Chapter 2

Luke opened his mouth to speak.

I cut him off instantly. "If I were you, I wouldn't waste my breath right now. Have you forgotten how your family went bankrupt?"

My voice was ice-cold.

The playful smirk vanished from Luke's face. He clenched his fists. "Of course I haven't forgotten. Zachary Vance stole our formula and framed our factories for using toxic materials. He drove my dad to jump off a building."

"Don't worry, Mae. I was just joking earlier. Before Zachary pays for what he did, I won't get in your way."

Luke's shoulders slumped. He looked like a kicked puppy, miserable and abandoned.

He didn't have any of the arrogant confidence he used to have. If I didn't know what he had been through, I’d think he was a completely different person.

We were both too proud in our past lives, refusing to bow to one another. Our clashing egos had torn our relationship apart. Every argument had felt like a blade carving into our hearts.

Once we broke up, it was truly over. I never recycle trash.

The "affair" Vivian kept screaming about was a total joke.

Zachary had ruined Luke's family, and his eyes were now set on mine. Our marriage was merely a stalling tactic.

I had approached Luke for a partnership so we could work together from the inside out to take down the Vance family.

But that idiot Vivian had ruined everything.

Zachary had locked me down, monitoring my every move, and went after Luke even harder. Eventually, under Zachary’s traps, Luke disappeared from high society completely.

I deeply regretted ever calling Vivian my friend. I had initially kept her around to distract Zachary, but my own cleverness had backfired.

This time, without that fool interfering, our revenge would go much smoother.

The moment I stepped out of the café, Vivian ran up to me, her eyes gleaming with excitement. "Have you two planned your escape yet? Don't worry, I won't let Zachary find out. I'll handle him."

"I always knew you two belonged together. Don't forget how beautiful your past was. Follow your heart, Maeve! I'll take the fall for whatever happens next!"

The malicious joy in her eyes was glaring.

I smiled, stepping forward to give her a tight hug. "Thank you, Vivian. You're the only one who truly understands me."

That evening, when we returned to the Vance estate, Zachary was waiting, his face dark with suspicion. Before he could raise his voice, Vivian eagerly stepped in to cover for me.

"Oh, Zachary, we just went shopping! What could possibly happen? You work so hard, you should really rest. Don't worry, I'll take good care of Maeve. Men like you should focus on conquering the business world."

"I'm so jealous Maeve landed such an amazing husband. I guess I'm just not that lucky."

Vivian’s thinly veiled flirting brought a smirk to Zachary’s face. His predatory eyes swept over her intentionally low-cut neckline.

"Since you're Maeve's friend, you're my friend too. Don't worry, Vivian. I'll find a good man for you."

"Oh, thank you, Zachary!"

Vivian walked closer to him, patting my shoulder as she whispered, "See? I told you I wouldn't interfere with your life this time. Since you hate this marriage, let me suffer in your place."

Her hypocrisy made me want to throw up. I turned around, went into my room, and locked the door.

Did she really think I couldn't see through her?

She just wanted to use me as a stepping stone to climb into Zachary’s bed and become the next Mrs. Vance.

But Zachary was a monster. If she fell into his trap, she would be utterly destroyed.

In my past life, even after we married, Zachary never stopped playing around. His cheating was public knowledge in our circle.

If my body hadn't been covered in ugly scars, making him completely lose sexual interest in me, I probably would have caught some horrible disease from him.

The only reason he married me was because I had saved his mother from a horrific car crash, which left me with those scars. Zachary was a bastard, but he had a shred of filial piety. When I proposed a strategic marriage, he agreed to marry me as a favor to his mother.

But when Vivian started spreading rumors about my affair, Zachary’s toxic possessiveness flared up. He demanded absolute purity from me while he ran wild with other women.

Every time I came home, he would inspect me like a piece of meat.

"You waste that pretty face of yours," he had sneered, tracing my scarred skin. "You look like you're covered in centipedes. If you hadn't saved my mom, I wouldn't even look at you. But if you ever dare betray me, I'll have my guys throw you to the dogs on the street."

"You're a dirty girl, Maeve. Does it excite you when I look at you like this? I wouldn't touch you with a ten-foot pole. If your little friend hadn't told me, I wouldn't believe anyone could actually desire a body as hideous as yours. The moment you strip, any man would run away screaming."

"Cover yourself up. You make me sick."

My lie to Vivian about my future child inheriting the entire Vance fortune was just bait. The Vance family wanted nothing more than to drain my family's assets; they would never leave a dime to my child.

I lay on my bed, scrolling through my phone. Thanks to my knowledge of the future, Luke had already successfully infiltrated Zachary’s company.

I took a deep breath. Everything was going according to plan.

As for Vivian... I couldn't wait to see how long she could keep up her little act.

***