Chapter 1
During the earthquake relief work, my husband, Edward Schultz, stumbled upon the remains of his first love, Grace Yardley, buried under the rubble.
That night, after leaving a suicide note, he took our son Charlie Schultz and jumped off a building in a desperate bid to reunite with Grace.
It hit me then that Edward and Charlie never really had a place for me in their hearts.
After traveling back, I found myself at the very moment we first talked about getting a divorce.
This time, I didn't even blink. I agreed on the spot and tossed our three-year-old son to Edward without a second thought.
Five years later, we ran into each other at an auction party.
Edward was holding Grace in one hand and Charlie in the other, sneering at me. "Isabella, only five years and you've fallen so low, huh? Just heard I was here and you rushed over, hoping to climb the social ladder?"
Charlie chimed in. "Mom... I mean, Isabella, you should stop pestering my dad. We're happy as a family now."
I ignored them and instead picked up my daughter, Anna Vance, who was busy sneaking snacks, and headed back to my seat.
Edward's face twisted in fury, veins popping as he squeezed Grace's hand. "Isabella, how can you be so cheap? Just five years, and you already have a kid this big?
"I can't believe you'd do that just to make me jealous. So, which loser did you hook up with to have this bastard?"
*****
Five years after I traveled back, seeing Edward again left me momentarily stunned. I instinctively moved aside.
He was holding Grace's hand in one, and our eight-year-old son Charlie's in the other.
People at the venue came over to shower them with compliments, and Edward handled it all effortlessly. He was nothing like the inexperienced young man he used to be.
"Mr. Schultz, you're the top dog in Austrat now. With your future, you'll be running the whole country soon."
"So, this must be Mrs. Schultz and your son, huh? If your ex-wife saw how well you're doing, she'd be green with envy and regret. Too bad she missed out."
"No doubt about it. The three of you together are stealing the show. You're the poster family for Austrat."
"Your son's got nothing in common with your ex-wife. He's the spitting image of Mrs. Schultz, like she's his real mom."
Grace's smile faltered for a moment as she listened to the compliments. Her grip on her handbag tightened, and she forced a smile.
Charlie, skipping all the adult niceties, rolled his eyes and snapped, "Are you blind? My dad and mom just got engaged. They're not even married yet."
The guy looked embarrassed and quickly apologized.
My body stiffened in the shadows. Five years had passed, and they still weren't married.
Back in my previous life, everyone knew Edward was obsessed with Grace. And I was the only idiot who missed all the signs.
When he heard Grace was in the disaster zone, he took Charlie and me with him for the earthquake relief, but really, it was all about looking for Grace.
After searching for three days and nights, they finally found her body under the rubble. Edward and Charlie held her and cried their hearts out. That same night, they left a note and jumped together.
After I traveled back, Edward was willing to give me half his assets to get rid of me and pursue a new life with Grace.
If he loved Grace so much, how come they still hadn't gotten married after all these years?
"Mr. Schultz, everyone knows how much you care about Grace. Last month, you donated $100 million in her name. So why haven't you tied the knot yet?"
Someone in the crowd finally asked the question I'd been dying to know.
A strange emotion flickered in Edward's eyes as he answered politely, "I want to keep working hard so I can give Grace even more wealth.
"She's the love of my life, and I would never let her be wronged in any way."
So, this was what loving someone really looked like. Edward from my previous life was nowhere near as successful as he was now.
Back then, it took both our paychecks to support Charlie. I told Edward to sell his patent, but he blew up at me, calling me materialistic and greedy.
When I suggested he start his own business for Charlie's future, he pointed at me and called me shameless. "So now you think I'm useless? Why didn't you marry someone capable back then?"
Now I realized that he wasn't lazy or lacking ambition. He just never wanted to put in the effort for me.
I couldn't help but shake my head when I thought about these. Spotting Anna sneaking fruit, I walked over and scooped her up. "You've already had plenty this morning. No more. Save room for lunch."
Just then, I felt a pair of eyes fixed right on my back. Instinctively, I set Anna down and turned around to see Edward walking over with a group of people.
Noticing I was stunned, Anna pulled a silly face at me and carried her fruit plate off to the side.
Edward frowned. "Isabella, what are you doing here? Now that you see I'm living the good life, you're hoping to cozy up to me?"
He raised an eyebrow, giving me a teasing look. He'd already pegged me as someone trying to climb the social ladder, and there was a hint of smugness in his eyes, but his words were as sharp as ever.
"I gave you half my fortune when we split. Still not satisfied?" he sneered. "Three hundred thousand dollars should last you a lifetime."
After that, he glanced around the auction hall, realization dawning on him. "No wonder you showed up here looking for me. You must've burned through a ton of cash these last five years.
"I gave you way too much in the divorce, which turned you into a big spender, right? Without a man supporting you, you'd better drop those nasty habits sooner rather than later."