Chapter 1

The day I found out I was pregnant, I overheard my husband, Elliot Goodman, joking with his friend.

"A superstar is having your baby? Man, you must be on top of the world," his friend exclaimed.

Then, lowering his voice a bit, he added, "But seriously, what about Ruth?"

Elliot's reply was chillingly casual. "I love my wife. But let's be honest, the spark doesn't last forever. I can't be with just one woman. Still, a wife is for life. The others are just for fun—you have your fun, and then you move on."

His words shattered me. Heartbroken and numb, I began quietly collecting evidence. When I had enough, I filed for divorce.

He was furious. "Margaret, if you leave me, you'll regret this."

He tried everything to win me back, but nothing worked. I was done.

Out of spite, he married Ruth.

On the night of their wedding, I was caught in a mudslide. I died, along with our unborn child.

When I opened my eyes, I was back in the past—back to the year he loved me most.

The first thing I saw was Elliot, down on one knee in front of me. He was holding out a ring, his eyes full of hope.

I looked at him, my heart perfectly still. "We're through, Elliot," I said.

Elliot stared in disbelief. He hadn't seen this coming at all.

His face went ghostly pale. "Maggie, if you didn't like this proposal, I can do it again. Just tell me what you want," he pleaded.

I looked at him. "Forget it. Let's just break up."

The air went eerily still.

Elliot, still kneeling on one knee, slowly lowered his hand holding the diamond ring.

His eyes turned red, a touch of grievance clouding his face, but mostly raw disbelief—he just couldn't wrap his head around it. After all, Elliot knew better than anyone how much I loved him.

As an actress, I'd stuck to a strict vegetarian diet for years just to keep a good shape, but for Elliot, I actually started eating meat.

I'd never so much as boiled an egg before, but when he casually mentioned craving raviolis, I caught a flight straight from the filming set back to Areston, just to hand-make them for him.

It wasn't just him—the whole world knew I was completely gone over him. So when I calmly said we were through, it sent everyone into total shock.

Elliot waved off all the live cameras on the spot.

What everyone thought was going to be a blockbuster proposal scene took a wild turn, leaving the crowd absolutely stunned.

Just then, Ruth Murphy, dressed to turn heads, came rushing over and grabbed my hand.

"Maggie, what did Elliot do to tick you off? Tell me, I'll set him straight when we're alone. But don't make a scene right now—you gotta let him keep some dignity," she said.

"Or are you actually planning to do what your father wants and go back home for some business marriage?" she added.

Elliot's face went white as a sheet. He stared at me in pure disbelief. "Maggie, what does she mean by that?"

My father was always pushing me to walk away from acting and settle down in some business marriage.

In the life I once lived, I had turned my back on my own family for what I thought was love. And in the end, I was left with nothing.

My gaze moved from Elliot, a complete mess with red-rimmed eyes, to Ruth, who stood in sharp contrast—stunningly beautiful and radiating confidence.

In my previous life, she was my best friend. But during my pregnancy, she started seeing Elliot behind my back, ending up as one of his flings.

In hindsight, her looks were full of hidden meaning, but I completely missed every single one back then.

With a cold expression, I ripped my hand free from hers. "That's right. I agreed to a business marriage. So don't bother proposing. We're through."

"No way. I don't believe it," Elliot said, his panic spiraling out of control as he realized I meant every word.

"Maggie, if this proposal didn't measure up, I promise I'll make it perfect next time. Please, don't say things like that. It'll break my heart," he pleaded.

His eyes were locked on me, full of a desperate pain, like his entire world was falling apart.

I was a bit out of it myself, realizing this was when Elliot loved me the most.

Just one casual word from me, and he'd drive about a thousand miles all the way to Halinston to buy the pancake I liked.

And anytime I sprained my ankle filming, no matter how exhausted he was after work, Elliot would stay up late rubbing my ankle, making sure I was comfortable.

He'd placed a hand over his heart and vowed, "I promise, Maggie, I won't let anyone hurt you."

I'd just laughed and teased, "But what if the person hurting me ends up being you?"

"Then you should never forgive me," he'd replied, his tone serious.

I couldn't deny he loved me then. But what I couldn't forget was that in ten years, he would shatter my heart, and our child would become the ultimate victim of our failed marriage.

I looked straight at him. "I'm serious. I'm really going ahead with the arranged marriage. After we break up, you'll meet someone better for you."

Elliot completely lost it. He hurled the custom-designed ring to the floor and snapped, "Are you serious, Margaret? You're my girlfriend. Now you're going to marry someone else?

"I cared for you so much. Why are you treating me like this? Tell me what I did to deserve this. Or was that all I was—a way for you to pass the time when you felt lonely?"

Elliot was practically seething, his jaw clenched tightly. "So that's it? You think just because I'm crazy about you, you can treat me like dirt and I'll stick around? Okay, we're done. Since that's what you want."

As soon as he finished, the whole crowd sucked in a breath. Reporters and cameramen instantly hoisted their gear, aiming their lenses right at us.

It reminded me of the day of our divorce in my previous life, when the paparazzi also swarmed, cameras flashing nonstop.

Back then, Elliot had humbled himself, almost groveling. "Maggie, I swear, you're the only one I ever loved. But honestly, there's no man on earth who's truly faithful. I know I messed up, but just give me one more chance, please."

At that time, the pain had been unbearable. Overcome with anguish, I'd slapped him hard across the face and screamed, "Get lost."

This time, however, I kept my composure. I gave him a polite nod, turned, and walked away without a hint of hesitation.