When Liam’s first love, Serena, died from cancer, he was so distraught he tried to end his own life, wanting to join her. I was the one who carried his frail body through the small town late at night. I knocked on every door, begging on my knees until my face was raw and bleeding, all to drag him back from the brink of death. It left a jagged, ugly scar on my forehead. After that, he finally seemed to let go of his resentment and promised we’d build a good life together. But then, he dreamed of his deceased first love, Serena, who told him she was lonely in the afterlife. He couldn’t sleep. He dragged me to Serena’s grave and forced poison down my throat. “It’s all your fault we can’t be together. Since that’s the case, you can go accompany Serena for me.” That’s when I finally understood. He had always resented me, believing I was the reason his first love missed her best chance at treatment. Reborn. I was tired. All I wanted was a different life. “Elara, I’m begging you. Serena is sick, and she needs a huge sum of money for treatment.” Hearing that familiar voice, I opened my eyes. My husband, Liam, who’d vanished for a week after news of his first love’s cancer, had suddenly returned home. He was on his knees before me, pleading desperately. I feigned confusion, looking at the tear-streaked Liam. “But where would I get that kind of money?” Liam hesitated, his eyes flicking to the dressing table in the room. “Your wedding ring, yes, sell your wedding ring. That’ll give us the money.” Hearing the exact same words from my previous life, a cold sneer twisted my lips. “You’re telling me to sell *my* wedding dowry to pay for another woman’s medical bills?” “Liam, how dare you even suggest something like that?” The man’s face instantly changed. He probably hadn’t expected me, usually so timid, to openly challenge him. “Elara, saving a life is a sacred duty, I beg you, I can’t lose Serena.” “I’ll owe you, I swear. Once Serena is better, I’ll go work in the city and buy your ring back.” Liam was frantic. He dropped to his knees and started hitting his head on the floor. Again and again, until blood stained his forehead, he still wouldn’t give up. It was the first time he had ever begged me with such desperation, just as I had clutched at his pants, begging him before I died in my previous life. Right then, the scene before me overlapped with the moment before my death. *“It’s all my fault, Liam. I don’t want to die. Please, save me.”* The next second, Liam’s voice pulled me back to reality. “If you’re so desperate to save her, then you figure it out yourself.” “Anyway, I’m not selling this wedding ring.” With that, I strode back into the room and hid the ring on my person. Not like the last time, when I had hesitated, then handed it over to him. It never came back before I died.
“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?
The moment I walked out of the funeral parlor, piercing screams erupted behind me. “Help! Someone’s dead!” “Quick, someone! Liam just killed himself!” Someone rushed out and grabbed me. “Elara Miller, you need to go in! Your husband just pulled out a knife and cut his wrist! There’s so much blood!” I gave a cold, thin smile. “Oh? What’s that got to do with me?” The person shot me an exasperated look, muttering under their breath, “These two are truly bizarre. One wants to die for another man’s wife, and the other doesn’t care when her own husband tries to kill himself.” Another person pulled them away. “They say birds of a feather flock together. Never mind them, let’s find someone to help!” In my previous life, after Liam’s first love Serena died, Liam caused a scene at the funeral, threatening to kill himself. The moment he pulled out the knife, I grabbed the blade with my bare hands, stopping him. The wound healed into a scar that never quite faded, aching every time the weather changed. The last time he tried to take his life, he drank poison in his sleep one night. I used my frail body to carry him, knocking on every doctor’s door in town, pleading on my knees for help until my head was raw and bleeding. That’s how I saved his life. Later, I got another jagged, ugly scar on my forehead, forcing me to constantly wear bangs to cover it. Everyone praised him for his good fortune, for having a wife who loved him so deeply. He finally seemed to let go of his resentment and we settled into building a family. But then, he dreamed that Serena had contacted him, weeping about her loneliness in the afterlife. He couldn’t sleep at night. He dragged me to Serena’s grave, pried open my mouth, and forced a bottle of pesticide down my throat. Before I died, I heard his venomous voice. “If you had just agreed to sell your wedding ring sooner, Serena wouldn’t have died.” “Since you always kept Serena and me apart, you can go accompany her in my place.” I never imagined that the husband I cherished so much would personally send me to my death, all because of an absurd dream. I also never imagined that no matter what I did, it would all be in vain. Since fate had given me a chance to be reborn, I refused to live for him again. This time, I would only live for myself. Liam still didn’t die. Just like in my previous life, he spent three days locked in his room, clutching Serena’s old photos. Three days later, Serena’s funeral procession was held.
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