Chapter 1

Born again, I swore I would love Ethan with all my heart and make up for what I owed him in my past life.

But he had changed.

He brought his mistress home and even slept with her right in front of me, in our bed.

He stole my art exhibition and gave it to his mistress, caressing her slightly swollen pregnant belly as he publicly declared she was his true love.

It wasn't until I signed the divorce papers and left for good that he remembered he was also reborn.

He called me.

"Stella, I remember everything now! You're the one I love!"

But it was too late.

I sat on the falling plane, my heart calm.

"If there's a next life, let's never meet again."

Stella's POV

To pave the way for Vivian Sullivan, Ethan Blackwood forcibly took the solo art exhibition I'd prepared for three years and put Vivian's name on it.

Two burly bodyguards pinned me to a chair in the lounge. Through the gaps in the blinds, I watched the big screen with heartbreak.

On screen, Vivian wore the haute couture dress that was supposed to be mine, gracefully accepting the media's flashbulbs and praise.

And every painting hanging in that exhibition hall was the result of countless sleepless nights I had spent creating them.

"Ethan, you can't do this!" I struggled, my voice breaking with sobs.

"That's my achievement! You know how important it is to me! I painted those to commemorate my grandmother who passed away!"

Ethan stood before me, looking down at me with arrogance. The eyes that once overflowed with tenderness now looked at me with the coldness of a stranger.

"Vivian just returned to the country. She needs a prominent name to establish herself in the art world. You're my wife. You get the power and status that come with being a Blackwood. What's wrong with doing her a small favor?"

"Sacrifice?" I looked at this man who had once sacrificed everything for me with despair, my heart crushed by an invisible hand.

I shed all my tears, and finally couldn't help asking him before he turned away. "Ethan, you loved me so much. Why did you suddenly stop loving me?"

He paused, not looking back, and said, "Ours is just a marriage in name only, a mutual arrangement. When did I ever love you?"

The moment the door closed, I slid down the wall to the floor, tears streaming down my face.

Never loved me? How could he have never loved me?

In my past life, he loved me so much.

That's right. I was reborn.

In my previous life, I was forced to marry Ethan because of family circumstances.

Back then, he indulged my every whim. If I wanted the stars, he would never give me the moon. If I mentioned liking a multi-million dollar piece of jewelry, it would appear on my desk the next day. When I was sick, he would cancel billion-dollar international meetings to stay by my bedside.

But I despised him. Because the one I loved was Adrian Foster.

After my parents forced me to marry Ethan, I fiercely resisted the marriage. I refused to sleep in the same bed as him, wouldn't accompany him to any events, and even frequently went out drinking at bars, deliberately embarrassing him.

In the end, I believed Adrian Foster's words, naively thinking it was love, and eloped with him.

But I never imagined Adrian Foster didn't love me at all. The reason he went to such lengths to win my heart was because the Foster family and the Blackwood family were business competitors.

Adrian had long ago figured out that Ethan loved me, so he came up with a plan to use me to defeat Ethan.

Adrian kidnapped me and used my life to threaten Ethan.

"Ethan, send me one of your fingers every day, or I'll throw her off this building."

Ethan said nothing. He simply cut off one finger each day and sent it in a box.

On the tenth day, when the last finger, still wearing his wedding ring, was delivered, I completely lost my mind. Unwilling to let Ethan continue such foolishness for my sake, I killed myself.

After death, my soul floated in midair. I watched as Ethan, who had always been so proud, went mad at the sight of my corpse. He went alone to avenge me, personally breaking every bone in Adrian Foster's body, listening to his screams.

He abandoned his billion-dollar fortune, abandoned the entire Blackwood Group, and perished in flames while holding my corpse.

In the fire, he kissed my lips tenderly and whispered, "Stella, if there's a next life... could you love me just once?"

As the flames consumed him, I floated in midair, sobbing uncontrollably. In that moment, I finally saw his love.

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself reborn.

I was back to the first year of my marriage to Ethan. I was overjoyed. This time, I was determined to love Ethan properly and make up for everything I owed him in my past life.

So I deleted all of Adrian Foster's contact information, woke up early every day to make him breakfast, waited for him to come home late into the night. My whole world revolved around him.

But he had changed. He was no longer gentle with me, no longer came home every day, and kept a mistress on the side. Vivian Sullivan.

Now, he had even stolen my art exhibition to help Vivian.

After Ethan left, I sat on the cold floor, my tears dried up.

Fine! Since he didn't love me in this life, I would let go and completely fulfill his wishes.

I stood up and dragged my exhausted body to the hospital. When I pushed open the door to the ward, Dad was still unconscious, his face pale, his breathing weak beneath the oxygen mask.

"Stella." Mom stood sadly by the bed, looking as if she'd aged ten years overnight. "Your father's company was maliciously sabotaged by Ethan. The capital chain broke, which triggered your father's heart attack..."

I fell to my knees. "Mom, I'm sorry... it's all because of me..."

Mom pulled me up and sighed. "Back then, Ethan was the one who actively pursued you, saying he'd loved you for years. How did things suddenly become like this?"

"Mom," I took a deep breath, my nails digging deep into my palms. "I've made up my mind. I want to divorce Ethan. Once Dad gets a little better, our family will leave the country. We'll leave this place forever."

Mom thought for a moment, looked at Dad on the hospital bed, and nodded. "Alright. We'll leave."