Misty Lawrence has an ex-boyfriend whom she can't forget—Zach Sterling.

Carter Flanagan has always hoped that he would one day replace Zach's place in Misty's heart.

In the eighth year of his and Misty's marriage, he accidentally breaks a bowl that Zach randomly bought. Misty screeches, "Get the hell out of here! I don't want to see you anymore!"

That's when Carter realizes he'll never win when it comes to Zach, especially since the latter is dead.

This time, he prepares a divorce agreement and leaves after signing it. It's Misty's turn to panic…

"Mr. Flanagan, the draft of the divorce agreement is ready. Shall I send it to you now?"

In the dead silence of the study, Carter Flanagan paused before replying, "No. Keep it with you for now."

He hung up and trudged out of the study. Misty Lawrence was putting on a facial mask outside.

"Misty." Even when Carter was so close to getting a divorce, he still wished to have a talk with Misty and do what he could to save the marriage. After all, he had spent half of his life being in love with Misty.

To his dismay, Misty turned around and asked, "Carter, why haven't you made dinner?"

He reluctantly entered the kitchen and started cooking, but he was too distracted and accidentally got scalded when the hot oil from the pan splattered all over. He tried to dodge the hot oil, only to knock a bowl onto the ground.

The sound of the bowl shattering echoed in the kitchen, causing his heart to drop.

As expected, Misty barged into the kitchen the next moment. When she saw the pattern on the shattered bowl, her eyes widened in anger. She yelled at him, "I've never allowed you to use this bowl! Are you an idiot?"

Following that, her eyes teared up. One would have thought a life was lost from her disproportionate response.

Carter watched the scene unfold with conflicted feelings. The bowl wasn't even worth that much. It was only valuable to Misty because Zach had bought it for her.

"I'm sorry." Lips pursed, he bent down to pick up the pieces, but Misty pushed him away.

She hissed, "Get lost! I don't want you around for now."

She pointed at the door without noticing the burn on Carter's hand.

Carter could no longer contain his disappointment. Before he left, he stopped for a while and whispered, "Misty, it was just a bowl."

The bowl, along with many items in the kitchen, was labeled with Zach's name.

But Misty refused to accept reality. Carter's audacity shocked her as well. "What do you mean? Just a bowl?"

Shocked and enraged, she snapped, "Don't you know Zach and I carefully selected and bought this bowl on the 23rd of August, 2015, when we traveled to a pottery town? Carter, did you do this on purpose?"

Carter closed his eyes. He was overcome with a deep powerlessness.

Every time, Misty would lose her temper and become hysterical when they breached the topic of Zach.

Misty and Zach were childhood sweethearts. Not only were they close, but their families had agreed on an engagement. They were slated to get married as adults. On the other hand, Carter was just one of many admirers of Misty with a one-sided crush.

But no one could see what was coming. Three days before Misty and Zach's wedding, he tragically lost his life in a car accident, leaving behind a grieving Misty. Had her parents not begged her to stay strong, she would have gone through her few attempts to take her life.

After that incident, Misty met with Carter and begged the latter to help her up. It was a long time ago, but never had Carter forgotten the despair and pain in her eyes.

She begged, "Help me forget Zach, will you?"

To Carter, it felt like hitting the jackpot. On one hand, he grieved the loss of Zach's young life, but on the other hand, he was thrilled to be offered a chance to come into Misty's heart.

Misty and Carter hosted a shotgun wedding. After they were married, Carter spent the following eight years trying to make Misty fall in love with him but to no avail.

Carter smirked and said nothing more. Misty could remember the date on which Zach bought a random bowl, but she had forgotten about Carter's birthday—which was today.

The burn on his hand spread to his heart. Soon, his heart became numb. He turned around and stared at Misty with an unusually calm expression.

He announced, "Since we've been married for eight years now, I shall give our marriage eight more chances."

If Misty put him before Zach even once, he would stay in this marriage.

A frown crept onto her forehead. Confused, she wanted to ask him about the remark, but they were interrupted by the doorbell. An expert had arrived to repair the broken bowl.

Misty's attention instantly shifted. She hurried over to answer the door.

Carter stared at her from behind. She had just wasted one chance.

He thought, "Misty Lawrence, do you know I'm so close to giving up on you?"

Ever since Carter had considered a divorce, he had counted his assets and drafted a divorce agreement. After that, he started to work on the business dealings between their family businesses.

Carter was the leader of the Flanagan Group, while Misty was the daughter of the Lawrence family, who ran the Lawrence Group. After their eight years of marriage, the two family businesses were tightly intertwined.

If Carter asked for a divorce, it would negatively hurt the stock prices and the ongoing partnerships. Hence, he needed to be one step ahead and prepare to face any future risks.

Besides, he also needed to inform Misty's parents about his plan. He wouldn't want both families to be blindsided.

After Misty argued with Carter over that broken bowl, she brought the newly repaired bowl to her best friend's home. Meanwhile, Misty parents were in the dark about the situation until Carter knocked on their door.

Misty's mom, Kathy Mendel, was shocked to hear that Carter was considering a divorce. "Carter, have you thought over it?"

"I want to give my marriage one last try. If Misty and I still can't push through…" He flashed a heavy smile. "...That only shows we're not meant to be."

Kathy, who was well aware of Misty's trauma, looked apologetic. She couldn't come up with any good advice and let out a deep sigh. "Gosh, Misty is such a…"

After Carter left, Leslie Lawrence and Kathy called their daughter home. That was when Misty figured out the meaning behind Carter's "eight chances".

Yet, she did not take it seriously. She even questioned incredulously, "Did Carter say he's thinking of divorce? That's impossible. He loves me too much to go through with it."

Carter's love was like Misty's love for Zach; they would give up their lives for their lover.

Therefore, she didn't think Carter would have the heart to give up on her.

Anyway, Misty admitted she had crossed a line last time. It took her a while to realize it was Carter's birthday on that day.

Feeling guilty, she ordered a mini cake online and made a lunch box in the kitchen. After picking out a necktie from a mall, she gathered all the gifts and showed up at the Flanagan Group office.

Carter returned to his office from a meeting and found his wife, who had previously left home in a fit of anger, dozing off before the table out of boredom.

When Misty heard the noises, she looked up, and her eyes lit up. "Darling, you're back!"

She jogged over, held his hand, and blabbered, "I'm sorry, darling. I was too harsh on you that day. You know I always lose my cool over anything that's related to Zach."

Tugging at his sleeve, she cooed, "I was wrong. Please forgive me."

Whenever Misty begged for forgiveness, she would stare at him like a guilty child with rosy cheeks. His anger would subside whenever she gave him that look.

Putting aside Misty's response to anything Zach-related, she was a dutiful wife to Carter. She'd cook for Carter, buy him gifts, accompany him on business trips, and occasionally plan small surprises for him.

Carter was glad that Misty never hid their marriage even though she was still in love with Zach. That was the reason he decided to hang on for a little more after eight long years.

Sighing, he pulled Misty closer. "I need a plus-one for a charity cocktail party next week. Will you go with me?"

Eager to make him happy, she agreed to everything he asked of her. "Sounds good!"

On the day of the charity cocktail party, Misty waited for the driver at home in her haute couture dress. Carter was still at work and would meet her at the entrance of the party venue later.

At 5:00 pm, Misty received a call from an unknown number.

"Misty, this is Zeke! I've landed in Weston City. Can you pick me up from the airport?"

Shocked and excited to hear Zeke's name, she gasped, "Zeke, it's you! Just wait. I'll be there soon."

She happily rushed to the airport, utterly forgetting about her promise to Carter.

"Mr. Flanagan, Mrs. Flanagan has just picked up a man from the airport. They're headed to a hotel right now."

Carter stood alone at the fringe of the party crowd and stared blankly at the photo his driver had just sent him.

Misty, who had promised to meet him at the party, had stood him up. In the photo, she was hugging a young man at the airport, whom Carter quickly recognized as Zach's younger brother, Zeke.

This was about Zach again. Carter realized he could never win against Misty's dead lover. He would always be second to the people around Zach or anything remotely related to Zach.

A bitter sensation spread through his body. Suddenly, he felt like a joke for still clinging to hopes about Misty.

It was foolish of him to expect that she'd fall in love with him after eight years of futile attempts.

Still, Carter wanted to stick to his promise of eight chances.

With a vacant expression, he texted Misty, "There goes your second chance."

Misty came home at midnight that day. The house was brightly lit, but Carter was nowhere to be seen.

She finally recalled the text he had sent. She mumbled, "Is he mad at me?"

He would stay up and wait for her, no matter what time she came home. She kicked off her shoes and softly pushed the bedroom door open. Relief washed over her when she found him reading in bed.

Then, she ran over and gave him a hug before apologizing, just like she had done many times before.

"I'm sorry, darling. Zeke asked me to pick him up from the airport because he's back in the country. We had dinner with some friends to welcome him home. That's why I missed the cocktail party." She rubbed her face on his chest. "I hope I didn't bring you trouble."

Carter had picked up on the scent of alcohol on Misty. He quietly pushed her away. "No."

Misty's absence didn't really give him much trouble, except that he had to let another couple perform the opening dance on his behalf because his plus-one was missing. People had gossiped behind him because of the sudden switch.

"About that text…" Misty was about to discuss it when she was cut off by her ringing phone. She immediately picked up when she saw the caller ID. "Hello? Zeke?"

Zeke said something to her, and her face fell. "Wait for me. I'll be there right away."

She scrambled to leave, but Carter grabbed her wrist with a frown. "Where are you going?"

Misty was in a great hurry. "Zeke found some hidden cameras in his hotel room. I'm going to check out the situation."

Although Carter was disappointed in his wife, he would never allow her to go out alone in the dead of the night for her safety. His tone took an icy turn. "Zeke should have contacted the police instead of you."

"But he's Zach's younger brother. You've met him before! How can I just leave him be?" Misty retorted, making Carter look like the unreasonable one.

He deliberated, but no words came out of his mouth, even though he was a master negotiator in business deals worth hundreds of millions.

For Misty's safety, Carter drove her over to the hotel. During the car ride, he warned her, "Misty, you've lost your third chance."

Misty totally ignored him. She fretted in the front passenger seat, urging him, "Carter, speed up."

She had blatantly expressed her worry for another man in front of her husband without guilt. Carter, who had accepted the fact he would always come after Zach and anyone related to Zach, fell silent and focused on driving.

Once they arrived at the hotel, Carter met Zeke, who bore a resemblance to Zach. The handsome young man with a strained expression was engaged in a tense discussion with the police.

When Zeke spotted them, he approached them. "Hi, Misty." He turned to Carter, asking, "Who is this?"

Misty explained absentmindedly, "Oh, he's my husband." She lifted her chin in the direction of the crowds at Zeke's room entrance. "What's going on?"

Zeke smiled wryly. "I've called the police, but the hotel refused to take responsibility. They blamed me for setting up the hidden cameras and for blackmailing them."

Misty's expression turned grim as she went up to argue with the authorities.

Meanwhile, Carter stood there, watching his wife arguing and calling up lawyers to defend another man. He let out a depressed sigh.

"I heard Misty has not once forgotten about Zach." Zeke, who stood beside him, suddenly muttered, "I look just like my brother. Do you think I stand a chance if I go after your woman?"