Chapter 4

I closed the book in my hand and looked him straight in the eye. "Graham, I thought I made myself clear. We're done. Whatever happens between you and Molly has nothing to do with me."

"But that's not how it is!" Graham protested, getting a little worked up. "Molly and I just... we just talk a lot, that's all."

I nearly burst out laughing.

'In my last life, I actually fell for this kind of lame excuse for forty years,' she thought to herself.

"Just talk a lot?" I raised an eyebrow. "So you two just chatted your way into having a son together?"

Graham's face went ghostly pale. "Are you serious? Are you just making things up?"

"You know deep down whether it's nonsense or not," I said, picking up my book and getting ready to leave.

He stepped in front of me. "Chelsea, you've changed. You weren't like this before."

"Yeah, I've changed," I said, stopping and meeting his gaze. "Because I've finally seen some people and things for what they really are."

I pushed his hand away and walked out of the library without looking back.

My fingers shook—not because I was sad, but because I was pissed off.

In my previous life, I let myself get played by that fake sincerity for decades.

When I got home from work, the place was unusually lively.

Molly was spinning around the living room in her new dress, with Mom watching her, grinning from ear to ear.

"Chelsea, you're back!" Mom called out, way more cheerful than usual. "Molly and Graham went out together today, and he even gave her a silk scarf! Looks like there's definitely something going on between those two."

I glanced at the light pink scarf around Molly's neck and recognized it right away. It was the first present Graham gave me, back in my last life.

So even gifts can be re-gifted.

"Oh, really? Well, congratulations," I said flatly, heading for my room.

"Chelsea," Molly called out, her voice uncertain. "Do you really not care if I go out with Graham?"

I turned and looked at her fresh, pretty face, and couldn't help but remember how, forty years from now, she'd be looking flawless, showing off in front of me like she was some kind of perfect first love.

"Why should I care?" I shot back. "We're done. He can be with anyone he wants—including you."

Molly's eyes lit up for a second, but she quickly tried to play it cool. "I just feel a little bad about it..."

"Don't feel bad," I cut her off. "You two are a perfect match."

One was selfish and a liar, the other was all about looks and drama—seriously, a match made in hell.

Mom pulled me into the kitchen to help with dinner and whispered, "Chelsea, I know you might still be hung up on him, but with a guy like Graham, why let someone like him end up with someone outside the family? If Molly can snag him, it'd be a real blessing for us."

I paused mid-chop. "Mom, have you ever thought about why I let him go so easily if he's really that great?"

Mom looked taken aback. "Didn't you say you just... fell out of love?"

"People don't just suddenly stop loving someone they've dated for a year. There's gotta be a reason," I said, my voice loaded with meaning.

Mom paused, looking thoughtful, then shook her head. "It's probably just a little spat between you two. Honestly, Graham seems really into Molly. He even said he's taking her to meet his mentor today!"

I let out a cold laugh.

In my last life, Graham took me to meet his mentor, Professor Jefferson Mendez, a big name in the architecture world.

Back then, Jefferson was really impressed with my designs and even gave me tons of advice.

But in the end, I gave up the chance to pursue further studies so I could take care of the family.

It looked like this time around, Graham was passing that connection on to Molly, too.

It worked for me. Let's see if Molly, who didn't know the first thing about architecture, could actually handle these opportunities.

After dinner, I headed back to my room to pore over my design drafts.

I could hear Molly humming outside—guess she was in a pretty good mood today.

"Chelsea, can I come in?" she called, knocking on the door.

"Come in," I said.

Molly pushed the door open, her face glowing with excitement. "Graham said he's taking me to an architecture networking event next week. All the big names in the industry will be there."

"Congratulations," I said, not even looking up.

She strutted over to my desk, eyeing the blueprints spread everywhere. "You're still messing with these? Graham says women architects hardly ever get ahead. Honestly, you'd be better off just marrying well."

My pencil stopped mid-stroke in my hand.

In my previous life, Graham kept telling me the same thing, always trying to convince me to drop my career and put all my energy into backing him up.

Looking back, it was almost laughable that I thought that was his way of loving me.

"To each their own," I replied, keeping my tone flat.

Molly made a face. "Honestly, you just always have to be so strong-willed. Women should just find a decent guy. That's what really counts. Graham said he'd hook me up with a job at his office—super chill, super classy."

I looked up at her innocent but shallow face, and couldn't help but wonder if she'd still call it a "perfect match" once Graham had nothing left.