My marriage to Marcus was meant to be my ticket to unparalleled happiness. Despite knowing that he didn't harbor feelings for me, I held onto the hope that my relentless affection would eventually make him fall for me. However, after five long years, he remained unmoved, not sparing me a second glance. Instead, he found his true love, flaunting her in a way he never did with me, and severed all ties with me because of her. I was shattered, broken beyond repair. Even as I lay on my deathbed, he didn't bother to bid me a final farewell. When I awoke, I was reborn. I was still Marcus's wife, and it was two months before he was to encounter his true love. In this life, I was resolved not to let him wound me again. I decided to ask him for a divorce to avoid the heartbreak I had previously endured. But he dismissed my request, tearing up the divorce papers time after time, thinking I was playing hard to get. To prove my seriousness, I went ahead and filed for divorce. It was only then that he panicked. He abandoned his 'dream woman' and rushed to my side, begging me not to leave him. That sparked a battle within me. On one hand, I was afraid of being hurt once more. On the other, I couldn't bear to let go of the man I loved so deeply. What should I do?
I never thought that my miserable life could have a chance to start over again.
After a tragic death in my previous life, I was reborn on the fifth anniversary of my marriage to my husband, Marcus Bennett.
I sat on the sofa, waiting for him all day. It was already late at night, but he still hadn't come back.
I couldn't help but sneer, "Is this the marriage I refused to give up in my previous life?"
Every year on our wedding anniversary, I would carefully prepare a candlelit dinner and gifts, but he never came back.
Unexpectedly, I heard the sound of a car parking in the courtyard.
Today, he actually came back!
My heart was in a whirl. In my past life, Marcus insisted on divorcing me for another woman. I disagreed, so he pushed me to a dead end and even went so far as to wipe out my parents.
I thought I would hate him after being reborn, but when I stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window and saw this tall man getting out of the car, I found that my heart was surprisingly calm.
In my previous life, Marcus proposed a peaceful divorce and offered me a share of the Bennett Group stake - Preposterously lavish for a lifetime's spending.
But my stubbornness got the best of me then. I couldn't comprehend how I spent a decade of my youth and didn't get a fraction of his affection.
Another woman, however, just spent a year, and he was head over heels for her, even willing to stand against the world for her. How could that be fair?
My unwillingness and grievances gradually steered us toward a life-and-death showdown.
But now, I've come to my senses.
Why bother?
He was just a man. Since he didn't want me, then just let him go.
This time around, I wouldn't repeat the same mistakes.
When Marcus strode in with his long legs, I was already seated back on the sofa.
"Staying up so late, are you trying to scare me as a ghost?" he coldly remarked, his eyes scanning over me, as harsh as ever.
"Let's talk." I look up at him.
I must say, apart from not loving me, this man really had no other flaws.
Physically, he was nearly 6.3 feet tall, with a straight figure, broad shoulders, muscular waist.
As for his face, it was the dream of millions of young girls.
In terms of family background, the Bennett family was a well-known business tycoon in Novaria. In terms of power, his name alone was enough to dominate Novaria.
Who wouldn't call such a man perfect?
"What's there to talk about between you and me?" He was as cold as ever.
"Marcus, let's get a divorce." I watched as he passed by me, feeling a lump in my throat.
Once I said that, he stopped in his tracks and laughed, "Marina, what is wrong with you?"
I stared at him, with a slight smile on my lips.
Today, the first thing I did after being reborn was to meet Blanche Hicks, the woman who made him infatuated and even willing to go against everyone for her in my previous life.
She was a youthful and vibrant college girl, as pure as a jasmine flower.
Now she was working part-time at a coffee shop.
In my previous life, I never had a chance to meet her even before I died, because Marcus truly protected her like the apple of his eye.
I proposed to see her once and just talk, but he rejected me.
So, I became excessively curious about what kind of woman she really was!
Today I met her.
Young, beautiful, innocent, kind, cheerful... all these wonderful adjectives seemed to suit her perfectly.
I couldn't help but compare her flawless figure to mine which had become thin due to anorexia. After all, who would want to sleep with a bunch of bones?
"I'm serious," I said solemnly.
Marcus squinted at me with his deep eyes, his gaze full of oppression.
But I didn't care at that moment. "It's been five years, and our marriage is in name only. I have always known that you don't love me and will never fall in love with me. So let's end it here. Let's set each other free."
My voice was soft, without much fluctuation.
A month later, he would meet Blanche, who was working as a greeter at a large-scale business symposium in Novaria. He would fall in love with her at first sight and do whatever it took to win her over!
In my previous life, I did everything I could and should.
But in the end, I could only be cannon fodder in their love story and even sacrificed my own family.
Knowing the outcome, why should I beg so desperately?
Let go early, free myself early.
I didn't know if it was my indifferent attitude that angered him or something else, but his gaze suddenly became particularly cold. I felt like he wanted to strangle me.
After all, Marcus has always had a bad temper. Whoever upset him, he would certainly seek his revenge.
As he looked at me, his eyes were filled with raw hostility. "Marina Pickett, are you playing me?
"Five years ago, the person who was desperate to marry me was you. Now the one who wants a divorce is also you. What? Am I your toy at your disposal?"
I pursed my lips.
Yes, it was indeed me who forced him to marry me five years ago.
At that time, my family had a good relationship with the Bennett family, and I had been secretly in love with Marcus for five years already.
In reality, he had never considered marrying me. It was just that his grandfather, Landon Bennett, was gravely ill, and together we pressured him into marrying me.
There might be no melodramatic love triangles or stand-ins between Marcus and me, but the fact that Marcus didn't love me but was forced to marry me became his greatest shame.
And at that time, he was in a critical period of taking over the family business, and my family was a kind of support for him. Based on this, we managed to get by for five years.
"What? Could it be that you've fallen in love with me during these five years? Can't bear to let go?" I said with a bitter smile.
"Fallen in love with you?" Marcus suddenly approached me, his hands on the sofa, trapping me in his embrace. Towering beside my ear, he casually said, "Marina, are you still dreaming?"
Marcus liked smoking, so there was always a faint hint of tobacco on him. It was subtle and surprisingly pleasant.
He never hugged me, but I had once held his coat close and sniffed it, infatuated.
Now as I take in that scent again, there was no joy, just annoyance. "We have endured a marriage that exists in name only for five years. Do you really wish for it to continue?"
I was tired.
"In name only?"
Marcus raises an eyebrow, "What? Do you want sex?"