Chapter 2 Jennifer had just collected her thoughts when her heart was jolted again . A man and woman stepped out of the car , fawning over Alexander as they approached . " So you're really giving our Nicole that villa ? Now our family of three can live together , " Mrs. Harris said while signaling Nicole with her eyes . Seizing the moment , Nicole pressed against his chest and gushed about how wonderful he was to her . Jennifer stood frozen , silently witnessing Alexander's perfect harmony with her family . In her previous life , even getting him to take in her mother had required kneeling in the rain for twenty - four hours . The memory forced Jennifer to swallow her bitterness alone . As she turned to leave , Alexander's voice suddenly rose . " My home is always open if you wish to come . I'll have the housekeeper prepare rooms for all three of you . " The four exchanged satisfied smiles . So the shelter she'd begged for her mother was publicly just housing for his live - in help . An invisible fist clenched Jennifer's heart , sour and suffocating . Alexander's gentle smile - one she'd never seen directed at her - curved his Chapter lips . Just as she stepped off the curb , the light turned red . A speeding car whipped past , grazing her . She jerked back in terror . Crossing the street away from them , memories of her past life stormed in. They'd met through business , and she became his most capable assistant . Through their time together , he'd grown attached and confessed his love . They married within a year , making her Mrs. Smith . But happiness never came . Alexander's first love Nicole had returned . After graduation , Nicole studied abroad and they broke up . The night Alexander hired Jennifer , drunk and drowning his sorrows , he'd vaguely said she resembled someone from his past . He never divorced Jennifer , but shared every intimacy with Nicole . He never looked at Jennifer properly again . ( On her deathbed in that previous life , she'd called Alexander to ask if he'd ever loved her . His icy , emotionless voice delivered the final blow like a punch to her death sentence : " Never . " As her eyes closed , her sole wish was for another chance - to never love Alexander again , to never be Mrs. Smith . Chapter 2 By the time Jennifer reached home , dusk had fallen but the living room . light remained on . She went upstairs to pack her essentials . Photos with Alexander , his shirts , and every letter filled with hollow affection were tossed into the courtyard and set ablaze . Flames converged into a beam that seemed ready to ignite the night itself .