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Still a Blessing When I Start Over Novel Cover

Still a Blessing When I Start Over

In the modern novel Still a Blessing When I Start Over, a woman reflects on a relationship spanning over a decade. Having spent five years dating and seven years as a wife, she has remained steadfast, never once failing to celebrate her husband’s birthday. Twelve years of memories are preserved through tokens kept in a storage closet. However, this year’s milestone brings an unexpected shift, challenging her devotion and the future of her marriage.
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Chapter 7

Jenna clutched her phone and did not respond. She only took screenshots of all the messages Luna sent. Her hands shook while she did it.

In a daze, she thought of her wedding day. Matthew had held her hand and solemnly vowed, "Everything else in this world may change, but I'll always love Jenna. I'll never stray or have a change of heart."

She trusted him very much and always thought that she was the only one for him, but it turned out that nothing lasted forever. He had long grown tired of their lukewarm relationship, which was why Luna appeared.

The pages of the notebook in front of Jenna were stained with tears. She clutched her hands tightly and reassured herself that it would all be over soon.

Matthew was still angry when he came back that evening. "Jenna, Luna is my savior. You shouldn't have treated her this way today. Her parents preferred sons to daughters, so they forced her to help her younger brother. She has gone through so much suffering from a young age. To support her family and feed herself, she took up a job delivering food.

"Luna is really pitiful while you have everything. You shouldn't pick on such an unfortunate girl."

Jenna stared at him for a long time before tears slowly ran down her face. She tried to wipe them, but they only flowed more violently. In the end, she covered her face with her hands and burst into tears. She thought to herself, 'I see. Turns out this is the surprise. That's what this performance is all about.'

All of this was done to make her compromise and agree to let Luna stay by Matthew's side as his assistant. He had gone through so much trouble.

Matthew instantly panicked when he saw her reaction. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be mean to you, Jenna. Babe, don't cry. It's all my fault. I was wrong. I shouldn't have been so harsh..."

He even kneeled on the ground and grabbed Jenna's hand to slap himself in the face repeatedly. "I'm sorry, Jenna. Please stop crying, okay? It hurts me when you do this."

Jenna covered her face while Matthew continued to coax and apologize. There was no impatience—only guilt, panic, and sorry.

Jenna cried for a long time. Finally, she said breathlessly, "You have my approval. Arrange a job for her."

Surprise flickered in Matthew's eyes. He kissed Jenna's cheek. "Thank you, Jenna. I knew you're the kindest."

In the middle of the night, Matthew gently called out to Jenna, "Jenna, are you asleep?"

After repeatedly confirming in a gentle tone that she was asleep, Matthew got up and went to the balcony to make a phone call. "See, I told you I could solve this. Just report to the company tomorrow. Don't worry. No one will dare to make things difficult for you."

Jenna listened in silence. She was a few steps away and separated by a glass door.

Matthew whispered touching sweet words to Luna, "Now, we can finally spend every day together openly." His tone was extremely gentle and affectionate while white smoke rose from between his fingers.

Jenna stared at him blankly until Matthew turned his head as if he had noticed something and met her eyes through the glass. He froze in place. "Jenna."

Jenna closed her eyes briefly and asked in a hoarse voice, "Matthew, who are you talking on the phone with?"

"My subordinate at work. There's a small issue with the new proposal, and they're asking me for my input." He put away his phone and walked toward her, his tone sounding so natural as if he had used the same excuse countless times before.

She smelled the lingering smell of tobacco on him and coughed slightly. Nervous, he reached out to feel her forehead. "You're not running a fever again, are you? It's been raining outside, and the weather's chilly. How about I turn up the air conditioning?"

As he spoke, he imperceptibly scanned her face as though observing whether she had overheard what he had said earlier.

Jenna pulled her pajamas a little tighter around herself and gently responded, "Yeah, sure." Her tone was gentle and calm as usual.

He breathed a sigh of relief as he relaxed slowly. "Let's go back to bed."

He quickly fell asleep once back in bed.

Jenna was wrapped tightly under the covers, staring blankly at the pitch-black ceiling. Every time she closed her eyes, she would recall the past. Whether it was when they first got together or when he successfully proposed, Matthew had promised countless times that he would never lie to her. However, every second of their time together was filled with deception.

In the moonlight, Jenna turned her head slightly as she scanned Matthew's features inch by inch. She thought, 'Matthew, I'll leave you forever in just two more days. I hope you'll be pleased with your birthday gift this year.'