Chapter 3

The next day, as I drove to meet Shane and Elaine, I heard that a man's body had been discovered by the river the night before. A few hours later, I was dead.

I had gone to that bar last night because I remembered Alvaro mentioning a year ago that someone had taken an interest in him there. Honestly, I never thought I'd actually run into him.

In this life, I wanted more than to survive. I wanted him to have a real chance at happiness, too.

"Are you in some kind of trouble?" I asked, pretending not to know.

Alvaro bit his lip. "My dad's sick. He's in the hospital, and the bills keep piling up. I need..." His voice dropped to a whisper. "I'm desperate for a quick way to make money. Someone said that the bar gets a lot of rich people, and I was tempted at the time."

His face turned a deep shade of red, and he struggled to find the words.

"Would you be interested in interning at Linley Group?" I asked.

"What?" Alvaro looked up in surprise.

"You know Linley Pharma is still a small startup. We need fresh talent and new ideas," I explained.

"I-I'm just a student. Are you asking me to be a salesperson?" Alvaro stammered.

I laughed. "Not at all. You can start as an intern in the Research Department. "We can give you an advance on your salary to cover your father's medical bills. You can repay it against your future earnings."

"The Research Department?" Alvaro looked stunned. "Isn't that just for PhDs? I'm not anywhere near that level."

"If you never try, how will you know?" I shook my head. "Trust me. You have what it takes to do something great."

Back in my previous life, the medical patent stolen from him was something even many professors couldn't manage, let alone a PhD student.

Alvaro stared at me, his eyes getting red.

"Thank you," he said, turning away to wipe his eyes. "I won't let you down."

I smiled. Of course, he wouldn't let me down. He was always meant to shine.

I had the finance team advance Alvaro the salary, and I got him the best research equipment we had available.

This time, I was determined to seize fate and change it for us both.

*****

For the next month, Shane and I continued to live in the same place, but we barely saw each other or exchanged words.

It felt just like the cold treatment from my previous life, but this time, I wasn't crying myself to sleep every night or trying to make amends with him.

Instead, I was staying late at the office, often until nine or ten, and I didn't reach out to him at all.

It wasn't until before leaving work on Friday that I remembered I had left my name stamp at the office in Guerrero Tower.

So, I jumped in my car and went to get it.

As soon as I entered the building, I bumped into Elaine.

She had wavy hair that flowed over her shoulders, was dressed in a deep red dress with a low neckline, and was holding a lunch bag.

It looked like she had been part of the company for a while.

When she saw me, she froze for a moment, but then, to my surprise, she broke into a bright smile and walked over.

"Would you mind grabbing a coffee together?" she asked.

The café on the first floor was something I had suggested after Shane took over the Guerrero Group. I wanted to create a comfy spot for employees to relax and feel happy.

But now, I was sitting there with Shane's first love, both of us sipping milkshakes.

"This is my favorite milkshake. When I was studying abroad, there was a restaurant that made it just like this," Elaine said, twirling her hair and smiling. "Honestly, he's impressive.

"I casually mentioned I wished the café sold this milkshake, and after all these years, he actually tracked down the restaurant owner and got the recipe."

"I know," I said quietly. "The café sells milkshakes because I made it happen."

Elaine's smile faltered for a moment.

After Shane took over the Guerrero Group following our marriage, he was busy with work. His father, Frank, trusted me, so I ended up managing a large part of the company's operations and logistics.

In my previous life, when Shane had the office submit the request for milkshakes, he listed it as an employee suggestion.

Since I thought expanding the menu wouldn't hurt, I approved it without thinking twice.

Later, I found out from Elaine that the milkshake was something Shane had specifically arranged for her.

That led to yet another argument with Shane, who said I was being unreasonable.

"The café is for the staff, so their ideas matter," I said and took a sip of my milkshake. "It's actually pretty good. If you have other suggestions, Ms. Clayton, feel free to share."

With that, I put my milkshake down, grabbed my bag, and walked out, not bothering to look at her as her expression turned pale.

I had barely taken two steps when Elaine got up and stood behind me. "Kate, what's the point of keeping him trapped like this?"

I stopped in my tracks. "What did you just say?"

"Desperately holding on to someone who doesn't love you? It's just pathetic," Elaine replied.

"Oh, is that so? How nice of you to feel sorry for me, Ms. Clayton," I said.

"He used to be such a fun guy, but look what being with you has done to him," Elaine said, raising her voice. "When he was with me, he was free and happy. Now you've got him stuck in your boring, predictable life."

She stepped closer to me. "Have you ever really cared about what he's feeling? Do you even know what he wants? Have you ever seen him truly smile?

"You know what? For the last month, I've been bringing him lunch every day. He says my food is a surprise, way more fun than your so-called healthy meals. Honestly, the only time I see the old Shane is when he's eating what I make." She sounded as if she were about to cry.

"Kate?" Shane's familiar voice suddenly called from behind me. He rushed over, looking worried. "What's going on?"

Elaine quickly turned and wiped her tears.

"Kate!" Shane sounded upset, and before I knew it, he grabbed my hand. "Stop messing around. We're going home."