Chapter 3

Regret it?

Watching her walk away, I thought back to our previous life.

In that life, Jada and I got married.

It was good, at first.

But in the end, our marriage couldn't stand the test of time.

Right before we were reborn, we had a massive fight.

The trigger was her desire to move to New York for her career, while I insisted on staying in our hometown to build my business.

Jada went ballistic, throwing glasses, smashing the TV.

I rubbed my temples, trying to stay calm.

"If you move to New York, what about your parents?"

Jada was an only child.

And I was an orphan.

Her parents didn't want her to move so far away, so I had stayed in our city for her.

Around that time, a friend proposed we start a business together, and that's how I ended up on the path of an entrepreneur.

It was hard work. Brutally hard.

But to be with Jada, to give her a better life, no amount of hardship mattered.

Her parents were wonderful to me. They treated me like their own son.

I treasured that family more than anything.

But happiness never seems to last.

Ever since Jada returned from a trip to New York with a friend, she became obsessed with leaving.

She was convinced that if she had moved to a big city right after graduation, her life would be so much better.

The thing is, our life wasn't bad at all.

We had a nice house, two cars, and a healthy six-figure savings account.

But it was never enough for her.

Jada’s eyes were red as she glared at me.

"Don't you dare use my parents to guilt me!"

"They don't need us to take care of them right now! They have pensions!"

"And worst-case scenario, if they get sick, we can bring them to New York, or I can take some time off and come back!"

She made it sound so simple.

Take time off? As if it were that easy.

I tried to reason with her, but she cut me off before I could even get a sentence out.

"Liam Archer! I'm asking you one last time! Are you coming with me or are you staying?"

"If you're not coming, we're getting a divorce!"

I was stunned.

I never thought she would choose a so-called big city over our marriage.

"Jada, why are you so desperate to go to New York?"

I just didn't get it.

She let out a bitter laugh.

"Do you really think we've made anything of ourselves here?"

"Even if you don't care about your own future, even if you're happy just settling here, what about our kids? Do you want them to end up just like you?"

Her words made me laugh, a humorless, angry sound.

"How is building a business from the ground up 'settling'?"

"Jada, a good life isn't just found in a big city! We have a great life right here..."

"Enough!"

Jada didn't want to hear another word.

"If you won't go, I will!"

"I never should have let you start that stupid business."

"All this work, and you still can't hold a candle to a guy like Nate Price!"

She muttered under her breath as she packed her bags.

It wasn't the first time I'd heard her say things like that.

But I always told myself she was just angry, that she didn't mean it.

But thinking about it now…

How can you say something a hundred times and not mean it?

She dragged her suitcase out the door and got into a taxi. I followed her in my car.

I don't know what happened with the taxi driver, but he swerved and slammed head-on into an oncoming truck.

Jada was in a terrible accident.

I ran to the wreck to pull her out.

But during the rescue…

The car exploded.

When I woke up, we were both reborn.

Neither of us mentioned staying together.

She defied her parents' wishes and left for New York with Nate Price to chase her dreams.

And I, just like in my past life, stayed behind.

My reasons for staying had changed.

But my resolve was the same.

I made my choice, and I wasn't going to regret it.