Chapter 2

2.

In my past life, I had enough of his endless games and slapped our marriage certificate down right out of my purse.

His graduate assistant, Chloe, who was standing right next to him, burst into tears and ran out of the room. She transferred to another professor right after that.

Damon gave me the silent treatment for six whole months because of it, treating me like a stranger.

Then, just before my major research paper was set to be published, Chloe somehow published astonishingly similar data first.

When I confronted them with the evidence, Damon turned on me, testifying to the academic ethics committee that I had plagiarized his "beloved student's" work.

I was fired for "academic misconduct," my reputation destroyed. Blacklisted by the entire industry, I could only hide at home in despair.

It was only then that I understood. To him, I was nothing more than a tool to satisfy his family's trust and keep up appearances.

This time around, in my second chance at life, I met his mocking gaze, elegantly swirled the champagne in my glass, and smiled brightly.

"No need, Damon. My fiancé is a very possessive man. He wouldn't like other men hitting on me."

…

The air instantly froze.

The smile on Damon's face stiffened, almost cracking.

Chloe, sitting beside him, had a flash of cunning in her eyes. She spoke before he could, her voice sickeningly sweet.

"Professor Vance, you really don't think of us as friends! If we hadn't asked today, you probably wouldn't have even sent us an invitation to your wedding, would you?"

I looked at her and gave a deliberately provocative smile. "Some relationships don't need invitations. A legal document is more than enough to prove everything."

In my past life, I was naive enough to think Chloe didn't know about my marriage to Damon, that she was a victim, too. I even felt a pang of guilt for her when Damon chose her over me.

It wasn't until my work was stolen and I watched them toast to their success right in front of my face that I realized she knew everything from the very beginning.