Chapter 1

Selene was exchanging her memories of Charlie for a chance to go back 13 years in time with a man and a woman, who stood before her. The woman reminded, "Actually, you could wish for Charlie to change his mind. Wouldn't that be better? You've got 15 years of history with him. The second he changes his mind, the two of you will be able to continue living out your dreams." Selene interjected, "There's no need for that. My only desire is to go back in time to before I met him. I don't want anything to do with him." The man nodded and said, "It looks like you've made up your mind. What about this? Come back in ten days, and I'll erase every happy memory you have of Charlie. Then, I'll send you back in time." "Thanks." Selene closed her eyes and woke up in bed, back in her own reality. A baby's wails could be heard from the other room, accompanied by the loving coos of her father. "Don't cry, my dear Malcolm. Daddy's here. Daddy will always be by your side." A woman said with a smile, "You can't keep holding him in your arms. You'll spoil him." Charlie was unfazed. "Are you jealous of the fact that Malcolm prefers me over you?" She huffed and grumbled, "Fine, I'll leave the two of you to it. I'm just a lowly waitress." Charlie chuckled warmly and said, "Alright, don't get worked up over this. I love Malcolm because you gave birth to him…" When Selene heard that, her heart squeezed painfully. Once upon a time, Charlie had asked her for a baby as well. He would say, "Darling, let's have a baby together. I'll learn to prepare the baby's bottle and change his diaper. You can leave everything to me, including burping him or putting him to bed." Back then, Selene had been drunk on the high of being loved by Charlie. She asked, "Do you like children?" "I'll love them because you were the one who birthed them for me," he replied. His sweet nothings echoed in Selene's head still. Yet, a different woman had already given birth to his child. Selene and Charlie were high school sweethearts. Having dated for more than ten years, they were the couple that everyone envied. Those who knew them sang praises for their perfect love story. However, everything came to an end three years ago. Selene was kidnapped, and her captors demanded a ransom of five million dollars. At that point, Charlie had already assumed his position as CEO of Grant Corporation. Five million dollars wasn't a huge amount of money to him. When Selene found out how much her captors had asked for, she secretly sighed in relief. Charlie would save her. After all, he adored Selene. Yet, to Selene's surprise, Charlie didn't respond to any of the letters asking for ransom. Even her captors mocked her, "A perfect love story? He's the CEO of Grant Corporation, but he won't even spend five million on freeing you." In their attempts to blackmail Charlie, they tortured Selene and took pictures of her pitiful state. Then, they sent the pictures to Charlie. However, their efforts all yielded the same result. Charlie never replied. Selene's captors even showed her a newspaper article detailing how Charlie was about to get married to his girlfriend of 15 years. In the photo, Charlie had his arm around a girl who looked like Selene. Her name was Bella. He grinned down at her lovingly. Selene's heart felt as though it had stopped beating. Any feelings she had for Charlie were extinguished entirely. In the end, the police saved her. Selene was brought to the hospital. As a result of prolonged abuse, Selene fell into a coma. She languished in a hospital bed for three years, during which Charlie got married, went on honeymoon, and witnessed the birth of his first child. After their marriage, Bella seldom appeared in public. The journalists all thought she was Selene and constantly praised Charlie for his unwavering love. The first thing Selene did when she woke up was to seek Charlie out. She wanted to ask him why he'd ignored her captors' letters asking for ransom. Why had he allowed her to be tortured to an inch of her life without stepping in? Could he really not spare five million dollars? When Charlie met with her, his gaze was shifty, and he couldn't quite meet Selene's eyes. Sighing, he explained, "Selene, back then, I'd just taken over the Grant Corporation. While I could've spared five million dollars, the shareholders would've made a fuss if I used company money to save my girlfriend! "My position would be threatened, and our corporate partners would worry about our finances. The fruits of my years of labor would be gone in an instant! I didn't have a choice. "In addition, I made a police report. It's their job to apprehend kidnappers and save the victims, isn't it? I trusted they would be able to save you." Selene could hardly resist the urge to laugh at his excuses. "Even so, why did you marry that woman despite knowing that I had been saved?" Charlie said, "You were unconscious, and no one knew when you would wake up. What if you never did? I can't wait for you forever. The Grant Corporation is a huge business that needs an heir to take over after me. "I spent a long time picking out a woman who looked as similar to you as possible. Bella was the one I found. To me, she's nothing more than a placeholder for you. You've always been the love of my life." His love? Selene snorted. Now, that "placeholder" of his was living in the house Charlie used to live in with Selene. Even Selene's old art studio had been repurposed into a baby room. Selene was stuffed into a small storeroom instead. Beside her, the happy family laughed, as though Selene was the stranger amongst them. As that was the case, Selene no longer wanted to continue living like this. Rather than staying in such a pathetic situation, she preferred to leave in pursuit of a life of her own. Ten days later, Selene would be transported 13 years into the past, back when she was still in high school. Selene had always demonstrated exceptional artistic talent, but she'd let it go to waste after getting together with Charlie. If she could go back, Selene had promised herself she'd devote herself to her classes, hone her craft, and live out her best life!