First Choice

Overnight, I became the cheating wife, the woman who betrayed her husband, subject to all sorts of public scorn. Meanwhile, Nathan and Jenny were seen as the innocent victims in all of this.

"I'll sign, but only if you agree to one thing," I said after a long pause.

Nathan glanced up at me, then nodded. He handed me the pen, and without a word, I signed the divorce papers, my face betraying no emotion.

"Aren't you going to read the agreement?" Nathan asked, his brow furrowing.

I gave a small, humorless smile. "No need."

He walked away almost empty-handed, giving me everything—his house and wealth—all for Jenny and to repay a favor.

"Let's go to the courthouse tomorrow to finalize everything."

"Okay," I replied.

Nathan froze for a moment, holding the papers in his hand. His eyes searched mine, filled with confusion, but he said nothing in the end.

As they left, Jenny turned and sneered at me, her lips moving soundlessly. "You lost."

And I had indeed lost everything. So now, I wasn't about to lose again.

A while later, my phone buzzed with a message from Nathan.

"I'm sorry for what you had to go through today, Lois. I really am. Once everything blows over, I'll throw you the biggest wedding, and we'll remarry.

"I couldn't just sit by and watch Jenny's depression get worse. You understand that, don't you?"

I read the message and couldn't help but laugh bitterly, tears welling up in my eyes.

This had all happened before.

In my last life, to force me into signing the divorce, Nathan had gotten drunk and tried to come up with a plan with his friends. But he forgot, his friends were also mine.

Jeremy Yates had tried to talk some sense into Nathan, telling him not to throw away his marriage for Jenny.

At the same time, he had tried to convince me to be more understanding of Nathan, saying Nathan was a man of great loyalty.

If it hadn't been for Jenny's father, Donald Price, backing Nathan, investing in his company, and helping him build his career, Nathan wouldn't be where he was today.

I had cried and argued back.

"Why does it have to be divorce? Nathan could have cleared this up in a million ways."

Jeremy stayed quiet.

He asked Nathan, and Nathan answered, "Someone has to be hurt. I'm only hurting Lois. She loves me, so she'll understand."

According to his logic, I was supposed to sacrifice myself just because I loved him. It didn't make any sense.

But luckily, I still had a chance.

Nathan always handled things with Jenny fast.

He had me sign the divorce papers in the morning, and by evening, he had arranged a press conference and sent his assistant to drag me into it for a "clarification".

Before I could even speak, his assistant, thinking I was going to decline, quickly relayed Nathan's words.

"Ms. Caldwell, you should attend this press conference. Even if it's not for Mr. Baldwin, it's for your own reputation."

I froze for a second, then let out a dry laugh.

Nathan was threatening me.

He was using the same tactics he had last time to force me into submission, to smear my name and watch me struggle under the pressure of public opinion. Eventually, I would have no choice but to back down.

I still couldn't figure out if Nathan saw me as his wife or his enemy.

Now, he wanted to publicly clear up our relationship.

I wasn't going to be spared, either.

The press conference was held at the grandest hotel in Narla, and the reporters invited were the most influential in the industry.

When Jenny appeared arm-in-arm with Nathan in a dress, the press immediately swarmed them.

Nathan instinctively moved to shield Jenny, smiling as he deflected the microphones. "Please wait. I'll answer all your questions one by one. Can we clear the way, please?"

His voice was calm, and when he looked up, he met my eyes. I was surrounded by reporters, too, standing right in the middle of the chaos.

For a moment, I almost hoped Nathan would come to my rescue.