Chapter 2

“No! Serena can’t be dead! She’s alive, she’s still alive!”

Another month passed. Inside Serena’s funeral parlor.

Liam clutched her photo, howling in agony, tears streaming down his face.

The other mourners eyed me strangely, one after another.

His legal wife stood right there, yet he was openly weeping over another woman’s death.

Mrs. Davis, a neighbor, pulled me aside. “Elara, go talk to Liam. No matter what his past with Serena was, she was married to another man. It looks so bad, him crying like this in front of her husband and family.”

I glanced up. Serena’s in-laws looked furious, especially Mark, her husband. His face was darker than thunder.

He had always been sensitive about Serena and Liam’s past, and now his eyes burned with rage.

I pressed my lips together, watching the scene unfold.

I shook my head. “Mrs. Davis, it’s not that I won’t, but you know Liam never listens to me.”

I had always been easily swayed. In my previous life, I simply agreed to marry Liam because my parents assured me I’d be comfortable, that the Millers had a good standing.

We had no deep affection, but we treated each other with respect.

It wasn't until a year into our marriage, when a woman named Serena in our town was diagnosed with cancer, that I realized Liam’s heart had always belonged to someone else.

Serena’s parents had passed away, and she had five younger siblings. The Millers were afraid that if Liam married her, they’d be burdened with an entire family, and they flat-out refused to allow it.

Fearing Liam and Serena would continue their affair, his parents hastily found a matchmaker and introduced him to me.

Our town was notoriously conservative, and the scandal between Serena and Liam had been huge. Once the wedding was off, her reputation was ruined. She had no choice but to marry a poor, disabled man.

Her husband’s family was dirt poor. To save every scrap of food for her younger siblings, she literally starved herself until she fell sick.

Serena’s in-laws couldn't afford her treatment. When Liam found out, he used his salary to take Serena to the city for medical care.

Stomach cancer treatment cost a fortune. Liam’s salary wasn’t enough, which was why he’d come home, desperate to borrow money from me.

This time, I hadn’t given him my wedding ring.

So, while everyone slept, he snuck out and stole a large sum of money meant for the factory’s raw materials to continue Serena’s treatment.

Just a week later, Serena passed away.

The money was spent, the treatment failed, and our family was deep in debt.

His recklessness gave his mother a stroke, but we couldn't even afford a doctor for her.

I never imagined Liam would go to such extremes.

Seeing everyone whispering, I stepped forward and pulled Liam up.

“Don’t let Serena rest in peace, go home.”

The words were barely out when a sharp slap echoed through the funeral parlor.

The noisy room instantly fell silent, all eyes on my face.

Liam’s eyes were bloodshot as he roared at me, “Get out! You have no right to say that!”

“If you hadn’t stopped me from saving Serena countless times, she never would have died!”

The stinging pain in my cheek momentarily stole my voice.

Liam glared at me, as if I were his mortal enemy. “Serena’s dead, you must be thrilled, huh? Finally, no one to compete with you.”

“But don’t get your hopes up. Serena’s dead, and I won’t live without her.”

After he said that, the mourners started whispering again.

I heard someone scoff, “That Liam, what a lovesick fool. He actually wants to die for another man’s wife.”

My experiences in the previous life had already left me utterly disillusioned.

I no longer cared about Liam’s attitude towards me, but this slap? I wouldn't take it lying down.

The next second, I used all my strength and slapped him back.

My hands, hardened by years of work, were as strong as any man’s. With one slap, Liam’s head reeled.

Standing on moral high ground, I sternly reprimanded him in front of everyone. “That slap was for your parents! You may think you’re being loyal to Serena, but you’ve betrayed your mom and dad who worked so hard to raise you.”

Then, I quietly stepped away from the crowd.

Anyway, he wouldn’t live much longer.

What was the point of arguing with a dead man?