Chapter 1

The streets of Avonopolis were congested. For the past two hours, I had been sitting in a corner of a cafe called Rendezvous with a great view of the coffee counter, where a young waitress in a sky-blue apron was diligently preparing a variety of drinks for customers. The waitress stood about 160 cm tall and weighed no more than 55 kg. Her fair skin complemented her thick black hair, which was tied into a high ponytail. Whenever she smiled, her eyes formed captivating little crescents. She walked over with a radiant smile and asked, “Miss, would you like a refill?” I had been so engrossed in watching her that I hadn’t realized she had caught me staring so openly. Fortunately, being a woman myself, she didn’t perceive me as a pervert. “Sure. Black coffee, please.” I smiled politely and answered in a flat voice. Soon, the waitress brought me another cup of black coffee. Instead of leaving right away, she hesitated and decided to offer unsolicited advice. “Miss, you’ve already had two cups of coffee since you arrived. While coffee is an energizing drink, having too many cups in a day can be harmful. Would you like to have this on another day?” She was friendly and talkative. Her voice was lovely and crisp, like a wind chime. I took a look at the black coffee on the table, then picked up my bag and stood up. “Right. I’ll just get the bill then.” The waitress was glad that I listened to her advice, so she immediately went to get the bill and finally said, “Miss, the total bill is $10. Would you like to pay by cash or e-wallet?” After paying the bill, I quickly left the cafe. “Madam.” Lee nodded respectfully and opened the car door for me as I exited the cafe. I smiled and said, “Let’s go home.” Lee drove steadily while I sat in the backseat with my eyes closed. The youthful and gorgeous face of that waitress in the cafe appeared in my mind. Was that her? Was she the girl who eventually made Henry go against his family and divorce me a year from now? Henry even paid a huge price for it. I never imagined that the first thing I would do after my rebirth would be to stalk her at her current workplace. I was just curious about the girl who had managed to steal the man I had loved for ten years. I had never met her before in my previous life. I only found out her name and saw a few photos of her because Henry safeguarded her like a precious artifact. In this game of love, I suffered a crushing defeat, while my love rival never revealed herself. Young, gorgeous, innocent, kind, and cheerful—these positive adjectives were suitable for her. Her only shortcoming was her humble family background, so her social standing was a far cry from Henry’s. Lee suddenly said, “Madam, today is your wedding anniversary with Mr. Pelham.” I opened my eyes slightly and fell into a trance for a brief moment. This was my fifth wedding anniversary with Henry Pelham. Every year on our wedding anniversary, I would spend the entire day preparing candlelit dinners and wedding gifts. This year, I was 27 and Henry was 29. “I know.” I rubbed my throbbing temples. “Don’t remind me.” Lee probably noticed how different I was from previous years. That was the reason he reminded me. Why should I always be the one to put effort into our relationship? Why did I have to love that man? In my previous life, I contemplated this before I died. My family was destroyed by Henry, and I died tragically. I was deep in thought when Lee parked the car outside my villa, which had been a wedding gift from my parents and in-laws at the time. The villa was located in a high-end community and spanned over 1000 square meters of prime land. To my surprise, Henry’s car was also parked at the entrance. He was at home. I was conflicted. How should I feel about the person who killed me now that I have been reborn? I thought I would hate Henry. He drove me, his wife of five years, to a dead end for another woman. He also killed my parents, who had been so kind to him, and single-handedly destroyed my entire family. After seeing him again, I realized that I did not despise him as much. Instead, I felt a sense of relief. In my previous life, Henry had given me the opportunity for a peaceful divorce. He offered to compensate me with Pelham Group shares, which was more than enough money for me to last a lifetime. But I refused. Henry had never once returned my love in the previous ten years, but it only took him a year to become so enamored with another woman that he was willing to turn against everyone. As a result, I tried everything to win him back until our relationship fell apart. We eventually reached an impasse and became enemies. These things had not yet occurred in this life. Instead of wasting my time hating Henry, I decided to change my tragic ending before it got that far. “What are you doing standing there?” Henry sat languidly in the living room, his legs crossed. He stubbed the cigarette at his fingertips in the ashtray after it had burned out. Then he raised his eyes calmly to meet mine. On our wedding day, Henry openly stated that we were merely in a cooperative relationship, similar to long-term roommates, and that he had no feelings for me. “It’s nothing. I just didn’t expect you to be at home.” I bent down to change into my Hermes home slippers, which were dull gray and plain in design. They were simply comfortable to wear and did not stand out in any way. My thoughts wandered to the waitress in the cafe, who was dressed in a blue apron with a small red smiley-faced flower pinned to it. Nobody else had that on their apron but her. In comparison to that waitress, my clothes were all expensive and drab. They were just plain boring. These slippers disgusted me, so I tossed them aside and walked into the living room barefoot. Henry frowned slightly when he noticed I was walking barefoot. He seemed surprised. “What, no shoes?” “Yeah. I don’t feel like wearing them.” I sat down opposite him and replied in a flat voice. “That’s strange. What triggered you today?” Henry actually laughed and spoke to me in an uncharacteristically brisk tone. ‘Your future soulmate, of course,’ I thought. I looked down at my pale feet, which looked a little bony because I was overly thin. Laurel White was nothing like me. Despite her thinness, she had supple, elastic skin. On the other hand, I was nothing but skin and bone. My health suffered greatly as a result of five years of a lonely marriage. I had no desire to eat and grew thinner over time, until I resembled a waif. “Henry.” “Hm?” Henry was staring at his phone without even a glance at me. He was wearing a bespoke black shirt and suit pants that highlighted his slender physique and perfect proportions, making him look all the more striking. Combined with his facial structure and exquisitely refined features, he was the man of countless girls’ dreams. I looked back at my feet and stared at the man opposite me. My voice was a little hoarse when I said, “Let’s get a divorce.” As soon as Henry heard this, he sneered. He tossed his phone on the sofa and looked at me with those cold, familiar eyes. He asked, “Zena Sudbury, what game are you playing this time?”