Chapter 2

I just didn't get it. I was living my life just fine. How did that make me someone who was just letting go of myself?

Did Anton think that only hitting the jackpot and winning hundreds of millions like him counted as living an exciting life?

In my previous life, Judy broke up with Anton because she met a guy who was even richer than him.

But Anton never said a single bad word about Judy. Instead, he kept beating himself up for being just another wage slave who never made it rich.

As a man, he couldn't accept just being ordinary, and I thought he was really trying to get ahead.

I did everything I could to support his career, even gave up my dream of being a novelist, just so he wouldn't have to stress about anything but his job.

Whenever he came home late from drinking and networking, no matter how late it was, I'd wait up for him, wipe him down, and make him a hangover cure.

When he said he wanted to start his own business, I gave him all my savings, and even helped him find business ideas and pull in investors.

I kept thinking that one day, I could finally warm up that stone-cold heart of his and make him realize what he had in me.

So whenever he said, "Your cooking is amazing. Thanks for all your hard work, babe," I felt like everything I did was totally worth it.

Every time he wrapped me in his arms and kissed me like I was the only one in the world, I'd convince myself he really loved me.

But in the end, I realized it was all just for show. To him, I was nothing but the maid, someone to keep things running at home.

Judy was always the one who mattered to him. I never even came close to taking her place.

So when I got a second shot at life and saw him running back to his first love, I didn't feel a shred of regret. All I wanted was for us to never meet again.

But I never thought I'd actually bump into Anton here today.

I was just about to turn and leave when my son came running over, bouncing with excitement.

"Mom, the bride is so pretty!" he exclaimed.

My phone buzzed with a notification. While checking the message, I gently ruffled his hair.

"You saw the bride?" I asked.

My son nodded eagerly.

When I saw the message, I just froze. Anton had just wired me 600 thousand dollars.

I'd already made it clear I didn't want it, but he still sent the money and even doubled the amount. What the hell was he thinking?

I shot Anton a look, raising an eyebrow. "I don't need your money," I said.

Anton put his phone away, his gaze icy, with a flash of anger. "I told you to quit acting tough," he said.

Judy immediately pouted and clung to Anton's arm. "Why did you give her money?" she complained.

Anton gently patted her hand, reassuring her. "There's no use talking to her. This is just she leaves quickly," he said.

I rolled my eye, deciding I'd just send the money back later.

I flagged down a passing waiter. "Excuse me, could you tell me where the bride's dressing room is?" I asked.

The wedding was about to start, and I needed to change clothes.

The waiter looked me up and down with a sneer. "Why do you want to know where the bride's dressing room is? The bride is the boss's cousin today. Are you here to cause trouble or something?"

"I know the bride. I just need to use her dressing room to change," I replied.

Judy snorted, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "You seriously think you're here as a real guest? Do you even have a clue who the bride is?

"She's Mila Reed, the cousin of Dean Reed, the richest guy in town. Even Anton just barely knows the groom, and that's the only reason we got invited."

People around us started whispering right away.

"I'm the bride's aunt's dad's brother. Had to pull some serious strings just to score an invite. I just hope I can finally share a drink with Mr. Reed."

"I wonder when Mr. Reed will show up. I heard his son is the ring bearer today. On a day this important, his wife's bound to be here too. They've been married for years, but the media has never even managed to catch a glimpse of his wife."

Judy crossed her arms and gave me a side-eye.

"You hear that? Now you get how fancy this wedding is, right? With your kind of attitude, I bet you just want to sneak into the bride's dressing room and swipe something," she sneered.

Anton frowned hard.

"Just take the money and leave. Don't overstep. If you piss off the Reed family, not even I can bail you out," he said coldly.

The waiter instantly looked nervous. "You better get going, or I'm calling security," he threatened.

Feeling helpless, I pulled out my phone, about to call Mila, when my son suddenly let go of my hand and dashed off.

"Aunt Mila is the bride today. She's getting married today. Yay!" he shouted, his voice full of excitement.

He ran straight over and threw himself into Mila's arms.

Instantly, a pretty obvious stain appeared on the hem of Mila's wedding dress.

Judy shouted in shock. "Marsha, you're seriously evil. You couldn't steal anything, so you drag some brat over to stage a scene?

"Trying to make Mila look bad in front of everyone just so you can squeeze some cash out of her, is that it?" she snapped.

Anton yanked me over, his face stormy with anger. "Marsha, do you even realize you've just landed yourself in big trouble?" he said.