Chapter 3

Isaac looked at me, a smug smirk playing on his lips. "Seriously, Edward, if you’ve been struggling so hard these past five years, you should have just asked us for help!"

"Even if you were too embarrassed to face Grace, you could have come to beg me."

"A man with no money and no stable job... it’s just pathetic."

The fans cheered at Isaac's words, praising his generosity.

I got up, opened the heavy glass doors for a pregnant woman walking by, and then turned back to decline his offer.

"No, thank you. I can feed myself."

Having just managed three luxury weddings in a row, my entire body was aching. All I wanted was to sit down and rest.

Since I was already wearing my durable work clothes, I didn't care about manners and simply sat back down on the clean floor.

The fans gasped, looking like they wanted to physically throw me out.

"Wow, the nerve of this guy! Isaac was just being nice, who do you think you are?"

"He's staying here on purpose just to play the victim card in front of Grace."

"He wants Grace to pity him and throw him some cash! Disgusting!"

A storm of emotions flashed through Grace’s eyes, her frown deepening.

Suddenly, she reached into her designer bag, pulled out an expensive emerald necklace, and threw it right into my lap.

"Pawn it. The cash you get will be enough to buy a decent apartment."

"Whether you live in it or rent it out, you won't have to humiliate yourself working as a janitor anymore."

"Edward, there’s no need to make yourself look this miserable. No matter how much you loved me, we are in the past now."

"I don't even hold a grudge against you anymore."

"Can't we just live our own lives? Why do you have to show up like this and make things awkward for both of us?!"

Leaning against the wall, I looked at her, utterly baffled by her sudden outburst.

I couldn't understand what I had done in our past life—where I had literally given her my heart and soul—that made her "grudge-holding" and so determined to completely cut me out of her life after we both got a reset.

In our past life, Grace carried the heavy burden of her mother's terminal cancer bills.

But she was vain and beautiful, obsessed with the dream of becoming a famous Hollywood star.

To support her dream and be her rock, I didn't hesitate to remortgage the house my parents left me and gave her every single penny.

When she said she wanted to move to another state to attend an elite acting school but worried about her hospitalized mother, I didn't hesitate.

I quit my job just as I was about to be promoted to regional manager.

I spent my days and nights at the hospital, taking care of her dying mother so she could pursue her Hollywood dream without any worries.

Back then, I gave her everything.

I just wanted her to know that I loved her, and that she could lean on me.

But when she was preparing for a crucial audition and couldn't find a single designer dress in her closet, she completely snapped.

She lost her mind, scratching my arms until they bled.

"I was crazy! Why did I ever get stuck with a loser like you?!"

"You can't give me anything! If I had just accepted Isaac’s sponsorship, I wouldn't be struggling like this!"

"I hate myself for choosing you!"

From that day on, Grace became a completely different person.

She stopped talking about her acting dreams with excitement, and she stopped going to auditions.

Our relationship turned ice-cold.

The memory of her harsh words still felt like a physical stab to my chest.

To cheer me up, a close friend gifted me two tickets for a three-day tropical getaway.

Terrified of losing her, I got down on one knee on the plane and proposed.

"Grace, you are the only one I want to marry. Let’s make this official."

But I would never forget the look of absolute disgust in her eyes.

She slapped the silver ring out of my hand and snapped, "No money, no house, and you want to get married? Are you insane?"

"Do you have zero self-awareness? How did you even come up with such a pathetic idea?"

"Let me make this clear. I could marry anyone in the world, but you? Never."

Her cold, ruthless words made me realize it was truly over.

I sat back in my seat, utterly hollowed out.

Even when the plane began to violently shake and dive, I felt no fear.

As the nose of the plane plunged toward the ocean, I closed my eyes and whispered in my heart:

Let it end. Let this messy, miserable life finally end.