Theater: NovelMaster | Language: English
Synopsis
The moment my wife heard her first love, Julian Carter, had been in a car crash, she abandoned our wedding to donate blood to him. But he died anyway.
After throwing him a grand, lavish funeral, she put on her wedding dress, held a framed photo of them, and took an overdose of pills to join him in death.
Only then did I realize that Julian was the only man she had ever loved.
When I was reborn, she didn’t hesitate. Right in front of my face, she threw her arms around Julian and kissed him passionately.
From that moment on, we were done.
Five years later, we crossed paths again at a high-society birthday gala.
She frowned as she watched me walking past in a hurry.
"I know you’ve been waiting for me for five years, Ethan," she said, looking down her nose at me. "But Julian is my only love. Give up."
I didn't even give her a glance. Instead, I stepped aside and stood in front of my daughter, who was hiding under a table with a smudge of chocolate on her face.
"Being mischievous again, are we? Watch out, or Mommy’s going to get you when she finds you."
She froze. Her eyes welled with tears as she stared at me in despair.
"You swore I was the only woman you’d ever marry! Are you doing this on purpose just to make me feel guilty?"
I never expected to cross paths with Chloe Higgins again in this lifetime.
Chloe was leaning proudly against Julian Carter, soaking in the compliments of the crowd around her.
"I can't believe such a genius is right here next to us! Chloe, you’re so young and you’ve already achieved what others can't even dream of in a lifetime. You’re incredible."
The elders in the room pointed at Chloe and lectured their own kids:
"Look at her, then look at yourselves. You should be taking notes from Chloe."
"Chloe is not only gorgeous and brilliant, but she also has such a loving boyfriend. She’s truly won at life."
Chloe had easily become the golden child everyone praised.
She soaked in the flattery with an easy, practiced grace. She was clearly used to this kind of spotlight.
She and Julian shared a sweet look, prompting immediate sighs of envy from the crowd.
"The chemistry is insane! I ship them so hard."
"Chloe and Julian are both so stunning. Their future kids are going to be gorgeous."
"When is the wedding, Chloe? I need an invite to get some of that good luck!"
With that question, the crowd's eyes instantly locked onto Chloe's face.
The hand Chloe had wrapped around Julian's arm suddenly loosened.
Even I couldn't help but feel a pang of surprise. They still weren't married?
In my past life, Chloe had risked her own life to save Julian, selflessly donating 1,000 mL of her blood without a second thought.
I had assumed she loved him more than life itself and would marry him the second she left me.
I never expected they’d be together for five years without tying the knot.
Was Julian the one holding back?
Someone in the crowd voiced my exact thought.
"Julian, this is on you. Chloe is a total catch. Why haven't you put a ring on it yet? Aren't you afraid someone else will steal her away?"
Julian nodded solemnly.
"You’re absolutely right. Chloe is so incredible, and she’s stood by my side for five long years. How could I let her slip away? I want her with me forever."
He suddenly reached into his pocket and pulled out a velvet box.
One of his friends immediately handed him a bouquet of blooming red roses.
Right there, in front of everyone, Julian dropped to one knee. He looked up at Chloe, his eyes practically overflowing with tenderness.
"Chloe, I love you. Will you marry me?"
Chloe took a subtle step back, staring blankly at Julian on his knee.
The crowd went dead silent for a second before bursting into wild applause."Say yes! Say yes! Say yes!"
The chants echoed through the hall.
The crowd was swooning.
"Oh my god, I want a love story like this."
"Julian is so romantic! I can't believe I’m witnessing this fairy-tale proposal."
"Someone give me a man like him, please."
......
Overcome with emotion, Chloe’s eyes welled with tears. With trembling hands, she reached out toward Julian.
The moment the ring slipped onto her finger, the usually cold and composed Chloe completely lost her cool. Huge tears rolled down her cheeks.
"I love you," she whispered.
They gazed into each other's eyes, deeply in love.
Looking at Julian’s simple proposal, I let out a bitter, silent laugh.
In my past life, I had meticulously planned several grand proposals for her.
Drones, fireworks, amusement parks, luxury cruises...
But Chloe had always shot me down, using her fear of marriage as an excuse.
Because of that, I had doubled my efforts, treating her like royalty, hoping to earn her trust and make her want to marry me.
It wasn’t until her mother fell gravely ill that she finally agreed to my proposal.
Now I realized her "fear of marriage" was reserved strictly for me.
When it came to the man she actually loved, a simple proposal could make her beam with absolute joy.
I let out a deep sigh, realizing how worthless my devotion had been in my past life.
Fortunately, in this life, it wasn’t too late to fix things.
Just then, a sneaky little figure crawled out from under a nearby table and made a funny face at me.
I quickly pushed through the crowd and hurried toward her.
The onlookers, annoyed that I was disrupting their view, began to grumble.
"Hey! What's wrong with this waiter? Can't you see we’re watching something here?"
"Get out of the way! Don't block our view."
"Is this how you train your staff? Why are you walking against the crowd?"
I ignored their complaints, my eyes locked onto my daughter. I was terrified she’d slip away again if I blinked.
"Dammit! Watch where you're going! Do you have any idea how much these limited-edition shoes cost?"
In my rush to catch my daughter, I hadn't noticed I'd stepped on someone’s foot.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to step on you. How much were the shoes? I'll have my assistant wire you the money right away."
I thought a sincere apology would let me leave.
But as I turned to go, the man grabbed my collar tightly.
"Are you looking down on me? Do you even know how much these cost? You couldn't afford them even if you worked here for years. Now, get on your knees and lick them clean!"
I ignored him, standing on my tiptoes to scan the room for my daughter.
Unfortunately, hearing my voice, she had already scurried off.
"What, trying to run?"
"If you don't lick my shoes clean today, I'll make sure you vanish from this city forever."
I turned back to look at the bloated, arrogant man. Just as I was about to fire back, my eyes met Chloe’s.
She was frowning at me, her face full of annoyance.
The man shoved me again. "I'm talking to you, loser! Did you hear me?"
I stumbled backward, crashing right into a massive champagne tower. Red and white wine splashed all over me, leaving me completely drenched and utterly disheveled.
"Ethan? Are you okay?"
I shook off my ruined suit jacket and shook my head. "I'm fine."
Julian stared at me for a long time, trying to place my face. When it finally clicked, his voice shot up. "Ethan? What the hell are you doing here?"
"You’re like chewing gum stuck to a shoe, aren't you? It's been five years, and you still managed to sniff us out. Chloe is my fiancé now. I suggest you stay the hell away from her."
He looked at my wine-soaked clothes and scoffed, suddenly realizing. "Ah, so you've fallen so low that you’re working as a waiter now? Tell you what, if you get on your knees and beg me, I might recommend you for a few more service jobs."
"A toad trying to catch a swan," the bloated man, Leo, sneered. "Who do you think you are to even look at Chloe? You aren't even worthy of wiping her shoes.
You know what? I don't even want you to pay for my shoes anymore. Get on your knees, crawl through my legs, bark like a dog, and I'll let you go."
At his words, the crowd watched with cruel amusement."Chloe’s taste used to be trash. How did she ever date a waiter?"
"Good to know even someone as perfect as Chloe makes mistakes. I feel much better now."
"This guy has decent looks, but his class is miles below Julian's."
The hushed gossip made Chloe’s face flush with embarrassment.
She took a deep breath, walked over, and looked down at me with a pained expression. "Ethan, I know you’re a sentimental guy and that you’ve waited five years for me. I appreciate your devotion, but I’m with Julian now. I need you to let go and move on."
She then turned to Leo with an apologetic smile.
"Leo, for my sake, could you let him go? I’ll buy you a brand-new pair of shoes."
Leo didn't answer right away. Instead, he looked at Julian, who was scowling beside her.
Julian wrapped a possessive arm around Chloe's waist. "Chloe, you’re too sweet. You should stay far away from a pathetic ex like him. Otherwise, he’ll just keep taking advantage of your kindness to blackmail you."
Julian glanced around at the crowd and chuckled. "Let me introduce him. Ethan actually went to an Ivy League school. Back when we graduated, he was so smug.
I begged him to refer me for a job, but he was terrified I'd outshine him. He took a high-paying job for himself and dumped me with a brainless clerical role."
He patted my shoulder, pretending to be generous. "I never expected you to end up as a waiter. Times are tough, I get it. For old times' sake, I can offer you a job as a security guard at my firm."
I brushed his hand off my shoulder and dusted off the spot he’d touched with disgust. "Julian, when you begged me for that referral, I handed your resume straight to HR. You were rejected because of your own incompetence. They only offered you that minor clerical job as a favor to me."
Julian’s voice instantly went up an octave. "My incompetence? If I’m incompetent, how am I standing here today?"
He slapped his forehead and smirked. "Oh, right, I forgot. How could a bottom-feeder like you understand high society? Everyone at this party is elite."
He crossed his arms proudly, waiting to see envy on my face.
But I just gave him a cold glance. He wasn't worth my time.
Chloe, who had been staring at her phone, suddenly pushed Julian away. She stepped in front of me, pointing an accusing finger.
"You changed your number and didn't even tell me?"
Ah. She must have tried to text me to get me to leave, only to realize my old number was out of service.
I was thoroughly baffled. "Why would I tell you? Like you said, we broke up five years ago. We’re strangers."
"But you swore you would keep that number forever! The one I picked out for you!"
After graduating college, we had crossed paths at work. She had just broken up with Julian back then. Perhaps to quickly forget him, she wanted to jump into a new relationship.
Since I had loved her for a long time, I didn't want to miss the chance.
To make Julian jealous, she had taken over every aspect of my life, and I had happily let her.
She had spent a fortune to buy a custom phone number containing both of our birthdays. "This is our special bond," she had told me.
Touched by her gesture, I had promised, "As long as I live, I’ll never change this number. Every time I see it, I’ll think of you."
But in this life, when Chloe chose Julian over me, I had overheard her telling him, "That phone number has your birthday in both solar and lunar calendars. I kept it to remind myself that I only belong to you."
That was the moment my love for her died. I realized I was nothing but a pawn in their twisted game.
Chloe let out a heavy, frustrated sigh. "Ethan, stop playing games. Even if you’re trying to erase me from your life to get a reaction out of me, it’s not going to work. Honestly, seeing you reduced to a waiter breaks my heart."
"I know it was wrong of me to break up with you. How about this? Julian knows the manager of this hotel. I’ll have him bump your salary by two thousand a month. Just stop stalking me."
I looked at her self-righteous face and almost laughed out loud.
"Chloe, I didn't stalk you here. And I don't need your charity. My job is extremely stable."
My flat refusal made Chloe’s face darken even more.
Suddenly, Leo gasped. "Wait! Where is my watch? Did you steal it?!"Instantly, every eye in the room snapped to me.
Chloe gasped, taking a panicked step forward. "Ethan! If you’re short on cash, you could have just asked! For the sake of our past, I would have given you a payout. But how could you resort to stealing? Give Leo his watch back right now!"
The wine-soaked jacket was starting to feel uncomfortable, so I calmly took it off.
Julian suddenly lunged forward, grabbing my wrist and hoisting my arm into the air. "Leo! Is this your watch?"
Leo squeezed his heavy frame through the crowd. "Yes! That's my watch! You dirty thief, how dare you wear it so openly? Do you have any idea how much that costs? You couldn't afford this in a lifetime!"
I pried Julian’s fingers off my wrist and casually shook my watch.
"It’s only ten million dollars. I’m actually getting tired of wearing it, but I guess you treat it like a holy relic."
Chloe shook her head at me in utter disappointment.
"Ethan, when did you become so vain and delusional? Take the watch off and give it to Leo! I can still stop him from calling the cops."
Julian laughed, resting one foot on a chair. "Ethan, crawl through my legs right now. Bark like a dog and scream 'I’m a thief and I’ll never steal again' until Leo is satisfied. Otherwise, with the value of that watch, you’re looking at ten years in prison."
Chloe chimed in, her voice full of pitying disgust. "Ethan, I didn't think our breakup would break you like this. But you did this to yourself. Just beg Leo for mercy. You’ll never see anyone in this room again anyway, so a little humiliation is nothing. Just crawl."
I looked at Chloe, utterly disgusted. My dignity meant absolutely nothing to her.
I adjusted the watch dial, completely unfazed. "This is my watch. Why should I give it to him?"
Chloe raised her hand as if to slap me. "Ethan! You’re still lying? You disgust me. Knowing you loved me for so many years makes me feel sick!"
Julian was grinning from ear to ear. "Once the Shaw family finds out you ruined their carefully planned gala, a few apologies won't save you. You better do what we say."
"Who's barking like a dog? I want to hear!"
A sweet, childish voice chirped from the edge of the crowd.
Julian glanced down at my daughter and waved his hand dismissively.
"Where did this little beggar come from? Security, throw her out! Don't let her ruin the Shaw family's party."
Leo took one look at her, and his eyes nearly popped out of his skull.
"L-Little Miss Shaw?! Where is your mother? Why are you here alone? Let me help you find your mom."
With that, he turned around and smacked Julian hard across the face. "Are you trying to get us killed? How dare you speak to her like that! Don't you know she’s the pride and joy of the Shaw family? Everyone dotes on her!"
My daughter pouted, looking at me guiltily. Her tiny hands twisted together as she looked around for an escape route.
I stepped forward and lifted her up by her collar. She wriggled in my grasp, yelling, "Help! I want Great-Grandpa! Great-Grandpa, save me!"
Seeing this, Julian tried to shove me away. "You thief! Not only did you steal Leo’s watch, but now you’re trying to kidnap Little Miss Shaw!"
"What's wrong with holding my own daughter?"
He turned to the crowd and scoffed.
"This guy has officially lost his mind. He’s trying to claim a relationship to anyone now. We won't let you take her!"
Just then, a powerful, booming voice echoed from the back of the room. "Who's calling for me?"
The crowd parted instantly. Julian rushed forward, his face instantly turning sycophantic.
"Old Mr. Shaw! This waiter stole Leo’s watch and was trying to kidnap your great-granddaughter. I was just putting him in his place."
"Oh? Since when does my grandson-in-law need an outsider to put him in his place?"
I held my daughter, who was still crying out to her great-grandfather for help, and gently patted her bottom.
"Even Great-Grandpa can't save you today."
Her expression flipped in an instant. She wrapped her arms around my neck and gave me a big, sloppy kiss on the cheek.
"Daddy is the best! I love Daddy the most!"
Chapters (4)
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Watch & Promotions
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