Chapter 1

"Grace, let's get a divorce," Andrew Goodwin said. "I won't pursue the matter of the child, but our marriage is over."

"Okay," I replied.

I looked up at the man I'd loved for two lifetimes and calmly uttered a single word.

*****

Andrew had a whole speech ready, but my simple answer stopped him cold, leaving him speechless.

Shock flashed across his handsome face; he clearly never saw this coming.

In my last life, when he wanted a divorce, I cried, screamed, begged, and grabbed onto his leg, refusing to let him leave. I told him I couldn't live without him, and that it wasn't my fault that we lost the baby.

I lowered myself to nothing, but all it got me was his growing disgust and ten years of emotional abuse and coldness.

It wasn't until Rachel Snow, his precious first love shoved me off a cliff that I finally learned the truth from her smug laughter. Losing my first child wasn't some accident; it was a plot between her and Helen Goodwin, my mother-in-law.

And Andrew, the man who was supposed to be my husband, always thought I faked being pregnant just to trap him into marriage.

But now, given a second chance, back to the day after we lost our first child and he came to confront me, I wasn't going to repeat the same mistakes.

I didn't want him anymore.

"What did you just say?" Andrew stared at me, stunned.

I gave a small smile and repeated, "I said yes, let's get divorced. When do we go to file the paperwork?"

Andrew was left speechless by my question.

He was still in his crisp military uniform, the insignia on his shoulders gleaming even in the dim light.

He was the youngest and most promising captain in the entire military region, the dream guy for countless girls, and the light I'd chased for ten years, even if it meant burning myself.

But now, I didn't want that light anymore.

It was too hot to hold, and it burned my heart.

"Are you playing games again, Grace?" Andrew snapped out of it, his brows furrowed. He obviously thought I was bluffing, trying to get him to stay.

"Seriously, what kind of game do you think I'm playing? Captain Goodwin, you were the one who asked for a divorce. I agreed, so isn't this exactly what you wanted?" I pulled off the thin blanket and sat up slowly in bed.

A dull ache throbbed in my lower abdomen, a constant reminder of the child I'd lost before he ever got a chance at life.

In my last life, I'd cried myself dry over him. But now, all I felt was relief.

At least he didn't have to be born into this mess of a family.

"Divorce is fine, but I have a few conditions," I said, making sure he heard me loud and clear.

Andrew smirked, sarcasm dripping from his voice. "Finally showing your true colors, huh? So, how much do you want?"

To him, I was just another money-hungry farm girl.

I ignored his sarcasm and held up three fingers. "First, the one hundred dollars you gave me as a engagement gift, I'll pay you back every cent, not a penny less.

"The sewing machine, the radio, and everything I brought with me , I'm taking it all when I leave."

Andrew was stunned.

I continued, "Second, this place was assigned to us by the military. After the divorce, I'll move out immediately. I won't get in the way of you and Rachel."

Andrew's face darkened even further. He looked like he wanted to protest, but I cut him off before he could say anything.

"Third, and most importantly," I paused, locking eyes with him. "From now on, our lives are completely separate. You walk your own path, I'll walk mine. Andrew, remember this, you were the one who turned your back on me."

You were the one who gave up on our marriage first.

So, for the rest of this life, you never again had the right to look back.

The room was dead silent.

Andrew stared at me, his eyes full of emotions I couldn't even begin to guess; shock, suspicion, maybe even a bit of anger.

He probably never thought the woman who always followed him around, treating him like her whole world, would talk about breaking up with him in such a calm, almost icy tone.

"Grace, you'd better think twice about what you're saying," Andrew finally managed, his words squeezed out through clenched teeth.

"I'm perfectly clear," I shot back, locking eyes with him. "Captain Goodwin, you're a soldier, so you should stand by your word. Tomorrow morning at nine, I'll be waiting for you outside the city hall."

With that, I lay back down, pulled the blanket over my head, and didn't give him another look.

I could feel his gaze burning into my back, like needles pricking at my skin, lingering for what felt like forever.

Then I heard his footsteps as he turned to leave, and the sound of the door closing behind him, soft, but impossible to miss.

The moment the door clicked shut, I threw off the blanket and gulped in air, desperate for a breath.

Tears finally slipped down my cheeks, no matter how hard I tried to hold them back.

But this time, I wasn't crying for him. I was crying for the me who died at twenty-eight in my last life.

Grace, everything was behind you now.

From now on, you were living for yourself.