Chapter 1
I was the head wife of a noble household in ancient times.
But somehow, I time-traveled to the modern world, becoming Andrew Carter's arranged wife.
In my previous life, I was taught to obey my husband. In this one, I was told to receive education and think for myself.
I used to manage inner courtyards and care for the children of my husband's concubines.
Now I was supposed to love only one man, with all my heart, for my entire life.
I spent three years trying to learn the modern way, but I never quite got it right.
So when Andrew fell for his personal secretary, everyone told me to exercise my rights as a wife and drive her away.
But all I said was, with a hint of pity in my voice, "Honey, if you like her, keep her by your side."
Andrew thought I was taunting him. He told me not to regret it.
But later, he was the one crying, begging me to give him one more glance.
*****
As a matter of fact, I used to like Andrew.
In my previous life, everything was decided by my parents and a matchmaker.
This time, I picked my own husband.
At first, Andrew and I had some sweet moments together.
But somewhere along the way, he started falling for the new girl he hired as his secretary.
So eventually, things came to this end.
Andrew came clean to me at the very beginning.
He said, "Natalie, I think my heart isn't with you anymore."
I didn't get it.
How could the guy holding me right now say he didn't love me anymore?
Andrew felt me tense up and pulled me even closer.
He said, "But don't worry. I'm not going to cheat on you.
"And I won't put her through anything humiliating, either."
I didn't know what to say. I grabbed my blanket and moved to the guest room.
When I reached the doorway, he said, "Natalie, don't go looking for trouble with her."
I didn't turn around, but Andrew's deep voice echoed behind me, carrying a hint of tension.
He sounded nervous and shaky, though he didn't even realize it himself.
That night, I cried myself to sleep. My mind was spinning with thoughts.
I thought about my previous life and this one.
I never thought I'd done anything to hurt Andrew.
I was still beautiful, still young.
Why did he stop loving me?
But since his heart had already changed, I decided to pull my feelings back too.
Honestly, I was a pro at making a marriage work without any real feelings.
The next day, when Andrew was standing at the door, practically begging for my forgiveness, I said, "If you really like her, I won't stand in your way."
Andrew wasn't exactly happy.
He stared at me for a while, and there was a hint of disappointment in his eyes.
He said, "You still don't trust me.
"Since I am honest with you, it means nothing will happen between me and Emily. Why don't you believe me?"
After that day, Andrew and I fell into a cold war like never before.
It dragged on for three years.
He rarely came home, and I barely spoke to him.
The only thing left between us was a monthly routine going through the motions.
But during those three years, Andrew was practically glued to Emily's side.
He helped her raise her daughter and kept her alcoholic ex-husband off her back.
He handled all the little things in her life.
When they ran out of groceries, they'd hit the supermarket together after work.
When the pipes leaked, they'd fumble around together, ending up with water everywhere.
My phone rang.
It was Andrew's lawyer.
He said, "Mrs. Carter, could you come to the police station and get Mr. Carter?"
I let out a helpless sigh.
I gently moved the beautician's hand aside and got up from the bed.
This was the third time this month.
Andrew and Emily's ex-husband had gotten into a huge fight at the office.
Things got so bad that they ended up at the police station.
When I got there, I found Andrew was hurt worse than ever.
His face was covered in bruises, his nose was red, his eyes were swollen, and his lip was split.
When he saw me, he looked away awkwardly, trying to hide his face.
Emily, feeling sorry for him, gently turned his face back so she could keep cleaning his wounds.
"Andrew, I haven't finished applying the ointment yet. Don't move," she said softly.
Andrew sat up obediently, doing exactly as she told him.
Even though he didn't want to look at me, he didn't dare turn his head away.
Emily's ex-husband sneered. His voice was dripping with contempt. "Hmph, you two are a shameless pair."
He spat right at them.
The saliva landed right on Andrew's shiny, handcrafted leather shoes.
I frowned and took a few steps back.
Emily noticed me, and the ointment immediately slipped from her hand to the floor.
Her eyes welled up with tears.
"Mrs. Carter, please don't get the wrong idea. Andrew got hurt because he was trying to protect me. I want to pay him back. There's nothing else going on," Emily stammered.
That line sounded so familiar.
Was it just me, or did all women who wanted to steal someone else's man come pre-installed with the Angelic bitch act?
They did all these shady things that made people suspicious, but always pretended they were innocent.
But I wasn't angry. I walked over to the other side.
Emily's ex-husband was after money, and honestly, Andrew had money to burn.