Same shit, different day.I would never deny that I had been in love with Ivy, but my dear father Henry had certainly schemed hard for my sake.He naturally had his ulterior motives—in fact, his company grew like clockwork as soon as he partnered with Jenner Inc.And after I married Ivy, he would always call me home, telling me repeatedly to sweet-talk Ivy, just so that he could squeeze her for more capital to fund his company's growth.It seemed that be it in the last life or this one, my marriage and myself were mere tools. In fact, Henry had never cared if married life was good for me, while I slaved away for him just because he was my father.From a certain point of view, I was every bit the freeloader Ivy said I was. Even as my rage blazed inside, I put more food on my own plate before looking up at Henry in disdain."Ivy doesn't owe us anything," I told him calmly, "so I'm not going to ask her for anything. If you want an investment, put together a proposal and present it
"Hmm…" Ivy murmured nonchalantly, seemingly uninterested.Jack was delighted nonetheless, thinking that Ivy was agreeing to give him a job, only for Ivy to continue just then, "I'm sorry, but I'm not a person who gives handouts. You have neither the credentials nor the experience to get a job in Jenner Inc."Jack's smile stiffened. "Ivy…"I was already smiling, even as Ivy suddenly snapped at Jack, "Did I ever allow you to use my first name? Did your parents never teach you basic manners?"Also, you're not even as good looking as Isaac. And without brains or any skills to speak of, why would Isaac be worried about you? That you'd snap?"Jack's hand trembled even as he held his phone, his face turning dark.Even I could not stop myself from laughing out loud, when Ivy said, "I know you're there, Isaac. Take the phone already."Hearing that, I snatched the phone and hung up.Jack stared at it, shaking with rage even as I clicked my tongue.Ivy always had a sharp tongue, and it s
Uncle Benji stayed silent, but I did not give up. "Please, Uncle Benji…"He simply turned away, clearly refusing to talk.I did not pressure him for my part. I had been cold, and there was nothing I could say to make things better. "The doctor said that your heart's condition is very serious and requires further examination with proper equipment and surgery as soon as possible. This can't wait."With those words, I picked up the flask by the bed to get some hot water.The dispenser was just beside the doctor's lounge, and I overheard a doctor's phone call as I worked it."The flight's next week? Got it. I'll take good care of myself once I'm abroad."Hearing the word abroad, I turned my head for some reason to find the cool visage of the man standing there in his white coat.It was Ivy's one true love… But he was leaving already?I spaced out even as I remembered what had happened in my past life.After that man went abroad, Ivy realized that she could not leave without him an
I could hear a laugh of disdain from the other end, before Ivy's lofty voice rang in my ears. "You're the one who stated clearly in the divorce agreement that you wanted nothing—and you drafted said agreement yourself."It's only been days, and you're now demanding compensation for mental distress and the like. But in the end, aren't you just doing it for the money? Is it that hard to admit that you're a greedy freeloader?"I could even imagine Ivy's haughty smirk on the other end, but I did not stop myself from firing back. "Greedy? There's really no truth when you start with your insults. But I'm not interested in arguing either—think what you will, but you're paying me alimony.""And why is that?" Ivy asked icily."Because I cooked the food you ate for a year," I growled through clenched teeth. "In fact, I took care of everything, from your wardrobe to your basic needs."I won't deny that you're incredible at making money, but I've not been goofing off entirely either. Even hir
It was the familiar voice of Bryan Cox—Ivy's one true love.I promptly shut up and tactfully hung up.So that bitch had already brought the man home without a care, but she would still stop me from divorcing her? Could she be so keen on two-timing?Moreover, Bryan was certainly a bold one, visiting the house of a woman infatuated with him despite the late hour. What was that if not a sheep walking into a wolf's den?Still, it struck me—so what if they were? What did that have to do with me, the ex-husband?Now, all I had to do was live well."Isaac!"Before I knew it, Kyle was back with a large bag of cooking ingredients, waving it at me as he said, "Here, I promised a feast. I took my sweet time picking everything too."I beamed in delight. "You're cooking? Nice!"See? Even my friend would cook for me, but my wife never did.As he left the kitchen and I followed to help, he did not show me, instead asking, "So, was that the evil entity they call Ivy Jenner over the phone?"
I did not take the last part to heart, only noting that Bryan was the one who had visited Ivy uninvited.I frowned, as I clearly remembered that Bryan had been neutral toward Ivy at best. It was Ivy who had pulled every trick in the book, chasing after him relentlessly to finally claim him to himself.And despite his cool demeanor, Bryan must have been unable to bring himself to reject her since he did not want to humiliate her, which was why she went to the mansion.Since there was no way Walter would know the whole story, he mostly likely was just saying what he thought was the case.But I had long since given up, and they could do anything they wanted.All I had to do was to worry about myself and refrain from getting involved with them at all, staying alive and avoiding the tragedy of my last life.Seeing me space out, Walter spoke to me again, saying, "I've been driving Ms. Jenner around for years. She has always been very strict, but she's been nicer in the year you came in
The Jenners were as rich as they were influential.In fact, this was just a modest luncheon in the family, but they were each dressed grandly and judgemental, fearful that the family would belittle them.I looked around but did not see Ivy's grandfather, only spotting Mrs. Jenner—my mother-in-law.Dressed grandly, she was the center of attention as she mingled jovially with the guests.After all, she hosted this luncheon, just like she did in my last life.That was when Mrs. Jenner spotted us and hurried over excitedly.A youth around eighteen followed her, just as grandly dressed—he was Carl Jenner, Ivy's younger brother."You're finally here! I've been waiting for so long!" Mrs. Jenner exclaimed just then, overjoyed as she reached Ivy.Ivy hugged her arm, suddenly not the haughty girlboss but a sweet daughter. "Had something to do. I came as soon as I could, didn't I?"Mrs. Jenner studied her dainty, fair cheeks as she caressed them, her eyes pained as she asked, "Why do you
Hearing Carl, everyone in the room immediately chatted audibly among themselves.Mrs. Jenner glanced proudly at him, before turning back to me, "So? What are you doing, just standing there? Head over to the kitchen already."I simply folded my arms while smiling at them. "Are you saying that the illustrious Jenner family can't even afford a chef? It certainly feels like you're treating me like one, telling me to cook for your entire family and all."Mrs. Jenner was utterly shocked as she obviously didn't expect a retort from me, and she glowered, "What are you talking about? I'm giving you a chance to show your chops—how am I treating you like a chef?"Carl scowled as well, shaking his head in disapproval. "You married into our family, and you're already snapping at your mother-in-law! Are you going to walk over her in another few years?"Everyone else traded glances, before turning in unison toward me with looks of disgust.I remained unaffected—that was the same way they looked
My face paled as my heart felt torn. "Have you recovered? How were you doing abroad?""Yeah, I've made a full recovery." Millie smiled. "Fracture healing and rehab took over a year, and now I can walk just fine. As for life abroad… It just doesn't feel like home."Then, turning to look me in the eyes, she sighed. "If only you were there."Her words left me with a bitterness unfurling inside my heart that didn't seem to fade. I was ready to face the world alone before I met her, but now that she was here, I was leaning on her before I knew it.As I did, I wondered why couldn't I improve enough so that she could lean on me too…"I'll return the money as soon as possible. Don't worry. Thank you so much…."I was barely speaking coherently, but I couldn't help it.In my last life, Millie fractured her leg saving my life before I married Ivy. As such, I asked for the Jenners' help to treat her, as part of the deal for the wedding.She recovered in my last life too, but came to my
I nodded. "Alright, thanks."I hated the fact that I didn't divorce Ivy sooner, or I'd have been able to afford Uncle Benji's medical fees.One hundred grand… I only had twenty grand right now, and that meant I was eighty short.I called Kyle first, who promptly transferred fifty grand to me.Thirty short.I swiped through my contacts, but there weren't that many.Aside from the ones I hadn't reached out to for a while and the ones I only had a passing acquaintance with, there were only two choices… My father, and Ivy.Two of the people I wanted the least to have anything to do with.I planned on the wall, looking up as I weighed my options.If I called my father, he'd just snap at me and not give me a thing.Ivy was even worse—we were just getting a divorce, and then not?She'd definitely mock me, and divorce would become even harder then.I chose my father without hesitation, and it took a while for him to answer."What?" He asked impatiently."I need some money," I qui
Finally, I was getting divorced.It was a release, after I had been bound to this toxic marriage for so many years, in my past life and this one.Still, just as I was going to call Ivy and ask why she wasn't here yet, my phone rang, "Yes?""Mr. Isaac York?" A voice asked urgently. "I'm sorry, but your uncle's condition suddenly worsened and he's in surgery as we speak. Please come to the hospital right away."My heart clenched, and I felt like the world was spinning around me. "Okay… Okay!"I hurried to the hospital in panic, my mind a mess along the way, texting Kyle as I did.When I arrived, the red light above the doors was still lit, keeping me away from my uncle.Kyle arrived soon as well, clapping me on the shoulder. "It's going to be alright. Don't let bad thoughts consume you—heart attacks aren't that terrible, and modern medicine is a marvel."I fought back my tears. "He's my only family now, and I just got him back. I don't want to lose him."At the same time, I reme
Still, I barely made two steps when I stopped.After all, Ivy just warned me to stay away from Bryan.And with his girlfriend taking care of him, my presence was inconsequential anyway, so I decided to drop it.Still, I made sure to text Jean, as well as wiring some money as an apology to Bryan before heading to Uncle Benji's ward.I strode in to find him sitting up, staring listlessly at the ceiling, his thoughts unfathomable.With the loose patient garb and his stubble, he looked like your typical middle-aged homeless man "Uncle Benji," I called out to him.Light seemed to return to his eyes, just then, and he straightened himself, seemingly having waited for me for a while."You're back," there was some joy in his voice, even anticipation."I have some food here, so why don't you stay for lunch, have a bite?"He pointed at a table nearby, and my eyes widened as I turned—it was filled with plates of various luxurious seafood, and my favorites at that!"C-Can I really have
I might have spilled hot water on Bryan's hand, but Ivy shoved me to the floor before I could do anything about it.No one was going to be pleased with a sprained wrist, or should I be satisfied?Nonetheless, Ivy grabbed me by the collar, snapping even as I choked, "You're still pretending?! I thought you were just greedy and nothing else, but I guess you enjoy having pretty faces flocking around you, taking your side, right?!"I didn't get it, until I realized that she was accusing me of cheating.Laughing despite myself, I shrugged, "You're saying that I'm not just a bum, but a womanizer too?"My laugh left Ivy glowering, and she clenched so hard her fingers turned white. "What, are you saying that you're not? She showed up yesterday, and now today. When did you hook up with her? Is that why you're divorcing me?""Or maybe you have an entire ocean to yourself? 'Plenty of fish in the sea', and she's just one of them?"Yesterday?I narrowed my eyes as I realized something impor
Nonetheless, as long as I lived happily and ate regular meals, there shouldn't be much of a problem.The report was soon out, and I returned to the ward to show it to Bryan.Jean brought me a cup of water, probably because she saw my lips were parched. I was reading the medical report too, and didn't expect her to bring me a cup of hot water. I flinched in reflex, splashing hot water all over Bryan's hand.He flinched in turn, dropping the medical report audibly."I-I'm sorry! It's an accident!" My heart skipped a beat, and promptly grabbed his wrist, intending to get some cold water over his hand.However, even before I reached his hand, I felt a pain on my shoulder as I was shoved forcefully away.Caught off guard, I fell heavily on the floor, gasping in pain as I sprained my right hand, which I held out to stop myself from falling face flat.I then looked up to see that Ivy had grabbed Bryan's hand and rushed to the restroom.I was stunned, but soon heard the splashing in
I quickly remembered that she was the girl who almost crashed into me yesterday. "Jean Morris?"She beamed, seemingly not expecting that I would remember her name. "I'm surprised you remembered… Anyway, I brought you here since I happened to see you pass out."I recalled, earnestly grateful to her even as I recalled the moment I passed out. "Thank you so much! How much did they charge you?"Jean didn't turn me down, but I was also dead sure the sum she had asked for was way lower than it should have been. As such, I made sure to get the check and wired an extra hundred as thanks.She was clearly too embarrassed to accept the money when she saw the transfer records, so I made sure to reason with her so she would happily take the money.Ever the nice girl, she then told me, "I think you have a condition. You should stay for further examinations."I looked down at my own stomach as I touched it, and there really was a vague pain. I nodded—having died of stomach cancer in my last l
The girl appeared hesitant. "Well, I could, but it's raining and I just got my license…"She trailed off, and I chuckled, as I realized I was simply too used to tough women with Ivy's overbearing attitude. The girl, however, was a delicate flower, and unassuming girl-next-door type who immediately invoked my protectiveness."I have a driving license," I told her. "Would you like me to take the wheel?"She did not protest, tactfully riding shotgun while letting me drive.As we conversed along the way, it turned out that she was a concept artist like me in anime.Her eyes sparkled, clearly more surprised than I was. "I didn't think that we're actually from the same field!"I chuckled, not expecting her to be such a chatterbox despite her shy appearance.Before I got off, she added me on WhatsApp, saying she hoped to stay in touch and learn more from me.I smiled as I watched her pretty grin. "Sure."Nonetheless, as I returned to Kyle's home—having taken off my wet shoes, he stud
My heart skipped a beat.Ivy took that gift bag out of the car, and then returned with it.Was it really not a gift for Bryan Cox?Was it really a present for our anniversary, but she didn't have a chance to give it to me while we were inside the mansion?Even as Ivy approached the car, I started to get nervous as my doubts and hopes clashed.The instant she opened the door, however, I once again died inside as Ivy stared coolly at me and said quietly, "Get out of the car."I was stumped, staring at her and not quite believing my ears. "What?""Get out of the car," she repeated.Even Walter had turned toward her in surprise, but did not dare breathe a word.I glanced at the gift bag she was holding in dismay.Why did I have to dream? How could I even hope that she'd give me a present?Still, I looked her in the eye and demanded, "Why? You're the one who demanded that I attend this luncheon, and now you're telling me to leave. What do you think you're playing yet?"I knew sh