In a previous life, Kolton Long and I submitted our marriage papers, yet his demeanor toward me became increasingly distant. I thought that was just his nature and didn’t give it much thought. Little did I know, as my final days approached, that Bailee Diaz had always been the unreachable dream beside him. She remained unmarried throughout her life for his sake.

At last, when Kolton was forty, he was moved by Bailee’s devotion, and they adopted a little girl together. Even my son, Cayden, was touched by the sincerity of their relationship. He secretly kept in touch with them, and it wasn’t until my deathbed that he accidentally revealed that his dad and Aunt Bailee had finally come together. Until then, I had been oblivious.

That's when I realized my entire life had been a mockery. Kolton’s aloofness and every job transfer—everything had a reason. It was all because of Bailee. His every assignment took him far away from me. Despite being his lawful wife for six decades, the days we actually spent together probably added up to less than a year.

When I went into labor and nearly lost my life, he wasn’t there. When Cayden fell ill in the middle of the night, I carried him in the pouring rain for three hours before finding a doctor. Even when our parents became sick and passed away, he remained absent. In contrast, Bailee was always by his side.

Bailee started as an ordinary nurse and then became his personal doctor. He felt he owed her for her silent dedication and companionship. So, he agreed to adopt a child with her, allowing Bailee’s child to call him "Dad." Even my son seemed to wish for my early passing to fulfill this tragic love story.

Bailee would brew coffee in the mornings, the rich aroma filling the room, while I clung to memories of once-treasured tea rituals. The Thanksgiving table, meant for family unity, echoed with their laughter, the kind I never heard. Instead of dumplings, ravioli was served—a comfort I never truly embraced.

While I wore Victorian-style dresses, feeling out of place in their elegance, they celebrated each moment with an authenticity that always eluded me. Every mountain retreat they took in the Alps was another reminder of my solitude, places I once longed to visit but never did.

As the years passed, technology intertwined us in a world where gifts were seldom exchanged face-to-face, and WhatsApp messages carried more meaning than any personal touch. Yet, that was how Cayden maintained his bond with them, sending messages that shared warmth I hadn’t experienced in years.

Returning home, I gazed at the old house, my emotions a tangled mess. In a previous chapter of my life, Kolton Long and I had exchanged vows here, just a month later. After the wedding, he was reassigned to a military post down south. I wanted to accompany him, but he insisted that the conditions were too harsh and urged me to stay behind. This became my home for the next thirty years.

Unbeknownst to me at the time, less than six months after Kolton’s transfer, a woman named Bailee Diaz followed him there. From that point, they were inseparable, their lives woven together in a complex relationship.

The cruel twist was that I worried about Kolton being alone, with no one to look after him. I wanted to be by his side, yet every time, he turned down my company. His reasons were always the same—our parents and our child needed me nearby.

Thus, while he enjoyed the companionship of another, I was left confined within these four walls, my world reduced to the boundaries of this house.

Returning home, there was no sign of Kolton Long.

As soon as I got back, I headed straight to my bedroom. In the farthest corner of a drawer was my college acceptance letter. In my previous life, after getting married, Kolton was transferred to the Southern Army Division, and inexplicably, a month later, my mother-in-law fell ill. At the time, I was also pregnant, so I gave up the chance to study in the Pacific Northwest.

This had always been a deep regret from my past life.

As I gently touched the acceptance letter, my eyes were drawn to my name and the school’s emblem in bold blue ink, and I nearly burst into tears. I remembered that in my previous life, I was already on my deathbed when Bailee Diaz came to see me with my son. It seemed as if she knew my time was running out, so she visited every day.

Her true nature came out when we were alone. Her words cut deep: "So what if you held the title of his wife? Throughout his life, I was always the one by his side. You were nothing more than a baby factory and a free caregiver for the elderly. I should thank you for giving me such a wonderful son."

She continued on, and the sad truth was that I didn’t have the strength to curse her. I had to watch helplessly as my son treated her like his real mother, the two putting on a charade of a loving mother and son in front of me every day. Even when I was finally on the brink of death, my son finally breathed a sigh of relief, saying, "Aunt Bailee finally has a chance at happiness now."

I shook my head and carefully put the acceptance letter away.

The past can't be undone.