Married to Spencer Slater for five years, I loved him with all my heart.

On my birthday, he asked me for a divorce for the sake of his beloved.

Everyone expected me to break down in tears and beg him not to leave.

But I simply signed the papers and walked away.

Spencer didn't know that while he was announcing his relationship with another woman, I was making love to his cousin, Rory Doren.

Rory's ears turned red, he panted heavily and asked me softly, "Why?”

I hooked my arm around his neck and kissed his thin lips, "Because your kiss is sweeter than his."

...

The next thing I knew, I was waking up again.

Back to the day of my twenty-eighth birthday.

Spencer had thrown a grand party and invited all his friends.

But he wasn't celebrating my birthday; he was planning to ask for a divorce. Everyone there knew it, except for me, who was kept in the dark. They weren't worried about my feelings; they just wanted to see the drama unfold. They wanted to watch me break down and cry, begging him to stay.

But I didn't.

With a smile, I took the divorce agreement from him amidst their mocking gazes. My reaction left everyone disappointed. Spencer, who was holding his beloved Sharon Hollis, also frowned with displeasure.

After a pause, I finally spoke, "I'll agree to the divorce, but on one condition."

As soon as I finished speaking, everyone laughed, "Peny Waverly is just making a fuss."

"Spencer thinks it’ll be easy to get rid of Peny, his love slave."

But Spencer wasn’t angry. Instead, a smile curled on his cold face. I ignored the surrounding chatter and focused on Spencer, holding the divorce agreement tightly.

"Peny Waverly, don’t try any tricks," Spencer said, his arm around Sharon’s slim waist.

"If it hadn't been for Sharon going abroad to study, I wouldn’t have married you in the first place. Now that she's back, it's time for you to give up the title of Mrs. Slater. I don’t want to be too harsh, since we were married. Sign the papers, and I'll give you a million as compensation."

"Spencer Slater," I interrupted him, "I don’t want your million."

Spencer frowned, "Peny, don’t make a scene. If you insist on clinging, don't blame me for being unkind."

Looking at the face I had loved for nearly ten years, it now felt strangely laughable.

"Spencer, I’ll sign the papers. But my condition is that we never see each other again."

Spencer's face darkened, "Peny, are you playing hard to get?"

I sneered, "Spencer Slater, don't think too highly of yourself. I don’t love you anymore. As for the million, you can keep it."

With that, I signed the papers boldly, threw the divorce agreement in his face, and turned to leave.

From the expressions on everyone's faces, I knew Spencer was livid. Their hypocritical consolations reached my ears without missing a beat.

"Peny Waverly is just being stubborn, playing hard to get. By tomorrow, she'll be begging you not to divorce her. The sun will rise in the west before Peny ever stops loving you. Spencer, if Peny pesters you again, don't go easy on her."

Spencer chuckled dismissively, "Let her make a fuss. She can't keep me tied down with marriage. Enough about her; tonight we celebrate Sharon’s return, rekindling our relationship. The expenses are on me, so everyone, enjoy."

The crowd behind me buzzed with excitement, cheering for Sharon’s return and celebrating their "golden couple." Meanwhile, the clown who was humiliated beyond words had already been forgotten.

They even forgot that I was still Spencer’s wife. They forgot that today was my birthday.

I sat by the seaside until dawn.

Memories flickered before my eyes like a revolving lantern.

An incidental act of kindness made my heart race.

Gathering my courage, I confessed my feelings in a love letter, only to find out he had already given his heart to someone else.

Watching the radiant Sharon, I felt sadness and heartache, but I also sincerely wished them well.

But from that day on, he always appeared in my life.

And I, as if enchanted by a spell, couldn’t help but follow him.

I bought his breakfast, brought him an umbrella, cleaned for him…

At that time, everyone laughed at me, calling me Spencer's love slave.

But I didn’t care. Even if we couldn’t be together, being by his side and doing trivial things for him made me happy.

Later, Sharon went abroad for further studies, and Spencer drowned his sorrows in alcohol.

When I went to pick him up, he kissed me.

That night, I became his so-called girlfriend.

When he missed me, he would hold and kiss me.

When he was annoyed, he would ignore my calls and messages.

He even flirted with other women.

Whenever he wasn’t happy, he would threaten to break up, waiting for me to cry and beg him to come back.

Everyone said I was his plaything for when he was lonely.

Only I was immersed in the illusion of happiness, thinking that if I were his girlfriend, he might love me just a little more.

Later, Sharon posted on Instagram, announcing her engagement.

Spencer went crazy and trashed the house.

I hid in the corner, trembling.

It was the first time I saw such a terrifying side of Spencer, like a wounded lion—frightened and fragile.

Eventually, he proposed to me.

Despite his parents’ disapproval due to our family backgrounds, he still insisted on marrying me.

I knew he was just acting out of spite.

But I didn’t care.

I thought that if I loved him enough, he would eventually be moved and genuinely love me.

But after Sharon’s divorce and return, everything changed.

Spencer asked for a divorce.

Splash!

A huge wave shattered my thoughts.

Staring at the dark waves, it all felt like a dream.

Who would believe I’ve been reborn?

In my previous life, after Spencer asked for a divorce, I cried in agony, tearing up the divorce papers.

Desperate not to divorce him, I cried, begged…

But he was adamant, and I fell apart.

In a frenzy, I ran to the seaside, threatening to drown myself.

We struggled in the water, and he slapped me, telling me to get lost.

Later…

As he wished, I died.

Not by suicide—by accident.

Wandering aimlessly, a truck hit me.

My body shattered, and my love turned to dust.

After my death, my soul floated above, watching him indifferently handle my funeral.

Watched him throw my ashes into a storage room.

Watched him burn all my belongings.

Watched him marry Sharon.

In the end, my uncaring parents took the million he gave them and fled abroad with my brother.

It was as if I had never existed in this world.

No one missed me.

No one cared.

Surprisingly, just when I thought the world had abandoned me, someone found my ashes and carefully kept them.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

Thank you, Heaven, for giving me a chance to change this broken destiny.

“Thinking about suicide?”

A cold voice shattered my thoughts.

I whipped around and found a man standing behind me.

I held my breath, finally managing to say his name.

“Rory Dorne.”

The tumultuous waves and his slightly angry gaze pierced the air.

I lifted my head, mouthed silently for a moment, then softly spoke.

“Rory, will you take me home?”

“My legs are numb, and I can’t walk.”

He stayed silent.

I held my breath, feeling a wave of tension wash over me.

In my previous life, Rory went mad searching for my urn.

When he found it, he clutched it tightly, leaning against the wall, trembling uncontrollably. His cold eyes had reddened rims.

Afterward, he brought my urn back to his home, carefully storing it in a cabinet.

Inside, there was also a photo album.

Each page contained images of me.

Rory remained unmarried all his life, with that album and urn beside him.

Upon his death, he instructed his family to bury my urn and album with him.

Thinking about it now made my nose tingle and eyes start to burn.

"Don't cry," Rory ordered irritably, frowning.

"I'll take you back."

I was crouched on the ground, looking at him with pleading eyes.

Seeing I wasn't moving, his frown deepened, "What's wrong now?"

Softening my voice, I extended my hand, "My legs are numb. I can't get up."

With a contemptuous click of his tongue, he helped me up and shoved me into the car, still wearing a cold expression.

The car was quiet; neither of us spoke.

Through the window's reflection, I watched his profile, my mind filled with thoughts.

Rory was Spencer's cousin.

Back in the day, he was also a prominent figure at school.

Handsome, with excellent grades, but reserved and not one to smile.

Back then, my heart and eyes were all for Spencer. I barely noticed Rory.

In my past life, each New Year's at the Slater residence was when I'd see him.

He never spoke to me, his gaze always cold and full of disdain.

Everyone called me Spencer's loveslave.

I thought Rory felt the same, which explained his animosity toward me.

Even now, his attitude toward me was icy.

I couldn't help but wonder if he truly liked me.

"Back to the Slater residence?" Rory's cold voice broke the silence.

Startled, I turned my head abruptly.

He was looking at me sideways.

Our eyes met, and my heart skipped a beat.

I let out a strained laugh.

"Going back now? He'd tear me apart."

Rory narrowed his eyes and scoffed.

He then turned the steering wheel around.

The direction was my home.

In my previous life, after marriage, I used the money Spencer gave me to buy a one-bedroom apartment near the company.

Initially, it was for occasional stays due to late work.

Later, it became a refuge when Spencer and I argued.

"I'm heading off," Rory said, dropping me at the door and turning to leave.

On impulse, I grabbed his clothes, "Don't go."

"Penelope."

"I... I’m scared of the dark."

Rory turned, his cold eyes bore into me, his voice even more frosty.

"Penelope, I'm not your rebound."

Grasping his sleeve, I lightly shook my head, "You're not."

"Let go."

With my head bowed, I didn't move.

"Penelope!"

He frowned, looking at me with deep, cold eyes filled with countless emotions.

Recalling our past life together, a wave of indescribable sorrow surged within me.

"Rory Dorne, don't leave."

"I have no home, no one who cares."

"I'm alone... very lonely... and scared..."

I spoke with my head down, my voice growing quieter.

"All these years, everyone says I'm a loveslave, shameless..."

"It's normal for you to hate me."

"I'm sorry for crossing the line."

"Just go."

My body unable to stop trembling, tears streamed down my face.

"What's with the crying?"

"Hideous."

I knew Rory had softened.

He followed me inside.

I suggested he sit on the couch while I tidied up.

I couldn't stand the extravagant dress I was wearing.

No matter how I looked at it, it screamed "shame."

The apartment was small, with few belongings and even fewer clothes.

After some searching, I found a panda nightgown.

The dress wasn’t too short; it barely reached my thighs.