The sirens wailed through the city as Dexie Hansley lay helpless on the stretcher. Her vision blurred. Her body ached. But her ears… they were sharp.

She heard the nurse’s voice beside her.

“Hello? Is this Dexie Hansley’s husband? Your wife was in a car accident. She’s badly hurt. We’re taking her to the hospital now—”

A cold, emotionless voice cut in.

“Is she dead?”

The nurse froze, stunned. “N-No, not yet.”

“I’m busy. Call me when she’s dead. I’ll pick up the body.”

Beep…

The line went dead.

Dexie’s chest tightened. Her body was weak, but nothing hurt more than her heart. She knew that voice.

Luke Huxley Dawson.

The man she had loved with everything she had.

The man she thought would protect her.

The man… who couldn’t care less if she lived or died.

A bitter smile touched her pale lips as darkness crept into her vision.

So foolish, she thought. How could I believe a heart as cold as his… could ever love me?

Her hand slipped from the stretcher, limp.

“The patient’s heart has stopped!” a doctor shouted.

Everything faded to black.

…

But when Dexie opened her eyes again, she wasn’t in the hospital.

She was in her bedroom.

Her own bed.

Her hands were uninjured. Her body, perfectly fine.

Confused, she looked around. Everything was familiar… yet impossible.

She turned to the clock on the wall.

January 1, 2020.

Her eyes widened.

No… that’s impossible.

She ran to the nightstand, yanking open the drawer.

The untouched diary. The familiar papers. The date.

All of it told her the same thing.

She had been reborn.

One year before the accident.

Tears welled in Dexie’s eyes — but this time, they weren’t tears of pain.

Thank you, God, she whispered.

This time, she wouldn’t beg for love.

This time, she wouldn’t trust the wrong person.

This time… she would take back control of her life.

And when Luke Huxley Dawson saw her again…

He would realize the woman he threw away was no longer the same.

Dexie’s gaze fell on the divorce papers on the nightstand.

A sneer curved her lips.

Of course, he hadn’t even given them to her in person. Just sent them through his lawyer, like she was nothing.

In her past life, she had been so foolish. Refusing to sign. Clinging to a marriage that was already dead.

The more she tried to save it, the colder he became.

He stopped coming home. Stopped speaking to her.

And when he did come home…

It was like she didn’t even exist.

Back then, Dexie didn’t know why she kept fighting.

Maybe because she loved him.

Maybe because she believed that as his wife, she could one day melt his icy heart.

What a joke.

The truth cut deeper than any knife. Even when she nearly died in that car accident… Luke didn’t care.

He was waiting for her to die. Waiting to be free.

Dexie’s heart twisted at the memory. She had chased after a man who only knew how to hurt her.

His words. His coldness.

They stabbed her again and again.

Yet she held on.

But not this time.

The past had taught her well.

Dexie picked up the divorce papers and slowly read through them.

Luke might not have loved her… but at least, he was generous.

The assets and money were more than enough for her to live comfortably, probably for several lifetimes.

In her past life, she ignored this chance at freedom.

But this time… she wouldn’t waste another moment.

With steady steps, Dexie walked to the study. A few minutes later, she returned with another file in hand — her revised divorce papers.

She picked up her phone and dialed Luke’s lawyer.

“Mr. Lawrence,” she said, voice calm and steady. “I’ve signed the divorce papers. I made some changes. Please take them to Luke. If he agrees… tell him to sign.”

There was no fear in her voice.

No sadness.

Only strength.

This time, she was walking away first.

****

There was a knock at the president’s office door at Huxley Dawson Corporation.

“Come in,” Luke Huxley Dawson said, his voice cold and even.

Mike Lawrence, the company’s chief consultant and lawyer, stepped inside, holding a folder. His expression was complicated as he approached Luke.

Without looking up, Luke asked, “She still refuses to sign the papers?”

His voice was like ice, sharp, emotionless.

Mike shook his head. “No. She signed them… but—”

“But what?” Luke cut him off, his eyes lifting from his work.

Mike hesitated, then handed over the documents. “She made changes… to the property division.”

Luke sneered, his face unreadable. “Did she think I didn’t give her enough?”

Of course. Just another greedy woman.

No matter how much they claimed to love him, love never seemed to win against money.

That’s what Luke believed.

Mike stayed quiet, lips pressed in a line as Luke unfolded the signed divorce papers. But as Luke’s eyes scanned the documents, his hand froze.

It wasn’t the stack of agreements he had sent her, with detailed asset division, property lists, and fine print.

It was a single page.

Clear. Simple. Final.

Dexie would take nothing.

There was more. A stock transfer agreement. Dexie had agreed to hand back her 5% shares in Huxley Dawson Corporation — the shares gifted to her by his grandfather.

The shares that guaranteed financial freedom for life.

Luke’s expression darkened. The woman who had clung to this marriage… had signed the papers?

And now, she wanted nothing?

Not even what should’ve been hers?

“What did she say?” Luke asked, voice low, sharp with suspicion.

It made no sense.

Dexie had always done everything to please his grandfather — even marrying him to fulfill the old man’s wish.

Why would she suddenly give up her place as his wife so easily?

His hand tightened around the divorce paper, creasing it as frustration twisted inside him.

Nearby, his assistant Weldon Williams watched the change in Luke’s face.

He assumed Dexie had demanded more money and silently shook his head.

After all, Weldon had been present when Luke instructed the lawyers to prepare a fair settlement. He knew Luke hadn’t shortchanged her.

If she still wasn’t satisfied… it only proved, in Weldon’s mind, that Dexie cared more about money than love.

Curious, Weldon leaned over to glance at the papers.

But as soon as he read them, his eyes widened in shock.

Dexie hadn’t asked for more.

She had asked for nothing.

Not only that — she had willingly given up her 5% company shares.

Weldon couldn’t believe it.

Those shares might seem small, but the yearly dividends alone would’ve made Dexie wealthy for life.

And now… she had handed it all back.

A divorce… with no fight.

A divorce… with a parting gift to Luke.

What exactly was Dexie planning?

“No… Mrs. Hansley wants you to take your time… so the divorce can be finalized as soon as possible,” Mike explained carefully.

But his words didn’t settle Luke.

If anything… they stirred something deeper.

Frustration.

And… something else. Something he couldn’t quite name.

“Leave,” Luke said coldly, his voice sharp with hidden doubt.

Mike and Weldon exchanged a glance, then quickly left the office.

The moment the door clicked shut, Luke’s face darkened.

He leaned back in his leather chair, sharp eyes clouded with suspicion.

Dexie… signed the divorce papers?

The same woman who, just yesterday, refused to even speak about divorce?

Impossible.

A bitter sneer curled his lips as he shoved the papers aside.

The frustration in his chest burned, but he forced it down.

He grabbed a stack of official documents, trying to focus.

The words blurred together.

No matter how hard he tried, his mind refused to settle.

Downstairs at the Huxley Dawson mansion, Dexie descended the staircase with her luggage in hand.

“Mrs. Huxley Dawson… are you… going somewhere?” the maid, Wilma, asked softly.

Everyone in the household knew the truth.

Dexie and Luke’s marriage was never built on love — just an agreement, forced by the late Old Mr. Huxley Dawson.

Now that the old man had passed… the divorce wasn’t a surprise.

But Dexie agreeing to it — quietly — left everyone whispering.

Some said she was nothing more than a substitute for Luke’s ex-girlfriend.

And looking at her now, heartbroken, yet composed, it almost seemed true.

“No,” Dexie replied gently, forcing a small smile. “I’m moving out.”

She handed Wilma a small envelope.

“Thank you… for looking after me this past year.”

Wilma’s eyes filled with sadness.

Dexie had never been difficult. She caused no trouble.

All she cared about… was Luke.

“Are you really divorcing Mr. Huxley Dawson?” Wilma asked, unable to hide the concern.

Dexie’s smile remained, but her eyes betrayed the sharp ache in her heart.

She picked up her luggage and walked toward the door.

But after a few steps, she paused.

Turning back, her voice soft but steady, she added,

“Oh… one more thing.”

Wilma looked up.

“Please have someone remove the Malus trees from the garden.”

Wilma’s eyes widened. “But… Mrs. Huxley Dawson… you planted them…”

“Take them out,” Dexie replied quietly.

“Luke doesn’t like them.”

Since they were divorcing, Dexie wouldn’t leave behind anything that might remind him of her…

Or make him unhappy.

Without waiting for a reply, she left the mansion.

Never once looking back.

Later that evening, Luke returned home.

His eyes darkened the moment he saw a bulldozer in the garden.

Workers were digging up the Malus trees.

“What’s going on here?” he demanded.

Wilma hurried over, sensing the storm brewing in his voice.

“Mrs. Huxley Dawson… she ordered this.”

Luke’s eyes narrowed.

“What did she say?”

Wilma chose her words carefully.

“She said… she didn’t like the trees.”

Luke’s expression shifted.

The anger faltered, replaced by something else.

“She left,” Wilma added quietly.

“Left?”

The word slammed into Luke harder than expected.

That unfamiliar panic… the one he’d been fighting all day…

It clawed at his chest.

But his face remained blank.

Unreadable.

Without another word, Luke turned and headed inside.

“Tell them to stop,” he ordered. “Put everything back the way it was.”

Wilma froze, puzzled.

If Mr. Huxley Dawson didn’t love Dexie… if he truly wanted a divorce…

Why keep the flowers she planted?

Everyone knew the truth.

Since they got married, Luke hardly ever came home.

And when he did… it was always in the early hours of the morning.

But tonight was different.

The first time he returned home early.

Why the sudden change?

Wilma stayed silent. She didn’t dare ask questions.

She quickly ordered the staff to stop removing the Malus trees, just as Luke had instructed.

Upstairs, Luke entered the bedroom, his expression dark.

The moment he opened the door… silence.

Cold. Empty.

It wasn’t like this before.

Even when he came home late, Dexie always waited for him.

If she fell asleep, she’d still wake up with a sleepy smile… asking about his day.

But now…

Silence.

Luke loosened his tie and tossed it aside.

His sharp eyes scanned the room.

At first glance, everything looked the same.

But something was off.

His gaze landed on the bookshelf.

Half the books were gone.

He opened the closet.

His suits still hung neatly… but not a single trace of Dexie’s clothes remained.

His jaw tightened.

She wouldn’t really move out.

Not after signing the divorce papers.

“Is she playing hard to get?” he muttered.

But no matter how he tried to convince himself…

The uneasy feeling in his chest only grew.

Meanwhile, Dexie had already left the house she shared with Luke.

She was now at an apartment in the city.

Technically, it belonged to Luke.

But she’d never lived there.

Still, she made sure it stayed clean.

Almost as if… she always knew this day would come.

Dexie set her luggage down, pulled out her phone, and made a call.

A man’s sleepy voice answered.

“Dexie… I just dreamt about you. Now you’re calling. Coincidence?”

She ignored his playful tone.

“I need you to investigate something. When you have the evidence… send it to me.”

She explained the details calmly.

The call ended.

Dexie set the phone down.

For a moment… a chill ran down her spine.

****

The next morning, Dexie woke early.

After freshening up, she gathered her documents and drove to the Civil Affairs Bureau.

It had just opened.

Couples lined up — some to get married, others to get divorced.

Dexie stood quietly at the entrance.

She waited.

An hour passed.

Luke never showed.

Frustration crept in.

She called him. No answer.

She tried Weldon. Nothing.

Dexie checked her watch.

In another hour… the Bureau would close.

With no choice, she got in her car and drove to Huxley Dawson Corporation.

After parking, Dexie walked in.

But the moment she stepped inside…

A familiar woman blocked her path.

The woman’s curvy figure and influencer-perfect face were hard to miss.

Long maroon hair fell over one shoulder.

Her sharp chin, full lips, and flawless features gave her an unnatural beauty.

Her tailored outfit left little to the imagination.

Every detail emphasized her “assets.”

Dexie recognized her instantly.

This woman had caused trouble more than once…

Especially when Dexie used to deliver lunch to Luke.

His ex-girlfriend.

The woman blocking Dexie’s path was Lindy Wilson, Luke’s secretary.

From time to time, Luke took her to business events.

It didn’t take long for Lindy’s arrogance to grow.

She walked around like she already belonged to the Huxley Dawson family.

As if it was only a matter of time… before she replaced Dexie.

“Mrs. Huxley Dawson… here again?” Lindy greeted, raising her chin slightly.

Her voice dripped with sarcasm, the word again laced with meaning.

Dexie smiled politely. “Ms. Wilson.”

Lindy’s eyes swept over Dexie’s empty hands with disdain.

“No lunch for Mr. Huxley Dawson today?” she mocked.

“I heard he threw away the food you made last time.”

Her smugness was obvious like she had already won.

In the past, Dexie ignored Lindy’s childish provocations.

Out of respect for Luke.

But now?

She didn’t even like Luke anymore.

No reason to hold back.

As Lindy kept talking, she secretly studied Dexie.

The simple, tailored dress.

Long, neat hair cascading over her shoulders.

That delicate, flawless face…

Despite her jealousy, Lindy had to admit  Dexie was stunning.

But there was something different today.

A cold, sharp aura that made Lindy feel… small.

She’s just a pretty face who cooks for her husband, Lindy reminded herself.

I’m a top graduate. I work at a major company.

She can’t compete with me.

Still, the jealousy gnawed at her.

She needed to crush Dexie with her words.

But before Lindy could open her mouth again, Dexie moved.

In one swift motion, Dexie grabbed Lindy’s chin, lifting it slightly.

Lindy froze.

Her eyes widened in shock at the strength of Dexie’s grip.

Dexie leaned in, her smile calm, icy, and dangerous.

“Have I not been kind enough to you?” she asked softly.

Lindy tried to pull back, but Dexie’s hand was like iron.

For someone so slim… her grip was shockingly strong.

“L-Let me go…” Lindy stammered, her voice muffled under Dexie’s hand.

Dexie’s eyes gleamed, sharp as glass.

“I have a bad temper, Ms. Wilson,” she whispered.

“If you keep struggling… I might accidentally dislocate your chin.”

Lindy’s mouth snapped shut.

Her heart pounded with fear.

Dexie smiled faintly, her gaze cutting through Lindy like a blade.

“So this is why Luke never comes home,” she said quietly.

“He’s been keeping a little fox like you around the office.”

Lindy flushed, a mix of anger, humiliation, and fear.

But before she could retaliate…

Her expression changed.

She spotted someone approaching behind Dexie.

Her eyes lit up with fake innocence.

Her voice turned soft, pitiful.

“Mrs. Huxley Dawson, you’ve misunderstood,” Lindy said sweetly.

“Nothing is going on between Mr. Huxley Dawson and me.

I’m just his secretary… I only accompany him to a few business dinners…

You’ve really misunderstood.”

Lindy’s eyes turned red and watery partly from Dexie’s grip on her chin… mostly from embarrassment.

Her fake acting was awful.

Dexie smiled, then finally let go.

“What are you saying? I was just joking,” she said lightly.

She pulled a wet tissue from her bag and carefully wiped her hand…

As if she’d touched something filthy.

Lindy’s hands trembled with anger.

What was that supposed to mean?

Was Dexie calling her… dirty?

Lindy wanted nothing more than to claw Dexie’s face apart.

But she held back.

Because of the person standing behind Dexie.

“Just wait, bitch,” Lindy seethed silently.

“Let’s see how you clean up this mess.”

Dexie looked completely unbothered.

“I’m sorry,” she added casually.

“I have mysophobia. I can’t stand… dirty, flirtatious smells.”

She tossed the used tissue into the nearby trash can.

Lindy’s face burned with rage, but she forced a sweet, innocent smile.

“Mrs. Huxley Dawson, you’ve misunderstood.

There’s nothing between Mr. Huxley Dawson and me.”

Dexie tilted her head, eyes wide with mock innocence.

“Didn’t I say I was joking?

So narrow-minded… Can’t even take a joke?”

Lindy clenched her teeth.

“Dexie… you bitch…”

But she didn’t dare say it out loud.

Dexie wasn’t finished.

“Luke must be blind to fall for someone like you.”

Lindy gasped, fury flashing in her eyes.

But the smug feeling returned as she thought of the person behind Dexie.

“Dexie… you’ve walked right into your own trap.”

Lindy smiled sweetly.

“How can you say Mr. Huxley Dawson is blind?

He’s not blind… though… well… sometimes, there’s really no difference between being nearsighted and blind.”

She let the words hang for a beat.

“After all, he brings someone like you to business parties.

Who exactly is he trying to insult?”

Dexie’s lips pressed together, a flicker of annoyance.

But then… her expression changed.

“Oh, but I heard…

He only takes you to the small, boring parties.”

Lindy’s heart sank.

She knew what was coming… and it wouldn’t be pleasant.

“That makes sense, though,” Dexie continued sweetly.

“Luke may be blind… but he’s not stupid.”

She smiled.

“He knows you’re dumb and terrible with words.

If he brings you to important banquets…

You’ll offend the big clients and embarrass him.”

Lindy’s face darkened.

“You—”

Dexie cut her off, her voice flat and cool.

“He brings you to small dinners because they don’t matter.

It’s like keeping trash nearby, it makes no difference.

That’s probably your only value to the company, right?”

Her tone was calm. Sweet.

But her words were knives.

Dexie smiled gracefully, elegantly, and poised…

Completely unaffected, even as the woman in front of her openly flirted with her husband.

Lindy’s smug smile widens.