Chapter 1

I woke up on the very day my wife, Selena Thorne, embezzled corporate funds to pay off her childhood friend Zachery Cross's gambling debts.

In my previous life, I sold my most valuable patents just to fill the hole she had dug.

This time, I didn't hesitate. I headed straight to the court to file for divorce and cut all ties with her.

I had loved her with every fiber of my being for fifty years in that past life.

If she told me to go east, I never dared to look west.

She claimed she wanted a platonic, soulful connection, so I spent half my life trapped in a sexless marriage.

On the day of the shipwreck, I gave her my only life jacket.

But after she was rescued, she didn't tell the search party that I was still trapped in the cabin.

Through the cracks in the cabin door, I saw her throwing herself into Zachery's arms.

"Zach, I love you. I've only ever loved you," she had sobbed.

"From now on, no one can stand in the way of our love."

At that moment, I let go of the will to live and allowed the cold seawater to swallow me whole.

Now that I am back, I've decided to let them have their twisted version of love.

1、

I had just finished submitting the paperwork for the divorce when Selena found me, her voice trembling with panic.

"Hudson, do you have any money left? Can you lend it to me?"

"Something happened, and I need a lot of cash to fix it right now."

I gave her a cold look before pulling out my phone and dialing the emergency line right in front of her.

"Hello, police? I'd like to report a case of embezzlement by the financial director of Sterling Tech."

The words had barely left my mouth when Selena snatched the phone and slammed it onto the ground. It shattered into pieces.

"Are you insane!" she screamed.

Zachery, who was standing beside her, punched me right in the corner of my mouth.

"Hudson, are you even a man? Reporting your own wife!"

"She only took that money for the sake of your family!"

In my last life, when I found out, I didn't report her. Instead, I gave her everything I had to cover the debt.

But even after draining my accounts, I was still short by five million dollars.

In desperation, I sold every single one of my patents.

Only later did I discover that the money she stole wasn't for us. It was to pay off Zachery's massive gambling losses.

I was furious and tried to get the money back from him.

To calm me down, Selena promised she would never see him again.

For a long time after that, she came straight home after work and stopped seeing him in public.

I actually thought she had changed and wanted to build a life with me.

I didn't realize she had simply moved their affair from the light into the shadows.

I wiped the blood from my lip and stared Selena down with icy eyes.

"Selena, we both know whether you took that money for this family or for Zachery. Stop acting."

"Since you made that choice, you must have considered the consequences. You don't need me interfering."

Ignoring her pale, shocked face, I turned my gaze toward Zachery.

"You don't need to worry about whether I'm a man. But you? You call yourself a man while hiding behind a woman to fix your messes?"

My voice was flat, but my eyes were filled with mockery.

Zachery's face turned bright red with rage.

He raised his fist to strike me again.

I didn't give him the chance. I caught his fist mid-air and shoved him aside.

"If you touch me again, I'm filing charges for aggravated assault."

Seeing this, Selena immediately rushed to shield Zachery and slapped me across the face.

"Hudson, I can't believe you're this kind of person! I was so wrong about you!"

"You swore you'd love me forever, but now that I'm in trouble, you're kicking me while I'm down."

Our shouting match drew a crowd of onlookers.

Zachery's eyes darted around before he suddenly started yelling at the top of his lungs.

"Hudson, you probably have another woman on the side, don't you? Is that why you're so desperate to dump Selena?"

"She's given up so much for you and this home, and this is how you treat her? Aren't you afraid of karma?"

The people around us, knowing nothing of the truth, began to point and whisper.

"He looks like a decent guy, but he's just another cheating scumbag!"

"You really can't judge a book by its cover these days..."

I listened to their gossip while watching Selena and Zachery hold each other without any shame.

The image of them leading the rescuers away from my cabin in my past life flashed in my mind.

Anger surged through my veins.

I lunged forward and grabbed Zachery by the collar.

Before I could throw a punch, Selena grabbed my arm.

I jerked my arm back, and because I used too much force, Selena fell to the ground.

Zachery shouted again, louder this time.

"Hudson! You're actually hitting a woman now!"

Just then, someone in the crowd shouted, "The police are here!"