Someone drugged Michael with a sex drug that night. We ended up in bed, bodies overheating and out of control. Right when I was about to climax, I saw Serena—the woman he actually loved—standing in the doorway, tears running down her face. Three days later, they dragged a woman in a wedding dress out of the river. Serena. Pregnant with Michael’s first child. And he still married me. On our wedding night, he looked me dead in the eyes and sneered, “Happy now?” For the next thirty years, he never touched me again. And before I died, he told me, “I wish I never met you.” Then I opened my eyes—back on the night he was drugged. This time, I gripped my collar tight… and shoved Serena straight into his room. “Stella, help me…”The plea was a hot breath against my ear. Michael’s burning palm locked around my waist, slamming me against the door.. “Stella…” His voice was ragged, his teeth grazing my earlobe. In my past life, this was my fatal mistake. Michael was my parents’ adopted son. He’d doted on me, loved me, since we were children. Seeing the man who had once cherished me above all else now writhing in agony, my mind had gone blank. My fingers had moved to my buttons. Then, I met Serena’s tear-filled eyes in the doorway. Three days later, she was dead, taking two lives with her. Michael’s hatred for me ran bone-deep from that day on. I shoved Michael away. He staggered back, stunned. “Michael, I’ll get you some water.” I pushed the door open. Serena was standing right there, just outside the door. In my past life, I was utterly clueless, believing she was some sweet, innocent girl. If she was truly innocent, how could her timing be so perfect? “You’re just in time.” “What do you mean?” A flicker of panic, quickly hidden, darted in Serena’s eyes. I had no patience for her games. I grabbed her arm and pushed her into the room. “Your precious Serena is here. You two figure it out.” I slammed the door shut. The next second, the door was kicked open from the inside! Michael hadn’t touched her. Instead, he whirled and smashed his fist into the wall mirror. Glass shards sliced his arm, blood welling instantly. He was using pain to claw back his sanity. His bloodshot eyes locked on me, burning with a raw, tearing hatred. “Stella Caldwell, you’re vicious!” He snarled. “Serena is pregnant with my child.” “Did you shove her in here hoping to hurt them both?” How could he possibly know? In my previous life, he clearly didn’t know at this point! The world tilted. My blood ran cold. An absurd and terrifying thought exploded in my mind. He was reborn, too?
“Stella Caldwell!” Michael growled, his voice gritted. “How did I never see how malicious you were?” Michael loomed over me. “I’m marrying Serena in a month. From now on, you will remember your place.” “My place?” I looked up at him. “My sister.” His words were cold and final. “We may not share blood, but you call me Michael. That makes you my sister, and that is all you will ever be.” He paused, a complex emotion flickering in his eyes. “And stop with the drugs.” A sudden, sharp laugh escaped me. So he’d always believed I was the one who drugged him. No wonder he hated me for thirty years in my past life. From the very beginning, he had cast me as the vicious woman who would sink to any depth to have him. “Okay.” I nodded, calmly. “I wish you both all the best.” A hint of surprise flashed in Michael’s eyes, as if he hadn’t expected me to agree so readily. But he didn’t know that my parents had left me a safeguard. Michael, if you truly marry anyone else, you’ll lose everything. The ones who loved me most were always Mom and Dad. For now, I’d patiently wait for their wedding. Michael made me personally attend to Serena’s every need, all in the name of “atonement.” “Stella, from today on, you’ll cook for Serena, do her laundry, and take care of everything.” Michael stood in the living room, looking down at me. “Until you’ve truly repented and purged the malice from your heart.” I didn’t resist, just nodded calmly. “Okay.” Michael seemed a little surprised by my compliance, but quickly regained his cold demeanor. Serena sat on the sofa, stroking her still shapeless belly, giving me a gentle smile. “Stella, I’m afraid I’ll be quite a burden these next few days.” Sure enough, she was really looking for trouble for me. She had morning sickness. She insisted I stand beside her with a basin, watching her bend over and dry heave. Vomit splattered on my hand, with a pungent, sour smell. She slumped against the sofa, a peculiar light gleaming in her eyes. “Oh, I’m so sorry, Stella. I’ve made you dirty.” I cleaned the filth from my hands, my heart completely calm. She’d complain her feet were swollen when she walked. I would kneel and massage them, each session lasting over an hour, until my own hands went numb. I endured it all. And eventually, she seemed to find it boring. She didn’t just make things difficult for me when Michael wasn’t around, but she also slandered me when he was. When I handed her the prenatal vitamins, she suddenly stumbled. No, it was a “fake fall.” The scalding liquid splashed all over my hands, instantly causing blisters. The searing pain made my hand tremble, the glass vial fell to the ground, scattering fragments. “Serena!” Michael rushed over like a madman, scooping up Serena, who’d supposedly just “twisted her ankle,” and bellowed at me: “You can’t even stand to see her happy?! You’re trying to hurt her even when she’s just walking carefully?!” I looked at my own hands, burned bright red, blisters rising layer after layer. But Michael didn’t even glance at me. “Michael,” Serena leaned weakly in his arms. “Don’t blame Stella. It was just my own clumsiness.” “Don’t you dare defend her!” Michael seethed. “She did that on purpose!” The pain was excruciating, but I just watched them, my heart a barren landscape of indifference. I already knew this would be the outcome. “Michael,” Serena whispered, her gaze drifting to my neck. “Is that… a ruby? I heard red isn’t good luck for a pregnant woman. It might… clash with the baby’s energy.” “Take that thing off your neck,” his voice was devoid of warmth. That was what Michael gave me for my 16th birthday. My most precious possession. Before I could speak, he reached out and grabbed the chain. The thin silver chain dug into my skin, a stinging pain. Snap! The chain broke. He didn’t even glance at it, casually tossing it into the burning fireplace nearby. The flames instantly swallowed the ruby pendant. It turns out everything I once cherished, in his eyes, was no different from trash. How ironic.
“You’re coming with us to the bridal shop later,” Michael commanded, his arm around Serena at the top of the stairs. On the way to the bridal shop, Serena suddenly clutched her stomach and complained she was hungry. “I’m craving those amazing grilled cheese sandwiches from that old deli on the other side of town,” she said, hooking her arm coquettishly around Michael’s. “But we have to go try on dresses…” Michael immediately understood her meaning and turned to me. “You go get them.” Serena smiled sweetly. “Stella, I’d love them fresh and hot, straight off the grill. Would you mind?” I frowned, looking at the pouring rain outside the car window. Michael looked at me coldly. “What, you don’t even want to do this little thing?” I shook my head, and Michael shoved me out of the car. It was hard to hail a taxi in a heavy rain. I waited in the downpour for half an hour before finally getting one. By the time I reached the deli, I was completely soaked. “I’m sorry, we just ran out of grilled cheese. We’re making a new batch, but it’ll be about an hour,” the staff member said apologetically. But I waited anyway. I didn’t want to get into a pointless argument over this again. An hour later, I was rushing back through the rain with the piping hot takeout container. The rain was even heavier now. Even though I used my jacket to shield the container, rainwater still seeped in. My lips were purple with cold, my teeth chattering uncontrollably. By the time I stumbled back to the bridal shop, Michael and Serena were waiting for me in the lounge area. Seeing my condition, Michael frowned. “What took you so long?” “It’s raining. Traffic was bad,” I explained simply, my hands trembling as I handed the takeout container to Serena. Serena’s foot subtly extended, tripping me. The container flew from my grasp. The hot contents of the sandwich, along with the melted cheese, splattered all over the wedding dress next to Serena. “Ah!” Serena shrieked. “My wedding dress!” The pure white lace was stained a mess. “Stella Caldwell!” Michael roared, kicking the takeout container, sending the remaining hot cheese and sauce splashing all over my legs. The scalding liquid burned my skin through my wet pants. I gasped in pain. “You did that on purpose!” Michael pointed at me, his eyes blazing with fury. “You just can’t stand to see us happy!” “I’m not!” “Are you still trying to argue?!” Michael’s gaze cut into me like a knife. “Get down on your knees!” “What?” “Kneel! Kneel until Serena is no longer upset!” Other customers in the bridal boutique stopped to gawk, their whispers reaching my ears. “What’s going on?” “That poor girl…” I stood there, drenched, the focus of everyone’s stares. In my past life, I would have found it unbearable with shame. But now, I just felt tired. So, so tired. I slowly knelt down. The cold floor instantly made my knees numb. “Michael,”Serena said softly, “It’s okay, Stella didn’t do it on purpose.” “No.” Michael said coldly. “She needs to know what she did wrong.” I knelt there, looking at the shattered pieces of the takeout container on the floor. The rain was still falling. Just like many years ago, that rainy night when I had a high fever and Michael sat by my bed all night. Back then, he would anxiously touch my forehead, tell me stories to coax me to sleep, and gently pat my back when I woke up in the middle of the night. “Don’t be scared, Stella. Michael’s here. I’ll always protect you.” But now, he felt disgusted even looking at me. The rain grew heavier. I knelt on the cold ground, feeling my body temperature slowly draining away. I don’t know how much time passed, but I felt dizzy and my vision blurred.
I lay in the hospital for three days, battling a fever. I nearly died. Michael never came. Not even a text or a call. I closed my eyes. Although I no longer held any hope, my heart still ached a little. Today was Michael’s wedding. I forced my weak body to appear at the Caldwell estate. When Michael saw me, a flicker of surprise flashed in his eyes. “You should be recovering in the hospital.” “I don’t want to miss your big day, Michael,” I said calmly. Serena walked down from upstairs. When she saw me, a hint of smugness flashed in her eyes. “Stella, are you not well yet? Your face looks very bad.” “I’m fine,” I replied without a ripple of emotion. “That’s good.” She walked up to me and said in a low voice. “Oh, by the way, Michael mentioned you’d be helping to host today. He thought it would be more practical if you wore a staff uniform.” She pointed to the black uniform on the sofa. I looked at the ill-fitting staff uniform and suddenly smiled. So they didn’t even want to leave me the last shred of dignity. “Okay.” I picked up the uniform and changed into it right in front of them. Michael looked at me, with a complex emotion in his eyes, like reluctance, and also like relief. But quickly, he shifted his gaze. The banquet hall was full of guests. I stood in the corner in a staff uniform, enduring everyone’s pointing and whispering. “Isn’t that Stella Caldwell? Why is she dressed like that?” “Honestly, what a disgrace.” I listened to their comments with a blank expression, my heart completely calm. The emcee began to host the wedding. “Now, please welcome the bride and groom to exchange rings.” I watched Michael and Serena on stage. They smiled so sweetly, as if there was only each other in the world. The emcee announced with a smile, “I declare, you are officially husband and wife! The groom may now kiss the bride!” Just as Michael leaned in to kiss her, the banquet hall doors swung open. A middle-aged man in a suit walked in, holding a document. “Excuse me for the interruption, everyone.” He walked to the stage, his voice clearly reaching everyone in the banquet hall. “I’m Mr. Hayes, senior legal partner for Caldwell Industries. The late Mr. and Mrs. Caldwell entrusted me with their final wishes.” The entire hall fell silent. Michael frowned. “What is it?” Mr. Hayes unfolded the document. “A supplementary clause specifies that Michael Caldwell will forfeit his entire inheritance upon marrying any woman other than Stella Caldwell.” “What?!” Michael couldn’t believe it. “Effective immediately, all shares and assets of Caldwell Industries will be transferred to Ms. Stella Caldwell.” Mr. Hayes continued, his voice flat and final. “Mr. Michael Caldwell, you have been disinherited.”
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