My mind went blank at Simon's words. In our past lives, he and I had met on our travels. We got to know each other better after that, and it was only natural for us to become traveling buddies before officially going steady.

For the first few years of our relationship, we were happy. But things changed after we got our marriage license.

Our marriage was a celebratory occasion, so we had to announce it. As such, we held a party at a hotel and invited all our family and friends. Yasmin was fashionably late that day and showed up in a striking red dress.

Simon had gone still the moment he laid eyes on Yasmin, not that I paid that any heed. However, I began to notice small behavioral changes on his part. He was always distracted, and at some point, he moved out of our shared bedroom.

My female intuition told me that something must have happened to bring about this sudden shift in his demeanor, but I refused to listen to it. After all, Simon and I shared the same values, and our chemistry was solid. I was sure that he wouldn't cheat on me.

However, Simon started coming home late more often and was always sneaking glances at his phone.

My heart wanted to believe that he wasn't cheating, but the voice of reason in my head said otherwise.

One night, I came home from work to find Simon and Yasmin tightly embracing outside our home. It was the first time I felt such despair.

I was hysterical as I demanded an explanation from Simon. How could he hurt me like this? Did he even love me at all?

However, his answers that night crushed my soul. He shoved me to the ground and restrained me with his vise-like grip, snapping, "Look at yourself, Olivia! Your hair's a mess, you look unkempt, and the only color on your face is the dark circles under your eyes! You look like an old shrew!

"Yasmin is better than you in more ways than you can imagine! She's gorgeous and polished, not to mention well-mannered and bubbly. She's my type! Our marriage was a mistake from the start!"

The man I had thought was the love of my life had flung such ugly words at me, all because he was enamored with another woman. The tenderness in Simon's gaze vanished, replaced by hatred and disgust.

All I felt at that moment was pure disbelief.

I remembered how Simon used to spoil me before he met Yasmin. He always felt terrible that I had to stay up late for work and contribute to the family. He knew that I was headstrong for a reason and that I had the family's best interests in mind.

Then Yasmin came along. She was the opposite of me, which drew him to her. He sought the thrill of having a shiny new toy and ended up falling for her.

I knew that we would tend to grow bored of the same old routine, but that was no excuse for Simon to cheat on me.

Seeing as our marriage had broken down irretrievably, Simon asked for a divorce. I had lost everything, and I couldn't stand putting up with him anymore, so I agreed to the divorce.

Our emotions were still riding high as we finalized our split. It didn't help that Yasmin kept taunting me. In the heat of our argument, none of us noticed the sports car speeding around the corner.

I heard only a loud explosion before my world went black.

When I opened my eyes, I found myself transported back to the day Simon and I had gotten our marriage license. We were slated to announce our marriage to our families and friends.

To avoid history repeating itself, I gave him and Yasmin my blessing.

They officially got together after that and went abroad to further their careers. As for me, I finally returned to my beloved job as a surgeon.

The skills I honed in my past life helped boost my career in the emergency department, and I soon became a respected ER doctor. I also met the love of my life.

I could finally bid goodbye to the horrible fate that I had been dealt in my past life.

At that moment, the rest of my family finally arrived at the private club. My parents showed up, linking arms, and smiled at me when they spotted me among the crowd. "Olive, have you greeted your elders?"

I gestured at the most populated corner of the lounge and chuckled dryly. "They're too busy to pay me any attention. Yasmin and Simon have returned from abroad, you see."

My parents' faces darkened, but they said nothing. It was only natural for the other relatives to fawn over Yasmin and Simon after the couple's success abroad. Sycophancy was expected of human nature, after all.

Unfortunately, my relatives' sycophancy came at my expense, for they pitted Yasmin against me as my parents and I neared the crowd.

"I know Simon messed up when he married Olivia first, but that mistake led him to Yasmin. It must be fate!" someone mused.

"I agree. Olivia is a good kid, but she can be so surly and stubborn at times. It's been six years. She should have gotten over the divorce by now. She should try to get on Yasmin's and Simon's good side, especially if she wants them to grant her favors in the future."

"Oh, tell me about it. It's not as if the divorce was a big deal. Surely, there was no need for her dramatics. Olivia should know better than to throw a fit and make things awkward for the family."

As my relatives prattled on, Yasmin stood among them with a pleasant smile, though there was no hiding the smug gleam in her eyes. She raised a glass in my direction and said, "Don't take their words personally, Olivia. As your cousin, I will help you in any way I can should you ever ask me for a favor."

Simon's lips curled as he pointed out, "You're a grown-up now, so learn how to conduct yourself in society. There's only so many favors that we can do for you."

My parents trembled with rage when they heard this. I quickly held them back and flashed Simon and Yasmin a warm smile. "You're right."

After that, I led my parents to their seats.

The waiters filed in with dishes that had been ordered in advance. The guests raised their wine glasses as they begged Simon to tell them about his time in the art galleries abroad and how he launched his career.

"With so many artists abroad, it must have been hard for you to distinguish yourself," someone said.

Simon wrapped an arm around Yasmin and pecked her cheek lovingly before saying, "It was a challenge, but Yasmin supported me through tough times. If she hadn't kept me going, I would have given up and found some boring white-collar job to stick with until retirement."

Yasmin stared at him indulgently and said softly, "Simon doesn't give himself enough credit for his success. His art had an impact, and he wouldn't have become famous if it weren't for his raw talent."

"Oh, what a lovely couple! You both complement each other so well!" someone praised.

"It's clear that Simon made the right call when he divorced Olivia to be with Yasmin!"

Everyone at the table began to put me down once more. To them, I was nothing more than the bump in the road that Simon took to find Yasmin.

My mom was furious. Her eyes turned red as she leaned close to me and whispered, "I don't know what they're making a fuss about! All he did was sell a couple of paintings. So what if he and Yasmin are married?

"They should leave you out of it. I can't believe that this bunch of sycophants are outright insulting you. I bet they'll start licking your boots when they meet Aaron later!"

I couldn't help smiling at the mention of my fiancé, Aaron Hartman.

My relatives were so busy gushing over Simon that they had forgotten that my parents were the actual hosts of this gathering.

My parents and I stayed silent in our seats and waited for our moment. It wasn't until the waiter walked up to me and told me that the dishes had been served that everyone else at the table remembered us.

Simon looked around the private club. The club was located in the city center. The hallways were decorated with a priceless, personal art collection, and the patrons were people of influence. Even the most understated crystal chandelier here came with a six-figure price tag.

He turned his gaze to me and sneered, "I take it that you're the host of this family gathering, Olivia. I didn't think you could afford even a slice of cake here with your measly paycheck. What, did you get a fat bribe at the hospital and are now trying to show off to the family?"

I rolled my eyes and ignored Simon. I took my card and footed the bill at the counter. On my way to the counter, I got a call from Aaron. He told me that he would be late and wanted me to play nice with my family until he arrived.

I smiled and talked to him for a while longer before returning to the lounge. However, I had only just reached the door of the lounge when Simon accosted me.

He eyed me contemptuously from head to toe before tossing a wad of cash at my feet. "It won't do you any good to burden yourself for the sake of pride. Take the money and pay the bill. Think of it as a kind gesture from an old friend."

I nudged the money toward him and drawled, "I don't need the money, and this isn't enough to—"

"Oh, cut the crap, will you? I know how much you make at the hospital. When we divorced, I told you to quit your job. It's hard labor at a cheap cost. Is there any point to it?"

I rolled my eyes at him in exasperation.

Simon's online image as a man who held art above everything else crumbled at that moment. He was only after money. My family knew this, yet none of them had the nerve or the standing to point out the truth.

I didn't want to waste my breath on Simon, so I made to brush past him into the lounge.

I had only taken two steps when I ran into Yasmin. She linked arms with Simon and said in a high-pitched voice, "Honey, would you mind showing some of your art to the family?"

Simon pinched her cheek affectionately and agreed.

I was about to open the lounge door when Yasmin stopped me. "Olive, I hope you've given up any foolish thoughts you have about Simon. He's my husband now and your cousin-in-law, for that matter.

"I know you set this dinner up just to get close to us. It's your fault that you're living a sorry life. If you think we'll take pity on you and help you out just because you and I are cousins, you're wrong! Also, scheming doesn't become you. If anything, it makes us hate you even more."

I raised my brow and did not try speaking up for myself. Instead, I said, "Very well."

She and Simon were indeed a match made in heaven. They shared the same sick thrill of deluding themselves and putting words in others' mouths. If only they knew how little everyone thought of them.

I certainly couldn't care less about them.

When Simon and Yasmin left the lounge, the family finally turned their attention to me and my parents. My uncle, Charles Olsen, was the first one to speak. "Joan, Peter, are we celebrating something? What's with the sudden party?"

Mom and Dad exchanged a knowing look before they reached for my hand. "We have good news to share with the family."

I was about to speak when the lounge door was thrown open. Yasmin stormed up to me and hissed, "Did you destroy Simon's painting? That painting was meant for an auction, and it cost at least five million dollars!"

Simon entered the lounge with his painting in hand, glaring at me. "And here I thought that you couldn't afford a meal here and offered you money to help you out! Is this how you repay me? By going to the front desk and destroying my painting? How low will you stoop, Olivia?"

My gaze fell on the painting in question. I saw that black splotches had ruined it, disrupting the harmonious blend of bright, vivid colors.

I stared at Yasmin's and Simon's angry faces, annoyance bubbling up within me. "I've never seen that painting before. Instead of accusing me of something I didn't do, why don't you make better use of your time and check the security footage?"

I was tired after a long day of work, and all I wanted was to break the good news to the family so I could go home.

Yasmin sneered at my suggestion. "Simon and I have bodyguards escorting us wherever we go, and we left the painting at the front desk. You were the only one who went to the counter to settle the bill, so you must have ruined the painting!"

Panic colored my relatives' faces as they turned to me and prompted, "Apologize to Yasmin and get this over with, Olive. You were the only one who went out. We're family. I'm sure she won't hold this against you."

"That's right, Olivia. We're talking about five million dollars here! How will you afford the damages if Yasmin insists on making you pay? Just say that you're sorry."

Yasmin raised her chin and said arrogantly, "Because you're my cousin, I can let you off for two million dollars, but only if you get on your knees and apologize."

Simon set the painting down and hissed through gritted teeth, "Just apologize, and we'll let this incident slide, Olivia. If not, we'll see you in court."

I pinched the space between my brows and countered tiredly, "I told you that I had nothing to do with this. If you don't believe me, call the cops."

The commotion in the lounge had the waiters checking in on us, but they didn't have time to pay us any attention. They stood by the door and respectfully greeted the man who had just entered the lounge.

As the voices in the lounge rose to a clamor, I was suddenly pulled into a man's warm embrace.

"What's the matter, sweetheart?"