Chapter 2

My eyes immediately fell on the familiar gold bracelet on Stella’s wrist.

It was a gift I’d bought, scraping together every penny from my hard labor and even selling my own jewelry.

Justin and I had gone from store to store, picking it out together.

He had even promised to get me an even bigger and better one someday.

“Why do you have that bracelet?”

Justin said, righteous indignation in his voice, “It’s a gift I bought for Stella. Chloe approved of it.”

My rage finally erupted. I lunged forward like a madwoman, trying to rip the bracelet off her wrist.

“That bracelet is mine! Give it back!”

Stella shrieked.

Ben and Justin scrambled to surround her.

In the ensuing struggle, someone shoved me, sending me tumbling out the window.

I had dangled countless times from high altitudes, faced numerous emergencies, but my safety harness had always saved me.

This time, there was no safety harness.

The chilling reality of plummeting to my death finally hit me.

I heard a sickening thud as the back of my head struck the ground. My consciousness faded…

In the haze, scenes from the past thirty years flashed before my eyes.

Ben had faked his death and had been living with Stella all along.

And Ben’s parents, Jack and Sophie? They knew everything. I was the only one kept in the dark!

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself thirty years in the past.

I was at Ben’s funeral.

His parents sat on the floor, wailing.

“Oh, why are we so unlucky? Justin is so young; how will he live without his father?”

I wiped away my tears and spoke calmly.

“Don’t worry. I’ll raise Justin. You two can go back to your old house in the countryside.”

The wailing stopped abruptly. Both of them stared at me, stunned.

A cold, bitter laugh escaped my lips internally. Let’s see how they keep up their act now.

If it weren’t for the memories I'd seen in my dying moments, I never would have known they were in on Ben’s fake death from the very beginning, deceiving me for all those years.

In my previous life, I pitied the elderly couple, imagining them helpless and alone. I’d been talked into selling our house, giving them all the money for their retirement.

I worked tirelessly, drifting from place to place, with no fixed home.

Meanwhile, they turned around and gave that money to Ben, allowing him and Stella to buy another house.

This time, they wouldn't get a single dime from me!

Jack, Ben’s father, looked displeased.

“You just lost your job. You can barely support yourself. How will you raise a child?”

I seized the opportunity to respond.

“You’re right, it’s tough right now. Perhaps Justin should stay with you in the countryside for a while. Once I find a stable job, I’ll bring him back. Does that work?”

Sophie, Ben’s mother, looked at me with feigned sympathy.

“Even if you get a job, you can’t care for a child alone. Why don’t you sell the house first? Your livelihood is more important…”

If I didn’t know the truth, I might actually believe she was concerned for me.

I feigned surprise, a hurt expression on my face.

“This house is the only thing Ben left behind, a keepsake. Besides, it’s meant for Justin someday. How could I sell it? Justin, don't you agree?”

Justin had always been self-serving, even as a child.

He was only eight years old now, too young to understand all the hidden agendas. What he was thinking was written all over his face.

My words provoked him, and just as I expected, he became agitated.

“This is what Dad left for me! You can’t sell it!”

He threw a tantrum on the floor, crying loudly.

Jack and Sophie, having no choice, had to humor their precious grandson and dropped the subject of selling the house.

After the funeral, they took Justin back to the countryside.

I quickly took Ben’s death certificate, transferred the house deed into my name, and then went to the government to officially revoke his identity and household registration.

In my previous life, consumed by grief for Ben, I’d delayed revoking his documents and eventually forgot about it.

The result? I never discovered he was alive, allowing him to live a lavish life for years.

He liked to play dead, didn’t he? Well, I’d make him truly dead to society!