Chapter 1
In my previous life, while I was struggling to recover from my illness, I discovered Jonathan Reed's infidelity.
Overnight, I went from being the perfect, obedient wife everyone admired to a hysterical, crazy woman.
I smashed dishes, trashed his study, and even blocked him from leaving the house in the middle of the night.
No matter how much I lost it, Jonathan would always wait until I was worn out from crying, then he'd say, "How long are you going to keep making a fuss over a little misunderstanding?"
Fed up and heartbroken, I asked for a divorce.
Jonathan just shrugged and said, "Sure, we can get divorced."
But his restaurant chain was about to expand into Northbridge's busiest business district, so he insisted we had to wait until the big contract was signed before we could make it official.
I didn't want to wait.
To escape from this suffocating man as quickly as possible, I left everything behind, not even a dollar to my name.
*****
I thought that once I left Jonathan, I could start fresh in no time.
But after being a devoted housewife for so long, I couldn't even find a regular job.
Just to cover rent and meals,
I gritted my teeth and worked three part-time jobs a day.
Even when I was sick with a fever, I couldn't afford to take a day off.
Rushing to the night market for a dishwashing gig, I was so feverish I could barely see where I was going. That was when a delivery truck slammed right into me.
I died on the spot.
Not long after I left, Jonathan's restaurant opened in the priciest mall in Northbridge.
His net worth multiplied several times over, and he became the young boss everyone admired.
No one cared that he'd been divorced.
Whenever people talked about me, his ex-wife, someone would always say, "She just wasn't cut out for the good life."
*****
The moment I opened my eyes, I was right back on the day I caught Jonathan cheating.
I glanced at the suit jacket in my hand, stained with foundation and smelling like some stranger's perfume.
I looked up at Jonathan, putting on my most innocent face.
"I can act like nothing ever happened, but you need to wire me some cash as compensation," I said, keeping my tone light.
Jonathan's hand stopped mid-air, towel still in his hand.
I knew exactly why he was caught off guard.
Just a second ago, I'd been waving the jacket in his face, demanding to know whose bed he'd spent the night in.
He had no clue why I'd suddenly switched up my attitude.
We'd been together for four years, married for three.
To Jonathan and his friends, I was just a pushover, way too soft-hearted for my own good.
If Jonathan said he was tired, I'd just keep quiet.
If he said he was busy with work, I'd eat leftovers alone at home.
I never bought designer bags, never cared for jewelry, and never once asked him for a dollar.
But after dying once, what I feared most wasn't losing love.
It was not having enough money in my bank account.
It was lying awake at midnight with a fever, spending ages calculating if I could afford a box of fever medicine.
It was standing outside the convenience store, debating for ten minutes whether I could afford a nearly expired rice ball.
This time around, I was still going to divorce Jonathan.
But I wasn't going to rush it like I did in my previous life.
I'd wait until his restaurant really blew up.
Wait until he was even richer.
Then I'd take back every single cent I was owed.
Jonathan stared at me for a few seconds, then set the towel down and picked up his phone from the bathroom counter.
He opened the transfer page.
I leaned in to watch him type in the amount.
I was practically holding my breath, silently urging a big number.
I silently urged for a little more.
Just a little more.
I wouldn't be brushed off with just tens of thousands, as if I were some beggar.
Jonathan paused for a moment, then finally transferred 250,000 dollars to me.
The notification chimed on my phone.
I shoved the crumpled jacket back into his arms.
"Just throw out that jacket, the smell's way too strong. I'll buy you a new one tomorrow," I said.
Not bothering to see how he reacted, I walked straight to the bedroom.
As I closed the door behind me, I leaned against it and exhaled slowly.
250,000 dollars.
When I died in my previous life, my bank account had just 109.2 dollars.
Outside, the sound of water didn't resume for a long time.
I sat down on the edge of the bed, pulled out my phone, found the unknown number that had sent me those photos, and blocked and deleted it without a second thought.
Back in my previous life, when I first saw those photos, my gut reaction was it was just some prank.
But when Jonathan didn't come home all night and then went straight into the bathroom as soon as he got back, that's when I started to get suspicious.
When I spotted that suit jacket in the laundry basket, I totally lost it.
I barged into the bathroom, shoved the photos right in his face, and demanded to know who the woman in the pictures was.
Jonathan offered no explanation.
He claimed he had dinner with the mall executives, drank too much, and his secretary took him to a hotel to rest.
I didn't buy it.
I threw the jacket in his face and called him dirty.
From that day on, I became the crazy woman everyone talked about.
Jonathan's friends said I was being unreasonable.
His mom said I wasn't behaving like a real woman.
Even his employees were laughing at me behind my back.
They said, "Mr. Reed makes so much money, and what's the big deal if a man fools around a bit?"
Thinking about all that, I tossed my phone aside, pulled the covers over me, and went to sleep.
Just as I was about to fall asleep, Jonathan pushed the door open and walked in.
He just stood there by the bed, staring at me for what felt like ages.
I was so done with him, so I just rolled over and turned my back.