Back to the Day of the Plane Crash, I Have My Fiancée Save Her True Love First

Chapter 5

By the time I walked out of the police station, the evening air had a slight chill. Samantha and I strolled out together, her hand in mine. The silence between us felt oddly comfortable.

Just as I was about to get into her car, Lily's voice stopped me cold.

"Bruce, your parents already know what happened. They're worried and waiting for you at your villa. Don't you think you should go see them?"

I couldn't help but laugh, but it wasn't a happy one. More like a bitter chuckle.

"They're worried, huh? Funny, because they didn't come to check on me or even call. Just waiting at home... They must be really concerned."

The words tasted sour. They had both found their so-called "true loves," and if not for the deal with the family fortune, they probably wouldn't even care whether I lived or died.

The memories of my childhood hit me like a ton of bricks. The way I used to wonder why they divorced, why they didn't want to see me. As a kid, I thought that maybe if I did well in school, they'd be proud of me. Maybe they'd show me even a little bit of affection. But that never came.

I stopped expecting anything from them a long time ago. I celebrated my top grades by myself. On my birthday, I bought my own cake. I didn't need them for that.

That was just my life. And then I met Lily in college.

Our families had been friends for years, and the marriage agreement had been in place long before we even got close. After my father divorced my mom, he married Alex's mother and quickly found what he called his "true love." Meanwhile, Lily's father had Samantha, then another child—Lily—with another woman. Even though Lily was considered an illegitimate child, she was welcomed into the family and raised in the mansion.

The original plan had been for me and Samantha to marry, but Lily started pursuing me relentlessly when we were at university. Having never experienced love, I was drawn to the attention, to how she made me feel special.

I thought she really liked me, that maybe she loved me.

And I was so sure of it that I went against everyone and held an engagement ceremony with her. Even my parents seemed to favor her. They said she was capable, resourceful.

After we married, they started stepping back, from shares to assets, all of it. They told me it was for my own good.

Even when I asked for a divorce in the past, they shut me down, as though it was a given. They didn't care if I was happy. The only thing that mattered was that the company was in good hands.

I knew that getting a divorce would be hard, given the ties between the Taylor and Johnson families. So I endured it—year after year—until the sixth year, when I finally found solid proof of Lily's mismanagement. I used it to threaten her, telling her I'd divorce her.

But she...

Now, with a second chance, I won't repeat the same mistakes.

I got into the driver's seat, glancing over at Samantha, who sat beside me. There was something calming about her presence, something solid.

"Samantha, can I take you home?" I asked quietly.

She didn't hesitate. I started the car, the engine humming as we drove toward her place. As we neared her house, she handed me her phone.

I gave her a questioning look, and she responded with just a hint of command in her voice.

"Tomorrow, I'll pick you up. We're going to the Taylor family to discuss the marriage agreement."

I nodded, entering my phone number into her contact list and handing it back to her.

"It's done, Samantha," I said.

She parked the car in front of her house and then called my number. Once she heard my phone ring, she opened the door and stepped out.

"Call me if you need anything," she said, her tone firm but caring.

"Mm, I will," I replied, watching her walk inside.