Chapter 6

Jade finally recognized who I was. Her face turned pale, and her gaze became venomous. However, she did not dare to provoke me. I motioned for my mother to take a seat and began to complain, “I didn’t want to come today, but Henry asked me to accompany him. It’s so boring!” “Oh, don’t say that... It’s a business reception.” My mother chided me dotingly, taking my hand in hers. I cast a casual glance at Jade and continued to talk. “But it is boring. By the way, Mom, I asked Lee to hire a few housekeepers. Henry said I was too thin, so I should eat and sleep more.” Jade bit her brightly-colored lips, trying hard to hold back. “You should’ve hired them long ago. The two of you live in such a big villa. How do you even manage it?” My mother agreed with my decision. “That’s because I wanted some privacy with Henry, and I’ve had enough now.” My wording was ambiguous. Jade was merely a bystander in Henry’s life. She was a minor character who did not play an important role like Laurel, so I ignored her. Jade stood up abruptly and rushed off. Lucy trailed close behind, probably feeling awkward as well. When the reception was over, I didn’t want to go back with Henry and instead wanted to go back to my mother’s house to spend some time with my parents. “Okay. I’ll get going then.” Henry didn’t care what I did as long as I didn’t embarrass him. My father was still chatting with his friends and did not seem to mind that the reception had ended. My mother handed me the keys and asked me to wait in the parking lot for her while she persuaded my father to leave. I took the keys and went to the underground parking lot, where I found my father’s car. I was about to get in the car when I noticed Jade flirting with Henry. Jade gripped Henry’s shirt aggrievedly. “Why were you so nice to me if you didn’t have any feelings for me? I don’t believe it!” “You can believe whatever you want. Just don’t bother me again.” Henry shook off Jade’s hand. Henry was like this, refusing to acknowledge the women with whom he had affairs after he had lost interest in them. He only gave Jade a house, but she believed Henry truly loved her. Henry caught sight of me out of the corner of his eye and looked at me impatiently and disgustedly, as if I were the woman bothering him right now. I quickly got into my father’s car and locked the door. I would have left right away if I didn’t have to wait for my parents. When Henry realized I was avoiding him, he made a beeline toward my dad’s car and knocked on the car window. I could see his mouth moving as if he was saying, “Come out here!” I frowned, shook my head, and mouthed my response. “No!” Then my phone rang. Henry called and yelled, “Zena, come out right now!” “I don’t want to get involved in your affairs with her,” I replied over the phone, meeting Henry’s angry gaze through the car window. I gave it some thought. If I could not divorce Henry before he met Laurel, I would just wait a little longer until he filed for divorce. I would even get a share of Pelham Group when the time comes, so I wouldn’t lose out on anything. In my previous life, Henry had filed for divorce after a year of pursuing Laurel. At the same time, he told his family the truth. I refused to divorce him at the time and fought him for nearly a year, but I eventually lost. After my rebirth, all I could think about was getting my revenge. It was a pointless obsession. My previous life was more like a nightmare. I was reborn into this life before the tragedy occurred, so I had no intention of repeating my mistake. “Come out!” Henry was enraged, probably because no one had ever disobeyed him. Jade walked over with tears streaming down her face. She clung to Henry’s clothes and would not let go. She was a celebrity. Why did she feel the need to cling to Henry? I saw a reflection of my former self in her, so I had no right to mock her. Henry shot daggers at me. Then he took Jade’s hand and led her to his car. I was relieved only after he drove away. I was nearly asleep by the time my parents arrived at the car. “Look! Zee’s tired of waiting because you couldn’t stop talking!” My mother scolded my father. “Well, that’s because there’s a problem with one of the projects in the south that needs approval, so we must talk it through carefully,” my father explained as he buckled his seat belt. I sat in the backseat, feeling drowsy. Whenever I dreamed in the past, I would dream about chasing Henry. After my rebirth, my dreams were about my previous life. It was as if God was afraid I would forget the tragedies I had been through and wanted to remind me of them through my dreams. "Mom, I am craving your chocolate chip skillet cookie..." My mother was also in the backseat with me, so I quickly took her arm and leaned on her shoulder. It felt comforting and warm to have my mother beside me. Before I died in my previous life, my parents wept bitterly by my hospital bed. “It’s so late now. Do you really want to eat a skillet cookie at this hour?” My mother worriedly patted the back of my hand. “What’s going on today? Did you have a fight with Henry? You usually don’t come home for months.” “Because I was blinded by love back then!” I continued with a smile, “From now on, I’m going to cling to you and Dad!” Everyone knew about my unrequited love for Henry, so my mother was taken aback when she heard what I said. My father was also stunned and almost lost his grip on the steering wheel. My dad asked, “You don’t like Henry anymore?” I still liked Henry, but that did not stop me from letting him go. I couldn’t save my marriage, and Henry belonged to Laurel, that young and beautiful girl. “Dad, I’ve been married to him for five years. It’s pointless to discuss love. I just think I should do other things and not revolve my life around him.” I replied straightforwardly. “That makes sense. Henry is always rumored to be fooling around. I can’t stand it!” My father erupted in rage. He was clearly upset with Henry. Before, my father saw how obsessed I was with Henry, so he could not insult Henry for fear of upsetting me. I concurred. “You’re right. He’s a scumbag!” When I got the ball rolling, my parents began to express their dissatisfaction with Henry. It was not until then that I realized how much they had to put up with because of me. I felt so ashamed and guilty that I couldn’t lift my head. It was already late at night when I got home. After taking a shower, I fell asleep and did not wake up until my mother knocked on my door. I asked in a daze, “Yes, Mom?” My mother said to me, “Weren’t you craving a skillet cookie? I just made it for you. Why don’t you eat a little before going to bed?” I woke up instantly and sat dazed on the bed for a few seconds. My eyes felt sore, and tears gushed out. I had not cried since my rebirth. I had become desensitized to those heartbreaking scenes in my previous life, so even if I dreamed about them, I wouldn’t feel much. At this moment, I couldn’t help but cry when my mother made me the skillet cookie I had requested in the middle of the night.