Chapter 2

Nolan looked stunned all over again.

"I didn't! And I know you're allergic to mangoes. We don't even keep them in the house!"

"But I saw you eating them myself. Ari, why would you try to hurt me?"

Vanessa sobbed so hard she could barely catch her breath, as if she'd suffered some terrible injustice.

This time, I actually laughed.

I glanced at Nolan. He looked completely dumbfounded.

So I copied the way he'd always blindly sided with Vanessa and gave him a mild scolding.

"How could you be so vicious? You're nothing compared to Nessa."

Then I helped Vanessa upstairs.

I had to hand it to her. She really knew how to act sweet and clingy.

She kept wriggling in my arms and rubbing herself against me.

When I still didn't respond and even tried to pull away, her eyes instantly reddened.

"Nolan, why are you still being so cold to me?

"Are you... still blaming me for what happened back then?"

I paused.

Some unpleasant memories came rushing back.

Nolan, Vanessa, and I had all been classmates in college.

Back then, they were both gorgeous and came from wealthy families.

They were the stars of the campus, the kind of couple everyone thought belonged together.

Someone like me was basically Cinderella. Even though I had a crush on Nolan, I could only keep it to myself.

Then the Ralston family suddenly went bankrupt.

Vanessa dumped him in front of everyone, walked off arm in arm with her new boyfriend, and left the country.

Nolan fell apart after that.

He'd drink all night and stagger straight into traffic. It happened more times than I could count.

And back then, I really did love him.

Seeing him like that broke my heart.

So, like an idiot, I stayed by his side and kept encouraging him.

When he wanted to drink, I stayed up all night watching over him.

When he wanted to start a company, I scraped together funding any way I could.

When he wanted to make it big, I sharpened my skills and worked around the clock.

It's embarrassing to admit, but back then, I didn't even dare hope he'd ever love me back.

I just thought that as long as he was doing well, I'd be happy.

Maybe everything I'd done finally moved him.

Two years ago, on my birthday, he told me how he felt.

He treated me wonderfully, and for a little while, I finally got to know what being loved felt like.

Then last year, on my birthday, he proposed.

His eyes were red as he swore he'd love me for the rest of his life.

But we'd barely gotten engaged when Vanessa heard Nolan was back on top and came running home.

In tears, she claimed she'd only left him because she'd had a life-threatening illness.

She said she'd loved him all along, and the moment she recovered, she'd come straight back to him.

Well, she was his first love.

Of course Nolan forgave her.

After that, every time Vanessa falsely accused me of something, he believed her without hesitation and punished me again and again.

By the time I snapped back to the present, I was even angrier.

I gave Vanessa a cold look.

"I've given you a lot of money these past two years, haven't I?"

Vanessa blinked, then smiled shyly.

"Yeah. You gave me my own card on your account and bought me all kinds of jewelry and designer bags.

"I kept telling you I didn't want any of it, but you insisted. You gave me so much I barely knew what to do with it all.

"I love you for you. It's not about your money..."

"Then give it all back."

I cut her off flatly.

Before, I'd been so consumed by the fact that Nolan didn't love me anymore that I thought the heartbreak would kill me.

But hearing just how much money I'd lost?

That was when I learned what real heartbreak felt like.

That was my money!

Money I'd busted my ass earning through endless client dinners and all-nighters!

Luckily, Vanessa thought I was testing her.

Pretending she didn't care, she gave it all back.

Then she said sweetly, "See? I told you. You're all I want.

"I really don't care whether you have money or not."

I gave her a vague "Mm-hmm."

Then I turned around, put the money into an offshore trust, and started planning how to transfer the rest of the assets.

God knew when Nolan and I would switch back.

I had to start looking out for myself.

I'd been such an idiot before.

I'd actually imagined that after we switched bodies, Nolan would finally see Vanessa for who she really was and come back to me.

Turns out, having money and power felt so good.