Second Life, Better Husband: Bride of the Richest Man

When my husband, Austin Hart, and I participated in the earthquake disaster relief, he discovered the corpse of his first love, Stacy Deleon, in the collapse zone.

That night, Austin left a suicide note behind before jumping off the building with our son, Clifford Hart, in order to reunite with Stacy in the afterlife.

Only then did I realize that both Austin and Clifford never cared about me, to begin with.

When I was reborn, I returned to the moment when Austin first asked for a divorce.

This time, I agreed to the divorce immediately. I even gave the custody of the three-year-old Clifford to Austin right away.

Five years later, we meet again at an auction.

Austin laces fingers with Stacy while taking Clifford's hand with the other. He mocks me, "It's only been five years, Kendra. You're really that shameless now, huh? You can't wait to latch onto me again now that you've found out I'm here!"

Clifford mocks me as well. "Mom… Wait, you should be Ms. Powell to me now. You should stop pestering my dad already. My parents and I are living a very happy life right now."

I just ignore them. Instead, I grab my daughter, Faye Gilmore, who has been sneaking food off the table, and steer her back to our seats.

But Austin flies into a fit of rage instantly. A vein pops out of his hand, which is still laced with Stacy's fingers.

"You really are shameless, Kendra Powell! We've only been separated for five years, yet you already have a daughter that old? I can't believe you're willing to resort to such despicable methods just to make me jealous! Which bastard did you have that bastard child with, huh?"

When I saw Austin Hart again five years after my rebirth, I was momentarily lost in a daze and instinctively stepped aside.

He had Stacy Deleon by the hand on one side and our eight-year-old son Clifford Hart by the other.

As people at the venue noticed them, they flocked to offer compliments. No longer the reckless young man he used to be, he handled it all with practiced ease.

"Mr. Hart, as the wealthiest person in Avenir now, your prospects are truly boundless. Becoming the richest person in the nation is surely just around the corner!"

"This must be your wife and son. If your ex-wife knew how well you're doing now, she'd surely be filled with regret. What a shame she had no such fortune."

"Absolutely. Just seeing the three of you standing together is such a beautiful sight. You truly are the model family of Avenir!"

"It's remarkable. Mr. Clifford doesn't resemble your ex-wife at all. To me, he and Mrs. Hart look just like mother and son."

At the flattering remark, a flicker of unease crossed Stacy's face. Her hands tightened unconsciously around her purse as she forced an awkward smile.

Clifford, lacking the social pretense of an adult, rolled his eyes at the person and retorted bluntly, "Are you blind? My mom and dad are just engaged. They're not even married yet."

The person turned red with embarrassment and hurriedly apologized.

Huddled in the corner, I tensed involuntarily. Five years had passed, yet they still hadn't married.

In my previous life, everyone knew how madly Austin was in love with Stacy. I alone was the fool, blind to it all.

Upon hearing that Stacy was in the disaster zone, Austin immediately took Clifford and me to assist with the earthquake relief efforts. Though in truth, he went solely to search for Stacy.

After three days and nights of searching, they finally found Stacy's body beneath the rubble. Austin and Clifford clung to her lifeless form, weeping bitterly.

That same night, they left a suicide note and jumped from a building.

After my rebirth, Austin gladly gave up half his fortune in the divorce, all for the chance to start over with Stacy.

Since he loved her that much, why hadn't they married in all the five years they had been together?

"Everyone knows how much you love your wife, Mr. Hart. Why, just last month, you donated 300 million dollars on her behalf. So, why haven't you married her yet?" someone in the crowd voiced the very question on my mind.

A flicker of unreadable emotion passed through Austin's eyes as he replied politely, "I want to work harder to give Stacy more assets. She's the woman I love the most in this life, so I refuse to let her settle for anything less."

So, this was what it meant to truly love someone. The Austin from my previous life was nothing like the exceptional man he was now.

Back then, it took both our salaries just to support Clifford. I once suggested he sell one of his patents, only to have him angrily curse me for being shallow and materialistic.

When I urged him to start his own business to build a better future for Clifford, he pointed a finger in my face and snapped, "If you think I'm useless now, why didn't you marry someone more capable back then?"

Only now did I understand that he wasn't incapable of drive or ambition. It was just that he wasn't willing to exert either of them for my sake.