Chapter 1

The day the Thorne family went bankrupt, my sister, who was engaged to Silas Thorne, lied and said she was in love with someone else. She cut ties with him without a second thought.

I was the one who stepped up and took her place. I became the laughingstock of our social circle just to marry him.

I changed everything about myself for him. I learned to be exactly who he liked and swallowed every bit of bitterness.

I only hoped I could eventually melt his frozen heart.

That hope died on our wedding day. A car accident happened, and Silas's first instinct was to shield my sister.

"Don't be afraid, Scarlett! Where are you hurt? We're going to the hospital right now!"

He carried her into the ambulance and didn't even look back at me once.

I looked down at the rebar piercing through my chest. Warm blood was pouring out of me.

In that moment, I finally understood.

He wasn't cold by nature. He was just cold to me.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back to the day Silas came over with our engagement token.

1.

The phantom pain of the rebar through my chest hadn't faded yet. Every breath felt like a stab of agony.

Just then, Scarlett's voice rang in my ears.

"Dad, I already have someone I love. I really don't want to marry into that family."

In my past life, I was fooled by her perfect acting. I willingly became her substitute.

I sneered inwardly. This time, I won't make the same mistake.

I watched her performance in silence, not saying a single word.

The air felt heavy for a moment.

My father, Samuel Sutton, frowned. He was clearly weighing his options.

Just as I thought history was about to repeat itself, a cold voice broke the silence.

Silas Thorne took a step forward.

He looked at Scarlett with eyes full of hidden affection. But when his gaze turned to me, it reverted to that familiar, icy indifference.

"Mr. Sutton, I didn't come here for the marriage alliance today."

Scarlett let out a huge sigh of relief.

My eyes widened in surprise. Could Silas have been reborn too?

"Then why are you here?" Samuel asked.

Silas looked humble. "Since the Thorne family is bankrupt, I'm clearly not a match for Scarlett anymore."

"If I can't rebuild my empire in three years, the engagement between our families will be officially canceled. What do you think?"

The atmosphere became tense.

Scarlett walked toward me as if she wasn't paying attention. As she passed, she deliberately knocked the hot tea out of my hand.

She then fell to the floor in a practiced motion.

"Ow! Help!"

She screamed in pain. A bright red mark appeared on the back of her pale hand.

It happened so fast I didn't even have time to react.

Suddenly, a massive force slammed into my shoulder.

I was shoved back, stumbling. A sharp pain shot through my shoulder blade, and my vision blurred.

"Summer, how can you be so cruel?" Silas roared at me.

"I chose Scarlett. If you have a problem, take it out on me. If you dare touch her again, I'm done being nice to you."

It was the first time I had ever seen such hatred in his eyes.

It felt like an invisible hand was squeezing my heart. This pain was worse than being impaled in the car crash.

I laughed at myself. He really did come back from the dead, didn't he?

I dug my nails into my palms. The physical pain was the only thing keeping me sane.

Fine. He can protect his precious Scarlett out in the open now.

I just wonder if he can succeed so quickly this time without me. In my last life, I was the fool who cleared every obstacle for him.

He gently picked Scarlett up. As he headed upstairs, he stopped and gave me a meaningful, dark look.

I watched their retreating backs. I took a deep breath and pushed down the pain.

I turned to Samuel with a calm expression. "Dad, I want to go to the branch office for some experience. I heard the New Haven office is short-staffed."

Samuel finally looked at me. He nodded without hesitation. "Fine. I'll have my assistant arrange it."