I had been married to my husband for 27 years, but the love between us had faded long ago. Even our children could see it, and they were the ones who tried to persuade me to get a divorce.

"Mom, you and Dad are still young. You still have time to pursue your own life."

"Yeah, Mom. You shouldn't force yourself to live like this anymore. We'd support you if you got divorced."

With their encouragement, my husband and I finally ended our marriage.

My daughter even helped introduce me to someone new. Not long after the divorce, I began a new relationship.

But just as I was preparing to remarry, my ex-husband suddenly sued me. He accused me of cheating during our marriage.

My own children appeared in court and testified against me. They confirmed his accusations.

No matter how hard I tried to explain, no one believed me. In the end, I walked away from the divorce with nothing. My new boyfriend and I were dragged through the mud online.

[You shameless old woman. One foot in the grave and you're still chasing another man!]

[At your age, you’re still getting divorced? Hope you and your little side piece stay together.]

A few self-righteous, extremist internet vigilantes broke into my home. They tied my boyfriend and me to a bed, poured gasoline over us, and set us on fire.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the very day my children first tried to convince me to get a divorce.

"Mom, you and Dad are still young. You still have time to pursue your own life."

"Yeah, Mom. You shouldn't force yourself to live like this anymore. We'd support you if you got divorced."

The voices of my son, Clark Smith, and my daughter, Melody Smith, rose in perfect unison.

At that moment, I realized I had been given a second chance at life.

In my previous life, I had been deeply moved by how understanding and supportive they seemed. In the end, I went with my husband of twenty-seven years, Timothy Smith, to file for divorce.

My daughter quickly played matchmaker, introducing me to George Carter, a gentle and refined man.

We hit it off immediately, and our connection grew fast.

But just as I was brimming with joy, ready to register our marriage, a court summons arrived out of nowhere. It caught me completely off guard.

Timothy had sued me. He accused me of cheating during our marriage.

On the day of the hearing, the same children who had encouraged me to pursue my happiness walked into the courtroom. They painted me as unfaithful and disloyal, leaving no room for defense.

No matter how hard I tried to explain, no one believed me. In the end, I walked away from the divorce with nothing. I was forced out of the home I had spent half my life building.

George and I were labeled adulterers. People cursed us everywhere.

A few self-righteous, extremist internet vigilantes broke into my home. They tied George and me to the bed and doused us with gasoline.

Snapping back to reality, I said flatly, "I will not be divorcing your father."

The moment the words left my mouth, Melody exploded.

"Mom! What do you mean by that? I already talked to Dad about it. He doesn't have any objections. Why did you suddenly change your mind?"

There was even a hint of accusation in her voice.

"You've worked hard for this family for most of your life. Now we're grown and independent. Can't you finally live for yourself for once? We really are doing this for your own good."

My own good, huh?

Of course. They truly cared about me, so much so that they carefully planned my affair, made sure I would leave the marriage with nothing, and that I would end up dead.

Then they could collect the large insurance policy they had already taken out on Timothy and me, with themselves listed as the beneficiaries.

I took a deep breath and forced down the bitter taste rising in my throat.

"I said I'm not getting divorced. That's final."

My firm tone shocked the two of them. For several days after that, neither of them brought up divorce again.

After twenty-seven years of marriage, the love between Timothy and me had long faded. All that remained was a sense of family and responsibility, worn down by years of ordinary life.

More than once, we had talked about separating. But every time we looked at our children, the words died on our lips.

We were afraid a divorce would affect their lives. We were afraid the label of a broken family would make things harder for them.

So the two of us, a couple who had long grown tired of each other, stayed under the same roof. For more than ten years, we played the role of loving parents.

I thought that after giving them everything and raising them with so much hardship, they would feel grateful.

But I was wrong.

In the face of enormous wealth, more than twenty years of parental devotion meant nothing at all.

That evening at dinner, the whole family sat around the table in an unusually heavy silence.

Clark and Melody exchanged a glance. In the end, Melody spoke first. She picked up some food and placed it on my plate, smiling sweetly.

"Mom, please don't be mad at us. Clark and I just feel bad for you. You and Dad look so tired living like this."

"Yeah, Mom," Clark quickly jumped in to agree. "Look at you. You're not even fifty yet, but you already have so much gray hair. You should let go and start living your own life."

They had started again.

I set down my cutlery and looked straight at Melody.

"Melody, are you pregnant?"

Her cutlery slipped from her hand and fell to the floor.

"Mom, h-how did you know?"

How did I know?

In my previous life, when everyone was pointing fingers at me, she suddenly clutched her stomach and fainted.

The doctor examined her right there and announced she was two months pregnant. The news exploded online.

A woman about to become a grandmother was cheating outside. She didn't even care about her pregnant daughter!

I reached out and gently placed my hand on her still flat stomach. My voice was soft.

"Silly girl. I'm your mother. I can sense every little change in you. Of course I know something like this. You're at an important stage now. You shouldn't be worrying about anything.

"I need to stay home and take good care of you and the baby. So from now on, no one is allowed to bring up divorce again."

After hearing that, Melody had no way to argue.

After all, what kind of mother would abandon her pregnant daughter just to chase a new romance?

My firm stance finally quieted the two siblings for the time being.

The atmosphere at home still felt strange, but at least things looked peaceful on the surface.

A few days later, Timothy left for a business trip to a neighboring city. He was expected to be gone for a week.

The moment he left, my "dutiful" daughter began making her next move.

That afternoon, I was watching TV in the living room when the doorbell suddenly rang. Melody ran to answer it and came back with a man.

"Mom, let me introduce you. This is George Carter. I ran into some trouble at work before, and he helped me out a lot. So today I invited him over to visit. I wanted to thank him properly."

I looked up, my gaze landing on the man before me.

It was him, the same man who had died alongside me in my last life.

He looked to be in his forties, wearing a crisp white shirt and a pair of gold-rimmed glasses. He had a gentle, refined air about him.

Right now, he stood awkwardly by the doorway, holding a bag of fruit in his hand.

The moment he saw me, a flash of surprise crossed his eyes. It was the same look he had when we first met in my previous life.

It seemed that because I refused to divorce, Melody had run out of patience and brought him straight to the house.

"George, please have a seat," she said warmly.

She guided him to the sofa across from me, then hurried off to make tea.

A moment later, she returned with two cups. As she set them down, she shot a quick, sharp look.

I couldn't tell if it was meant for George or for me.

Either way, I saw it.

After placing the cups down, Melody glanced at her phone and suddenly acted surprised.

"Oh no, a friend just contacted me about something urgent. I need to go out for a bit. Mom, George is an important guest. Please help me take good care of him!"

After saying that, she grabbed her bag and practically bolted out of the house.

The living room fell silent.

Only George and I were left.

I looked straight at him and asked, "What did Melody tell you?"

George froze for a moment. He clearly hadn't expected me to be so direct.

"She... she said that you and your husband don't get along and are planning to divorce. She said you're very lonely, and that maybe you and I could get to know each other."

He pushed his glasses up awkwardly, looking a little embarrassed.

Just as I thought.

I sneered inwardly, but my face remained calm as I continued.

"Didn't she tell you that I'm still married, and that my husband is only away on a business trip?"

George's expression turned strange for a moment, but he still nodded.

"She did mention it. If you're willing, I could help you get out of this unhappy marriage as soon as possible."

He looked at me with a trace of sincerity in his eyes.

But to me, his words felt deeply insulting.

I picked up the steaming cup of tea in front of me and hurled it onto the floor at his feet.

George jumped up, staring at me in shock.

"I don't care what Melody told you. But you need to understand something. This is my home. I have a husband. As long as you stand here, every second is an insult to me and my family."

I stood up and pointed at the door.

"Get out of my house. Right now."

George was completely stunned. He opened his mouth as if he wanted to explain something, but the cold look in my eyes stopped him.

In the end, he slunk out of my house, looking completely defeated.

By the time Melody dawdled back, it was already evening.

The moment she stepped inside and saw me sitting on the couch watching TV as if nothing had happened, her face darkened.

"Mom! Where's George?"

I didn't even bother looking up. My voice was calm and measured.

"I kicked him out."

"What?!" Melody's voice shot up instantly. "How can you do that! George is a guest I worked so hard to invite. Even if you don't like him, you can't just throw him out! You're being completely unreasonable!"

I finally turned to her and said, "I'll say it one last time. I am not getting a divorce. Both you and your brother better stop scheming, or don't expect me to go easy on you just because we're family."

Caught in the act, Melody's last shred of pretense vanished. She stormed back to her room, her expression dark.

When she couldn't get anywhere with me, she and Clark turned their attention to their father.

A few days later, Timothy returned from his business trip.

That night, I got up for a glass of water. When I passed by the study, I heard low voices inside.

I froze instinctively and pressed myself against the door.

Clark's voice came first, heavy and tense.

"Dad, there's something... Melody and I don't know if we should tell you..."

"What is it now? Why are you being so mysterious?" Timothy replied impatiently.

"Dad... Mom... Mom seems to be seeing someone."

Melody's voice cracked with emotion, full of hurt.

There was a pause in the study.

"Nonsense!" Timothy's tone hardened instantly. "Your mother isn't that kind of person!"

"Dad, we don't want to believe it either!" Clark quickly added, his voice full of distress. "But we saw it with our own eyes! While you were on your trip, a man came to our house! If you don't divorce her, and she brings that man home, what will happen to your reputation?"

Melody started to sob. "Even though she's our mom, she's done something wrong. We can't just ignore right and wrong! Think about it. If she dares to do this now, what will she do in the future? If you ask me, we should go straight to court and make her leave with nothing!

"Dad, all the money you worked so hard to save for retirement... do you really want to watch her spend it with that man?!"