I stared at the man I once loved and felt what little love I had for him disappear.

I did not cry, and my heart did not break because of him anymore.

I got to my feet despite my sorry state and looked him in the eyes as I said, “I don’t love you anymore, Charles.”

Charles just chuckled as his eyes shone with mockery. “Whatever… Just don’t come crying and begging me to take you back.”

…

Right then, the servant led two police officers in. That snapped me out of my thoughts.

“Hello, we received a report that a woman was being held here against her will, and we’re here to investigate.”

Charles frowned. “Who filed the report?”

“An Uber driver.”

I hurriedly said, “That’s right, officers. I wanted to leave, but Charles won’t let me. He’s holding me against my will.”

“I know that you’re mad, honey, but the police officers are busy. Stop kicking up such a fuss.”

Charles draped an arm around my shoulder, and his indifferent expression changed to one of gentleness and love.

I had never seen him look at me with such affection before.

Charles turned to the police officers. “My wife is throwing a tantrum and is threatening to run away from home. It’s not the Uber driver’s fault.”

I wanted to break free from Charles, but his hand pressed down on my shoulder.

“No! I’m not his wife, officer—”

Suddenly, he pushed down harder on my shoulder and kissed me hard on the mouth.

“No…” I did my best to fight back and tried to push him away, but he grabbed my wrists, and I could not move.

After about ten seconds, he finally let me go.

This was the first time he had kissed me.

My heart should have been racing, but I felt oddly calm.

Perhaps I would have felt happy if he had done that a few days ago.

If Charles had treated me just a tiny bit nicely, it would be enough to stir my heart.

But my heart was ice-cold, and I did not care for it anymore.

I was so angry that I scowled. “What exactly are you doing?! I don’t love you anymore. Zero! Nada! Don’t you understand?!”

“Calm down, honey.”

“I won’t bother you anymore. Go find Lilu! I’m letting her take my place as your wife! Just let me go!”

Charles’s face soured, and he shot the police officers a cold glare. “Did you hear that?”

The police officers could not say anything more. The younger one was so terrified that his hands trembled around the pen and paper he held.

No matter how much I denied my relationship with Charles and pleaded with the police officers to take me away, they said it was a family matter, and they could not interfere.

After all, the people living in the wealthy part of the neighborhood were not ordinary, and they did not want to invite trouble to their doorsteps.

…

Once the police officers left, Charles stopped his act and said gently, “I’ll go with you to the hospital tomorrow.”

“No need.”

“Your father’s hospitalized from a sudden heart attack. Do you really want him to worry about your marriage?”

Indeed, I could not let my parents worry about me.

When Green Corporation was in trouble, I was still unmarried. Even so, I asked my parents for money and withdrew all my savings to give to Charles to help resolve his company’s crisis.

Yet what I got in return was indifference as Charles never admitted that I was his wife.

Helen’s death had dealt him a huge blow, and I understood that.

I also knew that I was a lovestruck fool and should not have insisted on the wedding.

When my family was facing bankruptcy, I pooled together what little savings I had left to help. It was far from enough, so I begged Charles for help, and he made me kneel for it.

I did as he wanted, but he only gave me 5 million.

It was ironic and deeply painful.

I had given him 500 million when he was in need.

In order to help Green Corporation’s business, I took a break from school for a year and worked day and night as I worked through one proposal after another.

Since Charles had a weak stomach, I drank in his place until my stomach bled. Even when I was put on an IV drip, I continued working.

I chased after clients’ cars to secure one deal after another for him.

Yet when my family was in trouble, I got a measly 5 million after sacrificing my dignity.

That 5 million was far from enough, and my father suffered from a heart attack.

Charles’s indifference and negligence were the final straw for me.

He had a weak stomach, but I had a dumb and stupid brain.

…

I did not sleep well that night.

When I went downstairs, I saw Charles leisurely eating breakfast.

I stopped.

Looking at his side profile, I had to admit that Charles was indeed handsome. He was also 5’9” feet tall.

He had broad shoulders, a thin waist, and a lean body. He did not have bulging muscles, but every part of his body was firm and filled with strength.

His stoic and self-reserved demeanor gave him a cold but charming air.

“You’re awake?” Charles stared at me.

I was stunned. As if hit by a blunt force, I felt my mind go blank.

He pulled out a chair beside him. “Come, have breakfast. We’re going to the hospital after this.”

I could not understand why he was doing this.

But I knew that it meant nothing good. He was just thinking of another way to torment me.

Once I got into the car, I fell into a deep sleep. It seemed last night’s lack of sleep caught up to me.

…

As Charles stared at Nina, who was fast asleep, he could not help but caress her face. Myriad emotions raged in his heart.

He had returned to the past, right into his birthday party last night.

In the previous timeline, he had ruined his relationship for his stupid ego. It had plagued him with regret until the end when he took his own life because he could not reconcile.

In the previous timeline, Nina loved being with him, but he did not have much love for her.

Later, when his family business was in trouble, she helped him without hesitation and helped him turn things around. He had felt really touched back then.

Nina was beautiful and smart. No one could withstand her charms.

Before he got together with Nina, a number of rich heirs were vying for her.

Later, he found that someone had tampered with Helen’s car, and all evidence pointed at Nina.

He could not help but suspect her, but he could not bear the thought of letting her go either.

Hence, he thought of other ways to make her life hell by hiding his true intent of making her stay beside him.

After tormenting Nina for three years, he finally found out that she had nothing to do with Helen’s death. She was innocent.

He was the one who had fallen for a conspiracy.

As he realized his mistake, Nina started avoiding him.

When he returned home drunk, she would make him honey lemon tea and take care of him throughout the night, but she would discreetly avoid physical contact with him, and she no longer shared the same room.

She was always so gentle and considerate. She even asked Lilu to come over to keep him company.

He would make a lot of noise with Lilu on their bed. He thought that would make Nina jealous, and she would cave in so that he could have a way out of the situation, but she stopped getting angry. She did not even storm in anymore to demand why he was doing this to her.

He shared a birthday with Helen, which frustrated him even more. That was why he did such a thing.

But the eternally gentle, considerate, and even-tempered Nina ran away from home on his birthday and married Skye Brentt, her best friend’s brother.

…

When I arrived at the hospital with Charles, I saw my mother standing at the door to my father’s ward.

“Naomi, I already hired the best cardiologist in the country to check on Nathan. You don’t have to worry about the medical fees either.”

My mother wiped her tears away. “Thank you. Why did Nina have to…”

The one my mother was talking to was Skye.

After my father suffered from a heart attack, I asked Samantha Brentt, my best friend, to take care of him. She asked Skye’s help instead.

Charles interrupted my mother. “You’re just an outsider. You don’t have to worry about my father-in-law.”

“I can’t believe you’d have the galls to say that. Nathan’s attack was two days ago!”

“He’s still my father-in-law. You don’t need to worry about him.”

Rage burned in me. “Enough, Charles! No matter what, Skye has helped us.”

“You’re siding with him?”

“I don’t want to argue with you.”

I headed straight into the ward.

In less than two minutes, I heard some fighting at the door.

Both ended up with bruises on their faces.

Skye sat on the floor, and Charles had his collar in his grip. His other hand was raised high in the air. He was about to punch him.

I shouted, “Enough!”

I shoved Charles away and helped Skye up. “Are you okay?”

Skye nodded.

I pulled Skye away.

“Nina…”

I did not turn around, but I could hear the disappointment in Charles’s voice.

“I wasn’t expecting Samantha to call you here. Still, thanks for helping my dad.”

Skye’s smile grew wider as he stared at me. “We grew up together. You don’t have to thank me for this.”

“I don’t know what happened between you and Charles, but I’m still going to apologize to you on his behalf.”

“There’s no need for an apology. I heard that you haven’t been happy for a few years now. If you need help, I’m here.”

I was surprised. “Skye…”

But he interrupted me. “I won’t accept no for an answer.”

While I chased after Charles, Skye chased after me.

He was like the loyal love interest you would find in soap operas.

Unfortunately, I had fallen for a cold and ruthless Charles.

While I did not love Charles anymore, my heart was still broken.

Love felt too bitter, and I could not take it anymore. I did not think that I would ever be able to fall in love again.

Unrequited love was painful enough from afar but having to live with someone who only felt hatred was even worse.

The entire process of gaining someone only to lose them later could destroy anyone.

How could I possibly let Skye go through the pain that I had?

When I returned to the ward, I found that Charles had already transferred my father to a VIP ward and was talking about a surgery plan with the cardiologist.

…

My father’s surgery went smoothly, and he recovered quickly.

Charles stayed in the hospital to take care of my father day and night. He also took good care of me.

Half a month passed, and my mother’s opinion of Charles changed.

I called him to the stairwell. “My dad’s fine now. You can go back if you don’t have anything else to do.”

“I’m not leaving. I’ll go wherever you are.”

“Why do you insist on following me? I made myself clear. It’s over between us. It’s just not possible for us to continue with this relationship.”

Charles’s face darkened, and he grabbed the back of my head before pulling me into a kiss.

It was not just a kiss. It was like a domineering and intense bite.

As our lips pressed together and his eyes burned with rage, he hissed, “I don’t want to hear that!”

He nibbled at my soft lips, and his hot breath burned my skin.

In an instant, my broken heart mended itself and raced.

After a long time, he drew close to my ear and whispered, though his voice made him sound like he was frantic. “Nina, I love you! I really do. I’ve completely fallen for you.”