Hannah murmured to herself, unable to wrap her head around it.


    Over a decade.


    Just like that, more than ten years had passed.


    Excluding their three years of marriage, they had known each other for at least fifteen years, right? It had to be.


    But fifteen years of history couldn''t stand up to three years of marriage.


    No, wait, she was getting something wrong.


    "I''ve known Lionel for over a decade, but Lionel has also known Sandra for over a decade."


    If they were talking about who he truly cherished, then Sandra was the one.


    After all, Sandra had funded him with so much money and connections back in the day, helping him easily establish himself in the business world.


    That alone was something Hannah could never have offered.


    So it made sense that Lionel would feel so strongly for Sandra.


    "But if you hadn''t found him back then, he would have died. You were his savior!"


    Samuel had already heard the whole story from her before.


    "Love doesn''t care about who came first. How many childhood sweethearts grow up together only to break up in the end?"


    Hannah forced a wry smile. "Besides, if we''re reallyparing, I gave him a lot, at least from my perspective. But to him, every effort, every offering of mine — all of it drowned out by one sentence from her."


    "Back then, Sandra gave him money and connections. I couldn''tpete with that."


    Samuel listened to her and wanted to say somethingforting, but he held his tongue.


    What Hannah said was true. If, in his youth, such a brilliant and capable woman had been willing to invest everything in him-resources, connections-any man would have been moved.


    "So, we only stayed together


    because we were already dating and living together if I had just epted a simple thank you dinner f?r saving his life and we''d never contacted each other again, be would have married Sandra."


    As Hannah voiced the truth, she couldn''t help butugh, a hint of envy in her tone.


    "They were a good match, after all. An engagement, she was his savior, and she supported his career. Anyone would have been thrilled. It''s just that he happened to be with me."


    Thinking back now, if she hadn''t fallen in love with him, if they hadn''t gotten together, maybe Lionel and Sandra would have be an enviable couple.


    But fate had other ns. Now that things hade to this, there was no point in dwelling on what-ifs.


    "Hannah, don''t talk like that. You


    were barely getting by yourself back then, but you still did everything in your power to help him. He''s the real scumbag, enjoying the resources from two different women and being


    Samuel, however, refused to ept her reasoning.


    "He loved you, but he was secretly


    epting resources from Sandra


    —


    the whole time. That''s the most disgusting part. This mess between the three of you, it''s not on you and it''s not Sandra''s fault. It''s his. He couldn''t manage it. You can''t me yourself, because you diebthe best you could back then!"