Stella's hand froze just as she was about to knock on the car window.

Even she could tell something was off, let alone Ethan who was in the car.

Ethan spoke, panicked, "You've been drugged, Rachel. I'm taking you to the hospital right now!"

Rachel clung to him, sobbing. "It's too late... I feel so awful... Please... Please, just give it to me... I only want you..."

Her soft, tearful voice curled like smoke into Ethan's ear, striking at the most sensitive part of his nerves.

Ethan had been holding himself back with every ounce of self-control. Hearing her beg, the last bit of restraint shattered.

He lost himself.

Stella stood motionless as the car began to rock violently in front of her. She heard the girl's sobs twist into gasps, then cries for mercy, and finally soft, broken whimpers.

Ethan did not stop.

Stella's lips curved upward in a bitter, powerless smile.

In her past life, she had been married to Ethan for 20 years. She could count the number of times they made out. Even that once-a-month routine was only a gift after she begged him a million times.

She used to believe Ethan had no interest in such things.

However, listening to what was happening now inside the car, she finally understood that he had no interest in her.

Stella turned away.

Maybe this was for the best.

This lifetime, everyone got exactly what they wanted.

Stella returned to the banquet hall. Two hours later, the event neared its end, and as the host, she needed to give a closing speech.

She went upstairs to the dressing room, drank a glass of juice, and began touching up her makeup.

Suddenly, she felt a strange heat pooling in her lower abdomen. A wave of discomfort surged through her.

She tried to call for help, but before she could open her mouth, a cold voice came from the doorway—

"How does it feel, Stella?

"Not so pleasant to be the one drugged, huh?"

Stella's head snapped up, noticing Ethan was standing in the doorway. She had no idea when he arrived.

Her heart dropped.

"Did you drug my orange juice?" Her voice trembled with anger. "What the hell are you trying to do?"

Ethan gave a cold laugh and walked over, gripping her chin roughly. "I should be the one asking you that—why did you drug Rachel?

"You decided to humiliate her in public just because she broke your mother's piece by accident?

"She's just a kid! How could you be so vicious?"

Stella stared at him in shock. "What are you talking about? I never drugged Rachel!"

Ethan shoved her away. "Stop lying! The only thing she drank today was that glass of water you gave her. Who else could it have been?"

It hit Stella then—what it meant to be completely unloved. Ethan never questioned everything Rachel said, yet he sentenced Stella on the spot.

"Unbelievable," she laughed bitterly.

She struggled to grab her phone and call an ambulance, but Ethan stopped her.

"What are you doing?!" she yelled.

Ethan looked down at her, voice ice-cold as he said, "That drug is strong. An ambulance won't help. Your only way out is to beg me."

Stella froze. "For what?"

"To help you relieve the effects, of course," sneered Ethan. "But I don't come cheap. Get on your knees and apologize to Rachel if you need help."

Stella stared at him in disbelief, unable to comprehend how ridiculous Ethan's request was.

Ethan kept leaning closer, pinning her in place. "Stop acting, Stella. Isn't this what you've always wanted?" His voice dropped to a low hiss. "You used the same tricks to force me into marrying you. Now I'm just asking you to pay for your sins."

Stella snapped. She shoved him away, grabbed a pair of scissors, and stared him down with a deadly calm.

"You want me to kneel and apologize to Rachel? Keep dreaming."

With that, she drove the scissors straight into her own thigh.

Ethan's expression finally changed.

"Stella? What the hell are you doing?!"

Stella ignored him and stabbed her thigh repeatedly. Her white evening gown turned crimson in seconds.

Ethan stood frozen.

Stella would rather hurt herself than let him lay a hand on her? That thought hit him hard. An indescribable feeling rose in his chest.

"Stella!" he roared, grabbing her wrist.

The scissors clattered to the floor. Pain shot through her body, but oddly, her dazed mind began to clear.

Just then, applause erupted from downstairs. The guests were waiting for the birthday girl to speak.

Stella wrenched free from Ethan's grip and walked out, clutching the banister as she made her way down the stairs.

Gasps filled the room the moment she appeared in her blood-soaked dress.

However, Stella looked calm. She held her chin high, the crimson blooming across her dress like wild roses clinging to a cliffside.

She raised her glass and smiled at the crowd.

"Happy twenty-ninth to me," she said. "May my future be bright."

With that, she collapsed.

Screams followed.

Ethan rushed forward and caught her before she hit the ground.

…

Stella was unconscious for a full day and night before she finally woke. She was discharged and returned home, quietly packing her bags to leave.

Ethan showed up before she could barely zip her suitcase—with Rachel beside him.

"I looked into the drugging," Ethan said stiffly. "It was a mistake. It wasn't your doing."

Stella barely reacted.

Meanwhile, Rachel began to cry.

"Aunt Stella, it was all my fault. I said things I shouldn't have. I made Uncle Ethan think it was you. I'm sorry."

She stepped forward with a soft smile, holding out a wedding gown. "To make it up to you, I designed this wedding dress just for you and Uncle Ethan. It's also my birthday gift to you."

Stella finally looked up. Her eyes locked onto the dress.

The memory from her past life surged up again.

She chuckled coldly. "You designed it without checking the size, did you? I can't fit into that."

Back in her previous life, before their wedding, Rachel had presented her 'handmade' wedding gown to Stella as a gift.

Without discussion, Ethan returned Stella's meticulously custom-made gown and forced her to wear Rachel's instead.

Rachel's gown had been so tight that Stella could barely squeeze into it.

Yet, all Ethan said was to let Stella lose some weight to fit it.

Stella had not dared eat or drink for two days. She even fainted at the altar.

She would not make the same mistake again.

Rachel paled.

"I-I'm sorry," she said in a panic. "I've imagined myself as the bride—"

Ethan's head snapped up. His eyes darkened, unreadable.

Rachel's hand flew up to her mouth. She looked like she had just realized what she said.

The air froze with awkward tension until Stella smirked.

"Well then," she said, her voice cold. "Why don't you wear it?"