Chapter 1

"Whitney Lane, what on earth are you dragging your feet for?" my fiancé urged me.

Outside the city hall, my fiancé, Yael Shaw, impatiently stubbed out his third cigarette.

I leisurely finished the last sip of my coffee, my eyes following the slow sweep of the second hand.

"Why the rush?" I looked up and gave him a sweet smile. "Getting married is a once-in-a-lifetime event. Of course, we need to choose an auspicious moment."

He didn't know that in my previous life, it was precisely because I hadn't dawdled and gotten the marriage certificate with him exactly at nine in the morning that everything went downhill.

An hour later, he had a rear-end collision on the highway while rushing to see my dear younger sister, Sophia Lane. He lost both his legs and spent the rest of his life bedridden.

And as his legal wife, I was drained emotionally and financially by him, his controlling mother, and my own parasitic family. They sucked every last bit of life out of me.

This time, I let nine o'clock pass. I would gift him this extra hour and let him walk alone toward his destiny.

*****

Yael was on the verge of snapping. He paced restlessly in front of City Hall, his handsome face tight with barely suppressed fury.

"Whitney, it's nine o'clock. We agreed on nine. What are you even doing? My mom's waiting for us to come home for dinner," he snapped.

I tossed my empty coffee cup into the trash with perfect aim, brushed off my hands, and strolled over at my own pace. I even had time to admire the unusually clear sky today.

"Yael, have you ever thought that marriage is like a walled city?" I suddenly spoke up, my voice soft.

He paused, clearly not getting what I was saying. "What are you even talking about? Just get inside already."

"See that?" I said, nodding toward a couple fighting nearby. "Bet they're already regretting how fast they rushed into marriage."

Yael's face turned even uglier. He grabbed my wrist, squeezing so hard it felt like he might snap it. "Whitney. I don't have time for your drama. What's up with you today? You've been acting strange since this morning."

I winced at the pain, but didn't try to pull away.

I knew that look way too well.

In my previous life, he was always like this, impatient, always putting himself first. After we made it official, he barely said a word to me before he sped off in his car.

He said there was an emergency at work.

I actually believed him and even told him to drive safely.

It turned out that his so-called emergency was to go see my own younger sister, Sophia.

They were chasing each other on the highway, playing a flirtatious game of "if you catch me, I'll give you a little something special."

And then, one deafening crash, and his life was shattered in an instant. Mine got dragged down with his, straight into the darkness.

Since we just got our marriage license, I was officially his wife.

He was stuck in bed, paralyzed, and every crushing medical bill and rehab fee landed squarely on my shoulders.

His mother, Linda Chapman, would jab her finger at me every single day, calling me a curse who destroyed her son. Yet, she would still demand money from me, claiming that if I left her son, she would ruin my reputation.

My mom would grab my hand, earnestly telling me, "Whitney, even if the Shaw family's down on their luck, they're still better off than most.

"Take good care of Yael. One day, you'll benefit from it. And besides, your sister is counting on you to support her."

And Sophia would cry, looking all pitiful as she said, "Whitney, it's all my fault. If I hadn't been joking around with Yael that day, he never would've gotten hurt. Don't worry, from now on I'll take good care of him for you."

Then she'd use every penny I sweated for to put on their little 'star-crossed lovers' show with Yael in the hospital, acting like their love was some kind of epic tragedy.

I was like a blindfolded donkey, worked to the bone by all of them, never getting a break until I was totally burned out.

In the end, I worked myself to death on my way home from a late-night overtime shift.

My soul drifted above it all, and I saw that not a single one of them shed a tear for me.

Linda just snorted, saying good riddance that I was dead. Now she wouldn't have to split her son's compensation money with me anymore.

My mom was already figuring out how to hand over my insurance payout and my tiny apartment to Sophia.

And Sophia was leaning over Yael's bedside, batting her lashes as she said, "Yael, now that the woman who always got in the way is finally gone, we can finally be together out in the open."

Yael, the man I'd given everything for, actually had the nerve to look like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

All that burning hatred swallowed me up. When I opened my eyes, I was right back at City Hall on the day we were supposed to get married.

"Whitney. Are you even listening to me?" Yael's shout snapped me out of my memories.

I glanced at his face, all twisted up with rage, and suddenly let out a laugh.

"I'm listening, don't rush me." I fished out my compact mirror and took my sweet time fixing my lipstick. "It's a big day, you know. I've gotta look good. Wouldn't want to let down my handsome groom, right?"

It was 9:15 now.

Back then, the crash happened at exactly 10:03.

Yael needed forty minutes to drive from here to the meeting spot.

So if he wanted to make it, he had to hit the road by 9:20.

There was still a chance.

I was going to drag this out, let him stew in his anger until he finally snapped and showed his true colors.

"You." Yael was so furious that he couldn't even get the words out, his chest heaving with rage.

People around us were already staring and whispering, and with his ego at stake, he could feel his face burning with shame.

"Fine, Whitney, you win." He finally exploded, yanking his hand away from me. "You don't want to get married? Fine. I'm done. This wedding is off."

With that, he stormed off toward the parking lot without even looking back.

I watched his back as he stormed off, my smile growing even deeper.

That was it, Yael. Got out of here.

Went chasing after your true love and went rushing straight into the disaster that was waiting for you.

This time, I wouldn't be your wife. I wouldn't carry any of your burdens.

His wealth and prosperity, his life and misfortune, were no longer any concern of mine, Whitney.

I pulled out my phone, switched to video mode, and pointed it right at the spot where Yael was starting his car.

Come on, let me witness the curtain fall on your life and the dawn of mine.

On my screen, that familiar black BMW let out a furious roar, charging forward like an enraged bull.

It sped off so fast it was almost unreal.

Before my smile could even fade, my phone started ringing.

It was an unknown number.

I paused, wondering who would be calling me right now.

I hit the answer button.

A man's voice came through, urgent and cold. "Is this Whitney? This is the city traffic police.

"Yael, the owner of the black BMW, was involved in a collision with a truck that ran a red light at the intersection outside city hall five minutes ago."