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One look was all it took. I knew he was different.
Shaffer was reborn, too.
His eyes were the eyes of the man I knew ten years from now Resolute, calm, and also… gentle.
His voice was hoarse. “Luna… why didn’t you come to me? You came back, too, didn’t you? That proposal… I know you made it. Only you are capable of that.”
His expression was deeply emotional, perhaps because the memory of us tangled in bed together was still so vivid.
It would be a lie to say that, after being reborn, I felt nothing for him.
Chapter 2
It would be a lie to say that, after being reborn, I felt nothing for him.
05.39 3
But those feelings were nowhere near strong enough to make me cast aside my pride and beg the eighteen–year–old Shaffer to love me the way his twenty–eight–year–old self did
It was like standing beside Scarlett in front of him; Scarlett would always be the exception.
In our past life, I had voiced my discontent. But his reply always shut me down: “She’s my neighbor, practically my little sister. I promised her parents I would look after her.”
Men.
He could love you with one part of his heart and hold a space for another woman with the other.
He abandoned our wedding anniversary for Scarlett, only to buy me couture jewelry afterward as an apology. He left me in the hospital with a fever to rush to Scarlett’s side, only to perso- nally cook me porridge when he returned.
I knew, with absolute certainty, that he never cheated. He was always polite and proper with Scarlett, maintaining a respectable distance and rebuffing any overly familiar contact.
But she was, and always would be, his exception.
In my past life, I didn’t protest, because I had already gained so much from him. For the me back then, he was the optimal choice.
But this life…
“Because I don’t need you anymore.”
This time, I had the power to build a better future on my own. I admit I wasn’t a saint, but he was hardly pure himself. I gestured toward Scarlett, who was now running toward us in a
panic.
“And I forgot to congratulate you on getting your wish. I hope you two live happily ever after.”
Shaffer looked frustrated, clearly assuming I was just throwing a tantrum. “Luna, don’t say things like that. We’re husband and wife. If you need my help to solve this, the doors to the Ast- or Corporation are always open to you.”
Watching him patiently comfort Scarlett and lead her away, I couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh.
If he had wanted to, he could have solved this for me directly. Was he waiting for me to surrender?
Besides.
Had Shaffer forgotten? He had a girlfriend now.
