Revenge is best served cold

Chapter 1817

James and Sophie had been traveling across countless cities, with his work laptop collecting dust in some forgotten corner. They roamed through bustling cityscapes, snapping photos and creating memories, and raced down empty streets without a care in the world. These were the adventures Sophie had always dreamed of but never experienced until now.

Being with Sophie felt both incredibly real and like a dream. She still had that innocent glow, her eyes clear and free of any hidden agenda. It struck James how simple her desires truly were.

His mind kept drifting back to their early days as newlyweds in another lifetime. He remembered Sophie's voice on the phone, filled with a mix of hope and caution as she softly asked, "James, it's our first day as a married couple, could you maybe..."

"I'm swamped, talk to my secretary if you need something," he'd cut her off. His old self always used work as a shield, shattering her hopes time and again. Eventually, Sophie stopped asking for anything, and the sparkle in her eyes dimmed over time.

"James! Where did you stash my dress?" Sophie's voice jolted him back to the present.

Snapping out of it, James fished a red dress out of the suitcase. "This one?"

"Yes! Why'd you just toss it aside?"

"You tossed it yourself."

"Oh."

Sophie grabbed the dress, twirling in front of the mirror. "What do you think? Pretty, right?"

red dress was strikingly similar to one she'd worn at an auction, bold and vibrant-the kind of

bad I'm hopeless with makeup, or it'd

throw on some lipstick;

"Great idea!"

casually held out her hand to James,

they went to the local mall to hunt for some lipstick.

"What's up?" Sophie asked.

"Try this one."

at the lipstick, its shade reminiscent of winter berries. James picked it up from

our top seller," the clerk chimed in, as James guided

it himself, Sophie quickly grabbed his hand. "Do you

"No."

why are

looked a bit skeptical, but James seemed

"Just sit still."

the lipstick with focused care,

realizing he wasn't annoying at all—in

"What's on your mind?”