After being reborn, I make up my mind to stop chasing after my husband and daughter

“I ended up in that little backwater town of his, and by the t| got there, it was already dark. | checked into a

hotel and asked him to csee me... but he never came.” Melissa knocked back her drink in one go, tears

welling up in her eyes. “Can you believe it? | spend my days helping other people get divorced, but when it

comes to my own love life, I'm completely clueless. Love just messes you up-it hurts, and it’s addictive. | think...

| just imagined our future together too many times. | turned him into the perfect husband in my head, the kind of

guy | could chto, cook dinner with, just listen to the rain together... Victoria, if you ever fall for

someone, don't start dreaming about the future... because sometimes, there just isn’t one.”

As Melissa said all that, it really hit hfor me.

When you fall for someone, you start weaving this perfect future in your head and just get lost in it, not wanting

to wake up.

But when the pain finally snaps you out of it, it’s like your whole soul gets yanked out—you feel so empty, like

you're not even whole anymore.

“All men are assholes... I'm done with love. | don’t need a man to live a good life... Seriously, | can buy my own

house, | can love myself.” Melissa could usually hold her liquor, but tonight she was totally smashed, ranting

drunkenly.

| paid the bill and took her back to my apartment.

Melissa crashed in my guest room, and just then, a gentle rain began to fall outside.

| stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, sipping my tea and watching the rain. It felt like my heart was quietly

raining too.

I was luckier than Melissa. In every relationship, | never let myself get too attached or take things too seriously.

Whether it was with Nathan or Ryan, my fear of marriage meant | could give them my time, my energy, and

emotional support-but | never truly gave them my heart. | only let my real feelings show when we were together,

and the moment we broke up, I'd quietly put my heart back behind its walls.

So, for me, the pain of a breakup never lasted long.

But Melissa always pictured herself having a hwith Zachary-a cozy, happy little life together.

When their relationship fell apart, she’d bet her whole future on that love, and now it was gone. It's no wonder

her heart was shattered.

But in every relationship, someone always ends up getting hurt....

So when it cto Nathan or Ryan, they were way more invested inthan | ever was in them. When we

finally split, it hurt them way more than it ever hurt me.

Maybe putting yourself first really is the secret to living happier?

| lowered my head and sipped my tea, feeling my nerves finally start to settle.

10:27 Wed, Sep 10

Chapter 594

If you don’t want love to mess you up, rule number one: just don’t get involved, period.

86

55 vouchers

The holiday after New Year's vanished in the blink of an eye. By the eighth day, Hachester was filling up again,

people pouring in from all over, ready to jump back into the daily grind.

At the board meeting on the eighth day, the hotel project was basically set in motion. Somehow, Jared had

managed to snag an even bigger share of the company than before-he was basically running the show now.

So when he made a call, nobody really objected. Just like that, | got put in charge of running the hotel as the

GM.

Even though it was Jared's decision, there was still a lot of chatter going on behind my back.

The biggest gripe was that | was way too young and didn’t have enough experience for a job like this.

| kept hearing more and more pushback from people at work, and honestly, it madepretty nervous.

At noon, Jared knocked on my office door. “Con, let's go have lunch.”

“Just the two of us?” | asked.

“Of course not,” Jared replied with a smile. “I've invited a few shareholders and sof the higher-ups.”

| looked at him, feeling a little out of my depth. “Jared, | think people are givingtoo much credit. Honestly,

I'm not that confident...”

“Don’t say that,” Jared's eyes grew serious. “I don’t need you to be confident-I just need you to stick with the

company and keep moving forward.”

| paused, and that little voice in my head that always wants to go against the grain spoke up. This was the kind

of chance most people could only dream of. If | didn’t give it everything I've got, I'd only be cheating myself.

Why bother worrying about all that gossip? As long as | keep my head down and do my thing, whether | win or

lose, the journey is mine, and the lessons | learn are mine to keep—no one can steal that from me.

“Alright!” | said, and followed Jared to lunch.

When we walked into the private room, everyone started callingby a new title. Before, | was just “Manager

Murphy, but now they were all addressingas “Director Murphy.”

Jared hadsit right next to him. In these business dinners, seating arrangements mean a lot-and the spot he

gavewas reserved for his most trusted ally.

During the meal, Jared raised his glass and stood up. “Victoria may be young, but youth is the best tto learn.

If anyone has any concerns, just let us know, and that’s exactly what she'll work on. She's already set to go

abroad for six months of training. | have no doubt she'll make us proud.”

‘He’s sendingabroad?’ | stared at Jared, completely floored.

10:27 Wed, Sep 10

Chapter 595

Chapter 595