Chapter 1

When Wilfrid Reynolds was broke, I lived with him in a basement for five years. We had nothing back then.

Then he made his first 10 million dollars—and I died of an illness.

Later, on the day he became the richest man in Zotlare City, I got a chance—one I never thought would come. I've been reborn.

*****

Even two years after I died, I couldn't bring myself to leave this world behind. God got tired of it and gave me a shot at doing things over. He let me live my life again for seven days.

When I opened my eyes, I was standing in the middle of a crowded subway station.

Big screens and glowing ads were plastered everywhere—every single one showing a commercial for the Reynolds Group.

I reached out and touched the familiar face on the screen. The second I did, tears came.

A group of schoolgirls was nearby, snapping pictures of the ad from different angles.

One girl with long hair said, "Wilfrid looks so good in this one! He's way hotter than those young actors. No wonder his company always puts him in the ads—it would've been a waste not to with a face like that."

"He's smart, educated, super good-looking, and totally drama-free. Wilfrid is my dream guy," another chimed in.

"Can you believe he's only twenty-five?" someone else added.

The girl with short hair frowned while taking a photo. "Too bad he was married before."

The long-haired girl shrugged. "You mean that wife who died young? That was ages ago. He's still so young—he can't stay single forever."

"You're right," I said.

The girl jumped a little and gave me a weird look. "Who even are you?"

I wiped my face and muttered, "Me? I'm Wilfrid's wife—"

They all burst out laughing. "Look, another crazy fan obsessed with Wilfrid."

"You might wanna check a mirror first," one of them added.

Then they left, still laughing, whispering to each other like I was nuts.

Their words snapped me out of it. I rushed into the bathroom and ran straight to the mirror.

One look, and my heart dropped. I had a totally forgettable face—plain and ordinary, the kind that got lost in a crowd.

It stung. At least before time turned back, I'd been pretty.

I remembered when I first moved in with Wilfrid. He'd broken his leg and was in a horrible mood, snapping at anyone who dared come near him.

But I'd been confident back then. I knew I was beautiful. I showed up at his door with just a little suitcase and forced my way into his life.

For the first few days, he wouldn't even let me inside.

So I camped out right by his front door in a sleeping bag.

By the third night, it got freezing. I sneezed more than ten times.

Suddenly, the door swung open. Since I'd been leaning against it, I almost fell backward—but someone caught me.

It was Wilfrid.

Then he shoved me away like I grossed him out and rolled his wheelchair back inside.

From the awkward look on his face, I could tell he was starting to cave.

Back then, Wilfrid always had a soft spot whenever I acted cute.

In my junior year of college, I went to see a doctor. To save money and help his leg heal faster, I taught myself medicine. I practiced on my own body, which was often covered in little red needle marks.

When Wilfrid saw them, his eyes turned red—but he was also pissed.

I clung to his arm and gave him my best cute face, and just like that, his anger melted.

He pinched my cheek with a serious look and muttered, "Don't you dare stab yourself again, got it?"

But now, staring into the mirror at this plain face, I tried making a cute expression and instantly went quiet.

If I showed up looking like this and told him I was his dead wife, he'd probably freak out and call the cops.

Still, I missed him so much. I just wanted to see him again.

Right then, my phone buzzed.

A woman's voice came through, "Hello? Nadia? What's going on? Weren't you supposed to come in for an interview this afternoon? Why aren't you here yet?"

I blinked. "Interview?"

The woman clicked her tongue. "What's wrong with you? How could you forget something this big? This is for a housekeeping job at the Reynolds Group owner's house! Do you think you're gonna find something better than that?"

"Wilfrid?" I almost shouted.

Someone said something in the background, and she reminded me again, "Hurry up. You've only got an hour left. Didn't I text you the address already?"

After she hung up, I found the message and took the subway right away.