Chapter 1

Evan Carter's mistress, Chloe Carrington, had been in a car accident and urgently needed a liver transplant. The only compatible donor turned out to be Lila Monroe's mother, Margaret Rhodes. On the day of the surgery, Evan had Margaret strapped to the operating table. Lila dropped to her knees, sobbing so hard. She begged him to stop, banging her forehead on the floor until it split open. Instead of showing her mercy, he had her locked in a detention room. Three days passed, and the surgery was a success. Evan stood before her, dressed sharply in a suit. He looked at Margaret like she was a stranger. "The surgery went well. I've arranged care for Margaret," he said, voice devoid of emotion. "I'm staying at the hospital with Chloe. I won't be coming home." Lila stared at Evan, the man who once would've walked through fire for her. Her tears had long since dried. Just as he turned to leave, she couldn't help but rasp out, "Evan, you used to love me so much. When did that stop?" He paused. Without looking back, he said, "We were just a political match. When did I ever love you?" As the door clicked shut behind him, Lila slid down the wall and collapsed to the floor. The tears she thought had run dry came flooding back. He never loved her? That couldn't be true. Because in her previous life, Evan had loved her to death. That was right—Lila had come back to life, in more ways than one. In her previous life, the Monroe and Carter families had formed an alliance through marriage. She had married Evan. Evan had adored her obsessively. She could've asked for the stars, and he still wouldn't settle for the moon. He would give her anything she wanted. If she as much as mentioned a piece of million-dollar jewelry in passing, it'd be sitting on her vanity the next day. If she had gotten sick, he'd be by her bedside all night without a moment's sleep. But none of it had mattered. She had hated him because the one she had truly wanted was her childhood friend, Damian West. Forced into the marriage by her parents, she had fought it every step of the way. She had refused to share a bed with Evan, refused to attend social events with him. She had even gone to bars and flirted with different men just to humiliate him. In the end, she had believed Damina's lies and run off with him. What she hadn't realized was that Damian had never loved her. His family had a long-standing grudge against the Carters, and when he had seen how Evan felt for her, he had used her as leverage. He had kidnapped her and threatened Evan, "Send me one of your fingers every day, or I'll kill her." Evan hadn't said a word. He'd just started sending fingers. On the tenth day, the last blood-soaked finger arrived—still wearing his wedding ring. Lila had broken down. She couldn't bear to let him keep sacrificing himself. So she had bitten through her tongue and ended her own life. After death, her spirit had hovered above, watching the always-composed Evan descend into madness. He had come for vengeance, broken every one of Damian's bones with his bare hands. As Damian screamed in agony, Evan's eyes had gone blank. Then he'd given up everything—his fortune, his company, Carter Corporation–and walked into a fire with her corpse in his arms. As the flames consumed them, he had kissed her lips gently and whispered, "Lila, if there's a next life, will you love me, just once?" Floating above, Lila had sobbed so hard her soul ached. In that moment, she had finally seen the depth of his love. Then she opened her eyes again. She was back—returned to the first year of their marriage. She cried tears of joy. This time, she vowed she'd love Evan properly. She deleted all of Damian's contact information. She made breakfast for Evan every morning and waited up for him late into the night. Her world revolved around him. But Evan had changed. He no longer treated her gently, and he didn't come home every day. The warmth was gone, replaced by distance and cold indifference. And now, he wasn't just keeping a mistress, but he was openly protecting her. Today, he'd even forced Margaret onto an operating table just to save Chloe's life. After Evan left, Lila collapsed onto the cold floor. She was too numb to cry—her tears were already gone. Fine. If he no longer loved her in this life, then she'd let go of him, completely. She'd give him exactly what he wanted and set him free. Lila staggered to her feet, dragging her exhausted body as she made her way to her mother's hospital room. When she opened the door, Margaret was still asleep. Her face was ghostly pale beneath an oxygen mask, chest rising and falling in a weak rhythm. Lila stood at the bedside, staring at the frail body wrapped in a hospital gown. Her throat tightened with grief. "Lila." She turned sharply. Her father, Richard Monroe, stood in the doorway. He had clearly rushed back from abroad. His suit was wrinkled, his tie askew. "Dad," she croaked. Her knees gave out, and she collapsed to the floor. "I'm sorry. It's all my fault." Richard rushed over and pulled her up. "Don't be ridiculous! The floor's freezing. Why are you kneeling?" His calloused hand trembled slightly as it gripped hers. "This isn't your fault. None of this is." Lila hung her head. Her tears splattered onto the floor. Richard sighed, gently patting her back. "Evan was the one who insisted on marrying you. He said he'd been in love with you for years." His voice was filled with confusion. "What happened? Why is he like this now?" Exactly. Everyone knew he loved Lila. So why had he changed? "Dad." Lila drew in a breath. "I've made up my mind. I want a divorce. Our business is slowly moving overseas anyway. Let's just leave." Richard fell silent. His gaze moved between her and Margaret. After a long pause, he finally asked, "You really don't love him anymore?" Her nails dug into her palm, blood seeping through her fingers, but she didn't feel a thing. "After what he did to Mom," she said, her voice barely a whisper, "how could I still love him?" Another silence. Then Richard sighed, heavy and final, like he'd made a decision. "Alright. Let's go." He patted her shoulder. "Go get the paperwork done. I'll take care of things here." Lila nodded, eyes red-rimmed, and walked out of the room. The immigration paperwork went smoothly. When she stepped outside, the sunlight stung her eyes. She stood at the curb, feeling like she was floating. It was finally over. Then a screech of tires shattered the moment. "Look out—!" Before she could turn, something slammed into her and sent her flying. … Pain shot through her body as she woke up. When her eyes fluttered open, Evan's face was hovering over hers. He looked down at her, disgust plain in his eyes. "Lila, was that on purpose?" he asked. "Chloe got hit in a car accident, so you had to copy her too?" He sneered and added, "I told you this marriage is political. There are no feelings between us. No matter how hard you try to be like her, it's useless. I don't have time for your games." Lila opened her mouth to speak, but just then, the hospital door swung open. "Mr. Carter, here's your chowder." Ryan Bennett, his assistant, respectfully handed over a takeout container. Evan took it and lifted the lid. His expression darkened. "Why is it seafood chowder?" His tone sharpened. "She's allergic to seafood. Go get something else." The words hit Lila like a bolt of lightning—Evan knew she was allergic to seafood. In their past life, he hadn't known until their second year of marriage, when she nearly went into anaphylactic shock. But right now, it was only their first year. She thought about how strange he'd been lately. The sudden distance he kept from her. The unexplained affection he showed Chloe. And that cruel line—when did I ever love you? A wild, impossible thought shot through her mind, and Lila began to tremble. Her voice was barely a whisper, hoarse and broken. "Evan… did you come back too?"