All Chapters of Love on Borrowed Time: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

"Why is the wedding contract so thick?" Max Curtis asked with a frown. He flipped through the pages one by one, yet never put pen to paper.As one of Riverport's most well-known business elites, he wasn't a man easily fooled.On the second-to-last page was the divorce settlement agreement I had secretly slipped in.I kept my head down. I didn't feel very nervous."There seems to be a lot of settlement terms. If you have time, you can read through them slowly," I said.He wouldn't have time.Today was the day his first love, Sandra Lynch, returned to the country.Back then, when Sandra got engaged, he married me in a fit of anger.Now, Sandra was divorced. He drank himself senseless, and once he sobered up, he asked me to redo our wedding.It was nothing more than a way to provoke Sandra into coming back.My marriage was just a prop in their game.Sure enough, the impatience on Max's face was obvious."I need to head out to pick someone up. I don't have time to read all this

Chapter 2

One day, one of my company's partners stopped me."Bring the design drafts later. We're going to the client's office to sign the contract. I hear the client is none other than Mr. Curtis' rumored lover."I nodded in a daze.Although they were my partners, none of them knew that Max and I were acquainted, much less that I was secretly married to him.The client's office was located right downstairs from Max's company.I knew this was the new company Sandra had founded after returning home. It was backed by an investment from Curtis Group.Lately, financial news had been hyping up the old love story between the two of them.When we entered the CEO's office, Max was there. No surprises. He was holding an exquisitely wrapped box and handing it to the woman seated in the CEO's chair, Sandra.The moment Max saw me, his expression froze.Everyone in the room sensed something was off.Sandra's gaze landed on me. A hint of amusement flickered in her eyes."Who's this?"Max fell si

Chapter 3

"Someday, we'll make it public," Max said. "For now, our top priority is still handling this project."I nodded, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.I didn't remind him that the real priority seemed to be the wedding that was just around the corner.I also didn't remind him that on that very day, the divorce cooling-off period would end.After all, in his eyes, Sandra still mattered most.Throughout the project, Max's deliberate efforts to avoid situations where I might run into Sandra didn't go unnoticed by my partner.Curious for gossip, she asked me, "Did you and Mr. Curtis have something going on in the past?"I smiled. "How could that be?"She smiled. "He's stolen a few looks at you. Those really guilty ones. It's the look of a man who isn't a complete jerk. He still stares at an ex he hasn't gotten over."I froze for a moment and thought back carefully.It wasn't that I hadn't noticed. It was just that everything in the past made it impossible for me to trust what I saw i

Chapter 4

I didn't really understand what Max had been thinking lately, and I didn't want to.I began moving my things out bit by bit, careful not to draw his attention.But he still noticed.One day, after a meeting, Max took the initiative to invite me to sit in his office for a while.No sooner had I sat down than he asked, "You've moved a lot of your things out recently. And you haven't been staying at home, either."I nodded and gave him a reason I had prepared long ago."Yeah. I'm staying at the old house for a while."Max hesitated. He looked uncertain. "I've thought about the wedding for a long time. We could still redo it…"I cut him off. "There's no need. There isn't much time left, anyway."He looked startled. "What do you mean, not much time left?"I hesitated and wondered if I should just show him the already-signed divorce settlement agreement.Sandra's phone call came at exactly the right time.I glanced at the name on his screen and smiled. "You should go take care of

Chapter 5

I turned the plane ticket over and showed it to him. The name of a city 2,000 miles away was printed on it.Max frowned. "Why are you suddenly going somewhere so far away? And you didn't even tell me. What if something happened to you?"I shrugged and spoke nonchalantly. "That's highly unlikely. It's just a normal work transfer."Max grabbed my wrist. He was clearly unconvinced. "Why so sudden? Didn't we just finish a project together? Are you just going to leave it behind?"I gently pried his fingers away and stepped back, putting some distance between us."The project is already in its final stage. I've handed the rest to my partner. I have other projects to work on."But that small step back hurt Max more than my words.He looked at me with confusion. His outstretched hand trembled slightly, yet he couldn't bring himself to lower it.As if sensing something, he asked softly, "When will you come back?"I shook my head and answered with a smile, "I'm not coming back."Max se

Chapter 6

As Max kept talking, his voice grew frantic.I refused to keep going in circles with him. I hoisted my suitcase, turned away, and left him with just one sentence."The divorce settlement agreement is on the table. Read it yourself."I hailed a cab to the airport.The moment Max heard what I said, he ran back into the old house.On the table lay the divorce settlement agreement I had prepared long ago. Max's signature was already on it.His signature was bold and forceful. He liked to drag out the final stroke.Max would never mistake his own signature.What he didn't know was when he had signed it.On the way to the airport, I received a call from Max.I didn't answer.Instead, I pulled out the SIM card and snapped it in half.Seeing what I did, the driver joked, "Did you have a fight with your boyfriend?"I shook my head. "No. My ex-husband."The driver was chatty. Once he started, he couldn't stop."What could be so serious that you'd divorce and never speak again? Did

Chapter 7

I landed in an unfamiliar coastal city feeling lighthearted.I bought a new SIM card and contacted my partner first.Then, I blocked everyone connected to Max on all social media platforms.I didn't watch a single one of the videos they sent about how Max had broken down crying at the airport.I deleted everything. My phone was clean again. There was nothing left that could upset me.I focused on building a new company here and gradually shifted the core of our business over. The busy days left me with no time to think about men at all.So this was what it felt like to be free from worrying about men. It was unbelievably liberating.My partner called to start an online meeting, excitedly telling me that the project back there had wrapped up perfectly.The road had been full of obstacles, but thankfully, the ending was good. Most importantly, it hadn't affected our ability to make money.I casually asked what had happened with the project after I stopped overseeing it.My part

Chapter 8

My business partner flew over a week later, and she was completely wiped out from the long haul, jet lag and all the hard work. She was so weak, she could barely get out of bed.I had no choice but to go to her hotel to take care of her. She handed me the materials for the client meeting scheduled for the next day, and I was stunned when I read them.Who worked this obsessively?But since she was down, I naturally had to step in.It was our business, anyway. Whoever did the work, did the work.However, I regretted it the moment I arrived at the hotel.I immediately called my partner. "You never told me the client was Max."She had been so sick she was practically out of breath. When she heard what I said, she suddenly inhaled deeply."That's impossible! I'd never make a mistake like that."While we were still trying to figure out what went wrong, Max walked up behind me."I applied to replace the client representative. I wanted to see you."I turned to face him. Max stood ab

Chapter 9

"Get lost!"That was the only thing I said to Max.Whatever plan my business partner had come up with, I hadn't even gotten any satisfaction out of it. Max managed to disgust me first.Max couldn't believe I was really this heartless. He stood up and tried to grab me, but the handsome cafe owner stepped in and blocked him."Stop embarrassing yourself. She told you to get lost. Didn't you hear?"Max was meek and cautious around me, but the moment he faced someone else, he suddenly toughened up."What does this have to do with you?"He looked the bakery owner up and down, then raised his voice and asked me, "You refuse to marry me. Don't tell me it's because of some guy who sells cakes? What can he offer you? Can those cakes even cover rent?"I was so furious, I spun around and was ready to curse him out. Before I could speak, the cafe owner calmly wagged a finger in front of Max's face."Not quite. I don't pay rent for my cafe. This entire building is mine. I'm not particular

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