The next day, they arrived at London Station. It was a chilly dawn, still cloaked in the dim hues of night. They settled their journey at a nearby inn.
After a simple breakfast, Ian spoke to his agent.
“Let’s head to Grosvenor Square together after lunch. Have a hired carriage ready in front of the inn by one o’clock.”
“Yes, sir. Understood. By the way, where do you plan to spend the morning?”
“I’m going to Harrods to buy gifts for my nephews. They’re quite disappointed since their beloved teacher left.”
Of course, I am too. He swallowed the rest of his words, dressed in a well-ironed suit and a gentleman’s hat, and left the inn.
A cool autumn breeze refreshed London’s stuffy air. Hands in his pockets, he walked to Harrods.
The department store was still quiet. He passed silver cutlery sets displayed in glass cases, shop assistants smiling like mannequins, and piles of various goods stacked behind them, heading toward the staircase.
He had visited Harrods before, to buy a dollhouse set for Olivia’s birthday during his university days.
He recalled the toy section was on the third floor. Climbing the stairs, he thought,
‘Since those boys want to be sailors, a toy soldier set might do. If they loved books, I’d buy them a collection, but the only person who could get them to read has run off to Bath…’
Just as Ian turned toward the third-floor staircase, he bumped into a couple. As he tried to sidestep them, the woman grabbed his arm.
“Oh, Mr. Dalton!”
Ian looked at her but couldn’t place her. Dark chestnut hair, black eyes, freckled, delicate features.
“Do I know you?”
The woman burst into laughter. “It’s me! Anne Steele!”
Anne Steele…
He flipped through his memory. Soon, he recalled the maid who greeted him with a haughty, sparrow-like face whenever he visited Laura’s house.
“Ha, you look like a different person without the maid’s uniform.”
“What brings you to London?”
“Business. And you? Out here in the morning, with a man, no less?”
Anne grinned and tightly linked arms with the man beside her.
“This is my fiancé. Dear, say hello. This is a friend of the lady I served.”
The man doffed his hat and bowed. He was strikingly handsome, with reddish-brown hair and blue eyes.
Anne chattered on. “He’s a lawyer at Jayden & Maze Law Firm. He’s only been there a short while but is already earning recognition. We’re getting married this year. We’ve saved enough. Look at this!”
Anne thrust her left hand under Ian’s nose. A silver ring adorned her finger, with a tiny diamond barely visible upon close inspection.
Ian gave a wry smile. Anne’s face radiated happiness and pride. He had proposed to Laura with a diamond ten times larger, yet never saw such an expression on her face.
It must be the difference in their feelings for the man.
“Well, I wish you happiness. May you build a warm home with your husband. Farewell.”
He nodded briefly and turned to leave.
“Wait, Mr. Dalton, just a moment!”
Anne grabbed his arm again.
“I have something to tell you!”
“What is it?”
“It’s not a short story. If you’re not in a rush, walk with me for a bit.”
“Is it about Laura?”
“Why else would I stop you while shopping for wedding things with my fiancé?”
Anne unlinked her arm from her fiancé’s and cupped his cheeks, stroking them tenderly.
“Darling, while I talk with this gentleman, will you wait at the furniture section on the fourth floor? Pick out a rocking chair you can relax in with your pipe after work. One sturdy enough not to break even if I sit on your lap now and then.”
The man kissed her palm. “It should be sturdy enough not to break even if you’re carrying our child and sitting on my lap. I’ll choose well, my love.”
The two gazed at each other fondly, as if Ian’s presence had vanished.
Ian was irritated. He’d never felt jealous watching the harmonious Pastor Starr couple, but fresh from Laura’s rejection, their lovey-dovey display was unbearable.
No shame in public, huh? Couples are such annoying creatures.
He grumbled to himself.
Soon, Anne’s fiancé headed to the fourth-floor furniture section. Anne and Ian began walking through the women’s clothing section on the second floor.
“So, what’s this about?”
“Mr. Dalton, did you hear about a gentleman visiting the townhouse recently?”
“Not at all.”
“Well, it’s not something Laura would share with you. You don’t seem to have won her heart enough to know all her worries. Taking her to your estate and still failing to win her love—if you had half the charm of my man, she’d already be a happy bride in a wedding veil.”
“Are you walking with me just to taunt me?”
Anne laughed. “Of course not, sir. Why would I waste my precious day off on that?”
“So, who was this gentleman at the townhouse?”
“You know Ashton Law Firm in Cambridge? He’s their senior lawyer, John Ashton. He’s renowned as a legal expert in England. Ever heard of him?”
“Of course. I tried to hire him as my legal agent, but he declined, saying he had to focus on London business. So, he visited?”
“Yes! And guess what? He’s Laura’s first love!”
Ian’s steps halted.
“…What?”
“Her first love. First. Love!”
“…”
“When he asked about her whereabouts, I wrote to Laura first. She told me not to reveal her location. So, when he visited a second time, I sent him away coldly. But then he slipped thirty pounds into my hand, begging me to hear him out for just five minutes.”
“And?”
“That kind of money could decorate a wedding venue with fresh flowers. I listened to him behind the townhouse. He said he met Laura twelve years ago and loved her deeply. They even planned to run away together, but it fell through. Recently, his wife passed away from illness, and as soon as his father-in-law permitted remarriage, he rushed to find Laura!”
“…What does he look like?”
“Oh, such a handsome man! Not quite as handsome as my darling, but not far behind you, Mr. Dalton. Above all, his devotion is remarkable. He said he never forgot Laura for a single day in twelve years. If she’d allow it, he’d marry her immediately.”
Ian listened to Anne with a stern face. A handsome, wealthy lawyer, her first love, who took her first kiss and nearly eloped with her.
He clenched his fist.
“…But Laura said she didn’t want to see him.”
“That makes sense. The day they planned to run away, Mr. Ashton didn’t show up without a word. He didn’t even send an apology letter. Laura must have thought she was toyed with. But that wasn’t the case. His patron found out and had him confined by male servants. Then they arranged for him to marry a lawyer’s daughter with a large dowry. He resisted, but his parents begged and cried, so he was forced into the marriage.”
“What a pathetic story. If it were me, I’d have beaten those servants black and blue and gone to her.”
“Well, people are different. Anyway, Mr. Ashton wants to confess everything to Laura and make amends.”
“Did you tell him where she is?”
“No.”
“Why not? He probably offered a few more pounds.”
Anne snapped back, offended. “I have my pride as a maid. How could I betray my lady’s request? Even if he offered enough for a French wedding dress, I wouldn’t do it.”
“Fine. If John Ashton shows up again, don’t tell him where she is. Promise me that, and I’ll buy you that French wedding dress.”
“No thanks. I’ll wear my mother’s wedding dress.”
“Suit yourself. Anything else?”
“Yes. Is Laura doing well? I’m worried sick since I can’t see her.”
“She’s fine.”
“That’s a relief. Oh, I knitted gloves and a scarf for winter. Could you pass them to her?”
“Sorry, but no.”
“Why not?”
He frowned, pausing to think.
Well, we exchange letters regularly, so she’ll find out eventually.
“She rejected my proposal and left.”
“What?”
“Not permanently. She went to the countryside to rest with a friend.”
“Good heavens! Honestly, sir, if you had half the charm of my man…”
“Enough, Anne Steele.”
“Fine, I’ll stop. My sisters say the same—if I brag about my fiancé one more time, they’ll stab me with a steak knife. So, where did Laura go?”
“Bath.”
Anne froze, her eyes and lips wide with shock.
“Good heavens! Heavens!”
She clapped excitedly.
“It’s fate! This is fate!”
“What…”
“Bath! Mr. Ashton said he’s going to Bath too! His daughter’s unwell, so they’re spending the winter there for spa treatments!”
“…”
“Bath’s a small city. They’re bound to meet. Maybe they’re destined to be together! Though, Laura wouldn’t marry beneath her status, so John Ashton, a middle-class man, might be a better match…”
Before Anne could finish, Ian turned and strode quickly toward the staircase. His footsteps echoed toward the first floor.
Anne hurried to the department store’s glass window and looked down at the street. Ian Dalton rushed out the entrance, hailing a hired carriage.
Anne smirked triumphantly.
That’s it, Mr. Dalton. Be more proactive. Don’t take your eyes off her for a second.
Anne’s reason for telling him about John Ashton was deliberate. A love triangle is the best way to ignite a man’s heart. She wanted to spark jealousy in Ian to make him hold onto Laura more tightly.
She hadn’t known Laura went to Bath, but that made it even better. Ian would work harder to win her heart there.
Anne recalled John Ashton’s dejected figure leaving for Bath and scoffed.
A lawyer with a daughter, daring to pursue our precious lady? Not a chance. Laura’s rightful place is as Mrs. Dalton of Yorkshire’s finest family!
Ex-husband Wants Reconciliation
One-line summary: Chasing the wife to the crematorium (making an effort to attract someone who has become indifferent), the female lead doesn’t look back, the second male lead takes the position.
Intro:
To repay the kindness of the older generation, Su Mu crossed into a female-dominated world and became a live-in daughter-in-law of the Yan family, single-handedly saving the Yan family from fire and water.
But her husband, Yan Jiyue, the eldest son of the Yan family, treated her with sarcasm and never showed her a good face.
It wasn’t until after Su Mu’s death that this pampered and arrogant young master shed a few fake tears and pretended to want to die for love.
This life’s kindness was enough. If there was a next life, she would definitely kick Yan Jiyue away.
Who knew that the heavens would be so kind as to allow her to be reborn, returning to the time when she had just married into the Yan family.
Su Mu glanced at the Yan eldest son, who still spoke coldly to her, and threw a divorce letter in front of him.
“Let’s divorce!”
***
Yan Jiyue never imagined that he would be reborn. He happily went to find Su Mu, wanting to make up for the mistakes he had made in his ignorant youth.
Wasn’t the reason the heavens allowed him to be reborn to let him reconcile with Su Mu?
But when he pushed open the door to Su Mu’s room, the person lying on the bed was another man.
Su Mu’s personal attendant, Xie Yi.
Yan Jiyue hated him so much that his teeth itched. In front of Su Mu, Xie Yi was a gentle and considerate whisperer of sweet nothings, but in reality, he was vicious-hearted and deliberately sabotaged their husband and wife relationship.
In the previous life, it was he who secretly hid in Su Mu’s coffin and committed suicide, stealing a step ahead of him to be buried with Su Mu.
Yan Jiyue’s eyes were filled with hatred as he cursed, “What kind of thing are you? Your background is lowly, what right do you have to occupy Su Mu?”
Xie Yi looked at the sleeping Su Mu and no longer pretended to be a whisperer of sweet nothings.
He proudly stuck out his belly, “I have the right because my belly is capable of giving the Wife-master a daughter.”
***
Yan Jiyue was consumed with jealousy. He spread rumors that Xie Yi had once been branded with the mark of a “harlot” on his chest.
But on the night Xie Yi cut off the flesh bearing that mark, Su Mu suddenly realized something was amiss.
“How did you know the exact moment I was poisoned? And why did you show up a month early?”
Xie Yi remained silent, blood from his wound soaking through his robes. His sapphire eyes brimmed with anguish – or was it just a flawless act?
Between a once-arrogant husband now seeking redemption, and a gentle soul willing to die for her – who truly held the darkest secrets? And could it be that Su Mu and Yan Jiyue weren’t the only ones given a second chance at life…?
[Reading Guide]
1. True divorce, chasing the wife to the crematorium, the female lead doesn’t look back, the male lead is Xie Yi.
2. The ex-husband did not cheat, he just realized too late and didn’t realize that he liked the female lead.
_____
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