Chapter 4

I stumbled home in the morning, my head still hazy.

My parents sat on the sofa, waiting for me, their faces grim.

"You're getting worse, staying out drinking all night. Chloe is such a good girl, and you just tossed her aside. You were the one who insisted on marrying her!"

"You are going to give me a reason today, or else."

At my parents' words, my drunken haze began to clear.

They were right. I had been the one to push for it.

It took living a lifetime of pain to understand that a forced relationship never ends well.

...

My memory flashed back to the day I heard about Chloe's death.

It was our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. The day before, I had, for once, stood my ground with Chloe.

Not for anything else, but to make her come home and spend our anniversary with me. Because that day also marked thirty years since I first fell in love with her.

"If you don't come back, we should just get a divorce."

That's what I said then.

But such a threat must have seemed laughable in Chloe's eyes.

That evening, I waited for her at the restaurant, full of anticipation, only to receive the news of Chloe's death.

I hung up the phone and rushed to the police station like a madman.

"Are you Chloe Miller's husband?"

The officer confirmed my identity, his eyes filled with sympathy.

They told me Chloe had committed suicide, and that she had done so with another man named Ryan, suspected to be a tragic lovers' pact.

"Do you have any information about Ryan?"

It was the first time I had ever heard that unfamiliar name.

I shook my head, bewildered.

I found out who Ryan was at Chloe's funeral.

Her best friend cried inconsolably over her coffin.

"If I had known you loved Ryan, I would have stopped you from marrying Liam, even if it killed me."

That's when I learned Ryan was Chloe's university senior.

All those years, they had never truly broken off contact. All the holidays and annivers Chloe missed? She had spent them with Ryan.

Eventually, only I remained at the funeral. I stood before Chloe's tombstone, murmuring to myself.

"Chloe, did you regret marrying me?"

The tombstone wouldn't answer, but I knew the truth.

"I regretted marrying you too. If I had another chance, I would never have gotten involved with you again."

With that thought, my eyes cleared, and I looked at my parents with newfound resolve.

"I just can't go through with this marriage. I can't tell you why. But I will help the Miller family."

My mom finally sighed.

"You'll regret this. Fine, we won't interfere anymore. Do whatever you want."

I went back to bed and slept for what felt like an eternity. Once my mind finally felt clear, I texted Chloe to meet me at my office.

Chloe arrived quickly, dressed with care.

Her hair was styled in soft waves, and she wore a white dress, as if heading to a date.

"Liam, you haven't asked me out in ages."

Her face held the shy, delicate charm of a young girl in love, her lips pursed in a demure smile.

I tossed a contract onto the table and spoke in a purely business-like tone.

"I know the Miller family needs sixty million in funding. Sign this contract, and I'll give you what you want. But after this, you must never come looking for me again."

Chloe stared down, no reaction.

I urged her. "Hurry up. I'm giving you what you want, don't get greedy."

At my words, Chloe looked up, her eyes brimming with tears.

She bit her lip, throwing the contract back at me. Then she rushed to my side, grabbing my shirt, demanding I look deeply into her eyes.

"Liam Thompson, I'm not asking for an investment at all. I've only ever wanted you. Haven't I made that obvious enough?"

Large tears streamed down her face. She pounded my chest with her fists, but it didn't hurt at all.

"We were married for over twenty years. Now you've been reborn, and you're treating your wife like this? You weren't like this in the last life..."