Chapter 1

After thirty years of marriage, Arthur Brennan and Chelsea Brennan had always been deeply in love. They never even had a single fight or awkward moment. Everyone who knew them saw them as the model couple.

During the annual spring cleaning, Chelsea stumbled upon a wooden box under their bed. She'd never seen it before.

Curious, she opened it and found over a hundred unsent letters, all neatly stacked inside. Every single one was addressed to the same person: Julianna Leavitt.

Her fingers trembled as she pulled out one of the letters and unfolded it.

It was Arthur's handwriting.

It read: "Julianna, back then, I was powerless to choose. I let you down. If there's truly a next life, I promise I'll marry you and never leave your side."

"Julianna, I miss you every single day, but I never get to see you. My heart aches. Are you alright?"

"Julianna, these days, I'm just muddling through. Only you remain forever in my heart."

*****

Chelsea slumped to the ground, reading letter after letter. Tears poured down her cheeks, but not a single sound escaped her lips.

Each word was like a relentless, poisoned needle, stabbing into Chelsea's eyes and ripping apart the world she'd trusted for thirty years.

All those years of polite harmony, all the "happiness" she had so carefully cultivated, were merely the backdrop to his endless yearning for another woman.

Then what did all her tireless efforts over the years amount to?

The phone blared suddenly, jolting Chelsea from her daze. She staggered to her feet and rushed to answer it.

"Is this Arthur Brennan's family? He suddenly collapsed from a stroke and was rushed to the hospital. Please come right away!"

Chelsea's mind went completely blank. Instinctively, she grabbed her bag and bolted out the door.

The doctor's face was grim. "Mrs. Brennan, Mr. Brennan's condition is critical. Even if the surgery succeeds, he'll most likely be paralyzed. In the worst case, he could end up in a vegetative state. The decision to operate is up to the family."

In the hospital room, Arthur lay there with his eyes shut, his lips moving faintly as he murmured incoherently.

Chelsea leaned in closer, finally making out what he was saying.

Arthur was saying, "Julianna... Julianna...

"I let you down in this life... If there's a next life, we'll..."

Every word stabbed into Chelsea's heart like an ice dagger, freezing every last trace of warmth inside her.

Even on the brink of death, Arthur's thoughts were still consumed by Julianna.

Chelsea straightened up, her face hollow and eerily calm. She turned to the doctor, her voice steady and devoid of emotion. "I'm his wife and guardian. I've decided to withdraw life support."

After signing the consent form, Chelsea walked over to the hospital bed. With her own hands, she removed the tubes and wires sustaining Arthur's life, one by one.

The shrill alarm from the machines abruptly ceased, and the room fell into dead silence.

Arthur, since you were so desperate to be with her in your next life, I'd make sure you got your wish.

By the time their children rushed back from out of town, Arthur was already nothing but ashes.

Chelsea's face was gaunt, eyes hollow. "Your father passed away peacefully. His will was for a burial at sea."

Ignoring the shock and protests of all their friends and family, Chelsea carried the urn by herself to a filthy, reeking ditch.

Buried at sea? As if Arthur deserved that.

She lifted her hand and poured Arthur's ashes straight into the filthy, stinking ditch.

Anyone who betrayed real feelings deserved to rot without even a grave.

Arthur, this was your karma.

Next life or not, I, Chelsea Brennan, would never be your wife again.

After finishing everything, Chelsea wandered back in a haze. Out of nowhere, an out-of-control truck came hurtling straight at her...

Pain and darkness engulfed her, swallowing everything.

Chelsea blinked awake, only to realize she was back thirty years in the past.

She glanced around. It was the bridal house where she had married Arthur.

Judging by the timing, they'd only been married for a short while. No kids yet.

Just as Chelsea was processing everything, the door swung open, and Arthur walked in.

Arthur stood tall and straight, his brows sharp and eyes bright. Behind him followed a frail-looking woman.

Chelsea's gaze slipped past him and landed on the woman's face. To her shock, it was Julianna Leavitt.

In her last life, Julianna hadn't appeared at this moment. Looks like being sent back in time had already changed a lot of things.

"Chelsea, this is Julianna Leavitt. She's a distant cousin from my hometown. She just came to the city for work and doesn't have a place to stay, so I thought she could stay with us for a while. Would that be alright with you?" Arthur said, his tone as casual as ever.

Chelsea's lips curled into a faint smile.

In her past life, Arthur had told her Julianna was his "cousin," and Chelsea had naively bought it.

Not only did she believe him, but she even felt bad for Julianna struggling in the countryside, always urging Arthur to take extra care of her.

Now, thinking about it, it was just ridiculous.

"Cousin? I don't recall you ever having a cousin," Chelsea challenged.

Arthur's face froze, then turned sour. "There are tons of relatives back home. How could you possibly know them all?"

Julianna timidly stepped forward. "Chelsea, Arthur knows how tough it is for me to be alone in the city, so he let me stay here for a while. Don't worry, I'm good at housework. I won't cause you any trouble."

As she spoke, Julianna grabbed the broom from the corner and bent down to sweep the floor.

Arthur quickly stopped her. "What are you doing? Just relax and stay here. No one will say no to you."