The machine beside the hospital bed kept beeping. Slow. Steady. Unforgiving. Chloe Lewis stared at the ceiling, her eyes open but empty. The room smelled like disinfectant and quiet resignation. No voices. No footsteps. Just silence. Her son was dead. Robert Myers had been killed in a car accident that morning. In his final moments, the one person he had desperately wanted to see was his father, Arthur Myers. But Arthur never came. He had been "busy" having dinner with Jennifer Williams, the woman he had loved long before Chloe. The woman he never quite let go of, even after marriage. Suddenly, the ward door swung open. Sharp heels clicked against the floor, far too loud for a place like this. The sound grew closer with each step. Chloe forced herself to look toward the approaching figure. It was Jennifer. Chloe hated her for taking everything—her husband, her son, her whole life. She wanted to get up, to rip her apart. But she couldn't. She had no strength left. Jennifer smiled. Not the polite kind. Not the careful kind. It was slow, satisfied. Like she had already won. "You look terrible," Jennifer said lightly. "Hospitals really drain people, don't they?" Chloe didn't answer. Jennifer stepped closer. "Arthur is with me now," she said. "Everyone knows that." She paused, letting the words settle. "Oh. Right." Her lips curved. "That little bastard of yours is dead, so Arthur is going to make my son his heir. Publicly. As for you... you'd be better off gone. Your son must be lonely. You wouldn't want him waiting too long, would you?" A single, hot tear escaped the corner of Chloe's eye, tracing a silent path down her cold cheek. Jennifer leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a poisonous whisper, "Did you ever wonder why that car accident happened so… conveniently? I made it happen. I just made a few calls. Paid the right people. Easy." She shrugged. "Accidents happen. And even if Arthur finds out, do you think he'll care?" She let out a soft, mocking laugh. "Because... he's never Arthur's kid. He never should have existed. His death was necessary." Chloe's eyes widened. Jennifer sneered, "Remember those men at the hotel? The ones who 'accidentally' slept with you and gave you HIV?" Jennifer's eyes glittered with malice. "That was no accident. I orchestrated that, too." Chloe couldn't believe it. What on earth is she talking about? She means Robert's dad is one of those men at the hotel? What the hell? Chloe's eyes snapped wide, bloodshot and burning with a dawning, horrific understanding. She, the cherished daughter of the Lewis family, chosen personally by Arthur's grandfather, Charles, to be his granddaughter-in-law, had always put Arthur first. When he brought the ailing Jennifer home, Chloe had even bent over backwards to help her, all out of gratitude because Jennifer had once saved Arthur's life and fallen ill because of it. Every bit of her misery—all of it—was because of Jennifer. "Look at you," Jennifer sneered, her gaze sweeping over Chloe's frail form with disgust. "You're pathetic. Yet he still hasn't divorced you. It's infuriating." Pulling out her phone, Jennifer flashed a screen showing a message from Arthur, "Jennie, happy birthday. Your favorite gift is ready." Below the text was a picture of an extravagant, custom-made bouquet of roses. "See?" Jennifer waved the phone tauntingly. "The man you're so obsessed with doesn't give a damn about you. He's busy preparing my birthday present. Oh, and he's planning to propose. We're going to have the grandest wedding this city has ever seen. Nothing like your pathetic little secret marriage he's always been so ashamed of." Her smile widened, triumphant and vicious. "Pity you won't be around to see it. Consider today your death anniversary." Chloe's eyes bulged, her chest beginning to seize. The ventilator's steady rhythm turned frantic and erratic. She clutched at the thin hospital sheets, but her body was too weak, her strength utterly spent. A final, shuddering breath escaped her lips, her pupils dilated, fixed, and then... nothing. ***** "Mommy?" A small, warm hand shook hers. Hearing Robert's voice, Chloe snapped her eyes open. "Mommy? What are you thinking about?"She sucked in a sharp breath and looked down. She was standing outside the airport, her fingers wrapped tightly around her son's small hand. Robert was right there. Alive. His cute face looked brighter in the sunlight. She blinked, disoriented. The harsh hospital lights were gone. Cars passed. People talked. A breeze brushed her face. She pinched herself. It was real. She dropped down and pulled him into her arms, holding him as if he might disappear if she let go. Tears instantly welled in her eyes. Her voice was thick and trembling. "Robert... I missed you so, so much..." Robert looked puzzled but gently patted her back. "Mommy, what's wrong? Weren't we just together?" Chloe looked up into Robert's clear, guileless eyes, a hurricane of emotions raging inside her. It was unbelievable, but it was true—she had been reborn. Back to the very day Arthur's beloved Jennifer returned to the country. It was also the day Chloe returned with Robert. In her previous life, Arthur hadn't been here to pick them up. He was here for Jennifer and her son, Jenarth Williams. He'd even brought them straight to Myers Manor. Back then, she'd been kind and welcoming to Jennifer and Jenarth, filled with a sense of obligation because Jennifer had saved Arthur and gotten sick. She'd felt her whole family owed Jennifer a debt. Jenarth. Jenarth! What a cruel joke. Her husband, Arthur, had doted on Jenarth, spending all his time with him and Jennifer, treating the boy so well that even Robert had felt jealous. Now, looking at Robert, Jennifer's words echoed in her mind—Robert wasn't Arthur's child! Her eyes narrowed. What was the truth here? She had been brought back to the Lewis family, and under Charles' arrangement, she'd had a child with Arthur and become his wife. Arthur had always been distant, but she'd tried her best to be the perfect wife, partly to repay Charles' kindness. But things had never gone her way. Today marked the beginning of her previous nightmare. This time, she would never let anyone hurt her or her child again. Just then, Arthur appeared at the arrivals gate, holding a massive bouquet of flowers. After a short wait, Jennifer emerged, holding Jenarth's hand. A smile broke out on Arthur's face. He handed the flowers to Jennifer, took her suitcase, and then knelt down to scoop Jenarth into a hug. Jenarth immediately wrapped his arms around Arthur's neck and planted a loud kiss on his cheek. The scene was sickeningly sweet, like a perfect, happy family. Anyone watching would have thought they were the picture of domestic bliss. Chloe watched it all unfold with a chilling calm, but Arthur's behavior turned her stomach. "Dad went to pick up that woman," a young voice piped up beside her. It was Robert, having just checked something on a nearby flight information screen. "I just looked it up. She's Jennifer Williams, a famous international pianist! They've known each other for years. Everyone says she's his precious sweetheart." Chloe's heart clenched. She remembered how, in her last life, Robert had tried to warn her, and she, naive and trusting, had actually defended Jennifer. Not anymore. Now, she saw right through the charade. "Daddy Arthur! I wanna play airplane!" Jenarth chirped, clinging to Arthur's shoulder. "Jenarth, don't call him that. It's Arthur, no daddy," Jennifer corrected, a faint blush on her cheeks as she smiled apologetically at Arthur. "No! I want Arthur to be my daddy! Daddy Arthur! Daddy Arthur!" Jenarth whined, throwing a little tantrum. Jennifer's smile widened. "I'm so sorry about him. His biggest wish is to have a wonderful father just like you." Arthur simply chuckled, completely unbothered. "It's fine. If it makes him happy, he can call me whatever he wants. From now on, Jenarth can call me Daddy." Chloe watched, her disgust reaching its peak. She'd seen enough. Pulling out her phone, she dialed Arthur's number. Arthur, still holding Jenarth, fumbled for a moment before answering. "Chloe? What is it?" "Robert and I are at the airport." Chloe's voice was eerily calm, completely flat. "Sorry, something urgent came up at work. I'll send the driver to pick you up," he replied, his tone distracted and dismissive. "Don't bother." Chloe's reply was icy cool before she ended the call. "I'll have the driver—" Arthur began, but the line was already dead. He stared at his phone for a few seconds, stunned. Chloe had never hung up on him before. "So, Arthur, is this your so-called work emergency?" A cold, clear voice cut through the air. Arthur's head snapped up. There, standing right before him, was Chloe, holding their son Robert's hand. In that moment, Arthur completely froze, panic flashing in his eyes. "Looks like we're interrupting your sweet family reunion." Chloe's gaze swept over him, her voice dropping to an arctic chill. "Listen, I'm serious. Let's just get a divorce!" Arthur's face darkened instantly. "Chloe, what the hell do you think you're doing?" What was she doing? The audacity of him to ask that. "Arthur," she said, her voice firm and final. "We're through." With that, she took Robert's hand and turned to walk away. She was done. Done with this blind fool.