Chapter 1

Three hours after my husband’s affair went viral, he came to me with divorce papers—

and asked me to cooperate.

He said it was temporary. Said he needed me to step aside so the woman he loved wouldn’t break under public pressure.

The only person he was willing to sacrifice was me.

Last life, I screamed, begged, and fought.

I lost everything.

This time, I didn’t argue. I signed.

He thought my silence meant obedience.

He didn’t know I simply never went back.

"Claire, after this is all over, will you remarry me?"

I was sitting on a stone bench in the villa garden, lost in thought when Julian and Emily walked up to me.

Just three hours ago, Emily was exposed by the paparazzi as Julian's lover. The whole internet dug into her past, calling her the mistress who ruined the sweet love between Julian and me, a homewrecker.

Julian's image as the loving husband collapsed, and the Chapman Group's stock began to tumble.

In my past life, when Julian came to me with those divorce papers, I was furious. I tore up the roses he had planted for me in the yard and screamed at him, demanding to know his relationship with Emily.

She was just the daughter of his mentor. There were a million ways he could have handled this. But he chose to sacrifice me.

He did it only to avoid worsening Emily's depression. What he didn't know was that, during the media frenzy, I had been diagnosed with moderate depression.

"Claire," Julian called my name again, pulling me out of my daze.

I looked down at the divorce papers on the stone table.

He kneeled on one knee before me, his deep eyes fixed on mine. His warm hand gently covered my hand, his tone coaxing and gentle.

"Claire, please, for me, will you?

"We'll tell everyone that our marriage was already on the rocks. We planned to divorce a year ago but just didn't find the right time."

I stayed silent. Behind him, Emily, dressed in a white dress with Julian's jacket draped over her shoulders, had pale lips and red, swollen eyes.

"Claire, please help me," she pleaded, her voice weak, tears in her eyes.

"My mother killed herself because of online bullying and depression. I don't want to follow in her footsteps. Please, Claire, I'm begging you..."

Just as Emily was about to kneel, Julian quickly stood up, caught her, and held her close. His face darkened as he softly scolded, "What are you doing?"

Emily swallowed, her voice still trembling with emotion. She looked down with her tearful eyes.

"I... I just want Claire to feel better."

Julian's expression grew impatient, and he looked at me, the tenderness in his gaze fading completely.

"Claire, I didn't come here to negotiate.

"I've already made up my mind. If you're unwilling to divorce, don't blame me..."

I slowly looked up to meet his gaze. His words stopped, but I knew what he was about to say.

He wanted to say, "Claire, you know my methods. I have countless ways to make you sign those papers.

"If we go to court, you won't win against the Chapman Group's lawyers."

Those were his exact words in my past life. Eventually, I was set up and sent to the beds of several male models with proof of my affair.

Overnight, I became the adulterous woman, publicly humiliated, while he and Emily were seen as innocent victims.

"I can sign the papers, but you have to promise me one thing," after a long pause, I spoke.