The Loser Ex-Wife Came Back Hot Chapter 01

The Loser Ex-Wife Came Back Hot Chapter 01

In her past life, Nova Donald was despised by Caleb Langdon, yet he had no choice but to marry her when his family fell on hard times. Over the next twenty years, Nova helped him rise to prominence—she gave up her education for him, bore his children, and paved his way to success. As his fortunes grew and his family business expanded, he turned around and brought his first love into his life. In the end, Nova was imprisoned for life, and her children met a tragic end. Reborn into her high school years, Nova publicly calls off the engagement. Caleb sneers dismissively, “Nova! I’ll be waiting for the day you come crawling back to me on your knees!” Nova devotes herself to her studies, earns direct admission to a top-tier university, and after a stunning transformation, astonishes everyone. Meanwhile, the Langdon family is on the brink of bankruptcy. Caleb, once the golden boy, has fallen into the gutter—not only growing sick of his first love but also being cuckolded. When Caleb sees Nova getting engaged to his archrival, his eyes turn red with desperation. He drops to his knees in public to beg for forgiveness, only to be met with Nova’s merciless mockery: “When I loved you, you couldn’t care less. Now that I don’t, you come crawling back. How pathetic.”
Chapter 1
“Sean… Mia…”
The psychiatric ward was suffocating. A haggard woman sat motionless in a wheelchair, her eyes hollow and vacant. Though she was only in her thirties, her hair had already turned entirely white.
The television mounted on the wall was broadcasting the news of the CEO of The Langdon Corporation marrying the one that got away. Caleb Langdon was giving Sylvie Sutton the most lavish wedding imaginable.
Seeing the footage, the frail woman suddenly lurched up from her wheelchair, screaming in sheer hysteria.
“Give me my children back! Caleb! Give them back to me!”
Slap!
A heavyset nurse viciously struck Nova Donald across the face. “Behave!”
Nova clutched her stinging cheek but stubbornly raised her head. “I am Caleb’s lawful wife! The heiress of The Donald Group! I need to get out of here. Let me out to find my children!”
Hearing this, the nurse scoffed and practically spat in her direction. “Yeah, right! Take a good look at yourself. How dare you claim to be Mrs. Langdon? Keep your mouth shut, or I’ll throw you in solitary confinement!”
Slam!
The nurse walked out and locked the heavy door from the outside.
On the live broadcast, Caleb gazed at Sylvie with profound, unmistakable devotion. Time had barely left a mark on him; at forty, he only looked more distinguished and striking.
The reporter enthusiastically recounted their touching love story, describing how they had been high school sweethearts whose romance had ended in tragic regret.
Now, twenty years later, the two had finally reunited, leaving friends and family in the audience wiping away tears of joy.
Looking at those familiar faces on the screen, Nova sat back in her wheelchair and let out a bitter, agonizing laugh.
No one remembered Nova. No one remembered the first wife who had supported Caleb every step of his meteoric rise!
Nova would never forget that late night three years ago. Caleb had thrown the divorce papers at her face with sheer disgust, his voice dripping with mockery. “The only woman I have ever loved is Sylvie! If it weren’t for you, I never would have missed out on all those years with her!”
She and Caleb had been childhood sweethearts, engaged since they were young! She had sacrificed her fortune for him and bore his children. She had even given up her own brilliant academic future for his sake!
Caleb had climbed to the top using her resources, only to turn around and pull Sylvie into his arms.
And what did she get in the end? She was locked away in this asylum for three long years! Her two beautiful children had died tragically in a car crash, and before their funeral was even over, Caleb was already rushing to marry Sylvie!
‘Nova, you didn’t know, did you? To marry me, Caleb murdered your children with his own hands!’
‘Your daughter was crying for her mother right up to the end. They died not even knowing you’d been rotting in this psych ward for three years!’
‘The position of Mrs. Langdon was always meant to be mine. You stole it from me! Now, it’s time you give it back.’
The words Sylvie had whispered to her just three days ago echoed endlessly in her mind.
A suffocating wave of despair crashed over Nova. She felt a metallic taste well up in her throat as her eyes remained glued to the screen, watching Caleb and Sylvie share a loving smile.
If she could do it all over again, she would never make the same mistakes!
“Nova? Nova?”
The deep voice of a young man echoed in her ear.
In her daze, Nova felt like she was drowning. Her chest was completely compressed until something soft pressed against her lips, forcing a rush of warm air into her lungs. Nova’s eyes snapped open.
“Cough! Cough!”
“Nova, are you okay? What happened? How did you fall into the pool?”
The concerned voice of a teenage girl drifted over her.
Nova felt completely disoriented.
The pool?
What pool?
Nova looked down at her hands. These weren’t the aged, swollen hands of a suffering woman in her thirties. They were the soft, plump hands of a teenage girl.
Was this… herself in high school?
In an instant, Nova realized something. She quickly looked around and recognized the familiar architecture. This was the natatorium at Lindenwood Preparatory Academy!
She had been reborn!
“Why else would she fall in? She was obviously creeping on Caleb while he swam!”
A group of female students nearby burst into raucous laughter, not bothering to hide their sheer contempt for Nova.
Not far away stood Caleb, wearing nothing but swim trunks. Though he was only seventeen, his physique was already incredibly well-defined, showing off sharp abdominal muscles. Combined with his striking, arrogant face, he effortlessly drew the attention of everyone in the room.Seeing Caleb, Nova’s face turned pale.
Caleb Langdon!
He was exactly the same as before, always the center of attention no matter where he went.
Who could have ever guessed that this golden boy was actually a hypocritical, selfish monster down to his very core?
Thinking of her children who had been murdered by him in her previous life, Nova clenched her fists until her knuckles turned white.
Alright, Caleb. In this life, I’m going to destroy you.
Clearly, Caleb had overheard the girls gossiping. He frowned in irritation, turned on his heel, and walked away.
“Don’t say that about her. Nova isn’t like that.”
Sylvie sounded genuinely upset on her behalf.
Seeing Sylvie standing in front of her, the memories of her past life hit Nova like a freight train.
In her past life, because she had gained weight during high school, Nova had become incredibly insecure and timid. She was constantly judged by her peers, and Sylvie had been the only one who pretended to be her friend, always defending her in front of the others.
With her innocent looks and sweet demeanor, Sylvie was extremely popular. People naturally gravitated toward her the moment they saw her.
Back then, Nova genuinely believed Sylvie was just a kindhearted person. She hadn’t realized that it was all a calculated manipulation for Sylvie to get closer to Caleb.
And the only reason Sylvie had chosen to befriend her was because Nova was Caleb’s childhood sweetheart.
In her past life, Sylvie had used the school as her personal stage to play the gentle, kindhearted angel, and Nova was nothing but a stepping stone to build that reputation.
Right on cue, Sylvie played her role perfectly. She placed a comforting hand over Nova’s and asked softly, “Nova, did you come to the pool because you’re trying to lose weight?”
Predictably, the moment the crowd heard Sylvie trying to ‘cover’ for Nova, they erupted into laughter.
“She’s nearly two hundred pounds! She could swim all day, and Caleb still wouldn’t look at her twice!”
Sylvie’s face flushed as if she were deeply offended. She pulled Nova up and said defensively, “Ignore them, Nova. I’ll teach you how to swim. Once you lose the weight, you’ll look beautiful, and Caleb will definitely like you!”
Hearing this, Nova discreetly pulled her hand away from Sylvie’s grasp, causing Sylvie’s sweet smile to freeze for a fraction of a second.
Nova hadn’t forgotten that in her past life, Sylvie had used this exact excuse to make a total fool out of her in front of the entire school.
“No thanks.”
Nova’s tone was ice-cold, but Sylvie stubbornly grabbed onto her arm again, looking deeply hurt. “Nova… why are you acting like this? Did I say something wrong?”
“Nova, Sylvie is just trying to help you. Why are you being such a brat?”
“Sylvie takes such good care of you and always defends you. You honestly deserve to stay fat forever!”
“Come on, Sylvie, let’s go. Who cares if she swims or not?”
A few girls stepped forward, ready to pull Sylvie away from her.
Nova coldly watched the girls rally around Sylvie. The reason Sylvie was so wildly popular at school wasn’t just because of her looks, her personality, or her flawless grades—it was also because of her supposed background.
Lindenwood Preparatory Academy was the most exclusive private high school in the city. The students here were the heirs and heiresses of powerful, wealthy families. Because her last name was Sutton, everyone naturally assumed she was the heiress of The Sutton Family, the biggest real estate moguls in Lindenwood.
But what they didn’t know was that Sylvie wasn’t a Sutton heiress at all! She was merely the daughter of the Sutton family’s chauffeur.
It was only much later in her past life that Nova accidentally discovered the true Sutton heiress was someone else entirely. Sylvie had simply used her good grades and her father’s connections to take the real heiress’s spot at the academy.
The actual Sutton heiress was already studying abroad. Nova distinctly remembered her name: Penelope Sutton.
Without warning, Nova stepped forward and grabbed Sylvie’s hand, looking utterly guilt-stricken. “Penelope, I’m so sorry. I was just in a bad mood just now.”Hearing the name ‘Penelope,’ Sylvie’s expression instantly froze.
The girls standing nearby exchanged confused glances. “Penelope? Who is Penelope?”
Sylvie’s heart leaped into her throat.
Nova watched the sheer panic flash across Sylvie’s face and purposefully continued, “You guys didn’t know? The heiress of The Sutton Family is named Penelope Sutton. Penelope is your nickname, right, Sylvie?”
Realizing that Nova had simply misunderstood her identity, Sylvie let out a massive sigh of relief.
The only reason she had managed to enroll at Lindenwood Preparatory Academy was because her father, who had driven for the Suttons for decades, had begged Mr. Sutton for a favor. Since the real Penelope was heading overseas to study, they had allowed Sylvie to take the empty enrollment spot.
From her very first day at the academy, she had been mistaken for the Sutton heiress. She was now a sophomore, and so far, no one had caught on to her lie.
A flicker of suspicion crossed Sylvie’s eyes.
How on earth did Nova know the real heiress’s name?
But then she brushed it off. Thankfully, Nova didn’t know the whole truth and just thought ‘Penelope’ was a cute nickname.
If the truth got out, she would be completely ruined.
Sylvie immediately switched back to her sweet, gentle voice. “Nova, I know you were just upset. I’m not mad at you.”
Nova looked at her with wide, pitiful eyes. “Will you still teach me how to swim?”
“Of course.”
Sylvie smiled warmly, acting as though they had completely made up.
Nova merely sneered on the inside.
Sylvie was obsessed with maintaining her flawless image in front of others. Nova had known all along that Sylvie would agree to teach her.
In her past life, she had been humiliated by Sylvie, making a complete fool of herself in front of everyone because she couldn’t swim.
Sylvie had waited for the perfect moment to shove her underwater, before putting on a dramatic show of trying to ‘save’ her and pretending to get a muscle cramp. It had created the perfect scenario for Caleb to play the hero and save her, which had severely heated up their romance.
This time, Nova wasn’t going to let Sylvie get what she wanted.
Sylvie patiently walked Nova through some warm-up stretches, and then the two of them stepped into the water.
Looking out at the water, Nova rolled her shoulders and played the part of a terrified beginner perfectly, while Sylvie instructed her on how to hold her breath and float.
Everything was playing out exactly like it had in her previous life. But just as Sylvie reached out, preparing to force her underwater, Nova suddenly grabbed Sylvie’s wrist.
They were deep in the water, and no one on the pool deck was paying any attention to them. With a sudden burst of strength, Nova yanked hard. Sylvie let out a sharp shriek as she lost her balance and plunged violently under the surface.
“Sylvie, I’ve got you!”
Nova feigned absolute panic, diving under to look for her. But within seconds, she began thrashing wildly at the surface, acting as though she was drowning. Sylvie could have easily floated back up, but Nova ruthlessly kicked her back down.
“Help! Help! Nova and Sylvie are drowning!”
People on the deck began screaming, and a figure instantly dove into the pool.
Moving through the water like a torpedo, Caleb didn’t even hesitate. He swam straight toward Sylvie, swiftly wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her to the edge.
“Cough! Cough!”
Sylvie had swallowed a massive amount of water. Once pulled onto the deck, she hacked and sputtered uncontrollably, her carefully applied makeup completely ruined. She looked pathetic.
Caleb frowned, his voice thick with concern. “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine…”
Sylvie tried to speak, but before she could finish, someone in the crowd yelled, “Caleb! Nova is still in the water!”