I had been caring for my husband Marcus for over forty years after he was paralyzed in a car accident shortly after our wedding. It wasn’t until he passed away that I discovered he had left a will, bequeathing all our assets to Olivia, a younger woman he knew from college. I was evicted from the house we had lived in for decades. Leaning on my cane, I shakily made my way to a law firm, hoping to reclaim the property as his wife. To my shock, I was informed that Marcus had secretly divorced me years ago. Before I could process this betrayal, Olivia sought me out, taunting me with cruel words. “You didn’t know, did he? He was worried about my well-being, so he’s been sending me your salary and his pension all these years.” “When you were younger, he didn’t want children with you because we already had a child together. Come to think of it, I should thank you for paying to raise our kid.” I was devastated and enraged. But before I could react, Olivia shoved me into a muddy puddle. Later, her daughter and a group of delinquents beat me to death after trapping me in a sack. When I opened my eyes again, I saw my young, newly paralyzed husband Marcus crying pitifully before me. “Rachel, the doctor says I’ll never walk again. How will I find work now?” he sobbed. I quietly put away the credit card I had prepared to give him and sneered, “What can we do? I guess I’ll just have to throw you a grand funeral when you starve to death.”
“What did you say?” Marcus asked, perhaps not hearing me clearly, looking at me with puppy dog eyes. Those deep, soulful eyes had fooled me in my previous life. I believed he only loved me, but in the end, he had deceived me for an entire lifetime. “Marcus, Rachel earns a good salary. She can definitely support you. Plus, she’s still young. She can just work two jobs,” Olivia, a sunny-looking young woman, patiently comforted him. “Don’t worry about these things. The most important thing now is to keep your spirits up. That’s the key to a quick recovery.” Marcus had said Olivia saved him during the accident and was his savior. In my previous life, I was so focused on the devastating news of Marcus’s paralysis that I didn’t notice how familiar their interactions were, as if they had known each other for a long time. Perhaps seeing no reaction from me, Marcus’s tear-filled eyes secretly glanced at Olivia. She immediately understood his meaning and decided to speak to me directly: “Rachel, let me be frank. Men’s hearts are fragile, especially now that he’s in this condition because of you. He’s bound to have some insecurities. As his wife, you should give him a sense of security. For example, you could put your savings in his name. It would be good for the stability of your family.” It was the exact same words as in my previous life. On the day of Marcus’s accident, I had just returned from a business trip abroad. I had finished my work early and wanted to surprise him, so I only told him I was at the airport after I had already arrived. Marcus rushed to pick me up and got into an accident on the way. Because of this, I spent my entire life drowning in guilt and pain, trying everything I could to make it up to him. It wasn’t until just before I died that I learned Marcus had been in Olivia’s car that day, and they weren’t even on their way to pick me up. But he never told me the truth, allowing me to be consumed by guilt day after day. Coming back to my senses, this time I didn’t anxiously hand over my credit card to him like I did in my previous life, apologizing and swearing my loyalty. Seeing that I still hadn’t moved, Marcus became angry: “Rachel, I’ve become like this, and this is your attitude? What does this mean?” Olivia also seemed anxious but still tried to persuade him: “Maybe Rachel is still in shock from hearing this terrible news and hasn’t recovered yet.” My salary was quite high, and I had always been generous with him. Whenever he asked for money, as long as it wasn’t excessive, I would give it to him. Perhaps he also felt that handing over my credit card wasn’t a small matter, so he didn’t become suspicious. He sighed and said, “No matter what, Olivia is my savior. She saved my life, so you should at least show some appreciation, right?” “You probably haven’t prepared a gift, so why don’t you give Olivia a check for $2,000 as a thank you?” “Oh, I couldn’t possibly accept that!” Olivia immediately refused. Marcus insisted: “No, you must. When I give it to you, you have to take it.” The scene was playing out just like before. In my previous life, after Marcus said this, I immediately wrote a check for $3,000, even adding an extra thousand because I believed that a life was priceless. Later, I sent her many more gifts to express my gratitude. At the time, the look in her eyes was strange, but I thought she was just shy. Now I understood that it was clearly mockery at my stupidity. This time, I didn’t move. Seeing this, Marcus, annoyed at my hesitation, reached for my phone himself. He knew my bank account password and had secretly transferred money to Olivia many times before. Whenever I asked about it, he would use the “life-saving debt” to silence me. This time, I moved away from Marcus’s hand and walked to the side: “It’s fine to give money as thanks, but I have a few questions first.” Marcus was clearly surprised that I, who had always been quick to give money, would suddenly challenge him. He looked puzzled. Olivia also froze for a moment, glancing at Marcus before saying, “What questions?” I looked at Olivia: “I heard that the car doors were all jammed shut. How did you manage to pry them open?” This was Marcus’s version of events, but many details in his story had holes. In my previous life, whenever I questioned these details, Marcus would get angry. He would eventually explode, accusing me of being heartless, saying he was almost dead and I was focusing on such trivial matters. Later, I gradually stopped daring to ask. To avoid bringing up painful memories, I even avoided mentioning the accident altogether. Olivia’s eyes darted around: “I’ll tell you about this in private later. Let’s not talk about the accident in front of Marcus. He’s already very upset, and I’m afraid it might cause him further trauma.” I laughed and asked, “Are you really afraid of hurting him, or are you just looking for a chance to get your stories straight?” Olivia and Marcus’s faces darkened. They spoke in unison: “What do you mean by that?” Their synchronization was impressive. No wonder they had been able to fool me for an entire lifetime, leaving me penniless and alone in the end. Swallowing my hatred, I smiled coldly and said, “Olivia doesn’t look like she has the strength to force open a car door. How did she manage it?” “Besides, if you had to use force to open the door, your hands should have been badly injured. But the injuries on your hands don’t look like they came from prying open a car door. They look more like self-inflicted cuts.” “Also, the accident happened two days ago. Why didn’t you come then, and why are you only showing up now? I heard you were in a car accident yourself a couple of days ago? What a coincidence, isn’t it?” “…” “Enough!” Marcus angrily interrupted me before I could finish. Olivia was clearly flustered by now. She said pitifully, “Marcus, I never thought Rachel would be so suspicious of me. If that’s the case, then forget it. I’ll leave now.” Marcus grabbed her wrist, refusing to let her go. Then he turned to me with angry eyes: “Rachel, what’s wrong with you? Is this how you interrogate someone who saved my life?” “I order you to transfer the money to her account right now and apologize to Olivia!” It was clear that he was truly furious. I chuckled lightly and asked innocently, “What is there to apologize for? These are perfectly normal questions. If she’s not lying, why is she so flustered?” “Besides, she’s your savior, not mine. If anyone should be transferring money, it should be you.” But I knew that over the years, he had secretly transferred all his money to Olivia behind my back. He couldn’t possibly come up with any money now. Sure enough, Marcus flew into a rage. He grabbed the fruit knife from the bedside table and threw it at me forcefully. I dodged just in time; the blade barely grazed my face as it flew past. He acted as if he hadn’t seen how close it came to hitting me and pointed at me, shouting, “Is this how you treat me? Fine! Why are we even staying together? As soon as I’m discharged, we’re going to file for divorce!” “Divorce?” I repeated these two words questioningly. Marcus thought I was scared and a flash of satisfaction crossed his eyes. He was about to say something, but I calmly interrupted him and asked: “Aren’t we already divorced?”
In my previous life, when I painfully walked into the law firm, hoping to claim a share of the property as Marcus’s wife, they told me we had divorced just days before the car accident. Later, when I wanted to have children, Marcus kept refusing. I guess he was afraid I would discover this fact. Clearly struck by my words, Marcus’s face turned pale for a moment. But he was certain I couldn’t produce any evidence right now, so he continued to deny it: “What nonsense are you talking about? Rachel, is it because you see that my legs are injured, so you want to abandon me?” “How can you be so heartless? Have you forgotten all I’ve done for you? We’ve been married for six years. During this time, I’ve brought you lunch every day because I was worried about your stomach. Three years ago, when your health was poor, I went to the temple to pray for you for three months, reciting scriptures and eating vegetarian food every day…” Marcus choked up, tears streaming down his face. We had met through a matchmaker and got together because our views aligned. It wasn’t a passionate love, but after spending time together, feelings naturally developed. Over the years, I had taken on the responsibilities of our family, and he had indeed taken good care of me. But later I found out about Olivia’s existence. When he brought me lunch, he would first deliver a portion to Olivia. The gifts he bought for me, he would inflate the price, then use the extra money to buy something better for Olivia. As for going to the temple to pray for three months… I sneered inwardly, guessing that was probably when Olivia gave birth to their child. Unfortunately, all these years, in order to provide the luxurious life he wanted – the mansion, the luxury cars – I had been so busy earning money that I had left this opening for them to exploit. Olivia also tried to smooth things over for Marcus: “Rachel, don’t let this situation escalate because of me. I know you might be worried about the future expenses, so you’re a bit reluctant to part with the money. It’s okay, I didn’t save Marcus for money anyway. Actually, I don’t need the money…” She pretended to be generous. I knew she was trying to provoke me, but I didn’t fall for it. Instead, I said to Marcus, “See? She says she doesn’t need the money. Why are you insisting on giving it to her? Is the money burning a hole in your pocket?” Marcus’s face turned purple with rage. Olivia also glared at me resentfully. Just then, the doctor came in, urging us to pay the continued hospitalization fees. Actually, Marcus had already met the standards for discharge, but he had been reluctant to leave. In my previous life, he had me pay for two more months of hospitalization. A week’s stay in a private room at this top-tier hospital cost $7,000, just for the room. He said he wanted a better treatment environment, and I supported him, struggling to earn money to give him the best conditions. But later I found out that he stayed in the hospital just to make it easier to meet Olivia. Hearing about the hospital fees, the two exchanged a glance, and Marcus coldly said to me, “Rachel, I don’t know why you’ve become so stingy, but we can’t delay the treatment. Aren’t you always busy? Just transfer the hospital fees to my card, and I’ll pay it myself.” Asking for money so brazenly? I laughed bitterly and asked the doctor, “I remember he’s already met the discharge standards. Let’s cancel this room and process the discharge today.” Marcus’s eyes widened: “Rachel, are you trying to kill me? What if my legs get worse at home?” Before I could speak, the doctor interjected, “That won’t happen. The critical period has passed. Staying at home now is the same as staying in the hospital.” Marcus’s face turned ashen. Olivia was about to say something, but I spoke to Marcus first: “I don’t have money for you to stay in the hospital anymore. If you insist on staying, either pay for it yourself or borrow from her.” I pointed at Olivia: “Didn’t she just say she has money?” Their faces looked as if they had eaten something bitter, but I didn’t bother with them anymore. I turned and walked out of the room. I didn’t have time to argue with them. Right now, I urgently needed to get evidence that Marcus’s car accident had nothing to do with me, as well as proof that he and Olivia had been together for a long time. This would help me keep all my assets if we ever ended up in court. After all these years of hard work, I could let the past go. But now, even if Marcus took a single cent, I would feel disgusted. After leaving the hospital, I immediately called a lawyer and asked him to investigate the accident vehicle from when Marcus had the accident. In my previous life, I had noticed some suspicious details, but because I was taking care of Marcus, it was a long time before I had someone investigate. By then, the scene inside the car had been destroyed, and the dash cam was missing. After a car accident, this kind of situation was quite normal. Later, because I was busy earning money to pay for Marcus’s medical expenses, working three jobs a day, I simply didn’t have the energy to think about these things anymore. This time, Olivia hadn’t been discharged yet, so she shouldn’t have had time to destroy the evidence. Sure enough, it wasn’t long before the lawyer called back. The first accident scene hadn’t been tampered with. He had already collected fingerprints and obtained some hair and blood samples. Finally, he sent me the video from the dash cam. At the time of the accident, Marcus was sitting in the passenger seat, anxiously asking Olivia, “I’ve already divorced Rachel. When are you planning to marry me?” Olivia was stunned for a moment, then carelessly said, “There’s no rush. Let’s talk about this after you’ve transferred all the assets to your name. Otherwise, what if your wife finds out?” Marcus looked at her anxiously: “But you always say that. I’ve given you a car, and I’ve given you all the savings my wife entrusted to me for you to invest, which you lost completely. Every time you say you’ll marry me to thank me. You’re not… lying to me, not wanting to marry me, are you?” “How could that be?” Olivia said, and as if to prove it, she leaned over to kiss Marcus. With that one action, Marcus’s doubts were dispelled. At this point, I also understood why Marcus had divorced me so early but had delayed marrying Olivia. Olivia was clearly deceiving him, but he didn’t know. Or perhaps he did know, but was willingly deceived. The lawyer added, “The DNA test will take some time. It should be ready in about three days.” I nodded and was about to hang up when I remembered another matter: “Also, help me find a child.” By my calculations, their child should have been born by now, about three or four years old. Every weekend for the past couple of years, Marcus would find various excuses to go out alone in his wheelchair, probably to see the child. I told the lawyer about the places Marcus frequently visited, then went to the hospital for a physical examination and froze all the assets in my name. In this life, everything was just beginning. My body hadn’t suffered from heart failure caused by working three jobs non-stop, and not too many assets had been transferred away. That night, for the first time, I “irresponsibly” went home alone. Perhaps sensing something was wrong, Marcus called me on his own initiative. Seeing the incoming call, I hung up directly. As a result, not long after, I saw a post he made on Facebook. It was a series of accusations against me, ending with how he had sacrificed so much for me, but now that he was injured for my sake, I was abandoning him. To garner sympathy, he even posted the doctor’s diagnosis and a pitiful photo of himself sitting in a wheelchair, looking haggard. But he didn’t notice that in the smooth metal armrest of the wheelchair, Olivia’s reflection was visible. Perhaps to provoke me, in one of the photos, if you looked carefully, you could see that Olivia was kissing him in the reflection. On one hand, he was asking me for money and cursing me, on the other hand, he was giving his love and money to another woman. Marcus was playing everyone for fools. The comment section was full of spectators, not one person noticing the cat in the picture. Everyone was comforting him and using the vilest words to curse me as a scumbag. I pretended not to see it and blocked Marcus. The next two days went on as usual, but Marcus seemed to have gone crazy, cursing me every day and posting screenshots of me deleting him, accusing me of having a guilty conscience. Friends who didn’t know the whole story all spoke up for him, urging me to come back. I didn’t explain, just waited until the third day when the test results came out. To my delight, the lawyer had also helped me find their child.
Before I could go find Marcus, on the third day, perhaps because he had no money to stay in the hospital, or perhaps because he sensed something was wrong, Marcus returned home early in the morning. Behind him were his angry parents, Robert and Linda, as well as my parents, John and Mary. Unlike Robert and Linda’s imperious manner, my parents followed behind them looking somewhat guilty. “In-laws, judge for yourselves! Is this how she should treat my son?” Linda began as soon as she saw me. “What’s even more unbelievable is that she secretly divorced my son without telling him, unilaterally dumping him!” Linda’s spit flew as she yelled. I realized what was happening and laughed bitterly. Marcus had really turned things upside down. But the civil affairs bureau records weren’t open to the public, so they had no way of knowing the truth and could only listen to what Marcus said. My parents, feeling guilty, allowed themselves to be scolded. Finally, they said in a low voice, “We shouldn’t interfere in the children’s affairs, but since things have come to this, we can compensate.” “Compensate?” Linda became even more agitated when she heard about compensation: “No matter how much you compensate, can you compensate for my son’s legs?” I interrupted her: “Your son’s leg injury has nothing to do with me.” Hearing this, my parents hurriedly pulled me aside, advising me not to argue with them. Linda had a fiery temper and had given my parents a lot of grief over the years. Especially after learning that Marcus’s legs were injured because of me, they would come to my mom every few days demanding compensation and money for nutritional supplements. My parents were worried I would get angry, so they didn’t dare tell me about this. I only found out about it by accident later. Seeing that Linda was about to lose her temper again, I took out the dash cam recording and test results and handed them over. After watching the video, Linda’s previously haughty face finally weakened, but she still said angrily, “How do I know you didn’t fake these?” “You can check,” I looked at Marcus, whose face was pale with shock: “Or we can go to court.” “Forget it, let’s not air our dirty laundry in public,” Robert, who had been silent until now, said. “Both children are at fault in this matter, but divorcing without a word is still wrong. Let’s talk about compensation.” My parents were about to speak, but I stopped them: “We won’t pay a single cent in compensation.” “What do you mean? My son married you for so many years, is this how you treat him?” Linda yelled. I sneered: “I was also married to your son for so many years and supported him for so long. Isn’t this how he treated me?” Linda’s face turned red with anger: “Just based on one video, you can’t prove my son had an affair.” Seeing that I didn’t respond, Linda became more agitated. She stood up and went to open the door: “I’m not talking to this girl anymore. Let the neighbors judge.” Her high-pitched voice had already attracted many neighbors to gather outside the door. Seeing her open the door, they all looked a bit embarrassed. But Linda didn’t care. She recounted what had just happened, embellishing it with exaggerations, glossing over the evidence with a couple of dismissive sentences. The neighbors listened and tried to mediate, saying to me, “It’s really not that serious, just a small matter. Marcus surely still cares for you in his heart.” “Yeah, you’ve been husband and wife, there’s still affection there. Leaving him with nothing seems a bit harsh.” “…” Seeing me being pointed at and criticized, my mom felt uncomfortable and said, “In-laws, let’s discuss this in private.” “Now you want to talk in private? Where were you earlier?” Linda suddenly pushed my mom. My mom wasn’t prepared and stumbled, almost falling. I hurriedly supported her. Just as I was about to get angry, a chubby little girl suddenly pushed through the crowd of onlookers and ran over. She hugged Marcus’s legs in the wheelchair and shouted loudly, “Daddy, you haven’t come to see me for so long. I’m going to punish you by making you buy me a Barbie doll.”
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