Chapter 1

I supported Lucas Gray for seven years and loved him for just as long.

He finally agreed to be with me.

But later I found out he was in love with his childhood sweetheart.

He had always hated me, thinking I was humiliating him by throwing money at him.

For ten years after our marriage, he was extremely cold to me, and eventually moved out to start a new family with his sweetheart.

I was left alone in an empty house, withering away in depression.

When I was reborn to the day I decided to support him, Lucas's sweetheart Emma threw herself at him and yelled at me excitedly:

"You think you're so great just because you have money? We don't need it!"

I smiled.

"You're mistaken. I'd rather burn this money than give it to you."

"Aria Collins, you're just a rich brat! You think money makes you better than us? We don't want your charity!" Emma shouted, clinging to Lucas.

Looking at Emma draped over Lucas, I felt a sense of déjà vu. My gaze met Lucas's.

At twenty, Lucas still had a boyish air about him, wearing a faded denim jacket. But he was so handsome - tall and straight-backed, with chiseled features and eyes like cold stars - that he made even the worn clothes look expensive.

I couldn't help taking a step back, steadying myself against the table behind me.

How long had it been since I'd seen Lucas like this?

Ten years? Twenty?

It had been so long, I could barely remember. After all, that was in my past life.

Lucas looked slightly startled when I stepped back.

Emma was still ranting, but I couldn't hear a word she was saying.

Everything before me was exactly the same as in my previous life.

Back then, he refused my help, but I insisted on supporting him anyway.

I had loved Lucas for seven years, and I knew his family was struggling.

His father was a degenerate gambler who would come home drunk and beat Lucas and his mother after losing all their money.

Lucas's mother, unable to bear the abuse any longer, eventually drowned herself in the river.

From a young age, Lucas had to pick up trash and do odd jobs to support himself. He managed to stay in school by applying for scholarships.

We shouldn't have had any connection.

But he always had excellent grades, so our private high school offered him a scholarship to boost their college acceptance rates. That's how we ended up at the same school.

Back then, most of us in our circle were rich kids, with wealthy families. We didn't care much about studying and just coasted through our days, waiting to go abroad for an easy degree before coming back to inherit the family business.

Lucas was different.

He had clear goals, studied hard during class, and worked part-time jobs after school.

Though he was poor, he never saw it as something to be ashamed of. He always carried himself with dignity.

That's when I fell for him.

Because I liked him, I couldn't stand to see him suffer.

I was young and naive then, always trying to force what I thought was best onto him.

He had to skip breakfast to make it to his night job, so I'd bring him lunch boxes from home.

"Lucas, try this! My family's chef makes the best Wagyu beef.

"And this foie gras - my dad had it flown in specially. It's delicious!"

I was an only child, spoiled rotten since birth. Everyone around me indulged my every whim, leaving me with an empty head.

I just wanted to give him the best of everything.

But I completely ignored whether he wanted it or not.

Our classmates would jeer: "Aria, he doesn't know what foie gras is! He probably can't even afford chicken liver!"

I'd yell back: "Mind your own business!"

I didn't notice Lucas's fingers turning white as he gripped the lunchbox tightly.

After a moment, he handed the box back to me and said coldly:

"Thanks for the thought, but no thanks."

"Come on, Lucas," some guy said with a wink, "if you get with Aria, you'll never have to work hard again. Better snag her quick!"

"Yeah, then your dad can gamble as much as he wants without touching your tuition money, haha!"

Everyone burst out laughing.

I slammed the table. "Shut up, all of you!"

The others stopped laughing.

But Lucas stood up abruptly and walked out.

I chased after him, trying to give him the lunchbox: "Lucas, don't listen to them. Please eat this. You'll wear yourself out working at night if you don't eat properly."

He stopped and whirled around.

I froze.

His eyes were filled with pure hatred and disgust.