Chapter 1

I had a crush on Callie for fifteen years.

It wasn't until she was stabbed by a thug on her way to get engaged to her boyfriend and abandoned by him that I finally had a chance to be by her side and care for her with all my heart.

But she hated me.

She even believed that I had ruined everything for her, and on a stormy night, she smothered me with a pillow while I slept.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day of her engagement.

I didn't say anything, but quietly left her.

Five years later, she became the most famous dancer, shining on the world stage.

At her celebration party, when she saw the unremarkable me, she coldly said:

"I was right in my past life. It was you, this worthless person, who held me back. Haven't I lived well in this life without you?"

She even got her boyfriend to beat me up.

Until the prima dancer frantically searched for me and embraced my battered body.

Callie's eyes widened in disbelief, on the verge of madness:

"Didn't you tell me that whether in life or death, you would only ever love me?"

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When I learned that Seraphina was about to return to the country, I hurriedly drove to pick her up.

But her flight was suddenly delayed by four hours, and she sent me an address, telling me to rest for a bit.

I gladly went, only to find upon arrival that it was a lively party.

In the hall, there were photos of couples, which looked increasingly familiar as I looked at them.

Just as I was puzzled and about to message Seraphina to ask whose party this was,

The noise behind me suddenly stopped, followed by an eruption of laughter.

"Well, who's this esteemed guest?"

"Isn't this the guy who used to fawn over our goddess Callie, loved her but couldn't have her, and then quietly disappeared?"

I turned around to see Callie's former colleagues. I couldn't believe that after eight years, they still remembered me.

Just as I was about to open my mouth for some small talk, I was doused with champagne.

"What are you doing here? Back then, our goddess Callie considered you a close friend, but you left without a word. She was heartbroken for quite a while."

"Now you're back without warning, what's your little game?"

The champagne instantly soaked my denim jacket, giving off an unpleasant smell. I anxiously wiped at the stain, but it only provoked louder mockery from them:

"Just look at him - obviously homeless now. Treating that ratty old denim jacket like it's precious. How dare he show his face here mooching for food?"

"Yeah, we thought you'd made it big when you disappeared without a word. Turns out once you left Callie, you became nothing but street trash?"

A girl in an evening gown sashayed over, grabbing my hair and forcing me to look toward the grand hall:

"After you abandoned Callie, her life's been nothing but amazing. She and Donavan are the perfect couple now."

That's when I finally noticed the large banner featuring the beaming faces of Callie and Donavan.

In a daze, I recalled their engagement day from my past life.

Mentally calculating the dates, I realized - isn't that today?

"Is today their engagement party?"

The thought slipped out before I could stop it, provoking even louder jeers from those around me:

"Playing dumb when you know damn well what's going on? This is the event of the year - our goddess Callie and Mr. Frost's engagement. It's headline news even overseas. You expect us to believe you didn't know?"

I let out a cold laugh. Of course I could never forget their engagement party. Even as a ghost, I'd remember!

It was this very day that set in motion the tragic, pathetic end to my previous life. In my previous life, I was the childhood sweetheart who silently stood by Callie's side.

She loved dancing, so I'd accompany her day and night as she practiced, bringing her tea and meals outside the classroom.

When she finished her dance practice, I learned how to massage her to relax her muscles, and I'd wash her practice clothes clean while I was at it.

Callie took my devotion for granted, even scolding me for not taking proper care of her practice clothes, demanding that I wash them by hand.

At her command, even on freezing snowy days, I would scrub her clothes by hand.

This went on for fifteen years.

After starting college, her attention was caught by her senior, Donavan, and she began to despise me for following her all this time.

She ordered me not to appear in front of her, and especially not to ruin her wonderful first love.

I loved her too much, so I could only swallow all my grievances and silently watch over her from afar.

Donavan was from a wealthy family, and Callie feared her appearance wasn't good enough for him, forcing me to give her all my living expenses to buy designer bags and clothes.

Worried that she wouldn't have enough money, I secretly did much under-the-table work just to meet her demands.

Until one day, while digging in the coal mine, I heard the news that she was going to get engaged to Donavan.