Emily Martin woke up to find she had been reborn at the age of twenty-five.

She remembered that in her previous life, she had married William Kenney—a CEO of a Washington-based company—and later lived with her mother in his home.

Relatives envied her, saying she'd hit the jackpot with William—a blessing beyond measure.

But only she knew how miserable her life had been ever since.

At forty-five in her previous life, she suffered from severe depression. William left her alone at home. In the end, she locked herself in the kitchen and turned on the gas, ending her life.

All these were caused by a woman—William's cherished one.

Emily furrowed her brows, knowing that woman would seek her out today. She'd prepared divorce papers in advance.

This was the Cafe William frequented—a place etched in her memory forever.

In her past life, it was here that he often met his lover in secret.

She hadn't found out the truth until she followed him here one day.

When she demanded answers, he slapped her and coldly said: "What happens between us is none of your concern."

That day, she crouched in a corner near the Cafe and wept for a long time.

She'd been twenty-five then too.

Now, clarity struck Emily.

She had wasted her devotion on someone who didn't deserve it—she had loved the wrong person for so many years.

Until death, William never truly looked at her.

This second chance was for herself.

Frowning, she gripped the Cafe doorknob and turned it.

A soothing coffee fragrance enveloped her as she spotted Sophia Lee in the corner.

Sophia sat opposite her, expression icy and detached. "The one William loves is me. Give up and stop clinging to him."

Emily slid the divorce papers across the table. "I'll step aside if you get him to sign this.

Once he signed and the waiting period is over, I'll leave immediately."

Sophia's eyes widened in surprise at her swift agreement—so swift she'd give up the title of Mrs. Kennedy.

Emily met her gaze scoffeedily, adding, "Since he's always wanted you, I'll yield.

Just make sure he signs the papers. After that, whatever happens between you two has nothing to do with me."

She took a sip of water.

This time, she would never again be that naive "Mrs. Kennedy" who was kept in the dark and deceived by everyone.

Sophia's fingers tightened around her cup, glaring. "Emily, what's your game?"

"No games. Just tired."

Emily held her stare, unflinching and at peace.

Without another word, she rose to leave.

The Cafe was bustling with people, but to her, it all felt like noise.

Reading Emily's resolve, Sophia's guard lowered. She called after the retreating figure:

"You're handing William to me! Once I'm Mrs. Kennedy, don't expect me to return him."

Emily walked on without pausing.

Sophia followed her out, swiping her phone to dial William.

He answered unusually fast.

"William, can you pick me up now?

I'm at the Noble Baker Cafe."

Emily stood just one traffic light away from her, a bitter smile tugging at her lips.

She remembered in her previous life, none of her calls to William were ever answered.

But now, barely moments after the red light switched, the man himself appeared at the entrance of the Cafe.

Emily turned to see him leaning against the glass window in a tailored black suit.

His frame stood tall and straight, broad-shouldered with a narrow waist.

He handed Sophia the cake he carried, bending close to whisper he'd asked his chef for extra blueberries—her favorite.

Despite herself, Emily's heart twisted painfully.

Throughout three years of marriage, William never cared about her preferences.

Even when she was hospitalized in her last life, he showed up with durian—the one fruit she couldn't stand. That day, she forced herself to eat it, then turned away and cried silently.

Now William's velvet voice drifted to Emily as she watched his lips brush Sophia's forehead.

"What would you like?

I'll take you anywhere."

His tender tone dripped affection.

Sophia nestled closer, sliding Emily's divorce papers toward him—

conveniently covering the words "Divorce Agreement."

"There's just one thing I need you to help me with. Could you sign this?

I've found a house in the suburbs..."

William took the pen, eyes locked on Sophia as he swiftly signed where she pointed.

"Buy whatever you fancy."

He finished by gently stroking her hair.

Acid churned in Emily's stomach.

William, in this life I won't look back.

Her thoughts shattered when another car arrived.

A man and a woman hurried to William's side, all smiles and flattery.

"So you're getting our Sophia a villa?" Charlotte Lee chirped, signaling her daughter.

"Then we can all live together!"

Sophia instantly pressed against William's chest, gushing about his generosity.

Emily stood frozen, witnessing their perfect family picture.

In her past life, she'd knelt in rain for a day begging him to shelter her dying mother.

The memory choked her with swallowed bitterness.

As Emily turned to leave, William's voice rose:

"You're all welcome anytime.

I'll have the housekeeper prepare rooms for all three of you."

Four faces beamed in shared delight.

So her mother's sanctuary was merely his "adopted housekeeper" to outsiders.

An invisible fist clenched Emily's heart, suffocating her.

William's lips curved gently—a tenderness she'd never seen.

In her last life before she died, she'd called William: "Did you ever love me?"

His icy voice, devoid of emotion, struck like a death sentence:

"Never!"

As she closed her eyes, her only wish was that if there was an afterlife, she would never live such a life again.

Never to fall in love with William again, nor become Mrs. Kennedy.

When Emily arrived home, it was already late, but the lights in the living room were still on.

She went straight upstairs to pack her belongings, casually tossing photos of her and William, including his shirts and stacks of love letters filled with false affection, into the courtyard. She set everything ablaze.

The flames gathered into a beam, as if trying to ignite the night.

"What are you doing!"

William's voice suddenly cut through from behind her.

Emily turned to find him standing at the door, holding the hand of an unfamiliar child.

William frowned at the flames in the yard, fetched a bucket of water, and doused the fire.

Yet his scrutiny of Emily never wavered.

"Uncle!

Why is Auntie burning things here?"

The child beside him stared at Emily in bewilderment.

William's face darkened. "I just picked up Sophia this afternoon. Was that worth such rage?

Burning everything?"

"I'm not angry!"

Emily replied flatly.

"Is Auntie mad at my mommy?

Mommy said you're my daddy now, but a daddy can only choose one to be my mommy. So Auntie's angry?"

Emily's heart clenched—she hadn't realized this was Sophia's child, brought home by William.

"This is Sophia's son, John Lee. His father ran off, but I adore him, so I brought him home."

Emily let out a chuckle.

After all these years, William never wanted a child with her. Yet today, because it was Sophia's, he brought home another man's son and embraced him as his own.

Her chest felt slit open by a knife, bleeding ceaselessly.

William raised an eyebrow, scooped John up high. "If Uncle takes you out to play, what will you call me?"

John giggled on his shoulder. "Mommy taught me—Daddy."

Numbness shot from head to toe, freezing Emily's voice.

That doting smile felt utterly foreign to her.

She studied the child intently, sensing an odd familiarity.

As the fire dwindled, the driver hauled in piles of toys. With William's gesture, he carried them into the sunniest room.

"Enough. Burn whatever you want another day. John lives here now—he'll be scared."

Seeing Emily still in the yard, he snapped impatiently toward the door.

Only after entering did Eleanor Li Martin stumble out from the kitchen, gasping.

"Listen, Emily—our whole family depends on him now. Don't you dare make trouble."

Eleanor seized her wrist, teeth clenched.

Emily shook her off and climbed the stairs alone.

Eleanor had always been snobbish. Ever since learning her precious daughter landed a wealthy son-in-law, she'd insisted on moving in.

Not only would she sometimes not speak up for Emily, but she'd also threaten her with her life, all to make her endure humiliation in the Kennedy family and fulfill her dream of becoming a wealthy mother-in-law.

Lying in bed, she only felt her eyes stinging.

Beside her, William was already sound asleep, breathing scoffeedily.

Emily tossed and turned, unable to sleep, until her phone screen suddenly lit up, and she slowly sat up.

It was a message from Sophia.

She opened it. It was a paternity test report, showing thatJohn and William were father and son.

Emily felt dazed, her face showing shock, almost dropping her phone.

She lay on her side with her back to William, but her heart felt as if it were being torn apart.

"Well?

Do you like this gift?"

Sophia's next message came right after, "Actually, I should be the true lady of this house.

And you, you're just a placeholder."

Emily clenched her phone tightly. So long ago, he and Sophia already had a child together.

In her past life, she'd lived entirely under his deception.

Outside her world, that was his real family.

She sat in bed like that all night, watching William the entire time.

But soon, she'd leave for good, just as they wished.

William would never find her again.

At dawn, Emily, with swollen eyes, was about to get out of bed.

William's arms reached out but found nothing. He rubbed his eyes and looked at her.

"Still mad about yesterday?"

He moved close, and a ray of sunlight from the window fell on Emily's face.

"No."

She got up and started folding yesterday's unfolded clothes.

William, seeing she didn't even glance at him, got angry and grabbed her wrist mid-fold. "Emily."

His voice turned icy. "In front of the child yesterday, I didn't argue. Don't be so childish and stubborn."

She twitched her lips and kept folding.

Soon, William was dressed and standing before her—

white shirt, black leather jacket, and faded jeans—a total shift from his usual business style.

William had never dressed like that around her.

"Do I look good like this?"

He turned and asked her.

Seeing her still bent over folding, William angrily threw all the clothes from the wardrobe onto the bed.

"You'd better keep up this act forever and keep your mouth shut forever."

With that, he slammed the door and left.

Only when the slam faded completely did Emily slowly raise her eyes.

Everything about William now meant nothing to her.

Once the divorce waiting period ended, nothing would tie them together.

Eleanor came from the kitchen, passed the dining room, gave Sophia a respectful nod, then pulled Emily into a side room and locked the door.

"Emily, what are you doing?

How come you can't even hold on to a man?

You let some homewrecker get close to him and move in. Have you thought how we'll live now?"

Emily leaned against the door. Now she felt more like an outsider in this house.

"We'll move out once the divorce waiting period ends."

Eleanor's face instantly darkened as she slapped Emily hard across the cheek.

"How dare you divorce?!

!

I'm not leaving this place!"

"Miss Lee, your hands are too delicate for this dirty work. Let me handle it."

Emily stood frozen, watching her own mother scurry from the kitchen to bow and scrape before them.

Her heart felt hollowed out, a sudden chill making her shiver.

Eleanor grabbed a rag and began scrubbing the table after speaking.

To William, this was precisely where she belonged.

While Sophia had instantly become the treasure he cradled in his heart.

Emily ignored them, retreating to her room to pack her belongings.

After nearly finishing, she collapsed onto the bed for a nap.

'Buzzzz...'

Her phone abruptly erupted with violent vibrations.

"Emily, get to the hospital now!

See what you've done!"

Emily's heart seized. She arrived to find William looming in the corridor, suit jacket slung over his arm, tie hanging loose. Sophia crouched nearby, sobbing uncontrollably.

Spotting Emily, William strode forward and struck her. Fury burned in his eyes.

"Why did you tell your mother to serve John seafood? He's allergic! Trying to kill him?!

!"

William closed in, his shadow swallowing her whole.

"I didn't!"

Emily met his glare. "I never left my room."

"Still lying?

Your mother confessed you told her John loves seafood! She cooked it on your orders!"

William gripped her chin, rage undiminished.

Sophia suddenly lunged from the floor, pounding Emily's chest with furious blows.

"Did you poison us because John and I moved in? Waiting till William and I were gone to murder us? You monster!

Rot in hell!"

Emily staggered and fell, but Sophia kept kicking and punching.

Only when exhausted did Sophia finally drop her fists.

Emily ignored the screams, feeling like waterlogged cotton choked her throat.

She stood numb, fists clenched tight.

Her own mother had pinned this massive blame squarely on her.

A bitter smile touched her lips as family love's thorn pierced her heart, drawing blood.

"The child is stable now."

The ward door swung open, a nurse stepping out.

Sophia shoved past Emily blocking the doorway.

"What happened?"

William demanded, voice low.

Inside, John clutched his throat, whimpering, "It hurts, Daddy, it hurts."

Eleanor hovered nearby, explaining, "Emily told me to cook seafood."

William's gaze turned icy as he glanced toward the door. Emily's arm was instantly seized.

Before she could react, a pungent sting flooded her nostrils.

Immediately, her mouth was forced open by a hand, and a jar of extremely spicy pepper water poured down her throat.

"No..."

Emily's words choked in her throat, the intense spice instantly flooding her airway, the burning pain scorching her relentlessly.

Her face quickly swelled from the overwhelming heat.

"Ugh... no..."

Tears streamed as she coughed, her trust in William swallowed along with the pepper water.

Until her vision blurred, Emily watched William and the other two disappear into the distance, then collapsed unconscious.

……

...

She didn't know how long she'd been out, but when she woke, the hospital room was empty except for her.

Emily pressed a hand to her chest, tears flowing freely. She shut her eyes, taking moments to steady herself.

Her phone suddenly rang—the airline confirming flight details.

She listened weakly to the tedious verification, finally murmuring, "Window seat, thanks."

The call ended just as the door swung open.

Her mother entered, dressed plainly with dust on her pants.

"Emily, don't blame mom.

I... I just wanted to peel exotic fruit for John, but who knew he was allergic to seafood!

I can't handle this responsibility—you know I can't lose my job."

Emily stared at the ceiling, fighting back tears.

Her own mother would sacrifice her without hesitation to save herself.

The bond she cherished was just a bargaining chip to her birth mother.

Days later, Emily saw Sophia's post on social media.

In the video, John proudly told friends, "This is my mom!"

A friend eyed William and added, "So if she's your mom, he must be your daddy!"

John blushed and ducked his head without explaining.

Sophia and William exchanged glances, chuckling softly.

Her nails dug into her palms as she suddenly laughed.

The laugh stung her eyes with bitterness.

She'd leave soon—this house and William behind.

A week later, at the villa entrance.

Emily had just returned from the hospital.

Then a sharp pain exploded at the back of her head!

Warm blood instantly trickled down.

Emily touched the spot and whirled around, meeting John's innocent face.

A shattered vase lay nearby. As she turned, he stuck out his tongue: "Stop hogging my dad!

This is your lesson!"

Eleanor walked in, frozen in panic at the scene.

"What are you doing?"

"Bang!"

The door burst open, and John instantly dropped his gaze, sobbing.

"What happened?"

William's low voice reached Emily. Sophia trailed behind him, stunned silent.

"Uncle William, I saw Aunt Emily just got home.

I just told her about what happened at the training camp, but not only did she refuse to listen, she got angry instantly and even threw a vase at me..." John cried as he ran toward William, showing him the bruises on his arm.

John's hand was bleeding now, probably from the broken vase shards.

Emily felt a flicker of surprise—she had no idea when John got those bruises.

"I didn't..."

Smack!

A crisp sound echoed as Sophia's palm struck her face.

"You poisonous woman. If you dare lay a finger on my son again, I'll fight you to the death."

Ignoring the shrill accusation, Emily cradled her stinging cheek and walked straight upstairs.

Blood stained her clothes, the sticky sensation making her unbearably uncomfortable, yet William hadn't even noticed.

Halfway up, she turned back to look at William and suddenly laughed.

"William, in your heart, did you ever trust me even a little?"

As she spoke, coffeers welled up in her eyes.

William's pupils contracted sharply, freezing the air around them.

But he only replied flatly, "You and I never had any affection to begin with. You hurt a child right before my eyes and expect me to believe you?"

Emily laughed harder, each chuckle piercing her chest like a knife as coffeers streamed down her face.

Of course. He didn't love her. Not for all these years, not ever.

She'd clung to him with foolish devotion, wasting years by his side only to never earn a single genuine glance.

She should've known this long ago.

"Alright, William."

Sophia stepped forward, linking arms with him. "John must be terrified. Let's take him to his room."

William cast one last fleeting look at Emily before turning away, scooping up the child and leading Sophia out.

Emily watched their retreating figures, lowering her eyes.

She hated her past self for misjudging people.

But this time would be different.

Two days later, at John's birthday banquet.

William had booked the entire floor.

Emily stood in a corner, watching John circle around William endlessly, her gaze gradually darkening.

Guests streamed past her, each shooting disdainful looks her way.

"Who really runs the Kenney family now? Isn't it obvious?"

"Seems Miss Lee is the true Mrs. Kennedy after all.

She must've used some dirty tricks to stay by William Kennedy's side all these years."

Emily listened quietly, her eyes flickering but showing no reaction.

She felt numb to the pain now.

As she turned toward the elevator, Sophia followed her inside.

Touching up her lipstick, Sophia shot Emily a sidelong glance. "Your agreement takes effect in two days. You'll leave, won't you?"

Emily pressed the lobby button and murmured, "Yes."

Sophia smiled with satisfaction. "I trust Ms Martin honors her promises."

Emily averted her eyes.

But the next instant—thud!

The elevator suddenly shook violently.

Sophia was trapped inside, pounding desperately on the doors to no avail.

Another loud bang, and the elevator plummeted down.

"Ah!"

Sophia inside screamed out.

Emily frantically pulled out her phone, "William, come quick!

The elevator's broken!

Sophia's trapped inside."

She kept banging on the elevator door, hoping to get a response from Sophia.

William came running over, his steps hurried and short.

"What's going on?"

He'd barely stopped when he started calling Sophia's name, panting heavily.

It took a while for the rescuers to show up. They shouted through the door, "How are you?

Are you okay?"

"Help me," Sophia screamed, banging on the door, "My foot's stuck."

A screech of metal prying open, and a beam of light shone through.

In a daze, she only saw William kneeling on the ground, frantically checking Sophia's injuries.

Sophia's leg was completely crushed and bleeding. Without a second thought, William picked her up and ran to the hospital.

But Sophia, with her arms around William's neck, sobbed out Emily's name.

"It was her, it was her.

She saw the elevator was broken and pushed me in, then ran out herself."

Hearing this, Emily felt like she'd been struck by lightning.

"It wasn't me!"

She quickly retorted.

But William was already furious and had no patience for her explanation.

"You're vicious," William ordered the security guards nearby, "Throw her into the elevator and lock her in."

Emily stood there dumbfounded. She couldn't believe he'd actually put her in danger over a single sentence.

They carried her into the elevator. She watched helplessly as the doors closed again, plunging her into darkness.

The elevator was still broken. In an instant, she felt the floor give way beneath her.

Suddenly, the elevator lost support and plummeted down!

With a sickening crunch, twisted metal slammed into her leg. Excruciating pain shot through her.

Emily passed out completely...

It wasn't until the pungent smell of disinfectant hit her nose that Emily managed to open her eyes.

"Ms. Martin, you're awake?"

The nurse said while changing her IV bag and dressing, "Your leg bone was crushed. You were covered in blood when you arrived.

Any later and we might have had to amputate."

William was cold-hearted. Those close to him would get hurt.

Besides, she'd long since vanished from his sight.

Emily stared blankly at the ceiling, then let out a low laugh.

The image of William desperately helping Sophia lingered in her mind.

He was capable of love, just not for her.

She dragged herself up and called her mother, asking her to bring her packed luggage to the airport first thing tomorrow.

All she heard from the other end was a few curses: "If you leave, don't ever come back."

Emily dug her nails into her palms. From now on, she and William would have nothing to do with each other.

She'd vanish completely from his world, taking everything of hers with her.

She'd start a new life from now on.

One day later, at the Airport.

Emily boarded the plane with her suitcase, taking a final glance at the home she'd known for years.

Far away lies her future.

William, goodbye.

May we both be well, and never cross paths again.