Reborn and Unbound: No Ties to My Husband

By a twist of fate, my husband, Morgan Lancaster, and I perish together in a sea of flames.

When I open my eyes again, I find myself back on the very day we received our marriage certificate.

In my previous life, we appeared to be a loving couple in the eyes of others, yet Morgan refused to share a bedroom with me the entire time we were married.

It was only moments before our deaths that I discovered I was merely a substitute for his first love and that he had chosen to remain chaste for her for life.

After getting another chance at life, neither of us mentions the past. Instead, by mutual understanding, we file for divorce that same day. From that point on, we go our separate ways.

Eight years later, Morgan shows up arm in arm with his childhood sweetheart, Freya Springer, at a business summit. He is now a prominent and celebrated rising star in the business world.

Seeing me dressed in a plain outfit, he approaches with a glass of champagne. His tone drips with mockery as he asks, "Ms. Smith, even if you still have feelings for me, there's no need to dress like a waitress just to get close to me. You aren't hoping for a reconciliation, are you?"

I say nothing and simply smile as I wave at someone in the distance.

My son, Theo Coltrane, toddles over and tugs at the hem of my shirt. "Mommy, Daddy says that he's tired from waiting so long. When are you coming home with us?"

The smile on Morgan's face freezes instantly, and he nearly loses his grip on the glass in his hand.

By the time I finished wrapping up the new project I was handling, it was already evening. My husband, Lucian Coltrane, called me and asked me to come to our hotel, saying he had a surprise for me.

I hurried over to our family-owned hotel, only to realize that a business summit was being held there.

The lobby was brightly lit and bustling with people. At a glance, I spotted Morgan Lancaster, my ex-husband whom I hadn't seen in eight years.

Standing beside him was Freya Springer, his childhood sweetheart, and the two of them were smiling as they chatted with the people around them.

A middle-aged man, Harvey Pratt, said to Morgan with a smile, "Mr. Lancaster, you're really soaring high these days. Your company's new office has just opened and all your investment projects have already been snapped up.

"Also, everyone knows how awfully hard it is to make a reservation at this hotel, yet you managed to do it and even host a business summit here. You're truly a role model for the rest of us."

Morgan gave a slight nod, his tone humble. "You're too kind, Mr. Pratt. If you hadn't given me a chance back then, I wouldn't be where I am today."

"Oh, come on now. There's no need to be so humble. I'll need to look to you for guidance in the future," Harvey replied.

Then, someone from the crowd chimed in and asked, "Speaking of which, I heard that you and Ms. Springer have some good news in store for us?"

Morgan glanced sideways at Freya, a smile touching the corners of his eyes. "We're having our wedding on the tenth of next month. Everyone is invited."

The crowd offered their congratulations.

All of a sudden, a tactless comment cut through. "I heard that you've been married before, Mr. Lancaster. Will you be inviting your ex-wife to the wedding?"

The smile on Morgan's face faded at once, and he responded curtly, "There's no need for us to meet again."

The person pressed on, asking, "How could that be? I heard you two were very much in love back then, and she even threw you the wedding of the century."

Freya stepped forward just in time, positioning herself slightly in front of Morgan, and said gently, "That's all in the past. Morgan and I were each other's first love. That marriage was just a misunderstanding."

The others quickly chimed in with agreement, and the topic of conversation swiftly changed.

Standing on the outer edge of the crowd, I thought back to the afternoon Morgan and I registered our marriage. Sunlight had filtered through the leaves and shone down on his face.

He held the marriage certificate for a long time before suddenly lowering his head and smiling at me, saying he had finally married me. His eyes glistened with tears.

Back then, I thought those were tears of happiness. It wasn't until later that I finally understood those tears stemmed from his longing for someone else.

Just as I was about to turn and leave, Morgan suddenly looked over.

"Ms. Smith?"