Chapter 1

I had been obsessed with Shane since I was a kid.

After he broke up with his first girlfriend, I stayed by his side for five long years.

I transformed from a classy socialite into a wild party girl, drinking and racing cars with him.

Then he proposed, but after we got married, he completely shut me out.

After years of feeling lonely and bitter, I finally lost my mind and crashed my car into Shane and his ex.

With a loud crash, I found myself back in time, a year ago.

This time, all I wanted was a divorce.

However, he stubbornly refused to let me go.

*****

As the intense pain faded, I slowly opened my eyes.

The last thing I remembered was crashing my car into Shane Guerrero and Elaine Clayton like a total maniac.

But now, I was lying in my own bed, completely unhurt.

Shane, standing by the bed, heard me stir and turned around, adjusting his tie.

"You're awake," he said quietly, almost like he was checking a box.

I recognized that tie. It was the one Elaine gave him years ago. Even after their breakup, he never brought himself to discard it.

"There's something important at the Guerrero Group tonight, so don't wait up for me. You're not feeling well anyway, and our anniversary..." He paused. "We'll celebrate it this weekend."

I stared at him blankly. I remembered this moment all too well.

It was supposed to be our first anniversary, but just because Elaine said something, he ditched me to see her.

I pretended to be sick, hoping he'd stay, but he left without a second thought.

That night, I tracked them down at the revolving restaurant by the river.

I stood not far away from them, but it felt like I was invisible, a total outsider.

At the time, I was furious at Shane for lying to me, so I stormed into the restaurant, my eyes blazing. Then I drenched both of them with red wine and made a scene like a scorned woman.

After all the drama, Elaine, with red wine soaking her hair, stayed cool and pulled out a contract from her purse. It turned out that she was there for business, representing a supplier to talk to Shane.

After that, Shane gave me the silent treatment for a whole month. I couldn't take it anymore, so I finally apologized to him and did what he asked. I went to Elaine and apologized for my crazy outburst.

I'd never forget the look Elaine gave me that day when I said sorry.

She acted so magnanimously and told me, "It's fine."

After that, Elaine officially joined the Guerrero Group aboveboard.

Now, I found myself staring at the tie Shane was wearing, and I suddenly grabbed my phone from the nightstand.

Shane frowned and asked, "What's wrong?"

Not surprisingly, the date matched exactly what I remembered.

Then I pinched my cheek hard.

The pain was so sharp that my eyes instantly filled with tears.

So it was real. I really had gone back a year.

I buried my face in my hands, my whole body trembling uncontrollably.

"Kate, what the hell are you doing?" Shane said, his impatience clear. "Anniversaries are just for show. Does it matter if we celebrate? What else do you want—"

He pulled my hands away from my face, but when he saw me laughing and crying at the same time, he froze.

"Sorry, I'm just so happy," I said, wiping my tears. "Go do your thing. Don't worry about me."

He frowned, but then let go of me.

He took a few steps and then paused. "If you're not feeling well, just call Leandro and have him send a doctor."

"Okay," I replied.

As he turned to leave, I watched him go and suddenly called out, "Shane."

He turned back. "What now?"

I looked at the man I'd spent six years with, the one who stood at the altar promising to love me forever, the one I thought I'd be with for life in love.

"When you're done working, let's end this marriage," I said.

Shane paused for a second, but then his impatience came roaring back. "Kate, are you seriously still on this?

"Can you not do this now? Is there any point? Tonight..." He rubbed his temples. "I'll try to get back early."

I protested, "That's not what I meant."

But he didn't even bother to listen and just marched out the door.

*****

The door opened and closed, and the room fell silent once more.

I sighed. Honestly, back then, my entire world revolved around Shane. Divorce was the last thing I could imagine.

Not only would he never believe it, but truthfully, no one else would, either.

He probably thought this was just another way for me to make him feel guilty enough to stay.

Looking back, I realize I was a complete fool.

I had liked Shane since childhood. The Linley family and the Guerrero family were very close, and he was the boy next door that I admired.

Later, he went abroad for college and met Elaine. They were said to be head over heels for each other, but they always fought and eventually broke up.

When Shane returned home, he was a completely different man.

He started smoking, drinking heavily, and racing cars as if his life didn't matter.

He was nothing like the gentle, carefree boy next door in my memory.

He wouldn't listen to anyone, so if I wanted him to drink less, I ended up going out for drinks to keep him company.

I was always worried he'd get hurt drag racing, so I went along every time to make sure he was safe.

I spent five years with him as a friend, and finally, he confessed to me.

He claimed he had feelings for me and wanted to be with me forever.

So, we got married.

After we tied the knot, he finally settled down and took over the Guerrero Group. We started enjoying our free time together, dining out and catching movies. He quit drinking and racing altogether.

Back then, I truly believed our happiness would last forever.

But a year later, when Elaine came back, Shane was hardly ever home.

Our time together turned into silent treatments or full-blown arguments.

I couldn't wrap my head around it.

If Shane didn't like me at all, why didn't he shut me out from the start?

He was the one who said he loved me and wanted to marry me.

Yet somehow, I was always to blame in his eyes.

Watching him go out of his way to take care of Elaine, I couldn't figure out what I meant to him anymore.

Five years as his friend and two years as his wife, who else would spend seven years loving someone so desperately, only to end up with nothing?

In the end, my love turned into resentment, and I reached my breaking point. All I wanted was to go down with him, and I even gave up my own life.

Looking back, I realize how foolish I was.

I stood up and walked to the mirror.

Staring at my reflection, I didn't see the twisted features or bitter jealousy that would haunt me a year later. I was still the calm and graceful heiress of the Linley family that everyone admired.

Today marked an anniversary, but not one to celebrate my marriage. This was the day I got a second chance at life.

Never again would I play the fool, and I certainly wouldn't repeat my past mistakes.

This time, I was going to live a good life for myself.