On the day my husband Alex Jones got promoted, I, Lena Howell, was imprisoned for ten years on charges of trafficking prohibited substances after being reported. After my release, he and our son Jeff Jones personally came to pick me up from that home that had undergone tremendous changes. I was grateful they never abandoned me and worked desperately to support the family, only to stumble upon Alex and Jeff in a hotel, dressed in sharp suits and chatting cheerfully. Jeff said, “Dad, you insisted I plant Ms. Lewis’s drugs on Mom back then. If people knew Mom went to prison, they’d definitely laugh at me. Good thing we had the foresight to pretend we were poor and sent her to that old house.” Alex replied calmly, “Ms. Lewis has a weak constitution and couldn’t handle prison. Your mother is different.” I stood in the corner, my whole body turning cold. So all my suffering these ten years was inflicted by their own hands. I confronted them, but they called me crazy and threw me out of the hotel. In grief and rage, I lured them to the old house for negotiations, ignited the gas, and perished together with them. When I opened my eyes, I was reborn back to when I was twenty-three years old. Alex went straight to the courthouse to file for divorce and got together with his first love, Aria Lewis. Six-year-old Jeff hugged Aria’s legs, happily calling her “Mommy.” I smiled and simply ignored them, focusing wholeheartedly on preparing for my exams. Later, when I returned home to pay respects to my family and got caught in heavy rain, I accidentally wandered into a gathering of acquaintances with my daughter Ember Walker. Alex put his arm around Aria and sneered at me, “Lena, haven’t seen you in years. How did you end up so down and out?” Jeff beside him shouted in disgust, “I don’t have a beggar for a mother!” I remained calm and paid them no attention. Half an hour later, a jeep stopped in front of Peace Hotel. The driver walked straight to me without looking around, “Mrs. Walker, the car is here. Would you like to leave now?” Walking into the restaurant, mocking voices mentioning my name rose and fell. “Alex and Aria are such a perfect match!” “Lena insisted on marrying Alex back then, making him miss out on Aria.” “Lena wasn’t completely useless though. At least she gave birth to Jeff. Look how handsome this boy is.” As soon as those words were spoken, a boy playing with toys immediately looked up and retorted, “That woman is not my mother! My mommy is Aria!” I paused in my steps while holding Ember’s hand, recognizing that boy as Jeff. Sitting beside him were Alex and Aria. What a picture of a happy family of three. I had accompanied Alex in building his career from nothing, had risked my life to give birth to Jeff. Yet now, while I was being slandered, they never said a word in my defense. Just like in my previous life, they never truly considered me family. In my previous life, I was framed and imprisoned for ten years. I lost my youth, my reputation, and my parents. Only Alex and Jeff waited for me at the prison gates day after day for ten years. On the day of my release, Alex held my hand with tears in his eyes, “It’s good that you’re back. Having our family of three together is more important than anything.” Jeff knelt on the ground and kowtowed to me three times, “Mom, our family is finally reunited. I’ll definitely be a good son to you from now on.” They were the strength that supported me to stand up again. But I later discovered that all my suffering was caused by their own hands. Everything they did was just to help Aria escape legal punishment! I wanted to seek justice, but Alex and Jeff showed their shameless faces. Alex said, “Lena, what’s done is done. What’s the point of dwelling on this? With my power, making someone disappear isn’t difficult. For the sake of our marriage and the fact that you’re Jeff’s biological mother, I’ll give you a chance. As long as you voluntarily file for divorce, this house is yours.” Jeff chimed in from the side, “You’re a criminal who spent ten years in prison. You should be grateful to get a house for free!” In my fury, I lit a match in the old house filled with gas. When I opened my eyes again, I was reborn, back to the past. The first words I heard upon waking were Alex forcing me to divorce. The first scene I saw was Jeff acting spoiled in Aria’s arms. I realized they had been reborn too. I went along with their wishes, got divorced, and left home with just one suitcase. In this life, I never wanted to have anything to do with them again. The hypocritical flattery in the private room rang out once more. I had no interest in listening further and prepared to leave with Ember. Just as I turned around, a hand grabbed me tightly.
“Lena? Is that really you!” “We had a class reunion today, and no one could reach you. We thought you weren’t coming!” I shielded Ember as someone pulled me into the crowd. My former classmates all turned to look at me. “Lena, it’s been five years since we last saw each other. You look pretty rough,” Alex said, walking over with Aria in tow, maliciously looking me up and down. I glanced down at myself—my coat was soaked through, and my shoes were caked with mud. “What are you talking about? Even if Lena’s not doing well, you can’t say things like that!” Aria playfully pushed Alex, feigning reproach. Then she gave me a meaningful smile. “Don’t mind Alex. He’s had a few drinks and is talking nonsense. I’ll have someone add a seat for you. You and Jeff haven’t seen each other in years—you must really miss him, right?” I had no interest in either Alex or Jeff. I just wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible. Jeff stood up from his seat, covering his nose and hiding behind Aria. “She’s not my mom! I have nothing to say to her! She’s just a beggar!” “You’re lying! My mommy is not a beggar!” Ember, who had been quietly standing beside me, angrily shouted back. Like a proud little goose, she positioned herself in front of me. Someone asked curiously, “Lena, are you married?” I gently stroked Ember’s soft hair and smiled slightly. “Yes, this is my daughter.” Alex nearby let out a scoff. “Did you get married five years ago? So right after our divorce? “Lena, would you die without a man? Were you that desperate? “Or maybe you never got married at all? You knew about our reunion today and deliberately brought along some kid to put on an act, pretending you’ve been doing well these past few years?” I looked at Alex calmly, showing no emotional reaction to his words. I said, “Compared to you, I really can’t measure up. After all, you were already with Aria before we even got divorced.” Back then, we were both teaching in the village. Alex thought he’d never make it back to the city, so he proposed to me. At the time, I was fooled by his gentlemanly facade and agreed. But later I realized that Alex had already received Aria’s letter. Aria was getting married. And he scheduled our wedding for the same day as Aria’s wedding. That way, he could pretend he was marrying Aria instead. Now he had the nerve to paint me as some kind of gold digger. How ridiculous, and how shameless! Everyone’s probing gazes fell on Alex and Aria. Aria glared at me fiercely. “Lena, they brought a chair for you. Please sit down.” Someone brought over a restaurant chair and placed it next to Aria. I looked at the increasingly heavy rain outside and sat down with Ember in my arms. There were no extra tables in the restaurant, and with the rain pouring down outside, it wouldn’t be convenient to change venues on short notice. I sat down holding Ember, noticing her puffed-up cheeks as she glared angrily across from us. Following her gaze, I saw Jeff staring at me with extremely cold eyes. He was the child I nearly died giving birth to, but at this moment, I only felt he was truly Alex’s son—utterly disgusting. I looked away and pulled out a handkerchief from my pocket, gently wiping the raindrops from Ember’s clothes. Aria suddenly raised her voice: “Lena, how did your clothes get torn?” In an instant, everyone’s attention focused on the tear at the hem of my dress. I remembered then—after paying respects to my family, on my way down the mountain, thorny branches had torn my clothes. Aria covered her mouth and laughed. “Lena, it’s just a torn piece of clothing. Why do you look so worried? Wait—this isn’t your only coat, is it?”
Hearing this, everyone turned to look at me and began whispering among themselves. “The fabric of her dress looks decent enough, but with such a big tear, it’s probably beyond repair.” “You know, Lena was the top student in our class back in high school, a real talent. Who would’ve thought she’d end up like this?” “Yeah, she and Alex were such a perfect match back then. Now look—he’s become a promising military officer while she’s turned into a housewife in torn clothes. What a huge gap.” “If they hadn’t gotten divorced, she’d definitely be living better than this!” “What are you talking about? Alex is with Aria now.” I hadn’t said a word, yet they’d already passed judgment on me. Alex pulled Aria closer and declared his position affectionately: “The past is behind us. Aria is my only partner now.” Aria lifted her head from his embrace, her eyes shy yet triumphant as she looked straight at me: “Lena, I have plenty of clothes at home. Give me your address and I’ll send some to you. After all, you can’t go out wearing torn clothes.” I took a sip of water and said calmly, “No thanks. I don’t like wearing other people’s hand-me-downs.” Aria said, “Lena, you don’t mind, do you? I’ve only worn those clothes once or twice. Alex bought them all, and the fabric is really nice.” She looked at Alex: “I really just wanted to help Lena with some clothes. I didn’t expect her to be so sensitive about it.” Aria’s eyes reddened, and Alex immediately frowned with concern, glaring at me angrily: “Lena, that’s enough! Don’t be so ungrateful! You think I don’t know what kind of life you’re living? When Aria’s willing to give you clothes, you should gratefully accept them instead of making everyone uncomfortable at an occasion like this!” Others chimed in to persuade me: “Lena, you should apologize to Aria. She means well.” “Yeah, those clothes are so precious—we wouldn’t even dare dream of having them.” “They’re already being good to you, willing to help when they see you’re struggling.” Looking at these familiar yet strange faces that seemed particularly ugly at this moment, I smiled lightly: “Since you all think I should accept them, why don’t you give me your addresses? I’ll send the clothes to you instead—consider it Aria’s charity to you. How about that?” Everyone fell silent. I let out a cold laugh, picked up Ember, and turned to leave. Suddenly, a short male classmate, Mike Bryant, staggered toward me, drunkenly spreading his arms to block my path. He said, “Lena, since everyone’s here today, let me ask you something. Back in high school, when no one would talk to me, only you helped me. Did you like me then? I’ve got some savings now, and I don’t mind that you’ve been married. Marry me!” My eyes widened as I stepped back abruptly. I did remember helping him, but that was because he had heat stroke! As class president, how could I have left a sick student to work alone? I never imagined such a small act of kindness would lead to this misunderstanding! Just as I was about to explain, Aria excitedly exclaimed: “Wow, how romantic! Lena, say yes! Mike may be short, but his income is pretty good now!” My face darkened as I sternly snapped: “Aria, watch your mouth! I’m already married. Are you trying to help someone wreck my marriage?” Ember, lying on my shoulder, snorted heavily: “My mommy doesn’t like him at all! She loves me and Daddy the most!” Aria pursed her lips: “Where did you find this little girl? She’s a good actress, but no one’s buying it. Everyone knows you’re still in love with Alex.” Someone in the crowd joined in: “Yeah, Alex said you’re just pretending to be married to get his attention.” “Lena, enough already. You’ve been divorced once, and Mike’s never been married. Marrying him wouldn’t be a loss for you.” “Mike has liked you for so many years. He finally got his chance when you and Alex divorced—just make him happy.” All sorts of dubious comments filled my ears, making my stomach churn with disgust. Just then, Alex stepped forward and stood beside Mike: “If I’d known you were interested in her, I wouldn’t have competed with you back then. Women love to play hard to get—keep trying and she might actually fall for you.” Encouraged by these words, Mike actually took another step toward me: “Lena, I’m serious. Marry me—I’ll treat you well.” He spread his arms and lunged toward me. Startled, I quickly dodged while holding Ember and shouted sternly: “Stay away from me! Come any closer and I’ll call the police!” My outburst froze Mike in place—he didn’t dare approach further. Before I could catch my breath and leave with Ember, Aria suddenly screamed behind me: “My gold ring is missing! Stop her! Lena, you think you can just steal something and walk away?” I hadn’t even stepped out of the private dining room when someone suddenly grabbed my arm with brutal force. Turning around, I was shocked to see it was Alex. His face twisted with rage as he gripped my arm, practically lifting me off the ground and dragging me back inside. Worried that Ember might fall, I struggled desperately, and she managed to slip from my arms during the commotion. Seeing my pained expression, Ember charged forward angrily, wrapping her arms around Alex’s leg and biting down hard. “You big meanie! Don’t hurt my mommy!” she cried. Moments later, Jeff rushed out from behind Aria. He grabbed Ember and flung her away with force. Ember’s head struck the wall, and she collapsed unconscious. Witnessing this scene, my eyes widened in disbelief. “Ember!” Jeff was already twelve years old, tall for his age, with strength that could match an adult woman’s. How could a five-year-old girl withstand such violence? Jeff sneered coldly with satisfaction. “Little brat, let’s see if you dare bite my dad again!” I called out to Ember repeatedly, but she didn’t respond. My heart felt hollow as I summoned all my strength to break free from Alex’s grip and delivered a sharp slap across Jeff’s face. I rushed to Ember’s side, cradling her tightly while glaring at Jeff, who stood there stunned, clutching his cheek. “If anything happens to my daughter, I swear I won’t let you get away with this!” Jeff stood frozen, looking bewildered. Aria ran over, stroking Jeff’s face with fake concern before turning to scold me harshly. “Lena, you’re supposed to be Alex’s mother, yet you’d hurt him like this over some child of unknown origin. You’re absolutely vicious!” Jeff snapped back to reality, his eyes blazing with hatred. “Ms. Lewis, you’re the only mother I recognize. She’s nothing but the woman who gave birth to me. You bitch, hand over Ms. Lewis’s ring!” My eyes burning with fury, I shot back through gritted teeth, “I’ve been sitting here for barely ten minutes. How could I possibly steal a ring with all these people watching? Since you don’t believe me, call the police and let them sort this out!” Alex’s face contorted with rage as he violently tore at my collar, exposing my shoulder. He roared, “Lena, you’re still as stubborn as ever. You won’t admit it? Fine, then I’ll search you myself!” The entire restaurant seemed to freeze in that moment. I clutched my clothes desperately, glaring at Alex with fierce eyes. “Alex, if you touch me again, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life!” Alex let out a cold laugh. “I don’t believe you! Even if we end up at the police station, I’m in the right. You stole Aria’s ring! That’s our wedding ring, symbolizing our eternal love. How dare you?” He reached out again, trying to search me. Holding Ember with one arm and protecting my clothes with the other, I screamed, “Stop! Don’t you dare touch me with your filthy hands!” Just as I finished speaking, Alex suddenly let out an agonized cry. A familiar, ice-cold voice came from above my head. “My wife told you to stop. Are you deaf?”
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