Chapter 1
I had been secretly married to James, my uncle with no blood relation, for three years.
At our family gathering, as usual, the elders were trying to arrange matches for me.
James joined their matchmaking chorus, casually saying over his drink, “Emma, you’re not getting any younger. As your uncle, maybe I should find you a decent guy to settle down with.”
In my past life, he’d said these exact words. Back then, I’d announced our relationship in front of all
our relatives.
I became his legitimate wife, only for him to grow distant.
The final straw came during my complicated pregnancy. While doctors fought to save me and the baby, James was halfway across the world having a romantic dinner with his former assistant at some fancy rooftop restaurant.
That’s when I realized the painful truth–I was only ever his backup plan.
So this time, I simply smiled and replied, “Actually, James, I’m already seeing someone. We’re getting married next month.”
The announcement caught everyone off guard. The entire table fell silent as they stared at me in
shock.
I pulled out my phone and found the right photo. “He’s a grad student in my department. We’ve been
together for five years.”
The picture showed me with my arm thrown around a younger guy with boyish features. We were
both grinning ear to ear, looking every bit the carefree, happy couple.
I held my phone up high so everyone could see.
James saw it too, and his smile instantly froze on his face.
He straightened up in his chair, dropping his playful attitude completely as his expression turned
dead serious.
“Emma, do you even realize what you’re saying?” he asked, his voice low.
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Second Choice No More–1 Upgraded to a Loyal Pup
0.04
Chapter 1
Meanwhile, Mom was thrilled. She’d been pushing me to get married for five solid years since graduation. I’d always used various excuses to avoid her blind date setups because of James, but now I was finally playing along.
She turned to James, who was fifteen years her junior, and teased, “You and Sophia were classmates too, weren’t you? You’re thirty–five now–when are you two finally tying the knot?”
Sophia was James’s former schoolmate. Since returning from studying abroad, she’d been clinging to James, claiming to be an orphan with nowhere to go. Naturally, she had tagged along to today’s family gathering as well.
She was tipsy now, leaning against James’s shoulder like she had no bones. Hearing this, she
drunkenly raised her glass and clung to him, insisting they drink together.
Right in front of all the relatives, she took his glass from his hand and downed it with a flirtatious
smile.
James looked at her adoringly, reaching up to wipe a drop from the corner of her mouth before adjusting his position so she could rest more comfortably against him.
Nobody seemed surprised by this display. In everyone’s eyes, James and Sophia getting married was just a matter of time.
Mom patted my shoulder and challenged me with a grin. “Emma, you’ve got the gift of prophecy. When do you think your uncle will finally marry Sophia?”
I answered flatly, “Same as me–next month, probably.”
We weren’t speaking particularly loudly, but James heard every word. He locked eyes with me for
just a second before guiltily looking away, unable to meet my gaze. The arm he had around Sophia’s shoulders suddenly dropped.
“Don’t jump to conclusions,” he said quickly. “Sophia and I aren’t getting married. She has her own
ambitions.”
As James said this, his face was full of regret. The way he looked at Sophia was filled with restrained affection he didn’t even seem aware of.
I didn’t make a scene like I would have in the past, demanding he explain himself. Instead, I just lowered my head and started peeling an entire plate of shrimp.
James hated getting his hands greasy but loved shrimp. Usually, I would peel them for him and place
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Second Choice No More–I Upgraded to a Loyal Pup
Chapter 1
them in his bowl, while he just enjoyed eating them without doing any of the work.
But now, with James watching me, I popped every single peeled shrimp straight into my own mouth.
“James, do you want some? Stop staring at her–I’ll make you some!” Sophia slurred, wobbling to her feet and heading toward the kitchen.
James snapped out of his trance and grabbed her wrist, his expression both concerned and tender.
“Sophia, when have I ever let you cook for me?” he asked softly.
I remembered my previous lifetime. I’d never been much of a cook either, but when James once said, “I wish I could taste your cooking,” I immediately signed up for culinary classes. The cuts from chopping vegetables, the burns from splattering oil–James never noticed any of it.
Just like he never bothered to find out if I even liked shrimp myself.
Suddenly feeling suffocated, I stood up and headed to the balcony for some air.
15:17
