing but bitter regret.

And here he was again, openly favoring her.

“Helen, you can see Rachel isn’t well. Why didn’t you prepare a shawl for her?”

“After you marry me, you’ll need to take better care of Rachel. Don’t always try to steal the spotlight for yourself.”

With practiced ease, he removed his blazer and draped it over Rachel’s shoulders, his tone brimming with affection.

“There’s no good news to announce. It’s just chilly in here. I’ll take you to the lounge.”

In the past, I would have stopped them, exposing Rachel’s pitiful act on the spot.

Now, after living through tragedy once already, all I wanted was to keep these two shameless people as far from me as possible.

Not long after they left, the party began.

I walked slowly onto the stage and sat down. Connor’s seat beside me remained empty.

The lights dimmed.

The fortune teller entered, met my gaze briefly, and began the marriage prediction.

At some point, Connor’s butler appeared quietly behind me. He placed a box in my hands and spoke in a hushed voice.

“Mr. Gregory is occupied at the moment. Once the engagement is announced, please slip the ring on yourself. That will make it official.”

I gave him a polite smile and pushed the box back.

“Please tell Mr. Gregory I won’t be needing it. He can save it for his wife.”

The butler froze at my calm refusal. His surprise soon turned into a faint frown as he tried to threaten me.