All Chapters of Starting Over Without Him: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

When I got home, my clothes were already soaked through from the rain.Baron and Michelle were sitting on the couch watching a drama on the big TV, chatting and laughing as they followed the plot. Michelle's daughter, Sandy Chandler, was nearby, playing with his toys.They had not even taken off their shoes. Dark, muddy water stains spread across the sofa cushions.Seeing me standing at the door, drenched and disheveled, Baron panicked a little. He quickly got up, grabbed a dry towel from the bathroom, and came over to wipe me down.I took a step back.His hand hung awkwardly in the air for a second before he softened his tone, trying to comfort me."Why didn't you wait for me to pick you up in the rain? I was just telling Michelle that if you didn't come back soon, I was going to go look for you.""Yeah, Valerie," Michelle chimed in, her voice laced with barely hidden pride."Sandy and I were stuck at work earlier. If Baron hadn't shown up in time, we'd have ended up just like

I stared at Baron in disbelief.He looked just as uncomfortable, his eyes flickering away, unable to meet mine.I replied, "Do you even hear yourself? Forget how important this competition is to me. Have you thought about the fact that even if I step down and give her my spot, she still won't win anything?"Michelle simply did not have the talent. Back in university, her grades were always average at best.In a competition like that, she would not even make it past the preliminary round, let alone win a prize.Baron clearly understood what I meant. He pressed his lips together, hesitating before speaking."That's why… Michelle and I were thinking that we could use your design…"Before he could finish, I cut him off cold."Don't even think about it."At that moment, everything finally clicked.That was why, in my previous life, Michelle had been the one who went abroad to study.It was highly likely that Baron had stolen my design and recommended her to the professor.Even a

It seemed Baron had already warned Michelle.For the next few days, she kept Sandy tucked away in the guest room, only coming out for meals.Those days passed without incident.I spent most of my time preparing design drafts for a competition that weekend, hoping it would strengthen my portfolio for my study-abroad application.Just when I thought nothing else could go wrong…I came home from work and froze.Every single design draft I had carefully stored on the top shelf of the cabinet had been pulled out.Many were torn to pieces, scattered messily across the floor.Sandy sat on the sofa, still ripping through another sheet with her tiny hands.My mind went blank with a loud buzz."What are you doing?!"I rushed forward and snatched the papers from her hands. Startled by my sudden movement, her lips trembled, and then she burst into tears."The bad lady hit me!"The crying drew Michelle out of the room. She hurried over and scooped Sandy into her arms."Valerie, she's

If that had been my past life, hearing Baron say that would have made me happier than anything.However, I came to realize that he could never follow through.Even if he wanted to, Michelle would never let him go so easily.That entire night, Baron sat in the chair, watching me.I could tell he had something he wanted to say.What did that have to do with me?I did not want to hear it anyway.Early the next morning, I went home.The moment Margaret saw me, she dropped what she was doing and hurried over."Well? You look alright now."I smiled and nodded. "I should be thanking you for taking me to the clinic. Otherwise, I probably would've collapsed from anemia."Seeing that I could still joke around, she relaxed.She glanced around, then leaned in and whispered in my ear, "Your man came back this morning. He had a huge fight with your sister. It sounded like he told her to move out immediately."I was surprised. I had not expected him to actually be that decisive.After t