Despite a decade of marriage, Simon never once shared my bed, claiming that he had pledged himself to ascetic practices and that it was beneath him.

I thought that he suffered from some shameful ailment and guarded his secret like a devoted fool, until my birthday, when I came home to find him entangled with a brothel worker before the floor-length mirror.

When I lunged forward in rage, he drove a shard of that broken mirror straight through my heart.

When I awoke, I was gripping my phone, its screen illuminating a message Simon had just sent: [I’ll still give you a lavish wedding, but the marriage certificate? That belongs to her.]

“Fran, when do you plan on having your wedding with that Smith boy?"

The same voice asking the same question. However, unlike my past life, I did not want to marry him this time.

The moment the screen in my hand darkened, I looked up at my mother and said earnestly, "But Mom, the one I want to marry is Simon Smith’s older brother, Spencer Smith!"

"Who?" my mother asked, her expression shocked. There was not a trace of anger in her tone, only disbelief as if she had misheard.

I did not blame her for her disbelief, though. Despite our families having decided our betrothal as a business alliance, everyone in Sea City knew I had been chasing him for a decade. I even made a vow publicly that I would marry no one else but him.

As such, I hugged my mom and repeated my words with even more determination.

The very next day after the engagement was finalized, however, I ran into Simon at an auction. The moment his friends spotted me, their faces lit up with mocking grins.

"Hey, Simon, your little shadow’s stuck to you again!"

"Come on, Fran, do you have to cling to him so hard even now that the engagement’s official? Can’t you let him attend an auction in peace?"

Hearing their taunts, Simon only grew more impatient. "Francesca, do you have to throw yourself at me like this?" he snapped. "You forced your way into this engagement without my consent and now the whole city knows you’re my fiancée. Have you no shame?"

Despite this being my second life, the disdain in his eyes still made my chest tighten.

After a long pause, I finally replied, "Why would I need your permission? You're not the one I'm marrying."

The moment my words left my mouth, the room erupted in laughter.

Simon's lackeys doubled over, clutching their stomachs as they jeered, "Simon, I’ve gotta hand it to your fiancée! I bet she’s got some other trick up her sleeve to get your attention!"

Simon frowned. "Francesca, you’ve gotten smarter, playing hard to get now, but it’s still useless.”

"Who else could you possibly marry when it comes to my family? My father?" He burst into mocking laughter before lowering his voice, "I can let the engagement slide. I can even give you a grand wedding."

Then, leaning in, he hissed, "But the marriage certificate? That’s reserved for the woman I actually want to marry."

I froze for a moment, then met his gaze with utter disbelief.

Despite Simon having already met that woman from the red-light district by this point in my past life, he still followed his family's arrangements obediently. We had very quickly obtained our marriage certificate and held the wedding.

Could it be that he...

Before I could decipher the truth from his expression, Carina arrived at the auction.

The moment she saw Simon and me sitting together, her eyes welled up with tears.

"Simon... I heard you're getting married soon," she said, her voice trembling. "I didn’t bring a gift, but... I just wanted to wish you happiness."

Then she turned to me, her lips quivering as she continued, "You're not angry, are you, Fran? I just wanted to see Simon one last time."

I shot her a disdainful glance and replied coldly, "Don’t call me that. I know you love the feeling of getting others wrapped around your finger, but that won't work on me."

The moment those words left my mouth, Carina burst into tears and ran out.

Simon shoved me, his eyes burning with hatred. "Francesca, watch your mouth! If you frighten Carina, you're dead!"

With that, he stormed out without so much as a backward glance.

When Carina returned to the auction, she was cradled in Simon's arms. Her lips were swollen and red, while a vivid love bite had bloomed on Simon's neck.

In my past life, Simon had always maintained the facade of a devoted husband in public. This was the first time he had openly humiliated me. The room held its breath, waiting for my outburst.

Even after Simon carefully set Carina down, his expression seemed oddly expectant. However, minutes passed, and my silence remained.

A cold smirk twisted his lips. "Hmph. At least you've learned your place and now know that your tantrums are useless."

I had come to the auction for the ruby necklace. The intent was to gift it to myself for the wedding. Despite this, even when the event ended, the piece never appeared.

As the auction came to its conclusion, I made my way to the exit only for Simon to abruptly grab my arm.

"I don't see your chauffeur today, Miss Wilbur. I suppose I could be generous and give you a ride."

I was not about to refuse a free ride, but when I moved toward the backseat, he blocked the passenger side door.

"You take the rear," he commanded before proceeding to help Carina into the front seat.

"Sorry about this," she simpered, "Simon knows I get carsick easily."

I settled into the backseat without sparing any comment. It had been where I had intended to sit.

Their flirtatious laughter filled the entire ride. At a red light, Carina coaxed him to feed her milk, their faces drawing dangerously close until the car practically thrummed with tension.

Suddenly, Simon shoved her away, as if remembering my presence. When he saw me gazing indifferently out the window, his expression darkened inexplicably.

As I exited the car at my residence, he did something unprecedented. He grabbed my wrist again.

He shoved a set of cups he had gotten from the auction into my arms.

"Enough with this indifferent act. Consider these your wedding gift," he said, tone dripping with condescension. "I’ll give you your wedding as long as you behave. At least to the outside world, you’ll be seen as my wife."

Curiosity got the better of me. "Then who are you planning to marry legally? Your precious Carina?"

Simon’s anger flared, yet a twisted satisfaction simmered beneath it.

"Ha! I knew you were faking it. Listen here, there will not be a word of this to either of our parents. Otherwise, there won't even be a wedding.”

"What Carina and I have is beyond your understanding. She’s only working to pay off her family’s debts, unlike you with your cheap schemes. Hurt her, and you’ll regret it."

I nearly laughed. Men truly were pathetic creatures.

For millennia, they had been obsessed with "saving" fallen women as if it were some noble calling.

Without another word, I turned and walked away.

The moment I stepped inside, a notification popped up. Carina had sent a video.

The footage showed Simon fastening a necklace around her neck with reverent care. My stomach dropped, it was the ruby piece that had mysteriously vanished from the auction. The one I had wanted.

It looked like he had acquired it privately.

I glanced at the glittering jewels on screen, then at the cheap cup set in my arms, and let out a hollow laugh. Perhaps in Simon’s eyes, I really was just a tragic joke.

Their foreheads touched in the video, then their lips crashed together. The obscene, wet sounds of their kiss echoed jarringly through my speakers.

[Oops~ Just so you know, after your little wedding show, Simon will be marrying me legally. Remember, the woman without the certificate is the real mistress~]

I swiped the video away. Then it hit me. In my past life, after I married into the Smith family, their corporation had suddenly been flooded with lucrative partnerships.

Deals materialized overnight, assets skyrocketed, and within months, the Smiths topped Sea City’s wealth rankings.

The elders called me their "fortune-blessing bride," treating me like gold. Even Simon’s indifference could not shake my belief that I was happy.

It was not until I discovered Carina’s existence that I realized that his coldness toward me all those years was simply because he had already spent all his warmth on her.

Just then, my mother entered my room with news that Spencer Smith would return from abroad in a week to finalize our marriage.

The announcement caught me off guard. In my past life, Simon’s older brother had remained unmarried his entire lifetime. I had not expected our arranged union to progress so smoothly.

The next morning, I arrived at my studio early to revise the design of my wedding dress.

Art had always been my passion, and ever since I was a child, I had been sketching visions of my bridal gown. Back then, however, every stitch had been tailored to Simon’s tastes. Now, for the first time, I could design a dress for myself, for my marriage to someone else.

The day after I submitted the finalized designs to the family, I was looking through social media when Carina posted an update. There she stood in the photo, wearing my custom gown, the one I had just redesigned, now fabricated overnight and draped over her smug frame. Behind her, Simon gazed at her with infatuation.

[He had it custom-made in one night! A one-of-a-kind in the whole world hehe~ Feeling blessed.]

I stormed to the location tagged in her post.

There, Carina was in my wedding gown with Simon’s hands groping her waist through the delicate fabric that was part of my design.

"That’s my design!" I seethed. "How dare you have it made for her! You even embroidered her name on it!"

Carina instantly burst into performative tears. "Oh, did I do something wrong? Boohoo... I just wanted to wear something pretty..."

Simon shoved her behind him, glowering. "Francesca, have you gone mad? It’s not like you weren’t going to wear this for me anyway. Letting Carina try it on first is no big deal. God, you’ve gotten so petty."

The audacity choked me. "Who said this was for you? This was for my wedding!"

Simon simply shook his head and sneered, "Cut the act, Francesca. I’m giving you the ceremony, aren’t I? Quit being dramatic."

Then I saw it, the handheld mirror on the side table.

In one fluid motion, I smashed it against the edge and slashed the jagged shard across the gown’s hem in his grip.

"Look closely, Simon." My voice was ice. "I don’t keep dirty clothes, and I sure as heck don’t keep dirty men."

In my past life, he had ended me with broken glass.

This time, I used it to sever the last thread between us.

Simon was stunned when he saw my resolution. After all, no matter how much I had acted out before, it had always been in a coquettish manner. He had never seen me so stern.

Instinctively, he stood up to reach for me, only for Carina to burst into sobs at that moment.