Chapter 1

I came back to on the day my wife forced me to sign the divorce papers.

In my previous life, I was begging her to stay, but she cleaned out everything I owned and eloped with her old flame.

"Sign it, Malachi," Rhett said, sliding the papers across the table. Her nails were painted with the polish I'd given her for Christmas. "Ivan's waited ten years for me. Just let us have our chance."

Ivan stood right behind her, his hand resting on the back of her chair, like he was marking his territory.

I picked up the pen and, under everyone's stunned gaze, quickly signed my name.

"I'll give you what you want," I said, tossing the pen down, my voice cold as ice. "But don't even think about touching a single thing that belongs to me."

Rhett froze, and Ivan's phony smile stiffened on his face.

I stood up and headed to the study, grabbing the safe key she'd hidden away for ten years.

"What are you doing?" Rhett shrieked, rushing at me.

I dangled the key in front of her. "I'm taking back my patents, my shares, and..." I glanced at Ivan, whose face had turned deathly pale. "The evidence of your embezzling company money."

Everyone was dumbfounded.

I walked to the door, turned back, and smiled at them.

"Don't ever break up. The rest of us don't need that kind of trouble," I said.

From now on, I was the one making the rules.

*****

I opened my eyes, and Rhett pushed the divorce papers toward me.

"Sign it, Malachi," she said.

Her voice was icy as she pointed at the signature line. Her nails were painted with the pricey polish I gave her for Christmas.

Ivan stood just half a step behind her, his hand resting lightly on the back of her chair, like he was silently staking his claim.

This scene was all too familiar.

It was so familiar, it made my stomach twist, not with pain, but with a chilling emptiness.

Last time around, it was this exact day.

I smashed the glass, my eyes burning red, begging her like a madman not to leave. I crushed every bit of my dignity underfoot, only to get her deeper disgust and Ivan's sneer.

Then I signed the papers and walked away with nothing.

The company I spent ten years building, every dollar I scraped together, all of it ended up fueling their getaway, helping them run off together and start their new life.

As for me? Three months later, I was destroyed by a trumped-up "commercial fraud" charge. In some damp basement in a foreign city, I coughed up my last bit of blood, with nothing but the sound of rain for company.

"Malachi, did you even hear me?" Rhett said impatiently, tapping the table and snapping me out of my thoughts.

She'd made herself up today and wore the dress I bought her with the first money I ever earned.

Looked like she was celebrating finally cutting me loose.

"Ivan's waited ten years for me. I can't let him down again," she said.

As she spoke, she even reached out and took Ivan's hand, making a show of their so-called love right in front of me.

"Let's split on good terms. The house, the car, the cash... Take it all, I just want my freedom," Rhett said, acting like she was doing me a huge favor.

She made it sound like she was being generous, almost like she was tossing me scraps.

I nearly burst out laughing.

The house and car were already in her name, the money had been siphoned off ages ago with all sorts of excuses, and Ivan had been pulling the strings behind the scenes, calling himself an 'investment advisor.'

Leave it to me? Yeah, right.

All that was left for me was nothing but a hollow shell and a ticking time bomb of debt.

Last time, I fell for that "let's split on good terms" crap, signed the papers like an idiot, and then they joined forces to drag me straight to rock bottom.

Ivan stepped forward, that sickeningly gentle smile plastered on his face.

"Malachi, Rhett's had it rough with you all these years," Ivan said, his voice dripping with fake concern.

"Why not let us go our way? Forcing things never works out," he added, acting like he was doing me a favor.

"Trust me, I'll treat Rhett better than you ever could, a thousand, ten thousand times better," Ivan promised.

His voice was so sincere, it could win an Oscar.

I stared at his fake, smug face, remembering how, in my last life, he sat in my boss's chair with Rhett in his arms, watching me get thrown out of my own company by security, his eyes full of triumph.

The icy emptiness in my gut slowly hardened, turning into something cold and steely.

I felt nothing, not anger, not sadness, not anything at all.

It was like watching two bad actors in a play I wasn't even part of.

Seeing me stay silent, Rhett got even more annoyed, like I was the one dragging her down.

She snapped, "Malachi, do you really have to make this so ugly?

"I've always loved Ivan. I only married you because my mom forced me, and back then, you seemed like the most promising one.

"But what do you even have now? Your pathetic little company hasn't gotten a single deal in six months, has it? Ivan's about to be promoted to vice president.

"Can you stop being so selfish? Just let me go and set yourself free, too."

Look at her, so brazen and self-assured.