“Mom, you and dad were never a match. Why can’t you let him go and find his true love?”

It was the tenth time that my son persuaded me to divorce.

When I was in the heart attack, my husband shook my hand off.

"I will marry Sylvia after you die."

My son also ignored my call for help.

I stopped breathing with tears sliding my face.

But as I took my last breath, I finally understood

This was not the life I wanted.

-

After I was reborn, the first thing I did was turn down the offer from the Reed Group.

I chose to volunteer teach in the highlands, over two thousand kilometers from home.

My professor was confused. He frowned and asked me.

"I heard Adrian is about to get back from the military. Aren’t you afraid he’ll move on while you’re gone?"

An image of Adrian flashed through my mind.

To everyone else, being with Adrian was my biggest stroke of luck.

He was diligent, handsome, already making waves in the business world before thirty.

And me? I only got the chance to be his wife in name because of the arranged childhood marriage our grandfathers set up.

Thinking of this, I gave a small smile.

"It was just an old promise between two families. It doesn’t count anymore."

The professor seemed shocked by my words. He opened his mouth, but in the end, he didn't say what was on his mind.

In my past life, my life was like a nightmare.

I’d looked forward to my wedding with Adrian like a fool, not knowing it was the beginning of my misery.

After we got married, Adrian turned down the job assignment from the military.

Sylvia Reed's grandfather arranged for him to work at the Reed Group.

After that, his career took off.

The Reed Group's businesses were all over the country. With Old Mr. Reed‘s help, Adrian rose to a high position in just a few years.

Everywhere he went, Sylvia and her daughter followed,

as if they were his real family.

And me, I stayed home, raising our son alone..

But I never expected to raise such an ungrateful wretch.

I even found out from other people that our son was marrying Sylvia's daughter.

Later on, our son also started frequently trying to convince me to get a divorce.

"Mom, Dad's had a hard enough life because of you."

"You two were never a match. Why can’t you let him go and find his happiness?"

Those words were like heavy hammers, smashing my heart to pieces.

But why?

When my in-laws were sick in bed, I was the one who took care of them day and night, until I was completely exhausted.

When our son had a high fever, I was the one who carried him on my back and ran ten kilometers, forcing myself to keep going even when my feet were bleeding.

And Adrian?

He was busy holding Sylvia in his arms, whispering sweet words in the dark.

Time is cruel.

The world turned its back on me.

They said I wasn't good enough for Adrian, that I was a burden and a drag on him.

Finally, the day my son asked me to divorce again，

I left this world.

He said a bunch of heartless things.

He had no idea that the moment he turned away, my heart gave out.

I desperately called for help, but he didn't even turn his head.

Regret. Hatred. Pain. They were the last things I felt.

Thankfully.

Heaven gave me another chance.

This time, I’ll live for myself.

Back home, I quietly slipped the volunteer-teaching acceptance letter into the hidden compartment of my close, then picked up the calendar and sat on the sofa to look at it.

I ran my finger over the date next month when I was supposed to report to the highlands.

Soon. It would be soon.

I could finally escape all of this.

I was eating when Adrian came back with Sylvia and her daughter.

Sylvia saw me and gave a coy smile.

"I'm so sorry to bother you again."

Before the words were even out of her mouth, her daughter had already run into the kitchen to get herself a bowl of food.

"Uncle, she didn't make our food today."

"What?"

Adrian frowned at me, "What is this supposed to mean?"

My expression didn't change. "Eat what?

I'll go make it now."

As I listened to the cheerful chatter from the living room, I picked up the salt container and started dumping it in.

I added ten times the salt to every single dish.

By the time I came out, the little girl had already set the table for the three of them.

My own bowl, however, had been pushed to a corner.

I didn't say anything about it.

I just leaned quietly against the fridge, watching the three of them spit out the food they had just put in their mouths.

Then they choked on the even saltier soup, spitting it all over the table.

The little girl was crying her eyes out.

Sylvia looked completely wronged. "If I'm not welcome here, I just won't come back."

With that, she took her child's hand and stormed out, slamming the door.

Adrian demanded in a low voice, "You did that on purpose?"

I ignored him, cleaned the table, and then cooked a new bowl of noodles for myself.

Seeing my continued indifference.

After a while, Adrian sighed.

"Sylvia and I grew up together. After her husband died, her grandfather asked me to take care of her and the kid. You know I owe him a lot."

"Since you don't like it, I won't have them over anymore."

The next day, as soon as Adrian left.

I quickly packed my bags, planning to go back to my hometown in a couple of days to clean up my parents' old house.

Our arranged childhood marriage was an agreement made by our elders back then,

but if we were really going to separate, we had to tell his elders beforehand to break off the engagement, just to avoid gossip.

Looking at the duvet covers and pillows I had embroidered for our marriage over the past few years, I couldn't help but find it ridiculous.

I gathered them up, along with the new shoes I’d sewn,

and gave everything to Mrs. Lee, the old lady downstairs who collected scrap.

Seeing how new everything was, she tried to pay me.. I refused, so she tried to refuse the items.

After some back and forth, I finally accepted the 300 crumpled dollars she pushed into my hand.

It wasn't much, but thinking about the harsh conditions of the volunteer teaching placement, the money could be useful in an emergency.

Back home, I looked at the calendar on my phone.

In ten more days, I could leave this place of endless drama and pursue the life I wanted.

It was late at night when Adrian got home. He paused when he saw the dining table was empty.

"Did you eat?"

I answered casually without looking up,

"Yeah, I grabbed a bite."

As he walked past me, I caught a whiff of perfume that was clearly not his—it was cloyingly sweet.

"With Sylvia and her daughter, I assume?"

I said teasingly.

"You..." Adrian reached out his hand as if he was about to say something,

but I pretended not to see and turned to go into the study.

The study was filled with all my old school books and papers. I planned to pack them all up; they'd definitely be useful for my volunteer teaching.

As I was packing, I heard a knock on the door.

"What is it?"

I didn't want him to see me packing, so I didn't open the door.

Adrian was silent on the other side of the door. After a long moment, he finally said,

"Mom and Dad are asking when we're planning to get married, and if they need to prepare anything."

I didn't stop what I was doing and said lightly, "Marriage is a big deal. I'm going back to my hometown tomorrow anyway, so I'll ask my parents then."

It seemed like Adrian wanted to say something else, but after a long silence, he left.

I let out a long sigh and leaned against the bookshelf.

If he really wanted to marry me, he could've just told his parents directly. I don't know what I was even hoping for.

In my previous life, my family was hit by a sudden disaster, and my parents fell gravely ill.

And Adrian's grandfather helped my family out a lot when we were at our lowest.

I truly owed his family. Anyone could see my heart belonged completely to him.

I loved him,

I loved him so much that even when he was drunk, panting on top of me and calling out Sylvia's name, I still responded to him.

But in the end, I gave my very life for him in my last life.

Now that I get to live life all over again, I'm going to live for myself.

Maybe he saw my indifference,

To my surprise, Adrian had already made breakfast.

It was my favorite, Lasagna.

We sat across from each other in silence, the only sound was our spoons scraping against the bowls.

"Maybe I should go back with you," Adrian said, his head lowered.

I was so startled I spilled my soup on the table, and Adrian quickly grabbed a napkin for me.

I took the napkin, trying to figure out how to say no, when I heard the beeping of the keypad lock at the door.

Then a little girl dashed in and jumped right into Adrian's arms.

"Daddy!" the little girl called out sweetly.

Adrian gave me an awkward smile. "She's just messing around, don't mind her."

I just kept eating my Wonton Soup, saying nothing.

When he saw I wasn't paying him any mind, he gave up and turned his head. "Chloe, why are you here by yourself? Where's your mom?"

Chloe replied in her baby voice, "Mommy said Auntie doesn't like her, so she didn't dare to come."

"Pfft." I couldn't help it. I'd never believe a three-year-old could say something like that unless someone taught her.

"Mommy doesn't feel so good, I think. She wouldn't get up when I called her," Chloe said with a pout.

Hearing Sylvia wasn't well, Adrian picked up Chloe and ran out. He paused at the door, as if just remembering I was still home.

"Hey... I'm going to check on Sylvia. I'll be back."

I scoffed and waved him off, telling him to just go. Perfect, now I didn't need an excuse to get him out of the house so I could leave.

Going back today was mainly to have my parents take me to Adrian's house to break off the engagement.

Although it was an arranged childhood marriage, the elders who arranged it had all passed away.

It's not hard to convince his parents.

All I had to do was tell them that Adrian was about to make it big.

And me.

I wasn't good enough for him anymore.

There's not much nightlife in the countryside.

The occasional bark from some dog only made the night seem even quieter.

A dim, yellow kerosene lamp hung under the eaves, flickering as if it could go out at any moment.

"Sweetheart, are you really sure about this?" It was Mrs. Vance who finally broke the silence.

I was about to speak, but my mother subtly shielded me with her body and said, "Mrs. Vance, your father was very kind to our family. We know we shouldn't be the ones to say this, but... our daughter doesn't want to go through with the marriage, and as her parents, we can't force her."

"Ah." Mr. Vance sighed and said, "What was decided by the older generation can end with them."

With that, he took out the old betrothal agreement from his pocket.

After exchanging it with my father, he turned and went back inside.

On the way home, my parents didn't say a word.

They probably couldn't understand how I, who had always been head over heels for Adrian, could suddenly have such a change of heart.

I couldn't just tell them about the misery of my past life,

Who would believe me if I did?

I stayed with my parents at our old house for a week.

Just before I left, I finally told them I was going to the highlands to do volunteer teaching.

"Will it be very hard?"

My mother's eyes were red.

My father stood beside me, watching me, and after a long pause, he managed to say: "If things get tough, just come home."

It was evening by the time I got home. When I opened the door, the playful sounds from inside abruptly stopped.

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming back?

I would have picked you up."

Adrian seemed surprised to see me walk in.

Looking at the happy little "family" before me, I said nothing and headed straight for my room.

Sylvia, on the other hand, put on a guilty look and pulled Chloe to one side.

"Wait!"

Adrian seemed to have remembered something, but I had already reached out and pushed open the bedroom door.

"Uh... they started road work near Sylvia's apartment a few days ago, it's a mess to get through, so she's just staying here for a couple of days."

As he was speaking, Sylvia had already slipped into the room.

I watched as she casually shut the door to my room, and I was so furious I laughed. "So, you just gave her my room?"

"I moved your things into my room. Just stay with me for now. I'll find a chance to send them home in a day or two."

Adrian said, reaching for the luggage in my hand.

I instinctively sidestepped him. "No, thanks. I'll sleep in the study."

Adrian awkwardly pulled back his hand, pretending to be unfazed. "By the way, what did Mom and Dad say?"

"I had Silas Blackwood from the village look into it. He said there are no good dates anytime soon, so we'll have to put it off."

This was the story I had agreed upon with his parents. When he asked them about it later, they would set the record straight.

"Alright, then we can just pick another time."

With that, he scooped up Chloe, who had run to his side to be coddled.

I closed the study door behind me, leaning back against the frame.

Since we'd broken off the engagement, we were nothing to each other anymore. It's his house. He can let whoever he wants live here.

I really don't know why I should even be angry.

I was exhausted from driving all day and had planned to go to bed early,

but Chloe was screaming to watch cartoons and had the TV volume blasting. I couldn't stand it, so I decided to escape to the car for some peace and quiet.

The moment I got downstairs, the entire world seemed to fall silent.

"Huh?

Zoe Miller?

I thought you went back home to see your parents?"

I had run into Aunt Willow from next door, who was just getting back from walking her dog.

"Yeah, I was there for a few days. Just got back today."

I answered with a smile. Aunt is a retired teacher, and we usually get along pretty well.

"Oh... Zoe... what am I going to do with you?"

Aunt tapped my forehead, her expression a mix of fondness and frustration.

Seeing my confused look, she continued, "I'm telling you, you're being so naive. How could you let another woman move into your home?"

As Aunt went on and on, it finally dawned on me that when Adrian brought Sylvia to the house, he had told everyone it was my idea.

He said Sylvia was my childhood friend, that her place was out of the way. With the road construction, it wasn't safe for her to travel at night alone with her child, so I had asked him to bring them over to stay.

He was afraid the neighbors would gossip, so he was using me as a cover.

"I'll be careful. Thanks, Auntie."

I was leaving soon anyway. It wasn't worth the energy to argue with him about it now.

"You make sure you are. If you need anything, you come find me."

Aunt said indignantly.

After thanking Aunt, I went back to the car and sat for a while. It wasn't until I saw the bedroom light go out that I got up and went upstairs to wash up.

But just as I was brushing my teeth,

the door was slammed open, hitting me right on the shoulder. "Ah!"

I cried out in pain.

At the same time, I heard Sylvia's voice, "Move it. Chloe needs the bathroom, get out of the way."

Although her voice sounded soft and weak, the smugness and glee in her eyes were impossible to hide.

"Apologize."

I stood up straight, fighting through the pain to block the two of them, and said coldly.

Caught off guard by my direct confrontation, Sylvia was momentarily stunned

"I said apologize. Didn't you hear me?"

I raised my voice.