Chapter 1

I'd been in a secret relationship with Lucas Bennett for five years.

On Christmas Eve, he ended everything with a careless, "I'm bored. Time for someone new."

I agreed calmly.

Because in my previous life, I died when he left me behind to meet his first love, Edith Carter.

While Lucas was throwing Edith a birthday party at a theme park, I was dying from massive blood loss in the delivery room. Both me and our baby were dead.

Now that I'd been given another shot at life, all I wanted was for Lucas to finally taste what it was like to desperately want something he could never have.

*****

The Christmas Eve party at the Evans Manor was warm and lively. The chandeliers cast a soft glow over every corner, illuminating elegant dresses and sharp suits as guests mingled, their laughter and clinking glasses filling the air.

My brother, Michael Evans, was chatting and laughing with a few of his childhood friends, and Lucas stood right beside him.

Lucas was dressed in a deep gray custom suit, tall and refined, with an air of quiet sophistication. His presence was impossible to ignore in the crowd.

For five years, I'd stood by Lucas's side only as "Michael's best friend's girlfriend"—a vague, undefined role. I watched him grow from a fresh-faced college student into a rising star in the business world.

Our relationship was a secret, hidden away in the shadows.

Before the dinner started, Lucas took advantage of the toast to quietly lean in close to my ear, his warm breath brushing against my ear and sending a tiny shiver down my spine.

I thought he was going to whisper, in that low, breathy voice, one of those secret, intimate phrases only the two of us understood.

But instead, he said, "Claire, I'm tired of you in bed."

His voice was soft, slightly slurred from the drinks, totally casual, like he was just saying he was bored of some food.

My heart skipped a beat, but then I was wrapped in the eerie calm I got after dying once.

When I didn't react, he added, "Why don't you marry someone else, hmm?"

His tone was light, almost coaxing, like he was humoring a child.

I lifted my eyes to meet his. There was no reluctance or guilt in his eyes, but just a cold clarity, an almost ruthless composure.

In my previous life, it was those very eyes that dragged me under, leaving me ruined and beyond redemption.

I remembered that on this exact day in my previous life, hearing those same words felt like getting struck by lightning.

I grabbed his sleeve, completely stunned, tears pouring down as my voice shook. "Lucas, what are you saying? Didn't you say we'd go public when the time was right?"

Lucas pulled his hand back, totally unfazed, and said, "Claire, don't make a fuss. My mom would never go for it."

I sobbed and pleaded, telling him I wouldn't marry anyone but him.

That night, I became the laughingstock of the party. Michael was so mad that he nearly punched Lucas, and my parents looked absolutely livid.

But I didn't care. I went on a hunger strike, cried nonstop, and forced everyone to give in.

In the end, my wish came true. I married Lucas.

The wedding was grand, guests everywhere, but Lucas didn't crack a smile the whole time.

After we got married, he couldn't be more indifferent. We slept in separate rooms. Whenever we had sex, he kept his eyes shut the whole time, like it didn't matter who was beneath him.

Every time, it felt like he was slowly cutting me apart inside.

I kept telling myself Lucas was just slow to warm up, that he was under a lot of pressure. I tried so hard to be good to him. I learned to cook and arrange flowers, turning myself into the perfect wife his mom always wanted.

When I got pregnant, I thought there was finally a turning point for us.

But the moment Lucas's first love, Edith, came back to town, all my dreams fell apart.

He started staying out all night, and when he did come home, he reeked of a woman's perfume that wasn't mine.

My whole pregnancy was spent in endless waiting and constant self-doubt.

On the day I was about to give birth, my water broke early and I started bleeding heavily. The doctors said I was in critical condition and told Michael to contact Lucas.

Michael frantically called Lucas. When Lucas finally answered, the background was filled with the sound of fireworks and Edith's lively laughter. Her voice rang out, "Lucas, look. It's so beautiful!"

Michael yelled into the phone, "Lucas, Claire's gone into complicated labor and is bleeding out! Where the hell are you?"

There was a few seconds of silence, and then Lucas replied impatiently, "Got it. I'll come over once I'm done here."

"Once you're done?" Michael's voice was breaking, almost in tears. "Today's Edith's birthday, not your mom's death anniversary. Your wife and baby are dying!"

"Michael, calm down. Edith—"

The call was abruptly cut off.

I lay on the freezing operating table, feeling my life drain away with every passing second.

In those blurry final moments, I thought I saw the baby I'd never get to hold, turning into nothing but a mist of blood and fading right before my eyes.

Both me and my child died.

My feelings, my child, and my entire existence were nothing more than a pathetic backdrop for Lucas's pursuit of Edith, worthless and ridiculous.