My husband, a powerful CEO who had been told he had a 99 percent chance of being infertile, was accidentally drugged and spent the night with a young woman whose education I had been funding. Two months later, she discovered she was pregnant with twins. With tears in her eyes, she insisted on having an abortion. “What happened that night was already a betrayal of Elise. I can’t do this to her again. I can’t keep this baby.” Vincent had never known what it felt like to have a family of his own. Now, driven to the brink of obsession, he spent billions buying a secluded estate and keeping the young woman there, hidden away from the world. He told everyone she had gone abroad to pursue her studies. He kept his secret remarkably well. Until I walked into the baby’s one-month celebration. Vincent didn’t even look at me. He simply ordered his assistant to throw a divorce agreement in front of me. “Elise, sign it. I’ll give you ten luxury villas as compensation.” I refused. So Vincent kept raising the stakes. In the end, he kidnapped the only family I had left—my younger sister—and suspended her above an industrial mixer. “Sign the papers, or watch her get ground into a bloody pulp. It’s your choice.” I lunged for the control panel like a madwoman. But the mixer roared to life. A spray of blood-red pulp splattered across my body. And as I lost control of myself, I slipped and fell into the machine. When I opened my eyes again, I was back in the past. This time, I signed the divorce papers without a moment’s hesitation. Then I canceled my identity registration and left the country for good. But after I disappeared completely, Vincent began searching for me like a man who had lost his mind. … “Mrs. Hart, we’ve located Mr. Hart. He’s at the private estate in Dragon’s Crest. They’re holding a baby’s one-month celebration there.” The private investigator’s voice came through the phone, just as it had in my previous life. My entire body began to tremble. That was when I finally understood. I’d been reborn. In my previous life, I’d noticed that Vincent had been acting suspiciously. He was constantly sneaking around and coming home late, if he came home at all. So I’d hired a private investigator to track his movements. That’s how I’d discovered that he’d purchased the Dragon’s Crest estate a year earlier and poured a fortune into building a secluded villa there. All to keep another woman hidden away. When I remained silent, the investigator cautiously asked, “Mrs. Hart, aren’t you going to confront him? If you show up now, Mr. Hart will have a hard time explaining himself. You might even catch them both in the act.” “No need.” The words left my mouth almost before he’d finished speaking. The memory of my younger sister being crushed to death before my eyes in my previous life still made my body shake uncontrollably. I couldn’t go through that nightmare again. “Thank you for your help. There’s no need to investigate Vincent anymore. Let’s pretend none of this ever happened.” I pulled out a check for five million dollars and handed it to him. “And don’t let Vincent find out that I ever investigated him.” The investigator accepted the check with undisguised delight, promising repeatedly that he’d keep his mouth shut. Once the enormous house had fallen silent again, I slowly rose to my feet and took the wedding photograph off the wall. In the picture, Vincent and I were smiling brightly, gazing at each other with what looked like genuine devotion. Eight years had passed since that day. Yet every now and then, I could still remember our wedding. Vincent had kissed the back of my hand with such tenderness, as though I were something precious he was terrified of breaking. Then he’d looked into my eyes and made me a solemn promise. “Elise, no matter what happens in this life, through sickness and health, through good times and bad, I’ll love only you.” But life has a way of turning promises into cruel jokes. Two years after our wedding, we still hadn’t conceived a child. We finally went to the hospital, hoping to find out why. The doctor’s answer changed everything. “I’m sorry. Mr. Hart has a 99 percent chance of being infertile. I hope you’ll both be able to come to terms with that.” We had both wanted children. We’d imagined building a family together, watching our children grow, and carrying our love into another generation. The diagnosis hit us hard. For Vincent, it was devastating. There was something especially cruel about a man being told that his own body might never allow him to father a child. After that, he began drinking heavily. Even when passion brought us together in bed, the moment he remembered the doctor’s words, the light in his eyes would fade. He’d pull away from me as though he’d suddenly remembered something unbearable. “I’m going to take a shower.” And just like that, another night ended with me alone. We lived that way for eight years. Until the night of a business reception a year ago. Someone had slipped drugs into Vincent’s drink. In his confused, drugged state, he somehow ended up spending the night with Ivy, the struggling student I’d been sponsoring. It was as though the gears of fate had suddenly shifted. From that moment on, everything spiraled beyond my control. In my previous life, Vincent became obsessed with the baby growing inside Ivy. He desperately wanted a family. He wanted a child of his own more than anything in the world. So he kept Ivy hidden away in a private villa. When I discovered the truth, he didn’t even bother to explain himself. He simply looked me in the eye and demanded a divorce. It wasn’t until I was dying that I finally understood. His heart had already made room for someone else. So this time, I wouldn’t storm into their baby’s celebration. I wouldn’t expose them. I wouldn’t fight for a man who no longer loved me. Instead, I picked up my phone and called my lawyer. “I need you to draw up a divorce agreement. Yes, as soon as possible.” I would give them what they wanted. I thought that if I stayed out of their lives and agreed to the divorce willingly, I could avoid the tragedy that had destroyed us all. I was wrong. Half an hour later, Vincent stormed into my room and kicked the door open. “Elise Hart!” His eyes were bloodshot. He seized my chin so forcefully that I had no choice but to look at him. “Tell me! What did you do to Ivy? Where have you taken her?” I stared at him in disbelief. My breathing grew shallow. “I didn’t do anything. I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I hadn’t interfered in their relationship this time. I hadn’t even gone near their private estate. And weren’t they supposed to be celebrating their baby’s first month together right now? Vincent’s lips twisted into a cold, mocking smile. “Stop pretending. I know you’re reborn too.” My blood ran cold. “In your last life, you refused to divorce me even when it meant dying. You couldn’t bear to give up your position as Mrs. Hart, could you? You knew we were celebrating our baby’s first month today, so you used your financial support of Ivy to threaten her and force her into hiding. Isn’t that right?” I was so shocked that I couldn’t speak. His hand tightened around my throat, squeezing the air from my lungs. I clawed desperately at his fingers, my chest heaving as I struggled to breathe. “You’ve got it wrong. I really don’t know—” “Elise, my patience has limits.” He flung me aside and ordered his bodyguards to tie me up. Then he lit a cigarette, his expression impossible to read. “You have five minutes to tell me where Ivy is.” He took a slow drag. “Otherwise, don’t blame me for taking away the last person you have in this world.” I jerked my head up, staring at him with bloodshot eyes. “You wouldn’t dare!” My parents had died when I was young. My younger sister, Holly, was the only family I had left. Vincent understood human nature all too well. He knew exactly where I was most vulnerable. But Holly had already paid the price for my mistakes once. I wasn’t going to let him hurt her again. I dropped to my knees and begged him, swallowing every last shred of pride I had. “Vincent, please. Think about the eight years we’ve spent together. Believe me just this once.” “I haven’t touched Ivy. I don’t know where she is. And I’ve already decided to divorce you. If you don’t believe me, call my lawyer!” I was desperate to prove my innocence, but Vincent continued to stare at me with icy suspicion. He gave a contemptuous laugh. “Don’t think you can buy yourself time by making up stories. If you’d been willing to divorce me in the last life, your sister wouldn’t have died in front of you.” Before I could react, he pressed the burning end of his cigarette against my collarbone. Pain shot through me. A strangled sound escaped my throat. Vincent’s eyes were cold. “Does it hurt?” He ground the cigarette against my skin for another moment before pulling it away. “Ivy’s disappearance hurts me a thousand times more.” His gaze flickered when he saw the burn on my skin. At last, he dropped the cigarette to the floor. Then he leaned closer, his voice rough. “You know what Ivy means to me. Tell me where she is.” Despair washed over me. I shook my head frantically. “I really don’t know! If you have time to interrogate me, you should be sending people out to look for her!” Vincent fell silent for a long moment. Then he spoke. “Bring me Holly.” My breath caught. Despair settled over me like a suffocating weight. Holly was a teacher at an international school. She’d been in the middle of a class when Vincent’s men dragged her away. Now she stood before me, bewildered and frightened. “Ellie? What’s going on? Why are you kneeling on the floor?” I squeezed my eyes shut. Then I scrambled toward Vincent and grabbed the leg of his trousers, my dignity completely forgotten. “I’ll do whatever you want. You can take my life if that’s what it takes. Just please, let my sister go.” Vincent remained unmoved. Desperate and shaking, I grabbed a fruit knife from a nearby table and pressed its tip against my throat. One small movement would be enough to cut an artery. “I swear on my life that if I did anything to Ivy, may I bleed to death!” My voice broke. “Vincent, didn’t you promise me that you’d believe me no matter what happened?” Tears spilled down my cheeks. “I don’t want anything anymore. I don’t want to be Mrs. Hart. I don’t want your name, your money, or any part of your life. I don’t even want you anymore…” Vincent’s brow furrowed slightly. For the first time, he seemed to be weighing my words, wondering whether I might actually be telling the truth. Just then, the housekeeper rushed into the room carrying a screaming infant. “Mr. Hart, where’s Miss Ivy? The baby’s been crying for her mother. Miss Ivy has never been away from the estate this long. What if something’s happened to her?” Whatever uncertainty had begun to soften Vincent’s expression vanished instantly. “Tie Holly up and take her to the roof.” Then he turned his cold gaze on me. “Elise, you get one last chance to tell me the truth. If you still refuse, I’ll make sure you watch your sister die in front of you all over again.” I was utterly exhausted. There was nothing left inside me but despair. If he really dared to hurt Holly, I swore I’d drag him over the edge with me. We’d go straight to hell together. The bodyguards had just started moving when Vincent’s assistant came rushing in, gasping for breath, his phone clutched in one hand. “Mr. Hart! We’ve found Miss Ivy!” Vincent finally located Ivy at a small temple on the outskirts of town. She was kneeling before a statue of Buddha, sobbing uncontrollably. “What am I supposed to do? I’ve done something terrible. I never wanted to steal Elise’s husband, but I still ended up having Vincent’s baby.” “Buddha, do you think I’m an ungrateful wretch too? Elise has supported me for years, and this is how I repay her. She must hate me. Maybe I should just die…” When she’d fled the estate, she’d stolen one of Vincent’s guns. Now she was trying to point it at herself. But she didn’t have the nerve to pull the trigger. She fumbled with it for several minutes, unable to bring herself to do it. Then Vincent came charging toward her and wrenched the gun out of her hands. The next second, he swept her into his arms. My guards dragged me toward the temple entrance. Even from a distance, I could hear how badly Vincent was trembling. “It’s okay. You’re safe now. It’s all right…” His face had gone pale with fear. He held Ivy so tightly that it looked as though he wanted to pull her into his own body and protect her from the entire world. “Oh, sweetheart. You foolish girl.” Ivy cried and struggled weakly against him before collapsing into his embrace, fragile and pitiful. I’d imagined this scene a thousand times. I’d prepared myself for the moment I’d finally see how much he loved her. But watching it unfold before my eyes still felt like being strangled from the inside. Ivy had been a poor girl I’d sponsored through school. When I’d visited her school to select students for financial assistance, a crowd of teenagers had rushed forward, each trying to make their case. They told me about their hardships, their struggling families, and the futures they feared they might never have. Every one of them wanted to be chosen. Except Ivy. She’d stood apart from the others in a simple white dress. Her sneakers had been washed so many times that the color had faded. She’d reminded me of a clean, delicate butterfly resting quietly on a flower, asking for nothing and competing with no one. Looking at her, I’d seen a little of my younger self. So I’d paid for her education and living expenses. When she couldn’t find a job after graduating, I’d even recommended her for a position at Vincent’s company. If I hadn’t sponsored her in the first place, perhaps that night would never have happened. Perhaps Vincent would never have been drugged, and the two of them would never have ended up in the same bed. Looking back, it seemed I’d somehow stepped into someone else’s fate and brought all this misery upon myself. Maybe I’d gotten exactly what I deserved for trying to play the savior. Vincent spent an astonishing amount of time comforting Ivy. It took a long while before her sobs finally subsided. Then she turned and saw me. Fresh tears spilled down her cheeks. “I’m sorry, Elise…” “You don’t owe her an apology.” Vincent cut her off, fixing me with a frigid stare. “That night wasn’t your fault. The fact that you got pregnant with my child means fate intended this to happen.” He turned back to Ivy, his voice softening. “You’ve been family to me for a long time, sweetheart. No one could ever take your place.” He pulled her into his arms again and kissed her gently. “Don’t ever run off like that again. You have no idea how close you came to driving me insane.” In the end, Vincent took Ivy back to the estate. He was so worried about her that his hands trembled as he held her slender shoulders. During the drive home, he kissed her forehead five or six times. His overwhelming devotion seemed to move Ivy deeply. The moment we returned to the villa, she dropped to her knees in front of me. “Elise, I know I’ve betrayed your kindness. I’ll never be able to repay everything you’ve done for me.” “But I really have fallen in love with Vincent. Could you… could you possibly…” Her voice trailed off as fresh tears gathered in her eyes. I managed a bitter smile. “Give up my place as Mrs. Hart? Is that what you’re trying to ask?” It had been a year since I’d last seen her. She’d filled out a little, and there was a new softness to her appearance, a quiet domesticity that hadn’t been there before. But there was also a melancholy in her eyes. During the year she’d spent pregnant and recovering from childbirth, Vincent had told everyone she’d gone abroad for further studies. Only I knew the truth. He’d kept her hidden away in this private estate, spending every night he stayed away from home with her. At first, I’d believed he was interested only in the baby. He’d wanted to take the child and raise it with me, giving us the family we’d been told we could never have. But people weren’t made of stone. Day after day, this innocent, seemingly kindhearted girl had worn down his defenses. Somewhere along the way, Vincent had fallen in love with her for real. Ivy immediately began shaking her head. “No! That’s not what I mean. I know I’ve been selfish. I know I’m asking for too much. But, Elise… we have a child together now…” I looked down, forcing myself to swallow the bitterness rising in my throat. Then I took out my phone and showed her the application confirming that my identity registration was being canceled. “Don’t worry. In seven days, I’ll be leaving the country.” I met her eyes and spoke slowly, making sure she understood every word. “After that, you’ll be the only Mrs. Hart.” When I returned to my room, Holly was waiting for me, pacing anxiously. The moment she saw me, she rushed over, concern written all over her face. “Ellie, what on earth happened? You and Vincent have always seemed so happy together. Who is that woman?” I shook my head wearily. “Come abroad with me, Holly. Let’s leave this place behind.” My sister had always understood me better than anyone. I told her everything, from beginning to end, including the fact that I’d been reborn. Compassion filled her eyes. She squeezed my hand tightly. “All right. I’ll go with you. We’ll make sure that bastard Vincent can never find you again.” Over the following days, Ivy’s existence was no longer a secret. She’d given the Hart family a little girl, and overnight, she’d become their most celebrated member. Even my in-laws, who had once favored me, began taking cruel pleasure in humiliating me. “So much for the claim that my son couldn’t father a child! How do you explain Ivy’s baby? I always suspected the problem was with the wife. Some women just can’t have children, yet they insist on occupying a place they have no business holding.” I pretended not to hear them and walked past in silence. There was no point fighting back. In a few more days, I’d be gone for good. “Sign this.” Vincent handed me a document. The words Share Transfer Agreement were printed across the top. I understood immediately. He wanted me to transfer some of my company shares to Ivy. When I didn’t respond, he spoke in his usual cold, authoritative tone. “You’re still occupying the position of Mrs. Hart. Ivy won’t fight you for it. But these shares are rightfully hers. She gave the Hart family an heir. She’s done us a great service, and my parents agree.” I nodded. “Fine.” After signing the document, I handed it back to Vincent with the divorce agreement tucked underneath. Just as I’d expected, he didn’t bother to read the papers. He signed them and left. The moment the door closed behind him, I let out a long, unsteady breath. Vincent was a busy man, but he seemed willing to give Ivy and their daughter every spare moment he had. He watched sunrises and sunsets with Ivy. He even built a sturdy crib with his own hands and sang lullabies to their little girl. And yet… If that one terrible accident had never happened, I should have been the one sharing that happiness with him. The sight cut too deeply. I couldn’t bear to watch any longer, so I turned and walked away. That day, I’d just finalized arrangements with a research team overseas and bought my plane ticket. All I had to do was wait for the cancellation of my identity registration to go through. Then I’d be free. But just as I was packing my suitcase, disaster struck. Vincent stormed into my room, his eyes bloodshot. He kicked my suitcase so hard that it broke apart. “You’ve just done something despicable, and now you think you can run away?” The suitcase went flying. Anger surged through me. “Vincent, what the hell is wrong with you?” Before I could say another word, he slammed me against the wall and wrapped his hand around my throat. That same suffocating grip. “What the hell is wrong with me? What did you do to my daughter?” His voice was hoarse with rage. I stared at him, bewildered. “What did I do?” At the same time, a terrible feeling began to creep over me. Ever since Vincent had hidden Ivy away at the private estate, he’d blamed me for practically everything that went wrong there. It was because I’d refused to divorce him in my previous life. Even now, when I was bending over backward to accommodate him, he’d still refuse to see me as anything other than a jealous, vindictive woman. Vincent dragged me downstairs. The housekeeper was standing there, anxiously holding the screaming baby. Before I could make sense of what was happening, Vincent pulled back the infant’s blanket and rolled up her sleeves. I froze. The baby was barely a month old, and angry red rashes covered her tiny body. Vincent looked as though he were about to lose his mind. “Do you have any idea how fragile a baby this young is? The slightest complication could cost her life!” I couldn’t understand his accusation. “Then why haven’t you taken her to the hospital?” “Easy for you to say, Mrs. Hart!” The housekeeper glared at me, her eyes blazing with hatred. “If you hadn’t given Miss Ivy that baby blanket, Miss Annie wouldn’t be covered in rashes! And you still have the nerve to pretend you didn’t do anything?” “Our Ivy is kind and innocent. She never wanted to fight you for anything. When she found out she was pregnant, she tried to run away several times because she was afraid you’d make trouble for her.” “And what did you do? You’re both women! Ivy never even tried to take your position as Mrs. Hart. Why couldn’t you leave her alone? Why would you go so far as to hurt her baby?” The string of accusations left me shaking with rage. I was so furious that I couldn’t even find the words to defend myself. “Vincent, don’t listen to Mrs. Dawson. I believe Elise didn’t do this…” Ivy came rushing in at the sound of the commotion, tears streaming down her face. When she saw her daughter crying, her heart broke. And yet, even now, she was trying to protect me. Vincent glanced at her with tenderness. “Someone take Ivy back to her room. She needs to rest.” The moment the servants led her away, he pulled out his gun and aimed it at my right hand. Bang. The gunshot shattered the silence. Pain exploded through my hand, and I screamed. Everyone in the room recoiled in terror, scrambling to put as much distance between themselves and me as possible, afraid they’d be dragged into the same nightmare. I stared up at Vincent in despair. “Vincent, after eight years together, after everything you’ve seen of my character, do you honestly believe I’d hurt a baby who hasn’t even turned one month old?” For a moment, something thoughtful flickered in his eyes. Then he turned away with a cold snort. “Your jealousy of Ivy makes you capable of anything.” Before leaving, he instructed the driver to take me to the hospital. Then he walked away without looking back. The pain was so intense that I lost consciousness. When I woke up, I was lying in a hospital bed. The doctors had removed the bullet and stitched up my hand. The nurses often looked at me with pity. I heard their whispers, even when I pretended not to. “Did you see that? Miss Ivy only twisted her ankle, and Mr. Hart scooped her up in his arms and rushed her here himself. He stayed by her side all day.” “And his wife? She’s been shot, and he hasn’t even bothered to visit.” I stared blankly at the ceiling. The only person who came to bring me food was Holly. Whenever she thought I wasn’t looking, she’d turn away and quietly wipe her tears. One day, she finally lost her temper. “Ellie, you should never have married that bastard.” “When I got here earlier, I saw Vincent setting off fireworks for that woman. He’s completely forgotten who his wife is. You gave him eight years of your life, and this is what you get in return. What a waste.” I managed a bitter smile. “Soon, he and I will be complete strangers.” While I lay in the hospital, Ivy repeatedly urged Vincent to visit me. Her eyes would fill with tears as she pleaded with him. “Elise is your wife. You hurt her so badly. You should go see her. I can’t live with myself knowing you haven’t even checked on her.” Vincent affectionately rubbed her head. “I knew my girl had the kindest heart.” Whenever my name came up, he would laugh dismissively. “Elise is a strong, independent woman. She can take care of herself. You’re the one who needs someone by your side all the time. Don’t waste your energy worrying about her.” “And besides, she’s the one who hurt Annie. Thank God the doctors say the baby’s fine. Otherwise, that bullet wouldn’t have stopped at her hand.” He wrapped his arms around Ivy and held her close. “From now on, nobody gets to hurt you or Annie. I don’t care who it is. I’ll make sure they pay.” For seven days straight, Vincent took Ivy on trips and excursions, helping her relax while the three of them enjoyed their little family vacation. On the day I was discharged, a text message appeared on my phone. Your identity registration cancellation has been approved. Holly had already packed my belongings. “These are the things you’ll need right away. If we forgot anything, we can buy it once we’re abroad.” I nodded. Then we took a cab straight to the airport. Standing outside the terminal, Holly looked at me for a long moment. “Ellie, if you change your mind, there’s still time.” I shook my head and smiled. “I won’t. I’m just wondering why it took me so long to see the truth. Why I didn’t leave sooner.” I took a deep breath, snapped my SIM card in half, and dropped it into a trash can. “Come on. Let’s go.” We collected our boarding passes and boarded the plane. Neither of us looked back.
🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “648811”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel
Leave a Reply