Everyone said Arthur Vance was aloof and untouchable, but he chased me like a dog for ten years. Even when I was pushed into a roaring fire, he didn't hesitate to throw away his billion-dollar empire to follow me into the flames. Given a second chance at life, I decided I wouldn't be the wicked woman who kept him dangling anymore; I would treat him with my whole heart. Unfortunately, it seemed he had been reborn too. "Elena, did you really think you could train me like a dog again this time around? Hmm?" He cornered me, forcing me to sign the divorce papers. He said he would absolutely never want me in this life. Absolutely never. 1 When I was eleven, someone deliberately broke five of my fingers. From that moment on, I swore I would climb to the absolute top of this world. No matter what it took. By any means necessary. Later, I did a lot of terrible things. Eventually, someone took revenge and pushed me into a raging fire. As the flames swallowed me, my mind was blank. But then, a figure in white burst into my vision and held me tight. It was Arthur, my husband. The man who loved me to death, the man whose only flaw in his entire flawless life was me. As we turned to ash together, I thought: If there's a next life, I swear to god, I will give him my whole heart. 2 "These are the divorce papers." "Sign them." The flickering lights made my thoughts scatter. The man standing opposite me lowered his eyes. Hiding the ice within them. "Arthur." "Don't do this." I tried to grab his hand. His veins pulsed as he quickly pulled it away. It had been one hour and forty-one minutes since my rebirth. Suddenly, I felt a strange sense of relief. Arthur had finally realized I was a terrible woman who only wanted his money and toyed with his feelings. He didn't want me anymore. 3 I sat in a bakery, looking through the thin glass. Watching two figures wandering around the academic building across the street. Arthur definitely didn't know I was secretly watching him. Watching him explain a problem to that girl, while she practically rubbed against his shirt. Yes, in this life, Arthur finally knew who was truly kind and innocent. But resting my chin on my hand, I still texted her. "Chloe, why are you trying to seduce your brother-in-law?" 4 Chloe Miller was my sister. To be precise, she was the real heiress; I was the fake one. When I was twelve, Mrs. Miller picked me up on a night of torrential rain. Everyone thought it was a coincidence. It wasn't. To make sure Mrs. Miller found me looking pitiful in that rainstorm, I purposely broke my own leg. I wanted wealth, I wanted power, I wanted to never taste that bone-deep humiliation ever again. And Chloe? She was found and brought back to the Miller family when she was sixteen. She was forever kind, innocent, and pure. The things I had to shatter my bones to get, she received without doing a single thing. I hated her. I hated that she never had to fall into the mud to taste real suffering. 5 I was just that kind of vicious, wicked woman. That's why I suffered so much in my past life. Perhaps Chloe really was what everyone called her: A "girl like a deity." And I had angered the deity. So in this life, the only person who ever loved me had abandoned me too. I curled up on the sofa, staring at the divorce papers on the coffee table. "Arthur, are you coming home tonight?" The message sat in my phone; it had been four full hours without a reply. Arthur was naturally aloof. His friends always joked he was a block of ice. But in my past life, I never felt that way. I thought he was my dog. He'd come running as soon as he caught my scent, always nuzzling me, wanting to hold my hand if it was free. Forget ignoring my texts; if I sent one word, he'd reply with ten lines of nagging concern. But now... A notification popped up. Thinking it was him, I hurriedly checked it. It wasn't him. It was Chloe, with a text and a photo attached. "Sister, I have no intention of seducing my brother-in-law." "I want to help manage Dad's business, so Arthur is just introducing me to some people." In the photo, she was smiling sweetly, standing right next to him. They looked like the perfect couple. 6 I must have called Arthur a dozen times. He didn't answer a single one, and eventually just blocked me. Truth be told, Arthur was terrible at networking and office politics; he was just an academic. In my past life, to snatch some market share from Chloe in my dad's company, I made him woo executives from various pharmaceutical companies. He went and did it without a single complaint. I never considered how a prestigious university professor, someone so proud, managed to bow his head and beg those people for favors. I only remembered one incident from my past life. I had secured a deal, gotten drunk, and called him to pick me up. The private room was full of prominent figures. Leaning against the sofa, watching that pale figure approach me step by step, I called out, "Here boy..." Calling him over like a dog. A highly respected medical professor, a man who never lowered his chin for anyone. To be teased and humiliated by me like that in public... the old me must have felt so smug. ...Everyone thought he would storm out. But what did Arthur do? He walked right up to me. Then, with complete naturalness, he squatted down and grasped my ankle. He slipped my high heel back on. He looked up, his brow bone looking like a gentle mural. "It's getting cold. Don't catch a chill." "Elena." 7 Elena. He loved calling me that. But since our rebirth, he hadn't used that name once. ... I'm a light sleeper, so I woke up when he came home. I lay there, wondering what he'd do seeing me completely defenseless. But he did nothing. He walked right past me, not even willing to drape a blanket over me. I sat up and hurled the divorce papers at his back. The man paused, the lines of his back distractingly attractive. "Don't rip them." "If I have to draft a new one, you won't be getting nearly as much." In the pale moonlight, I sat there watching him speak so calmly. A dark cloud seemed to hide in his pupils, mixing with an obscure, icy detachment. "I won't sign." I stared dead at him. He seemed to expect this, nodding. "Fine. Then we'll go to court." "Arthur, you bastard." I lunged at him, but he easily pinned me down. The crescent moon cast a sliver of light as he held me against the sofa. His hand gripped my neck, not gentle at all. I bit the webbing between his thumb and index finger, but he didn't seem to feel the pain. Then, suddenly, he let go. A gentle touch brushed my cheek. "So you cry too." He left me with that cold, cryptic sentence. Leaving me alone in the living room, I pressed my hands hard against my eyes. As if that would stop the tears from spilling over. "Don't leave me." I had sworn when I was ten years old. That I would never say those words again. 8 I refused to sign the divorce papers. The very next day, Arthur pulled out of every collaboration related to me. A significant portion of the Vance family's assets was in the medical industry, and he was a top-tier scholar in the field. I admit, in my past life, I only married him because it was profitable. I knew he didn't want me anymore. But when I learned he had transferred all those projects to work with Chloe instead, my heart still gave a sudden, dull ache. Yet, I felt this was how it should be. He saw clearly in his past life. Chloe was so pure and clean. Unlike me. I was used to using filthy methods to get what I wanted. But his withdrawal from our collaborations set off alarm bells for our peers. Instantly, I found myself isolated and helpless. ... I prepared to suck up to Arthur again. "Arthur, are you at the university?" "I made some lunch, should I bring it over?" I didn't dare hope he still had feelings for me, but I really hoped he'd remember our history and not cut me off completely. Staring at my silent phone, I felt utterly shameless. We had fought so badly yesterday, but when it came to business, I still had to beg. I decided to cook some nice dishes and deliver them personally. Then I realized a problem. I had no idea what Arthur liked to eat. He, on the other hand, probably had my likes and dislikes memorized backward and forward. After all, Professor Vance's biggest obsession in our past life was feeding me all sorts of delicious food. I wasn't actually that delicate, but I loved throwing tantrums in front of him. "Arthur, these noodles are too hard." "Arthur, who are you feeding these mushy noodles to?" "Arthur, I don't like spicy food." "Arthur, since when do you cook so blandly?" He only got genuinely angry with me once. His ink-dark eyes stared at me, his tone cold and serious. "Elena, do you think I'll always be on your side?" I looked down, admiring my manicure, and told him: "Then get lost." That was my answer. And he really did get lost. It was freezing outside, and he left without a coat. He must have been furious. I probably texted him around dusk. "Arthur, I miss you." Within fifteen minutes, the front door opened. He pulled me into a sudden, tight embrace, bringing the sharp winter chill indoors with him. His high nose bridge pressed against my neck, and I heard him say: "Yes, I will always be on your side." ...See? For the old me, training Professor Vance was easier than training a dog. ... After cutting my finger for the third time, watching the unidentified bubbling mass in the pot, I finally snapped out of my memories. I realized I possessed exactly zero culinary talent. So, I ordered takeout from the Linchuan Pavilion. And transferred it into my own thermos. Anyway... he probably couldn't tell the difference between home-cooked and restaurant food. ...Probably. 9 "I'm sorry, Sister." "I didn't know you brought lunch for Professor Vance too." "He's already eating the food I made..." Chloe stood blocking my path, looking visibly flustered and helpless. "Call him brother-in-law." I gave her a sharp smile, noticing her small hands tighten inside her cuffs. ... "Arthur." I stood in front of the man who was eating with his head down. When he ignored me, I snatched the chopsticks from his hand. I swapped his lunchbox for mine. He stared down at the new dishes for a moment. His deep, dark eyes finally focused on me. "Look." I held up my bandaged hand to him. "To cook for you, I cut myself three times." "It took me forever. Please eat mine?" I met his gaze, looking very calm. But it was a calm that looked like it was about to shatter. Finally, he sighed. "Elena. These dishes look exactly like the ones from Linchuan Pavilion." "Did you steal their recipes?" "..." I pretended not to hear the mockery in his voice. I decided to just go for broke. "Arthur, just tell me if you're going to eat it or not!" It seemed that so many times before, if I got angry, he would soften and coax me. I was so used to it, I forgot this wasn't the him and me from our past life. But he still lowered his head and, spoonful by spoonful, finished the seafood congee I brought. He was so obedient, just like the Arthur from our past life who did whatever I told him to. When he finished, he watched me bend down to clean up the lunchbox—something I'd never done before. "Elena." He called my name, his voice like a clear stream. "I'm allergic to seafood." "Two lifetimes, and you still can't remember." I flinched violently and looked up at him. His wrist, usually pale enough to see the veins, was already breaking out in red hives. He just showed it to me. "Will you only be happy when you've tortured me to death?"
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