Chapter 1

In 1979, I was eighteen, newly orphaned, alone in the world. With nowhere else to turn, I headed north to join my fiancé, Nathan Goodman.

Nathan stood there in his military uniform, giving me a once-over, clearly unimpressed by my plain, country-style clothes.

Then he turned to his lover, Yvonne Johnson, and said, "She's just a maid my folks brought in from our hometown."

In my previous life, I pulled out our engagement ring and called Nathan out on his lie right then and there.

Yvonne stormed out, shamed and seething. She married Nathan's arch-nemesis on impulse; he tortured her until she died.

Nathan married me, but made my life a living hell. Seven pregnancies. Seven losses.

The final blow came when the doctor said I'd never conceive again.

Nathan's hand closed around my throat. He spat, "You killed Yvonne. You don't deserve to carry my baby."

When the truth finally broke me, I plunged the scalpel into his chest and threw myself from the hospital's roof.

The moment I woke up again, I heard Nathan, in his usual cold tone, telling Yvonne, "She's just a maid my folks brought in from our hometown."

I forced myself to swallow the bitterness and nodded. I said, "That's right, I'm just the maid the Goodman family brought in."

Nathan Goodman, in this lifetime, we were finished. No turning back.

*****

When Nathan's father, Victor Goodman, realized Nathan was passing me off as just the maid, he was livid.

He marched over and slapped Nathan hard across the face.

Victor snapped, "Are you kidding me? Get out there and clear things up, right now.

"Jessica is your fiancée. How could you call her just the maid?

"How could I ever look Jessica's parents in the eye after this?"

Back then, Victor and his wife, Luna Goodman, were wrongly convicted in a political witch hunt and lost everything. They nearly starved, hiding out in a derelict farmhouse.

My parents secretly brought them food for three years. Without them, Victor and Luna wouldn't have made it.

Once they had cleared and rebuilt their fortune, Victor insisted on repaying the debt. He practically forced Nathan and me into an engagement, even though my parents tried to decline.

Later, when Victor and Luna moved back to the city, our families just started drifting apart.

In my previous life, my only goal was to honor my parents' wish and marry Nathan.

But Nathan never loved me.

He even shipped himself off to the far southwest just to avoid me, only coming home three times in ten years.

Luna, who barely saw her son, grew to hate me, blaming me for taking him away.

Victor started looking at me with nothing but disappointment in his eyes.

I swallowed my pride and applied to be stationed with Nathan, just so I could stay by his side.

But Nathan, desperate to escape me, signed up for the front lines, risking his life every single day.

Luna, terrified for her son, broke down in tears and begged Victor to haul me back, forcing me away from Nathan.

Stuck in that cold, unwelcoming place, I spent half my life being mocked and looked down on, never knowing a single day of happiness.

When I opened my eyes again, I saw Nathan carefully wrapping his arms around Yvonne, as if she was made of glass and he was terrified she might get even a little upset.

That's when it hit me: trying to force a marriage was just asking for misery.

Nathan, this time around, I was letting you go. And I was finally setting myself free.

This time, I'd just arrived. Luna hadn't started resenting me yet, and Victor was still looking out for me.

But Nathan, just like in my previous life, was all fired up and totally against the engagement.

Nathan shouted, "Yvonne and I are in love! There's no way I'm accepting some arranged marriage.

"Why should I have to sacrifice my happiness just because you owe Jessica's parents?"

Victor was so mad that he raised his hand to Nathan.

I jumped in front of Nathan, stopping Victor.

I said, "Mr. Goodman, I only came here to find some work as a maid, so I can make a living.

"I've never even met Nathan before, and marrying him was never something I wanted.

"Let's just end the engagement between our families, right here and now."

As I spoke, I took out the engagement ring Luna had given me and handed it to Nathan.

I said, "Nathan, I know this ring stands for promises we never should have made.

"Take it back. Give it to the girl who truly has your heart."

Nathan never expected I'd be the one to call off the engagement.

He actually looked relieved, but at the same time, a little pissed.

He stared at me, sizing me up. He asked, "You seriously don't want to marry me? You just want to work as a maid for my family?"

I nodded, my eyes burning with all the bitterness from my previous life as I stared straight at him.

I said, "Nathan, I really don't like you, and I don't want to marry you."

Nathan's expression shifted in a heartbeat. He clenched the gold band so hard that his knuckles went white, then let out a bitter, almost mocking laugh.

He snapped, "Good. You'd better remember every word you just said. Don't you dare start having any feelings for me."