Chapter 1

After my boyfriend Ethan Cross died in a car accident because of me, I remained unmarried until I turned thirty.

My parents and friends all urged me to move on.

Even he begged me in my dreams to look forward.

So I agreed to a blind date, planning to say goodbye to him on his death anniversary.

But just as I left the cemetery, I came across a post online.

[Sixth anniversary! My husband bought me another luxury penthouse!]

Looking at the photo, my whole body trembled, my scalp tingling.

In the picture, the boyfriend I had personally buried was tenderly embracing a woman.

I tracked down the address and knocked on the door.

The moment our eyes met, I froze in place.

This woman was none other than Vivian Quinn, the secretary Ethan had cheated with and fired six years ago.

Our eyes met, and a flash of panic crossed Vivian's face.

"Winona..."

She reflexively tried to close the door, but I blocked it.

Just then, conversation from Ethan's friends drifted from the elevator.

"Ethan's been married for six years now, and she's still trapped in the pain of his death, unable to move on. She's thirty this year and still hasn't married."

"I heard she recently agreed to go on blind dates. Probably ready to let go finally."

"I'm just saying, what Ethan pulled was truly ruthless. Back then, he clearly crashed into that highway overpass because Vivian sent him a provocative photo—he was too eager to respond. But he let Winona believe he was rushing to celebrate her birthday."

"Winona even tried to kill herself several times out of guilt."

"But at least now that she's agreed to blind dates, she'll probably get married soon."

"Keep it down, don't let Ethan hear..."

Turning the corner and meeting my gaze, their voices cut off abruptly.

His childhood friend Marcus Smith's eyes darted away.

"Winona, what are you doing here..."

Just then, a familiar voice came from inside the apartment.

"Vivian, are Marcus and the others here?"

The familiar voice from inside made my breathing catch, my heartbeat nearly stopping.

I spun around sharply to see Ethan standing there holding a bouquet of trimmed flowers. Seeing me, his body stiffened, his eyes trembling.

I looked at the banner hung in the center of the living room—"Happy Sixth Anniversary, My Love"—

I pulled my lips into a mocking smile.

"Ethan, you've been doing really well for yourself, haven't you?"

Ethan instinctively pulled Vivian behind him protectively, his face somewhat embarrassed.

Everyone else froze in place. The atmosphere turned terrifyingly silent.

Six years ago, Ethan rushed onto the highway overpass in a rainstorm to celebrate my birthday, crashed, and fell into the sea to his death.

By the time I returned, he had already become an urn of ashes.

I was consumed by guilt and grief, thinking over and over that if I hadn't been so fixated on his affair, he wouldn't have gotten into an accident trying to appease me.

The day he was buried, I collapsed from crying while clutching his gravestone.

In the days that followed, I often couldn't sleep from missing him. I'd run to the cemetery alone and stay there all night.

During the hardest times, I even attempted suicide at his grave. A cemetery caretaker found me and saved my life.

But I never imagined that it was all an elaborate scheme for him to fake his death.

I picked up the photo frame on the table, looking at the two people standing together under the aurora. My eyes burned, making my heart ache.

"Nice wedding photos. Did you take them in Iceland?"

During our engagement, Vivian, as his secretary, was involved in everything.

Once when I was debating where to take our wedding photos, she carefully suggested:

"I think Iceland would be nice, because each aurora appears only once, symbolizing uniqueness."

Ethan had smiled and said her idea was great.

But not long after, I discovered a lipstick in his car that wasn't mine.

Following the trail of clues, I identified its owner—Vivian.

I insisted on canceling the engagement, but he stood on the ledge of an eighteen-story building.

"Winona, if you cancel our engagement, I'll jump."

My heart softened immediately. I gave him a chance to cut things off cleanly.

He erased all traces, fired Vivian, and tried every way to make it up to me.

He even died by accident because of me.

But now, he stood alive before me, having built a home with that so-called "clean break" mistress.

I laughed mockingly and smashed the photo frame hard onto the floor.

Glass shattered everywhere. Vivian covered her cut face and screamed.

"Winona, can you stop being crazy!?"

Ethan's eyes immediately turned red as he roared at me.

I laughed at myself bitterly, my voice dry and painful.

"I'm being crazy? That's right, I am crazy!"

"For the six years you've been 'dead,' I've been like a madwoman every single day!"

Ethan's chest heaved violently, his eyes red-rimmed, his tone full of blame.

"Back then when I tried to jump, you were the one who stopped me!"

"I did everything you asked, but you just wouldn't let go of that one thing—you kept torturing me!"

"Do you know how exhausting my life has been?"

I slapped him across the face. The impact made my wrist ache as tears burst from my eyes.

"Ethan, you were the one who cheated! You were the one who deceived me!"

"How dare you say I tortured you, that your life was exhausting?"

Vivian knelt before me, tears blurring her vision.

"Winona, please stop fighting. This is all because of me. I'm shameless. I seduced Ethan."

"He did everything he promised you. I was the one who kept pestering him. I'll divorce him immediately."

She pitifully covered her lower abdomen. "As for the baby... I'll abort it."

Ethan's eyes and brows filled with joy.

"Vivian, you're pregnant?"