A man like that, falling for him was something I couldn't control. And I had my reasons.

But it turned out that when a man wanted to put on an act, he could keep it up for years.

Fine. Let him chase his dream. I'd live my own life.

"By the way," Corey rubbed his nose and lowered his voice. "We've got the National Band Championship coming up, so I'll be pretty tied up. Might not make it home some nights. Just... bear with me, okay?"

I went blank for a moment before remembering that their entry slot for the competition was something I'd begged a client to arrange, practically groveling for the favor.

With his band's actual skill level, they never would have qualified on their own.

But that entry slot? I didn't feel like giving it to them anymore.

So I nodded lightly.

"Sure. Got it."

Corey froze. Whether it was guilt or something else, he suddenly wrapped his arms around me from behind, pulling me close.

"Babe."

His voice was muffled against my hair.

"Thank you. For supporting my dream. For understanding."

In my previous life, Corey eventually found out about the investments I'd secretly funneled into his band.

Unlike what I'd expected, he was furious. He trashed the entire apartment.

"What's that supposed to mean, Caroline? You bought me a national championship with your money, is that it? I'm telling you, this is an insult!"

"Take your money and get the hell away from me! My band could've taken first place on our own talent. You were just sticking your nose where it didn't belong!"

We didn't speak for weeks after that. It took Noah playing peacemaker before the cold war finally ended.

Sometimes I genuinely had no idea what that man wanted.

I snapped back to the present and pushed him away gently.

"Alright, if there's nothing else, you should go. I need to stay with Noah."

Our voices must have been too loud, because Noah woke up anyway.

He rubbed his eyes, spotted Corey, and broke into a grin.

"Daddy!"

Corey opened his arms, his eyes brimming with warmth as he scooped the boy up.

"Did you miss Daddy? Still feeling sick? How about Daddy goes and gets you some food, hm?"

While the two of them chatted, the door swung open without warning.

"Hey, sis."

Letitia stepped inside, a smile already arranged on her face.

"I heard your little one was sick, so I picked up some light dishes for him."

Under the fluorescent lights, the red-dyed tips of her hair were impossible to miss. She was barely in her early twenties, eyes bright and sparkling.

If I was being honest with myself, she really was striking.

No wonder Corey had zeroed in on her the moment they met, even posting their photo together on social media, calling her his kindred spirit.

I said nothing. Corey took the food from her hands.

Noah studied her curiously, then blinked.

"Hey, miss, the perfume you're wearing smells exactly like Daddy's. That's so cool!"

The air in the room turned to ice. Both their expressions went stiff at the exact same time.

"Noah, what are you talking about? Daddy's cologne is a common brand. It's totally normal for someone else to wear the same one." Corey scrambled to cover.

But Noah had never been one to filter his thoughts.

"Nuh-uh. Daddy's cologne is the custom one Mommy got him when she was on a business trip overseas. It's one of a kind in the whole world."

Corey's gaze darted sideways. He covered his mouth with a cough.

"This kid... always saying the wildest things."

"Alright, Noah, let's go to the bathroom." I cut in just in time, then looked at the two of them. "He needs to rest and get some sleep soon."

The hint to leave couldn't have been more obvious.

At the doorway, Corey suddenly turned back.

"Babe."

He tugged at his hair, visibly uncomfortable.

"Letitia's outfit was too short during a performance, so I lent her my jacket. That's how she got my cologne on her. Don't overthink it."

I couldn't be bothered to guess how long it had taken him to come up with that pathetic excuse. My eyes stayed on my phone screen.

"Relax. I don't have the bandwidth to obsess over this stuff. I'd rather spend my time reviewing investment portfolios."

His expression froze, then darkened.

"Money. That's all you ever think about. Do I even exist in your world? Am I even your husband?"

"Fine. Let's see how well you hold this family together on your own!"

He shoved the door open and stormed out.

Letitia trailed after him, her voice dripping with smug sympathy.

"You know, Caroline, being a wife means learning to soften up a little. If you keep this up, Corey's going to be really hurt."

She paused at the threshold. "And honestly, how can you put a price tag on someone's dream? You still don't understand him at all."

I didn't respond. I got up and gave Noah his medicine.

After they left, Noah looked crestfallen too.

"Daddy's leaving already? He hasn't been home in so long. I miss him."

I let out a heavy sigh and pulled him close.

"It's okay, sweetheart. Mommy will always be right here with you."

Corey didn't show up again, not even once, all the way through Noah's discharge. Like he was punishing me with his absence.

I went back to work and scheduled a meeting with a client.

The meeting spot happened to be a café near the mall. After we wrapped up, the client pointed through the glass window with an amused grin.

"Kids these days. So much energy."

I followed his gaze toward the mall's outdoor stage and froze for a second.

It was Corey's band.

What were the odds.

The last pounding notes faded, and as the crowd broke into applause, Letitia rose on her tiptoes, threw herself into Corey's arms, and kissed him hard.

The audience went still for a beat, then erupted into louder cheers.

Something flickered inside me, faint as a breeze across still water. Then it was gone.

I wrapped up the conversation and headed out. The band was coming offstage at the same time, and Corey and I walked straight into each other.

He spotted me, and his expression shifted into something almost defiant.

"It's just a gig, and you show up to spy on me? Caroline, can you give me some space for once?"

Space. The word hit a nerve. In my past life, he'd begged me on his knees to set him free. The memory left a bitter taste.

"I was here meeting a client. Trust me, nobody wants to watch you make out with your drummer."

He went rigid, eyes wide.

"What... what did you just say?"

I looked straight at him, then at Letitia beside him, barely concealing her satisfaction. Every word landed clean and deliberate.

"I said I have zero interest in watching you date someone else."

Corey's chest heaved. The color drained from his face, then flooded back.

Something snapped in him, and he doubled down, righteous as ever.

"Yeah. Letitia gets me. She knows what I need."

"But you, Caroline? All you've ever done is nickel-and-dime everything down to the last dollar. Do you understand what our band stands for? Do you have any idea what I'm chasing? No. You don't know the first thing about it."

His eyes were full of disappointment.

"Let's get a divorce."

My heart lurched.

Damn it. He beat me to it.

I didn't hesitate. I nodded.

"Fine."

The speed of my answer caught him off guard. He stared at me, visibly stunned.

"Noah stays with me. I'll have a lawyer split everything fifty-fifty. You won't get shortchanged."

I pulled out my phone and texted the divorce attorney I knew on the spot.

His eyes went wide with disbelief.

"Even now, it's still about money? Caroline, do you even have a heart? Did our marriage mean nothing to you? Almost ten years, and this is what I get?"

Ten years didn't even begin to cover it.

Counting my past life, my marriage to Corey Vance had spanned close to seventy or eighty years.

And in all those decades, I was never as happy as the world assumed.

After he quit the music scene, he used his "bad moods" as an excuse and never shared a bed with me again.

She'd locked herself away in that room for years, burying herself in housework and trivial chores, as if she were hiding from life itself.

Then came the diagnosis. A serious illness, and at her age, there was no cure.

When the doctor delivered the news, Corey actually looked relieved.

The money she'd earned had kept them comfortable for the better part of their lives, yet he still stuck her in a six-bed ward. Night after night, she lay awake, unable to sleep through the beeping monitors and the restless stirring of strangers.

It wasn't until the day he walked in with divorce papers that she finally understood. He had hated her all along.

Hated her for that phone call. Hated her for occupying the title of his wife. Hated her for not dying sooner.

"You're the one who asked for a divorce. What's the point of rehashing all this?"

Corey blinked, caught off guard. His Adam's apple bobbed once before he turned away.

"Fine. After the band finishes the National Championship, we'll go to City Hall and file."

Caroline couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

He didn't even know he'd already lost his entry ticket.

Then again, why would he? In her previous life, she was the one who'd registered the band, quietly bankrolled the whole thing, and personally dragged him to dinners with the organizers and judges. Corey probably thought the championship trophy was already sitting there with his name on it.

One of the other band members perked up, as if suddenly remembering something.

"Oh yeah, Corey, last time we asked about the entry fees and competition details, they still haven't gotten back to us. You think something's wrong? That judge seemed really into us."

Corey scoffed.

"They're probably just busy. Once we take the championship, we'll settle that score."

Letitia looped her arm through his and flashed a smile at Caroline.

"Thanks, sis. So generous of you to step aside for me."

She leaned in close, her voice dropping to a whisper, eyes dark and venomous.

"Using your kid to chain Corey down? That's emotional blackmail. Caroline, I've told you before — you two aren't from the same world. Take a hint. Grab your brat and get lost."

Caroline didn't flinch.

"Spare me the soulmate act. You two seemed to be having plenty of fun at that hotel the other night. A mistress should at least have the decency to know her place."

Letitia's expression froze. She glared, seething.

"Just you wait."

Caroline didn't give the threat a second thought.

A few days later, Noah vanished.

An entire day and night passed. She tore through the apartment, the neighborhood, even the school. Nothing. She was seconds away from calling the police when Corey's number lit up her phone.

"Come pick up Noah."

A beat. Then he added, almost as an afterthought:

"Oh right, Letitia brought him over to my place. Forgot to mention it."

Rage flooded her brain like a match hitting gasoline. Caroline stormed into Letitia's apartment and slapped her across the face. Once. Twice. Three times.

"Who gave you permission to take my son?!"

Corey lunged forward and grabbed her arm.

"What the hell is wrong with you, you psycho?! You're hitting people now?!"

Caroline wrenched free and backhanded him across the cheek. Then again. Her voice was ice.

"Why didn't you tell me? Do you have any idea how terrified I was?!"

The sudden fury in her eyes made him falter. He went still for a moment.

"...Nothing happened. What's the big deal?"

Letitia clutched her reddened cheek, seizing the moment to play the victim.

"Caroline, I know you look down on me. But Noah is Corey's son too."

Her voice quavered with practiced hurt. "Besides, we were busy preparing for the competition and just forgot to let you know. Did you really have to hit me?"

Caroline laughed. A sharp, mirthless sound.

"You still think you're competing?" She locked eyes with Corey. "Keep dreaming."

She pulled out her phone, dialed, and held it up to Corey's ashen face.

He was about to explode when the voice on the other end stopped him cold. The color drained from his skin in an instant.