He Refused to Divorce Me

After being given a second chance at life, I sent my husband's first love to him and placed the divorce papers in front of him.

To my surprise, he sent her abroad and tore the divorce papers to shreds right before my eyes.

Later, he pinned me to the bed and whispered teasingly in my ear. "Want a divorce? Dream on."

1

When I opened my eyes again, I saw the familiar crystal chandelier on the ceiling and the wedding photo of Ashton and me hanging on the bedroom wall.

The sound of running water was coming from the bathroom.

Suddenly, memories and experiences from my past life flooded my mind.

Yes, I had been given a second chance at life.

My name was Janessa, and I was the wife of Ashton, the eldest son of the Cooper family and the CEO of Cooper Group.

This marriage was one-sided from the start, all because I fell for Ashton at a corporate gala.

I begged my parents to let me marry him, even buying a villa next to his to see him every day.

Later on, when Duncan, Ashton's grandfather, heard about me pursuing Ashton, he saw how much I liked his grandson and agreed to the engagement without a second thought.

Ashton, unable to defy Duncan, reluctantly agreed to the union.

I married Ashton with a heart full of joy, believing that if I loved him enough, I could eventually melt his heart and make him fall for me.

Foolishly, I persisted, only to later discover that Ashton already had someone in his heart.

He even abandoned our two-year wedding anniversary to celebrate her birthday abroad.

That day, unable to bear it any longer, I chose to end my life through overdose.

But now, here I was, sitting here, back to the first day after our wedding.

My mind was still in a fog when the sound of water abruptly stopped.

Then, Ashton appeared before me, wrapped in a towel, his expression as cold as I remembered.

2

Our story should have ended the day I took those pills.

Yet here I was, unexpectedly given a second chance at life.

Did it mean I had to be the foolish woman again, chasing after a love that was never truly mine?

"Get up and freshen up. We're visiting the family home for a formal gathering," Ashton said, turning to leave. In my past life, I obediently cleaned myself up and wore a custom dress from abroad, but I never received a glance from him.

Thinking about my previous enthusiasm for him made me angry.

Since fate had given me another chance, this time, I would stand my ground!

"Wait," I called out to him. He paused in his movements to change clothes and turned to look at me, signaling me to speak.

This was the result of unrequited love.

I clenched my hand into a fist under the covers, took a deep breath, and spoke slowly.

"I know you don't like me and that you married me because of Duncan's pressure. I'm sorry my one-sided feelings have put you in such a difficult position, but I don't want my husband to treat me coldly every day. If you truly want to separate, I won't stop you. How about this, if you haven't fallen in love with me in three months, we can part ways amicably. What do you say?"

Upon hearing this, Ashton finally turned his gaze to me. I knew he hadn't expected the woman who chased him for a year to say such things on the first day of marriage.

But he clearly wasn't interested in pondering my thoughts.

"Using reverse psychology, are we? You've caught on quickly," he said, curling his lips in what seemed like mockery.

"If that's what you want, then let's do it. Divorce wouldn't be a bad thing for you. Don't worry, I'll compensate you when the time comes."

He finished speaking and placed a black card on my bedside table.

"For now, you're Mrs. Cooper. Although I don't like you, I won't treat you poorly. If you need anything, you can use this card. No password, no limit."

With that, he turned and left coldly.

Looking at the black card, I decided that this time, I would live my life to the fullest.

I would focus on financial independence and avoid romantic entanglements.

3

Ashton seemed to remember something and returned after leaving the bedroom.

"Before we divorce, I hope you can pretend to be affectionate with me in front of Duncan."

Having lived a life before, I knew Ashton was a devoted grandson. In the business world, he was cold and ruthless, but he was exceptionally good to his grandfather.

"Sure, but Mr. Cooper, if you want me to act, shouldn't there be some compensation?"

Ashton's brows knit slightly as his gaze slowly shifted to the black card I was holding in my hand.

He seemed to be saying that the black card should count.

"Business is business. Surely you, a qualified businessman, understand that," I said with a big smile.

His deep, penetrating gaze was locked onto me, as if he were trying to see through my body and into my soul.

"I never expected someone who claimed to love me and insisted on marrying me to negotiate with me right after the wedding. Janessa, were your feelings for me just an act?"

Ashton's light and distrustful gaze pierced my heart.

He wouldn't know that the person sitting before him was no longer the Janessa who was once infatuated with him.

But I couldn't let him see through me, so I lowered my head and pretended to be deeply hurt, starting to sniffle.

"I know you don't like me. No matter how much I give, it's never what you want. But how could you doubt my sincerity?"

I knew Ashton disliked women crying, so when I shed tears in front of him, he immediately spoke up.

"Stop crying. What do you want?"

Upon hearing this, I instantly stopped my tears.

"The villa on the hillside."

He raised an eyebrow and nodded.

Only when his hand reached the door handle did he pause, remembering something.

"I heard you tell Duncan that you consider money trivial."

I smirked lightly in mockery.

"In this world, the only thing that can give you a sense of security is a pocket full of cash. You don't really think that just because I like you, you are my entire world, do you?"

He shot me a glare, looking quite angry, and slammed the door as he left.

4

Unlike my previous life, this time after getting married and returning to the Cooper Mansion for the ceremony to show respect to elders, I wore very light makeup and dressed in a simple, casual style.

He, too, didn't linger his gaze on me for long.

At the old mansion, I held his arm, pretending to be a loving couple.

Perhaps because I performed well, on the way back after the tea ceremony, he suddenly spoke to me from the driver's seat.

"I'll have someone bring the property papers for the villa on the hillside tomorrow."

I nodded.

Seeing my calm reaction, he turned to glance at me.

I wondered what he was looking at. Was it my clear-headed demeanor?

Ashton indeed kept his word, and soon, I became one of the owners of that extremely valuable real estate on the hillside.

But I clearly underestimated Ashton's cunning and calculative nature as a businessman.

"Mrs. Cooper, Mr. Cooper asked me to give you these documents. He also said..."

Curious, I took out the documents and opened them. Inside was a drafted contract outlining the things I needed to cooperate with Ashton on for the next three months.

And, after three months, I must peacefully divorce Ashton according to the agreement.

As compensation for the divorce, Ashton would give me one percent of the Cooper Group's shares, five hundred million in emotional damages, and an entire building in the city center.

He was truly generous, and I liked it.

"What else did he say?"

"He hopes Madam won't overthink it. He wants you to sign this agreement just to prevent unforeseen troubles."

I glanced at the assistant indifferently, and he lowered his head under my gaze.

Without a second thought, I raised my hand and signed my name without hesitation.

There wasn't much for me to think about. As long as I got the divorce, I would receive all that wealth and money.

Who wouldn't want to be a billionaire?

Moreover, with money, I could have every man I wanted.

5

With my own house and my wealthy husband's unlimited credit card, the first thing I did was go to the mall and buy a bunch of furniture to decorate my luxurious villa.

Of course, during this time, I didn't idle. I attended every banquet of the Cooper family in full attire.

Not only that, but I also accompanied Ashton to the Cooper Group's social events, thereby earning us a reputation as a loving couple in public.

But behind the scenes, we were living separately, soon to be divorced.

He must have noticed my good performance during this period, as sometimes after social events, Ashton would reward me with luxuries.

I still needed to stay clear-headed. After all, compared to love, money was undeniably more appealing.

Besides, I wasn't idle either. According to my memory, Ashton's first love would return to the country in a week, which meant I needed to speed up my plans.

I needed to move into the hillside villa within a week and start my own career path.

As the eldest daughter of the Turner family, I was originally a renowned designer who studied abroad. It was only after seeing Ashton at a banquet upon returning to the country that I foolishly started pursuing him, leading to the neglect of my promising future.

Since I had been given a second chance, this time, I must truly be myself.

Arriving at JK Creations, I pushed open the familiar door, and within a minute, thanks to my outstanding interview and strong capabilities, I successfully secured a designer position.

The moment I stepped out the door, I truly felt that in this life, I was really alive.

6

A week later, I smoothly moved into the hillside villa, and at this moment, Ashton happened to be on a business trip.

I knew that during this trip, he would meet his longed-for first love abroad, and they would return together.

This also meant that my single life was not far away.

I was happily thinking about this, not noticing Chris approaching my desk and knocking on it.

"There's a social event tonight. Here's the information. Prepare yourself and come with me."

Upon hearing this, I nodded and took the information from his hand.

The moment I saw it, I was instantly stunned. It turned out to be a collaboration proposal with the Cooper Group.

I was totally confused, wondering whether Ashton was back.

I also didn't understand why such an important collaboration proposal would involve someone like me who just joined the company.

Could it be... Ashton knew I was working outside?

Quickly, I shook my head, tossing those thoughts far away.

Ashton, who was such a big shot, wouldn't personally attend such a minor collaboration proposal.

Perhaps, it was just a coincidence.

However, as it turned out, some things shouldn't be said too confidently, because soon, I was proven wrong.

Chris brought me to Golden Mirage, and I couldn't help but swallow hard. This was the place rumored to burn through billions in a single night.

The Cooper Group was wealthy enough to choose such an upscale venue for their collaboration proposal.

The moment the private room door opened, I saw Ashton with a cigarette between his lips. There was no expression on his face, but his gaze was fixed on me. His eyes were dark and deep.

Chris had already run up to Ashton with a sycophantic expression.

"Never thought you would come in person. What an honor for us indeed."

But my feet felt like they were glued to the floor, and I couldn't take a single step.

Because some things had started to change...

7

For instance, Ashton shouldn't be here at this moment.

Further, today should be the day Ashton returned with his first love.

And he should be having a candlelit dinner with his first love tonight and confessing to her instead of... appearing here, in front of me.

Ashton's assistant didn't seem too surprised to see me, merely nodding slightly in acknowledgment.

Seeing me standing foolishly at the door, Chris spoke up to help me out.

"Mr. Cooper, don't mind her. She just returned from abroad and isn't very familiar with the drinking culture here, pardon her. But her design skills are well-recognized. Let me introduce her to you. Her name is..."

Before Chris could finish, Ashton interrupted with a teasing smile, raising his hand to stop Chris's words.