Reborn Wife Regrets Choosing the Tycoon

In my past life, Riley and I had grown up together. We were inseparable from childhood and fell in love naturally. As soon as we graduated from college, we got married.

The Langleys and the Sawyers were both affluent, upper-middle-class families and longtime business partners. Our households were harmonious, our careers flourished, and everyone envied the life we led.

However, that happiness didn't last. The Sawyers were reported for tax evasion. Sawyer Group went bankrupt, and Riley's parents were arrested. My family got caught up in it too, and overnight, our world turned upside down.

We didn't complain. I worried that Riley wouldn't be able to handle the blow, so I was more attentive than ever. I reminded her that as long as we were alive, there was still hope.

Riley's pride was unyielding. To make sure she never had to be embarrassed in front of anyone, I slept only four hours a night, worked three jobs to support her, and bought her every luxury I could.

My parents stepped down from their status to work as well, paying off the Sawyers' debts so the family could be reunited sooner.

Our classmates were moved by our love and offered words of encouragement. However, Riley couldn't bear the humiliation of having once been the admired school beauty reduced to this state. She even interpreted our kindness as mockery.

"Are they laughing at me because I'm pathetic now?" she muttered.

One day, a close-up of Benjamin at some event appeared on TV. The host introduced him as the youngest, most accomplished heir in the city.

A strange light flickered in Riley's eyes.

"If I had chosen Benjamin back then, even if my family had faced trouble, we wouldn't have ended up like this."

Once that thought took root, there was no undoing it. Riley grew increasingly resentful toward me and even hurled cruel words in my face.

I was exhausted to the point of mental breakdown, and her sharp remarks kept me awake at night. I lost so much weight that I looked like a skeleton. Yet I still blamed myself, thinking I hadn't done enough.

I pushed harder to win her back, sometimes going days without sleep. Finally, on our anniversary, I scraped together enough money to buy the diamond ring she had been longing for.

"Riley, wear this ring. I've always wanted to see you smile while wearing it. Trust me. I'll give you the life you've always wanted. No one loves you more than I do."

Riley flew into a rage and threw the ring into the sewer.

"Look at yourself! Are you trying to make me feel guilty, or are you just trying to use our past to earn sympathy? If I hadn't valued our childhood bond, I never would have agreed to your proposal. I gave up a better choice for you. Now I realize that nostalgia is the cruelest thing in the world!"

She vented all her anger, shoving me so hard that the gas valve on the stove was knocked open. Even after punching and kicking me, she wasn't satisfied. She grabbed my clothes and forced me toward the window. When it opened, a deafening explosion blasted both of us across the room.

My parents died soon after from heartbreak-induced heart attacks.

It wasn't meant to happen this way. Who had truly destroyed whose life?

I gathered myself and calmly took back the ring. "Sorry, you've misunderstood."

I cherished my current life too much to be dragged down by the past.

Riley pursed her lips and stood there with a resentful glare fixed on me, unwilling to leave.

Benjamin watched silently, his knuckles turning white from anger. But due to his status, he forced a calm smile, picked up a glass of wine, and wrapped his arm possessively around Riley's waist.

"Riley, these are all guests. How could we turn them away just because of their lower status?"

He smiled and, whether on purpose or not, spilled red wine onto my head.

"Oh, sorry. My hand slipped. Jared, you're not going to misunderstand, are you?"