The waiter lost his grip, and the tray of red wine glasses tipped forward, drenching my clothes. Wine soaked through the fabric, dripping down onto the floor, where shattered glass littered the ground.

Before I could say anything, the waiter turned on me, his eyes full of disdain as he looked me up and down.

“How did you sneak in here? This is the most exclusive hotel in Harbor City, not some place that just any homeless person can walk into.”

Hearing the commotion, Cara looked over at me. Our eyes met, and for a second, she froze.

“George? What are you doing here?”

I bent down to pick up my phone, its screen cracked from the fall, and let out a sigh.

“I had something to do here,” I replied.

Someone nearby asked her in confusion, “Miss Dempsey, do you know him?”

Cara pressed her lips together. A flicker of unreadable emotion passed through her eyes.

“Yeah. He’s my ex.”

I let out a half-smile, finding it funny. Back then, she never acknowledged our relationship in public, and now, ten years after we broke up, she finally admitted it.

Gasps rippled through the room.

“Wait, Miss Dempsey had an ex? But hasn’t she been with Mr. Waltz all these years? Could he be her first love from back in school?”

Luthen’s gaze dimmed. He tightened his arm around Cara’s waist and forced a casual tone.

“Back then, we were all young. What did we know about love? Everyone’s made mistakes.” He then turned to look at her, asking, “Right, Cara?”

Her eyes lingered on me, and she didn’t answer right away. Only when Luthen called her again did she snap out of it.

She forced a smile and agreed. “Yeah, we were too young. I didn’t know better.”

Too young and blind was how she dismissed everything I once gave her, like it was nothing more than a childish mistake. What a joke!

The waiter wasn’t done. He stepped up again, aggressive and condescending.

“You broke those glasses. You’ll have to pay for them.”

I was about to refute him. It was clearly his fault. He bumped into me. I even broke my phone because of it.

However, before I could speak, Cara cut in. “I’ll have my assistant handle the bill. Just let him go.”

She didn’t spare me another glance. Instead, she took a sip of her wine and turned her head toward Luthen.

Luthen lifted her hand and kissed the back of it, gazing at her like she was the only person in the world. It was clear who had her heart now.

Seeing me still standing there, the waiter scowled. “Why are you still here? This place is for Harbor City’s elite. If you bump into someone important again, you won’t be so lucky. Move it. Get out of here. You don’t belong in a place like this.”

I pushed his hand away and tried to keep my temper in check.

“I’m waiting for someone. Once she’s here, I’ll leave on my own.”

The waiter rolled his eyes, clearly thinking I was full of it. “Couldn’t you come up with a better lie? This is a members-only hotel. If you don’t have assets in the hundreds of millions, you can’t even step through the door. Look at you. You think someone like you has business here? Get out, or I’m calling security!”

“Wait.” Cara’s voice cut through the tension.

She walked over, heels clicking against the floor, and stood in front of me. There was a flicker of hesitation in her eyes.

“He’s here to see me. You can go.”

Luthen came over too, lacing his fingers tightly with hers like he was staking his claim.

“George,” he said, “quit dreaming. Cara and I are getting married next month. She only has room in her heart for me. If you know any better, you’ll leave now.”

Cara gave him a small, reassuring look before turning to me, her face now cold and impatient.

“George, stop wasting your time. Even in ten years, I won’t choose you.”

“I’ve made myself clear to you that I’ve only ever loved Luthen,” Cara said flatly. “You acting like this now only makes me feel disgusted. I’ve moved on. I really hope you can let go of whatever feelings you still have for me.”

Luthen let out a mocking smirk, eyeing my soaked, disheveled appearance.

“I mean, I get it. She’s Harbor City’s hottest actress now, with a net worth in the hundreds of millions. Of course, a washed-up ex like you would try to come crawling back, hoping to get a taste of the good life.”

Maybe it was my casual outfit or the cheap-looking watch on my wrist, but something about me screamed "down and out" to him.

He crossed his arms, smug. “You used to be that top student in Acorn University’s finance program, didn’t you? What a fall from grace. No wonder no one’s heard of you for years. If I were you, I’d be too ashamed to show my face, too.”

Cara’s stunning features turned cold as ice. Her eyes swept over my appearance, and she let out a sigh full of disdain.

“Honestly, this is just pathetic. Name your price. How much do I have to pay for you to stop bothering me?”

She unlocked my phone and began tapping on the screen, but she suddenly froze, eyes wide.

“You… deleted me?”

I raised an eyebrow. Her reaction seemed overly dramatic.

She was the one who insisted we never speak again and forced me to erase all our photos and chat history. So, I deleted her contact. Wasn’t that exactly what she wanted?

Besides, the person I was with currently was extremely possessive. Keeping a former flame’s number? Talking to another woman? Even the smallest thing would cause an argument I’d have to smooth over for days.

“You told me yourself to erase every trace of our past. So I did.”

Cara’s expression darkened. I could tell she was pissed, but frankly, I didn’t care anymore.

I waved my hand dismissively. “Keep your money. You’ll need it for that fancy wedding.”

The repeated rejections clearly stung her pride as she frowned, voice sharper now. “Who are you putting on this act for? If it weren’t for the fact that your mother raised me for years, and I didn’t want her to see you living like this, I wouldn’t even bother with you.”

Luthen gently pulled her into his arms, playing the role of the comforting fiancé.

“Cara, you’re too sentimental. The way he turned out is on him, not you. As for his mom, she always hated that you were with me. She probably raised you just so you could marry him one day and save on dowry costs. You don’t owe them anything.”

I didn’t say anything in response because I knew the truth about my mom better than anyone.

She treated Cara like her own daughter, or maybe even better than she treated me. She always said girls should be raised with abundance, so whatever we had, Cara got first pick—clothes, food, everything.

Even when my mom got cancer, she saved the last bit of money in the house so Cara could keep studying acting. Yet, after all that, Cara never once visited my mom’s grave in ten years because she wanted to cut ties clean.

My mom never expected anything in return, and now people say she raised Cara just to marry her off to me? It was beyond insulting.

As for her disapproval of their relationship, she just didn’t want Cara distracted from her studies. Back then, Cara was in her final year of high school, and Luthen was always trying to get her out to play.

I’d already heard rumors about his behavior—that he was full of sweet talk, constantly surrounded by girls, and had gotten more than one of them pregnant even before graduation. Mom didn’t want her to get hurt, and that was why she forced the two of them to cut things off.

After Mom passed away, it was just me and Cara left. I became her only support.

Acting school was expensive, and the social circles were brutal. I didn’t want her to feel inferior to anyone, so I worked nonstop—tutoring, delivering food—whatever it took. I’d come home exhausted every day, but as long as I knew she was living comfortably, I felt like I could keep going forever.

I always treated her like a little sister. It was later that she confessed she didn’t want me to be her “brother” anymore.

I knew deep down she still had feelings for Luthen, so I told her seriously not to confuse love with gratitude or family-like attachment. Even if she were just my sister, I’d still treat her with the same care.

However, she stood there with tears streaming down her face and said, crying, “I know it’s you I love. After all these years of being by your side, I’ve fallen for you. I just didn’t realize it.”

I asked her, “And Luthen? Do you still love him? I ask for a relationship that’s fully committed. If you can’t promise that, then I–”

Before I could finish, she grabbed my collar, kissed me, and looked at me with shy but determined eyes.

“You’re the only one I love. I couldn’t see it back then. But now I’m sure I want you by my side.”

Because of that sentence, I gave up my offer to a top overseas university. Because she said she wanted to eat my cooking every day, I turned down a high-paying job at a prestigious investment firm. Instead, I followed her to every filming set, cooked her meals, and made sure she was taken care of.

When we reached the right age, I proposed, again and again, but she always brushed me off, saying she didn’t have time. In the end, I promised her we didn’t need a wedding or make it public. Only then did she finally agree.

I had no regrets. I supported her through everything, stayed quietly by her side for ten years as her hidden husband.

When the news broke that Luthen’s plane had gone down, she suddenly wanted to celebrate our ten-year anniversary. I thought she wanted to make things up to me, so I carefully planned a trip, used all my savings to craft what I believed was the perfect getaway. However, in the middle of the flight, tens of thousands of feet in the air, she jumped.

I unlocked her phone. Her notes were filled, top to bottom, with words of love for Luthen. She had never really cut ties with him. Their chats were filled with large transfers for holidays and birthdays.

She wrote, “If I had another chance, I’d be with Luthen. I’d never settle again.”

So I was just a compromise. In that moment, all the love I had for her turned to ash.

When I was sent back in time, I didn’t stop her when she said she wanted to break up. The pain from my past life had taught me everything I needed to know.

After her grand love confession, they kissed passionately, lost in each other. As I had promised, I deleted every trace of our past together, including her number.

I thought we’d never cross paths again in this life, but it seemed fate had other plans, and here we were, face to face once more.

I didn’t want to get involved, so I turned to leave. However, Luthen clearly wasn’t done with me. He picked up a dirty bar rag and threw it straight at my face.

“You really went out of your way to track down Cara’s schedule. What exactly are you trying to do? Snap out of it. Just look at yourself, pathetic. You can’t even feed yourself. And you think you can have a woman like her? Beg me,” he sneered. “Maybe I’ll put in a word and get you a job as a security guard. Even that job pays six grand a month. That should be enough to keep you alive.”

Someone nearby, clearly eager to please, chimed in. “This is the most luxurious five-star hotel in Harbor City. Working security here would be a huge favor. Mr. Waltz is giving you a golden opportunity! With your vibe, you’d never land something like this on your own. You should be thanking him.”

I clenched my fists and took a deep breath. “There’s no need. I already have a job.”

Luthen scoffed, the corner of his mouth lifting in scorn. “With that sorry look? What kind of serious job could you possibly have?”

I could tell he wasn’t going to let me leave until I gave him an answer. So, a little annoyed, I said simply, “Trading.”

The moment the word left my mouth, Cara shot me a look of pure disdain, like I’d just admitted to committing some unforgivable crime.