Chapter 1

On a sinking ship in the deep sea, there was only one seat left in the lifeboat. My fiancé, Elijah Smith, gave that seat to his first love, Mia Lane, even though she could swim.

Cold seawater rushed into my nose and mouth. I clung to the edge of the ship and tried to stay above the surface.

He raised the oar and struck my hands. My fingers broke, and I lost my grip. At the same time, he shielded the trembling woman behind him and began to row away. "She gets scared easily," he said. "You're a good swimmer, so hold on a little longer. Rescue will be here soon."

I could not hold on. I sank into the deep sea and drowned. Later, fish stripped my body until nothing was left.

Then I opened my eyes again. I was back on the luxury cruise ship, at the moment when Elijah left our engagement party to go after his first love.

This time, I did not cry or make a scene. I took off the heirloom necklace and threw it into the sea. Then I turned and walked toward a man standing alone in a corner of the deck. He wore dark glasses, and people said he was blind.

The whole deck fell silent as I stepped closer. I bent down, leaned near his ear, and let out a soft laugh.

"Mr. Hunt, I heard you need a pair of eyes to guide you. Do you dare to marry me?"

Half a year later, Elijah knelt at the pier in the pouring rain. His eyes were red as he begged me to come back.

The man in the wheelchair reached up and removed his glasses. His sharp gaze was cold and steady. Then he tossed a purchase contract into my arms.

"Honey, I bought this ship for you to enjoy. Is that enough to make him disappear?"

*****

A sharp pain still lingered in my chest, as if my lungs had just burst. The salty taste of seawater filled my nose.

Then I heard something else. A violin played softly, and guests were talking all around me.

I opened my eyes at once.

Instead of the dark and freezing sea, I saw a brightly lit banquet hall on a luxury cruise ship.

A huge crystal chandelier hung above me, and its light made my head spin. In front of me stood Elijah, his face full of impatience.

He was adjusting his cufflinks. His brow was tightly furrowed, and his tone was casual, as if everything he said was perfectly reasonable.

"Mia twisted her ankle on the deck, and she's feeling seasick. I need to go check on her. We'll delay the engagement ceremony by half an hour. You were raised well, so be sensible. Don't make a fuss over something this small."

The guests around us exchanged looks, and quiet whispers spread through the room.

"He left his fiancée at their own engagement party just to take care of his ex?"

"Lower your voice. That's Mia, Mr. Smith's favorite. Charlotte Sinclair will have to put up with it."

In my previous life, I reacted the same way.

I held onto Elijah's sleeve and begged him not to leave. I told him that this was our engagement party and asked him to stay.

But Elijah shook me off in front of everyone. Then he scolded me and said I was cold and selfish, and that I did not know how to care about someone weaker.

Later, the cruise ship hit the rocks and began to sink. He rushed ahead of everyone else and gave the only seat in the lifeboat to Mia.

No matter how I cried or tried to explain that I could not swim, he did not listen.

He only remembered that Mia "got scared easily." He forgot that she had been the champion of the school swim team. He also forgot that I had nearly drowned before, and that the experience had left me with lasting fear.

The pain from that blow on the back of my hand came back to me. I could almost hear my bones breaking again. That was the last thing I remembered before I died.

I reached for my left hand without thinking.

It was whole.

There were no broken bones and no blood.

Hatred surged inside me like molten lava, yet my face stayed calm.

When Elijah saw that I said nothing, he assumed I would accept it as I always had. So he turned and started to leave.

"Stop."

My voice was quiet, but it carried a chill.

He paused and looked back at me. A trace of disgust flashed in his eyes.

"Charlotte, what are you trying to do now? Mia isn't well. If something happens to her, can you take responsibility?"

"Responsibility?"

I let out a small laugh and raised my hand to my neck.

A sapphire necklace rested there. It was a priceless heirloom from the Smith family, and Elijah had just put it on me moments ago. It felt more like a shackle than a gift.

"If you care about her that much, then we don't need this engagement."

Before Elijah could react, I grabbed the necklace and tore it off.

The clasp scraped my skin, and I felt a brief sting.

Then I walked to the railing. I turned my wrist and let go.

With a soft splash, the necklace fell into the sea. It sank at once, and there was barely a ripple.

The entire hall erupted in shock.

Elijah stared at me in disbelief. Then his face twisted with anger. "Charlotte, are you out of your mind? That's the Smith family heirloom!"

"Heirloom?" I took out a tissue and wiped my hands, as if I had touched something dirty. "What a waste to give it to trash."

"You!" His face turned dark with rage, and he raised his hand to strike me.

I did not move. I looked straight into his eyes.

"Elijah, if you bring that hand down, the Smith Group's stock will hit the limit tomorrow. Do you believe me?"

The Sinclair family might not be as powerful as the Smiths, but it was still a prominent family, and this marriage involved both sides.

His hand froze in the air. After a moment, he lowered it with a grim expression.

"Good. Very good, Charlotte. You will regret this. When I come back, you will be on your knees begging for my forgiveness."

After he said that, he turned and rushed toward the other end of the deck without looking back.

Mia was there. She wore a simple white dress and leaned weakly against the railing. Then she glanced at me, and there was a hint of provocation in her eyes.

I pulled my gaze away.

Regret?

The only thing I regret is that in my last life, I was blind enough to fall in love with a man like him.

I turned around and scanned the crowd.

After a moment, my eyes settled on a shadowed corner.

A man was sitting there.

He sat in a wheelchair and wore a well-tailored black suit. A pair of dark glasses rested on his nose, and he held a white cane in his hand.

Jayden Hunt.

He was the second son of the Hunt family, the most mysterious family in Capital City.

People said that half a year ago, he had been in a car accident. His legs were crippled, and he lost his sight. After that, his temper became violent and unpredictable, so the Hunt family sent him on this cruise ship to recover.

In my previous life, after I died, my soul drifted for a time. I saw him during the shipwreck. He sat alone in his wheelchair, and even as the water rose over his head, he never called for help.

That image stayed with me. It felt desperate and painfully lonely, and for some reason, it shook me.

Now that I had a second chance, I'd live differently.

I'd use what I can.

I'd take the sharpest blade I can find and turn it against Elijah and his precious lover.

I took a deep breath, lifted the hem of my dress, and walked toward him step by step.

The crowd parted on its own.

I stopped in front of him, and a cool scent of cedar drifted toward me.

The whole hall fell silent. I bent down and leaned close to his ear. Then I let out a soft laugh.

"Mr. Hunt, I heard you need a pair of eyes to guide you. Do you dare to marry me?"