Chapter 1

In the sixth year of my marriage to Genevieve, we both perished in the ocean after a plane crash.

When I woke up, I found that we had both returned to the eve of our wedding.

In my previous life, I married her against my family's wishes. I even sat on a cold bench outside our door for five hours on our wedding day at her request, without a word of complaint.

After marriage, I gave up my own career and took on all the responsibilities of our household, catering to her every whim, simply because she was my childhood sweetheart.

But later I realized that she only married me because she couldn't bear to see her pure love suffer the hardships of everyday life.

Given another chance, I left her without drama or tears.

Years later, she achieved her dream of becoming a somewhat famous painter, with an entire series of paintings named after her pure love.

At the art exhibition, she and her pure love stood arm in arm, flaunting their affection.

Seeing me, she mockingly said, "Dane, I know you've always loved me, even stooping to clean the venue just to see me, but this is kind of disgusting."

At that moment, a tall woman took hold of my hand. "Honey, it's not time for your introduction yet. Why did you come out early? It's cold out here, I'll be worried sick if you catch a chill."

Genevieve looked at us in disbelief. "How can this be? I've read every single love letter you wrote to me. You love me so much, how could you possibly fall for someone else?"

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1

After our reincarnation, Genevieve and I parted ways without a word.

Today's art exhibition was organized by a friend of mine who had asked me last-minute to bring over a painting.

I had just left my art studio, my clothes still splattered with vibrant paint, standing out awkwardly among the formally dressed attendees.

After handing the painting to my friend, I spotted a familiar face in the distance.

Genevieve was wearing a haute couture gown, her face adorned with a smile as she engaged in animated conversation with a group of people.

"Genevieve, you're really something! You went abroad to study with Quint for a few years and now you've become a great artist!"

"I always said our Genevieve was a natural talent. If it weren't for being distracted by someone's pursuit earlier, she might have been famous by now."

The "someone" they were referring to was me.

I still remember in my past life when Genevieve gave me a portrait, saying, "Dane, I will only love you in this lifetime. Will you spend the rest of your days with me?"

I had been secretly in love with her for three years, so I believed her.

I even gave up my own career for her at one point, content to be nothing more than a servant by her side.

Seeing that someone mentioned me, everyone knowingly looked towards Quint, who stood beside Genevieve.

"Bro, we didn't mean to bring up the past," someone said.

Quint waved his hand casually. "It's all ancient history. I couldn't care less. What matters is the here and now."

He turned to Genevieve, adding, "Isn't that right, Genevieve?"

Genevieve squeezed his hand tightly, her eyes filled with tenderness. "Absolutely. Today's art exhibition showcases the final pieces of the 'Quint' series, which is also my engagement gift to him."

The crowd looked on with envy, showering them with flattery.

"Isn't that Dane, Genevieve's old flame? What's he doing here?" someone whispered, pointing in my direction.

All eyes suddenly turned to me.

Genevieve's gaze lingered on me for a moment before she quickly pulled Quint towards me.

I gave them a polite nod.

Quint raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "Well, well, Dane. What are you doing here? Janitorial duties?"

I glanced down at my clothes, splattered with a rainbow of paint, admittedly looking quite disheveled. Genevieve's furrowed brow relaxed as she tightened her grip on Quint's hand.

"Dane, I know you've always loved me, even going so far as to sneak in here as a janitor just to see me."

"But I'm going to propose to Quint today, so you should give up your foolish dreams."

She then pointed to a painting hanging in the corner. "That's my piece. Consider yourself lucky, you get to see it for free today."

I didn't bother looking at the painting directly, my mind preoccupied with wondering how she managed to participate in this art exhibition.

Quint's gaze turned mocking. "Dane, the artists will be introducing their work soon. You'd better finish cleaning and leave."

Seeing their attitude towards me, the crowd, seemingly eager to suck up to Genevieve, began piling on.

"Yeah, you're kind of ruining the atmosphere here. This event is full of VIPs, how appropriate is it for a janitor to be hanging around?"

"Exactly! Dane, you've been obsessively chasing our Genevieve for years, and now you've followed her here. But at least try to dress like a decent human being, will you?"