chapter 1

In my previous life, my childhood sweetheart and fiancé, Caleb Clarke, received a phone call during our engagement party.

His first love, Simone Turner, who was carrying his child, had committed suicide.

Caleb abandoned me to arrange a proper funeral for Simone, yet after we married, we still lived together in perfect harmony.

Unexpectedly, ten years later, he leveraged my family's influence to secure his position.

The first thing he did was destroy my family—Dad died of a stroke in a fit of anger, and Mom fell into a depression that eventually claimed her life.

In the end, I died filled with hatred.

Before I passed, he said, "You drove my Simi to her death and killed her unborn child. You deserve to die!"

But fortune favored me, and when I opened my eyes, I found myself back at our engagement party…

The scene before me was unmistakably familiar—it was my engagement party with Caleb.

At first, I thought it was a final vision before death.

After a while, I realized I had been given a second chance—I was reborn.

In this life, I would never let my parents die tragically.

I would not use my family's influence to pave the way for Caleb.

And I certainly wouldn't get in the way of Caleb and Simone being together.

Caleb was beside me.

He lowered his voice and said, "Amelia, don't think forcing me to marry you will make me love you. Once my family is stable, I'll divorce you and give Simi her rightful place!"

My family was one of the top wealthy families in Vindtorp, and the Clarke family was originally on equal footing with us.

However, a recent project the Clarke family invested in ran into trouble, and their cash flow collapsed—they needed a capital injection just to stay afloat.

I glanced at him calmly and offered a friendly reminder, "Caleb, maybe you should go check on your precious Simi. She might be doing something drastic."

His expression darkened.

"What did you do to Simi?" he asked sharply.

I curved my lips in a faint smile.

"I wouldn't stoop that low. You'd better go check for yourself."

As expected, Caleb stormed out just like in my previous life.

Hopefully, this time, he wouldn't blame Simone's potential suicide on me.

With Caleb gone, everyone stared at me, trying to read my reaction.

Caleb's mother, Yasmin Wright, rushed over, trying to defend her son. "Amelia, Caleb must have some urgent matter. Don't worry, he'll be back soon."

I sneered inwardly.

She was saying the same thing she had in my previous life.

Yasmin knew full well that Caleb had already gotten Simone pregnant.

She also secretly hoped Simone would bear an heir for the Clarke family.

I didn't bother listening to her further. I went straight to the stage.

I announced I was breaking off the engagement and turned the party into a gathering for Vindtorp's elite to mingle and network.

The crowd erupted in surprise.

Most of them were laughing at the Clarke family while feeling sympathy for me.

Caleb usually relied on his family's influence to boss people around in the social circle and showed very little respect.

If it weren't for our marriage alliance, everyone would have jumped at the chance to put him in his place.

Now, seeing me break off the engagement, they were naturally pleased.

After announcing it, I stepped down from the stage. My parents didn't seem upset. In fact, they seemed quite approving.

In my previous life, when they learned about Caleb's actions before our engagement, they tried to persuade me otherwise.

But I felt indebted to Caleb's parents and stubbornly chose a path that led only to ruin.

Caleb played his part flawlessly right in front of me, and I was blind and foolish enough not to see it. I didn't notice his calculated revenge or his ruthless ambition.

Dad smiled gently and reassured me. "Breaking off the engagement might be for the best. That guy already had someone on the side before you even got married. Who knows how he would have treated you in the future?"

My eyes welled up.

I knew no matter what I did, my parents would always be my support.

Fortunately, in this second chance at life, my parents were alive, and I could turn things around.

Yasmin approached slowly, her round figure moving with effort, smiling boldly. "Amelia, how could you break off the engagement on your own?"

"Mrs. Clarke, you don't need to say more. Caleb went to Simone's place. She's carrying his child," I said calmly.

"He even told me he doesn't love me. Once your family is stable, he plans to divorce me and marry Simone," I added.