I’m Claire Hoffman. Even though I knew my husband Zane Hoffman had faked his death and assumed his brother Aiden Hoffman’s identity, I chose to stay silent and didn’t expose him. Instead, I found Colonel Nathan Welch and told him that Zane was dead, requesting that Zane be removed from the military roster. In my previous life, after Aiden died in an accident, Zane resolutely abandoned his lieutenant rank and impersonated Aiden, all to take care of Aiden’s wife, Arya Hoffman. When I recognized him as Zane and confronted him about why he was impersonating Aiden, he coldly denied it and roughly shoved my hand away. He said, “Claire, I know Zane’s death has been hard on you, but you can’t treat me like I’m Zane just because he’s gone!” He protected the fragile Arya, pushed me into the bone-chilling river water, and warned me not to harbor any delusions. My five-year-old daughter Lily Hoffman cried and asked why Daddy didn’t want her anymore, but she was locked in her room to “reflect,” starving for three whole days and nights. Zane’s mother Mary Hoffman called me a curse and threw Lily and me out of the house. Meanwhile, Zane spread rumors everywhere that I’d gone crazy, claiming that right after my husband died, I was lusting after my brother-in-law Aiden. In the end, I was despised and scorned by everyone, dying in a daze while holding Lily. When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to the day Zane impersonated Aiden. ***** “Claire, please accept my condolences. I never expected Zane to die so suddenly…” Zane looked at me with red-rimmed eyes, his gaze filled with sorrow. Looking at Aiden’s corpse being carried in, I let tears flow naturally and called him “honey.” Aiden’s face was deathly pale, clearly lifeless. He and Zane looked identical, so no one suspected that Zane had switched identities with him. After crying for a while, I wiped my tears and said, “We can’t keep the body here long. We should send it for cremation quickly so Zane can rest in peace.” Zane immediately nodded in agreement, seeming even more eager than I was to dispose of the body. As I watched him move the corpse, I noticed a thin scar on his hand. In my previous life, it was this very scar that confirmed the living person was Zane. This time, I just pretended I hadn’t seen anything. In my past life, when Zane and Aiden went out on a disaster relief mission, Aiden accidentally injured the back of his head and died on the spot. To take care of Arya, Zane didn’t hesitate to abandon his lieutenant rank and impersonate Aiden. Outsiders couldn’t recognize Zane’s deliberate mimicry and were easily deceived. However, as a wife who lived with Zane day and night, I recognized him immediately. I desperately questioned why he would impersonate Aiden and abandon our mother and daughter. But Zane remained coldly indifferent, vehemently denying it, and roughly pushed me away. He said, “Claire, I know Zane’s death has been hard on you, but you can’t treat me like I’m Zane just because he’s dead!” I couldn’t believe it and kept pressing him, but Zane directly pushed me into the icy river. He stood on the shore, protecting Arya, coldly watching me struggle in the water. He said, “Even if you’re my brother’s wife, I won’t let you hurt my wife!” Arya hid behind Zane, calling me shameless and saying that right after my husband died, I was trying to steal her man. I ran a high fever for three days and nights, with only Lily by my side. She cried and asked Zane why he didn’t want her anymore. But Zane accused Lily of spouting nonsense at my instigation and immediately locked her in her room. I was sick for three days before recovering slightly, while Lily had been starved for three whole days and nights. Mary cursed me as a jinx, saying I had killed her son, and threw Lily and me out of the house without even leaving us any clothes. In the bitter cold, I desperately pounded on the door, begging Zane to save Lily. I heard his cold voice: “Claire, you’re crazy to think I’m Zane. You can’t face reality anymore. Stay away from me.” The neighbors believed his words, saying I was mentally unstable and actually mistaking Aiden for Zane. Holding Lily with nowhere to go, cold and hungry, I eventually froze to death on the street. Thinking of all this, a fire of rage burned in my heart, making me want to drag this whole family down with me. Watching Zane’s back as he eagerly rushed to have Aiden cremated, I thought coldly: “Since you’re so determined to be with Arya, then I’ll grant your wish and let you be this ‘Aiden’ forever.”
Zane moved quickly, and before long he had the body cremated and brought back a box of ashes. The house had already been set up as a mourning hall, and neighbors who heard the news came rushing over to help. Looking at what was once a vibrant life now reduced to just a black-and-white photograph and a box of ashes, everyone couldn’t help but sigh with emotion. My face was deathly pale, appearing especially haggard due to my past life’s experiences, truly like a widow who had lost her husband and was heartbroken. Zane put his arm around Arya and said to me, “Arya just found out she’s pregnant. She needs more rest.” He carefully helped Arya sit down, his face full of tenderness. I deliberately ignored their intimate display. But Arya took the initiative to speak to me: “Claire, now that your husband is dead, you’ll inevitably need to ask Aiden for help with things. You can’t just take advantage for free, can you?” Her eyes gleamed with greed, clearly wanting to demand benefits from me. Zane chimed in as well: “Claire, don’t you still have some gold bracelets and gold earrings? Why don’t you give them to Arya? You won’t have any use for such precious things anyway.” I suddenly looked up, staring at him intently. Those were bought with money my mother had saved her entire life, the only keepsake she left me before dying, and he dared to covet them! However, Zane showed no guilt whatsoever, making his demand with complete righteousness: “You don’t wear jewelry when doing housework anyway, so giving them to Arya would put them to good use. Besides, Zane asked me to help him with some things before he died, so you should give me all the money he left in the house.” I was silent for a few seconds, then covered my face and started crying: “I have no money left. Zane’s money was used up long ago, and I even spent all my own money supporting him. I don’t have a single penny left now.” Zane said urgently, “That’s impossible! Zane clearly said he still had over five hundred dollars!” But I wasn’t flustered at all, letting out a cold laugh: “He was lying. He thought it was shameful to have no money, so he said that to save face. Aiden, now that Zane is dead, you’re the only man left in the family. Instead of helping me, you’re asking for money. Are you trying to drive Lily and me to our deaths?” My words were naturally false, but Zane had no way to refute them. The neighbors, hearing this, all looked at me with pity and advised Zane that he should help me. Zane’s face looked terrible: “Zane said he still had five hundred dollars left. He absolutely couldn’t be wrong!” I got up with a cold smile and brought out all of Zane’s belongings: “He only left behind this pile of junk. I’m going to burn it all right in front of you now.” I dragged over a basin and threw Zane’s documents and letters into it, even setting his clothes on fire. Zane instinctively wanted to stop me but forced himself to hold back, his face extremely grim. When I was about to throw the things Zane had given me into the basin as well, he finally couldn’t help but say: “Claire, these are all things Zane gave you. Why do you want to burn them all?” My voice choked with emotion, carrying some grief: “He’s already dead, what use do I have for keeping these things? Besides, you’ve been pressuring me all along. The moment Zane died, you started asking me for money. Where would Zane have any money to leave me?” I cried as I spoke, utterly heartbroken. Everyone was moved by my emotions and sighed with sympathy. Zane’s face was dark with frustration, and he could only watch helplessly as I burned all of his belongings. Back in the house, Lily opened her big eyes wide and asked me in confusion: “Mommy, that person is clearly Daddy, so why is everyone saying he’s Uncle Aiden?”
A sharp pain suddenly pierced through my heart. Even Lily had recognized that man as Zane, yet he still refused to admit it, showing such heartless indifference even to his own daughter. I held Lily tightly, struggling to hold back the tears in my eyes. I whispered to comfort her: “Lily, he’s not your daddy. Your daddy has passed away.” That same day, I went to the military base to find Nathan, bringing the death certificate to report the death and requesting to cancel Zane’s military registration. Nathan said: “I just learned about Zane’s sacrifice, and I’m deeply sorry for your loss. As family members, the organization will do its best to meet your needs.” Without hesitation, I voiced the thought I’d been considering for a long time: “Colonel Welch, I’d like to find a job at the military base, as long as it can support Lily and me.” Nathan seemed somewhat surprised: “Work at the military base can be quite demanding. Are you sure you’ve thought this through?” This was exactly what I wanted. I nodded firmly. Soon, the paperwork was completed. Not only did I successfully cancel Zane’s military registration, but I also received a pension and funeral expenses. When I returned home, Mary was sitting in the yard. Seeing me come in, she sneered sarcastically: “Oh, the jinx is back? Your man is dead, and you’re still running around everywhere. My son was really unlucky to marry someone like you.” Lily sat on the ground shucking corn, crying softly. Her hands were covered with blisters, some already burst, with wounds red and inflamed. I was instantly furious and immediately picked up Lily. “Lily is only five years old! Her hands are torn up like this, can’t you see?” Mary put her hands on her hips and said viciously: “You bitch, you didn’t give our family a son, and you still dare to talk back? Don’t you want to work?” I laughed coldly: “Since my husband is dead anyway, I’ll just leave. I won’t take advantage of you.” With that, I turned to leave. Mary became unhappy again and rushed over to block me: “If you leave, who’s going to take care of Arya? You’ve been freeloading in our house for so many years, don’t think you can leave easily!” Arya stood under the window, rubbing her belly and looking at me smugly: “Claire, it’s all because you didn’t have a son. The one in my belly is a boy, so you need to take good care of me.” Zane stood beside her supporting her, saying to me: “Mom is getting old, and Arya needs the most care right now. Claire, stop being stubborn.” I couldn’t help but laugh coldly. When I gave birth to Lily, he never said anything about taking care of me. On the day I went into labor, I went to the hospital alone, and not a single person at home cared. Mary despised me for not having a son and was completely indifferent to me. And Zane never even showed his face, not even offering a word of concern. I had no need to serve them like a slave! I gritted my teeth, carried Lily back to the room, and carefully applied ointment to her wounds. As I was leaving, I happened to hear Arya say to Zane: “Zane, if you hadn’t taken Aiden’s place to stay with me, I would have been killed by Claire.” Zane’s voice was incredibly gentle: “Don’t worry, Arya. For you and our child, I will protect you for the rest of my life. Mom is on your side too, otherwise how could she agree to let me assume Aiden’s identity?” I clenched my fists, my nails digging deep into my palms, my lips nearly bleeding from biting them. So, the child Arya was carrying was Zane’s, and she and Mary had known about Zane’s identity deception all along. Their relationship had started much earlier than I had imagined, and I had been deceived by him all this time. Looking at Lily sleeping peacefully, I quietly comforted myself: “I need to think about Lily. We’ll be able to leave here soon.” Sure enough, two days later I received word from Nathan that he had arranged a job for me and I could start anytime. I immediately packed my things and prepared to leave. However, as soon as I stepped outside, I saw Zane’s livid face. His gaze fell on the train ticket in my hand, his tone ice-cold: “Claire, where are you going?”
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