"Why not that day?"

Claire took a step forward; that absurd thought surfaced in her mind once again.

In her previous life, it was on that exact day that they encountered the shipwreck in Hong Kong.

Could it be that Julian also remembered their past life?

"Julian, what do you mean by that?"

Julian’s heart skipped a beat, only then realizing he had let his guard down.

He forcibly suppressed his surging emotions and looked away. "That day is Sylvia's birthday. She specifically requested you to attend. You hit her last time, yet she didn't hold it against you. Now, you must fulfill one of her wishes."

The reason was far-fetched, and Claire was skeptical.

However, unable to find a more logical explanation, she had no choice but to drop the matter.

Until January 17th arrived.

Claire calmly accepted her fate. She put on a simple, elegant white dress, prepared to head out.

But she was stopped at the door by bodyguards sent by Julian.

"Ma'am, the sir has given orders—you are not to leave."

Claire’s heart sank sharply.

Today was the final deadline agreed upon with Meng Po. She had to fulfill the agreement, go to the place where the accident occurred in her past life, and walk the path to its end as it happened then.

If she didn’t die today, neither she nor Julian would survive.

She could not let all her efforts go to waste.

Claire pretended to go upstairs, then took advantage of a lapse in the bodyguards' attention to jump from a second-story window.

She took a car heading to Hong Kong.

Arriving at the seaside where the incident occurred in her previous life, she stood where Julian had been swallowed by the shipwreck while trying to save her.

Claire closed her eyes, her memories from both lifetimes overlapping.

Suddenly, she began to feel fortunate that Julian no longer loved her.

At least this way, he wouldn’t be sad after she died.

She took a deep breath and walked slowly and calmly toward her ending.

Meanwhile, at the top-floor office of the Julian Group.

Julian signed the final estate transfer agreement, turning all the assets under his name over to Claire.

"Once I am gone, give these to her," he handed the documents to his assistant. "Beyond this, do not tell her anything else."

The assistant’s eyes were red, unable to hold back a choke. "Mr. Julian, why go to such lengths? You have done all this for her, so why must you let her hate you in the end?"

Julian looked out at the gray, misty sky through the window, bitterness and pain churning in his eyes. "I know her too well. If she learned the truth, she might never be able to move on for the rest of her life."

He had long known his own fate; since he would eventually leave, he would rather she hate him than live the rest of her life in agony after his death.

An abrupt ring interrupted his thoughts. The assistant’s expression changed drastically after answering the call.

"Mr. Julian, we just received news: the madam escaped from the villa and has already boarded a car to Hong Kong."

"What?!"

Julian stood up abruptly, a massive panic gripping his heart.

Hong Kong was the place where they had met their end in their previous life.

He had laid out his plans for half a year; all his forbearance had been to avoid this very day.

He had thought trapping her at home would be foolproof, but he never expected she would go there anyway.

Julian immediately rushed over.

On the way, he received a call from an unfamiliar number.

"Is this Mr. Julian? We have received a report. In the Wanghai area, eyewitnesses claim to have seen your wife, Ms. Claire, fall into the sea..."

Chapter 8

Like a thunderbolt exploding in his mind, Julian’s brain went blank instantly.

A buzzing sound filled his ears, and he could no longer hear any other noise.

Julian drove like a madman to reach that familiar stretch of sea.

Several police cars were parked on the shore, and a long police cordon had already been set up along the coast.

Julian ran over, stumbling.

He was blocked by several police officers. "Sir, you cannot enter the scene..."

"I am Claire's family! You were the ones who notified me—let me in!" Julian pushed the people in front of him away with force, roaring sharply.

The policemen looked at each other, still refusing to let him through.

"Sir, the waves are high and it is dangerous; you cannot approach. We have already organized a search and rescue team; we believe there will be results soon."

The police tried to stabilize Julian’s emotions, briefly explaining the situation and bringing over the person who reported the incident.

It was a young man who recounted with lingering fear, "I was running here when I saw it. The girl was wearing a white dress and just stood on that reef and jumped straight down. I didn’t even have time to shout to her..."

"Impossible, that’s impossible!"

Before the man could finish, Julian cut him off with a roar. "You must have seen it wrong! She could not possibly have jumped into the sea. That could not have been her; you must have mistaken someone else for her."

He grabbed a policeman’s arm, his eyes bloodshot, growling in a hoarse voice.

The police handed a handbag they had found on the shore to Julian.

"This is what we found on the bank; it should be an item left behind by the lady."

Julian opened it with trembling hands; inside were Claire’s identification documents and that peace lock.

The moment he saw those things, Julian’s heart shrank violently, as if all his strength had been drained away.

Everything turned black before his eyes; his body swayed, nearly collapsing.

They were undoubtedly Claire’s belongings.

Especially that peace lock—it was the only heirloom Claire’s mother had left her.

Claire had cherished it as if it were her own life; there was no way she would ever discard it.

Julian gripped that peace lock so hard the sharp edges cut into his palm, but the pain was less than a ten-thousandth of the pain in his heart.

Yet, he still refused to believe it.

"It can't be. It can't be her, it can't..."

He struggled and roared, pushing away the people supporting him, and stumbled toward the shore like a cornered beast.

Julian’s assistant and the police officers could barely restrain him.

"Mr. Julian, please, don’t do this..."

"Mr. Julian, please calm down. We have already sent the search and rescue team to intensify the search; there should be results soon."

The police’s words seemed to give him his final hope. He grabbed the policeman’s hand tightly, like a drowning man clutching a straw.

"Right, there is still the rescue team. You must find her! You must find her..."

The rescue team expanded the search radius; helicopters circled in the sky, and over a dozen speedboats shuttled back and forth on the surface of the sea.

Julian stood stiffly on the shore, his eyes fixed dead on the surface of the sea.

He let the cold seawater soak through him.

No matter who tried to persuade him, he refused to move an inch.

He kept watch by the seaside for the entire night. As time ticked away, minute by minute, despair consumed him like a freezing tide.

Sylvia arrived upon hearing the news the next morning.

Seeing Julian in such a hollow, soul-lost, and broken state, she felt both jealousy and hatred in her heart.

Yet, she stepped forward with an expression of concern and worry. "Julian, I heard that Sister Claire had an accident. How are you? Don't worry too much, Sister Claire is a good person and will have good fortune..."

Before she could finish her sentence, she was shoved away violently by Julian.

"Enough!" Julian turned his head, his bloodshot eyes devoid of any temperature. "Sylvia, the act is over. Recognize your own status. You are just an actress I paid for. Stop getting too deep into the role."

Sylvia was pushed until she stumbled, looking at him in disbelief.

All the pretense on her face shattered completely. She clenched her fingers tightly, her nails digging into her palms.

Six months ago, Julian had suddenly sought her out, saying he wanted to be with her.

She had thought it was finally the reward for her years of secret admiration, but she never expected his next sentence to be a transaction.

He said he would give her a sum of money to cooperate in an act, to make Claire believe he had a change of heart.

Although she didn't know why he wanted to do that, she agreed anyway.

Because this was her only chance to be with him. Even if it was fake, she had to hold onto it.

For these past six months, she and Julian played the role of a loving couple in front of Claire. She watched as he chose her time and again, pushing Claire away.