My buddy had an obsession with playing matchmaker.

To announce his love for the richest woman in the country to the whole world, he'd paired up everything in the house—toothbrushes, slippers, you name it. Even I became a prop in his little matching game.

"It's a perfect match! My assistant and my girlfriend's right-hand woman—meant to be!"

In my previous life, that absurd setup forced Sarah Delgado into marrying me.

For three years after the wedding, she treated me like a king. Doted on me. Made me believe I'd actually found love.

Until I was on my deathbed, begging her to come to the hospital and sign the consent form for my surgery.

On the other end of the line, she laughed. A cold, contemptuous laugh.

"He thinks he's worth my signature?"

My blood ran cold as she tore apart three years of what I thought we had, word by word:

"Weren't you the one who was so eager to go along with your buddy's little matchmaking game? Simon and I are the real match made in heaven! As for someone like you—you belong in bed with a ten-dollar hooker."

On our wedding night, the woman in my bed had been a ten-dollar hooker.

Three years of fake affection, all an elaborate trap—just to destroy me and avenge Simon Simmons.

I closed my eyes on that operating table, full of despair and hatred.

When I opened them again, it was the exact day my buddy had insisted on setting us up.

……

Morgan Fox was beside me, running his mouth nonstop.

"Roland Kaufman, what do you think about Regina's assistant, Sarah Delgado?"

"She's Regina's most trusted confidante, and gorgeous too. A knockout like her with a handsome devil like you—it's a match made in heaven!"

I stared at the scene in front of me. A sharp, searing pain reminded me that I was truly alive again.

In my last life, Morgan had been so desperate to show off his relationship with Regina Henson that he'd dragged us into this ridiculous "power couple" pairing.

Out of respect for years of friendship, I'd half-heartedly agreed to give Sarah a chance.

Sarah was a master of disguise.

She'd put on this refined, elegant act, taking care of every little detail of my life. Three years of marriage, catering to my every whim, making me believe I was a happy man.

It wasn't until that brutal surgery that I heard what she really thought of me.

That I finally understood who had actually been in my bed on our wedding night.

Nausea surged through me. I shoved away the photo Morgan was holding out.

"Not interested."

Morgan froze.

"Roland, you usually go along with me on stuff like this. Sarah's really great, I'm telling you."

I looked him dead in the eye.

"You love pairing things up so much, go to a pet store and buy two dogs to breed."

"I refuse to be a prop you use to broadcast your love story to the world."

Morgan's face turned beet red. Beside him, Regina Henson's brow furrowed.

"Roland, Morgan means well."

I grabbed my bag and headed for the door.

"I can't afford that kind of goodwill."

I pushed open the door of the private VIP room and nearly collided with a woman.

That scent. Sarah Delgado's scent.

In my last life, it was those exact eyes that had deceived me for three full years.

"Mr. Kaufman, leaving so soon?"

Her voice was low, honeyed. My body moved on its own, stepping back to put distance between us.

"Move."

Sarah raised an eyebrow, clearly not expecting this kind of hostility.

She stepped closer, lowering her voice.

"Mr. Kaufman seems to have quite the grudge against me."

"Have we met before?"

I lifted my chin.

"No. But I don't like the look of you."

Sarah let out a soft laugh.

"Mr. Kaufman speaks his mind."

"But Ms. Henson and Mr. Fox arranged this out of kindness. Refusing them outright like that—isn't that a bit disrespectful?"

I curled my lip.

"My dignity isn't theirs to trample."

I stepped around her and walked out without looking back.

Behind me, Sarah Delgado's gaze followed my every step.

The moment I got back to my place, I started packing. The farther I could get from Sarah Delgado, the better.

That was when the doorbell rang. Sarah stood outside, holding a folder.

"Mr. Kaufman, I think we need to talk."

I moved to shut the door, but her hand shot out and held it open.

"Your father's company. Don't you want to know what's happening to it?"

I stopped.

My father's company was the only thing I still cared about.

In my previous life, after we married, she'd taken full control of it. In the end, every last asset had been handed over to Simon Simmons as a betrothal gift.

I kept my expression flat and let her in.

Sarah tossed the folder onto the coffee table.

"The company's cash flow has collapsed. Without a capital injection in three days, it goes into liquidation."

"And right now, I'm the only one who can put up that kind of money."

I turned to look at her.

"What's the catch?"

Sarah leaned in close.

"Marry me."

I couldn't help it. I laughed.

"Sarah, what could you possibly want from me?"

"You. I want you."

She was good at this act. But I'd already died once. I would never fall for that line again.

I picked up the folder and tore it clean in half.

"Then let it go bankrupt."

"I'd sooner beg on the streets than marry you."

The second she left, I called the company's finance department to verify.

The situation was worse than she'd described. Not only had the cash flow dried up, but several massive debts were about to come due. Someone had clearly been pulling strings behind the scenes.

Who else could it be but Sarah?

She'd stop at nothing to force me to submit. The playbook was identical to my past life. First, engineer a crisis from the shadows. Then swoop in as the savior, so I'd fall at her feet in gratitude.

Not this time.

I listed my apartment for sale. I pawned every piece of jewelry I owned. I even reached out to former rivals, offering to sell my shares at a steep discount.

Every single one of them refused to see me.

Regina Henson had put the word out: anyone who helped me was openly declaring war on the Henson Group.

Morgan called to talk me down.

"Roland, would it kill you to bend a little?"

"Sarah's crazy about you. She went to Regina on her knees for your sake."

"You marry her, the company's saved, you've got a good life ahead of you. Everybody wins. What's the problem?"

I hit the end-call button and blocked his number.

Three days later, the court summons arrived.

I sat in my empty rental, staring at the bare walls.

The door swung open. Sarah stood in the doorway, umbrella in hand.

"Roland, stop fighting this."

She walked toward me and looked down from above.

"All you have to do is say yes, and all of this goes away."

I lifted my head and met her eyes.

"Sarah, do you honestly think that if you back someone into a corner and then toss them a scrap of mercy, they'll worship the ground you walk on?"

Her brow creased.

"I'm just trying to help you."

"Help me? By cutting off every escape route I had?"

I stood and closed the distance between us.

"By having Regina blacklist me?"

Sarah's hand shot up and seized my jaw, her fingers digging in hard.

"Roland, my patience has limits."

"You will marry me. There is no other option."

I let a slow smile spread across my face.

"Fine. I'll marry you."

Sarah blinked. She clearly hadn't expected me to agree so easily.

Her grip loosened. That carefully rehearsed softness slid back into her eyes.

"There. That's better."

"I'll give you a proper wedding."

I said nothing. The memories of my past life's wedding were still razor-sharp: the ceremony, the wedding night, the hired escort waiting in our bed.

I would never make that mistake again.

Agreeing was nothing more than a means to an end. I needed the capital injection.

The moment that money hit the account, I was gone.

On the day they signed the marriage license, Sarah was dressed to the nines.

She took my hand and led me out of the courthouse.

"Roland, we're husband and wife now."

The warmth in her voice was almost convincing. I pulled my hand free and gave a noncommittal grunt.

A sports car pulled up in front of us. The window rolled down, revealing a familiar face.

Simon Simmons. The man Sarah had been obsessed with for as long as I could remember.

In my last life, she'd been so desperate to please him that she'd thrown my life away without a second thought.

"Sarah, congratulations." Simon stepped out and fixed me with a look dripping with provocation. "So this is Mr. Kaufman? Quite handsome. No wonder you skipped my birthday party for him."

Sarah's shoulders stiffened, the movement barely perceptible.

She turned to Simon, a thread of anxiety woven into her voice. "Simon, what are you doing here?"

Simon pouted and walked over, looping his arm through hers with practiced familiarity. "I came to get a look at your new groom, of course."

"Sarah, my stomach hurts. Will you take me to the hospital?"

Right in front of me, her brand-new husband, without an ounce of shame.

Sarah glanced back at me. "Roland, Simon isn't feeling well. I'm going to take him to the hospital. The driver will bring you home."

The first day after signing the license in my last life had played out exactly the same way. One phone call from Simon, and she was gone. I'd sat alone in the bridal suite all night, waiting like a fool.

Back then, I'd actually believed she was just looking after her little brother.

I nodded at them both. "Sure. Take your time. I'll manage."

Sarah seemed displeased by how calm I was. Her brows knitted and she opened her mouth to say something, but Simon was already pulling her into the car.

Once the sports car disappeared down the road, I took out my phone and called the finance department.

"Has the money come through?"

"Yes, Mr. Kaufman."

The corner of my mouth curved upward.

"Transfer it to the offshore account immediately. Then call the police and report the company for suspected illegal fundraising. File for bankruptcy protection."

Back at the apartment Sarah had set up as our marital home, I swept every matching couple's trinket she'd prepared into the trash. Then I booked the earliest flight out of the country.

I was about to walk out the door when it slammed open.

Sarah charged in, seized me by the throat, and pinned me against the wall.

"Roland, you played me!"

A vein throbbed at her temple. Her eyes were wide, blazing.

"You moved the money? And filed for bankruptcy yourself?"

My head was forced back against the wall. The pressure on my windpipe was suffocating, but I kept my gaze locked on hers.

"That's right."

"Your money, Ms. Delgado. I found it too dirty to keep."

Her grip tightened.

"You're asking to die!"

I forced a smile through the choking.

"Then kill me."

"Kill me, and you'll never see that money again."

Sarah released me.

I slid down the wall and crumpled to the floor, clutching my throat, coughing violently.

She crouched down and gripped my face between her fingers.

"Roland, you think you can run?"

"Your father's ashes are still at the cemetery. Try me. I'll have someone scatter them by tomorrow."

I couldn't stop shaking.

In my last life, she'd used my father's ashes as leverage to force me into donating bone marrow to Simon.

I lunged forward and slapped her across the face as hard as I could.

"Sarah, you're an animal!"

Her head snapped to the side. She ran her tongue along the inside of her struck cheek.

When she turned back to me, her face was a mask of fury.

"Good hit."

"Since you refuse to behave, don't blame me for what comes next."

She stood and made a call.

"Cancel Roland's flight. Freeze every bank account under his name."

"And send someone to the cemetery. Keep watch."

After she hung up, she looked down at me from above.

"Starting today, you don't go anywhere without my permission."