I've loved Jonathan Pickle for half my life. I used my family's resources to help him attain success. However, in the third year of our marriage, he brought his mistress home to stomp all over my pride. That wasn't the worst of it—he even destroyed my family.

…

I open my eyes to see Jonathan in his university days. Unexpectedly, I'm not the only person who's been given a second chance at life.

A donation box was placed before me, and my hand was outstretched as I made to drop a bank card inside.

One of the people watching me mocked, "My, my! Look at you, Thalia Stoneridge. Everyone else donated cash, but you're putting a bank card inside. Don't think Jonathan will get together with you just because you're donating more than the others!"

"Exactly! Jon's not interested in your stupid money!" someone else said.

I returned to my senses and looked at my bank card. Then, I retracted my hand and put the card back in my pocket. "Well, alright. Since you guys think my money is stupid, I won't donate anything. I don't want to dirty everything else inside the box."

The people who'd mocked me were Jonathan Pickle's friends. Their expressions stiffened at my words. It seemed they hadn't expected me to change my mind about the donation.

Jonathan came from a poor family, and his mother, Connie Johnson, was chronically ill. Everyone in school knew about his family situation. So, the teachers had organized a donation to help him collect some funds.

In my past life, I was nothing but a rich airhead. I'd saved 100,000 dollars in two years and donated it all to Jonathan. My bank card had stood out among the notes in the donation box.

When word got out about how much I'd donated, some people said I was a hopeless romantic, and some said I'd lost my mind because of Jonathan. Some people were also envious of me for being so generous. Jonathan's friends were the only ones who'd insulted me, saying that I was using money to insult him.

If so, I wouldn't make the same mistake this time. I wouldn't "insult" him anymore.

However, as I turned to leave, a familiar voice rang out, "This is supposed to be a charity drive. How can you just not do anything?"

It was Henrietta Quill!

In my past life, she'd been one of the causes of my death. She'd shamelessly shown up at my house to brag about being pregnant.

When I saw her again, hatred surged in me. Although her face was cute and innocent, her heart was jet-black. She and Jonathan were on good terms, perhaps because they had similar family backgrounds.

I suppressed my anger and said, "It's up to me whether I want to make any donations. Besides, these people told me not to donate because my money is stupid. Why are you getting upset when I'm just doing as told?"

Henrietta's face turned red with anger. She retorted, "You started it! You're the one who insulted Jonathan with your money!"

"Uh-huh." I spread my hands. "That's why I'm taking it back. I won't insult him anymore. Are you happy now?"

Everyone on campus knew about me pursuing Jonathan since my freshman year. The sudden change in my attitude made the atmosphere turn awkward.

Henrietta was taken aback by my words. Then, she said knowingly, "Oh, I get it now. You're worried about embarrassing him by giving the card to him in public, right? You can just give it to him privately, then."

I glanced at Jonathan, who stood to one side. His gaze was unfocused—it was as if he had nothing to do with what was happening.

That was how he'd been in my past life, too. He'd always been a silent watcher, and he'd always looked so aloof and arrogant.

I laughed icily. "Why would I care whether or not he's embarrassed? You guys are the ones who rejected my donation, so I won't do anything. I can use this money to buy something nice for the stray dogs outside the campus gates."

The stray dogs would at least wag their tails to please me, but all Jonathan did was spend my money while hurting me. What else was he capable of?

He had good results and a handsome face. He'd come from a poverty-stricken countryside and had been selected to speak on stage as the freshman representative.

I'd fallen head over heels for him after taking one look at him. He'd scored well on the SATs, but that was only relative to the state he'd come from. It was only upon coming to this university and being among other elite students that he realized his grades weren't considered outstanding.

Because of that, he didn't qualify for any scholarships. Despite having financial aid, he couldn't afford the tuition and struggled to survive in the big city.

Even if other female students had crushes on him, they wouldn't contact with him because of his situation. I was the only one dumb enough to bring him food daily and transfer money to his account every month.

I helped pay his mother's medical bills and got him new clothes every season. In short, I paid for everything in his life. I'd basically raised him, but he'd never once been nice to me.

Still, when Jonathan had sent his résumé to my family's company when searching for a job, I'd pulled some strings and had the HR hire him. His capabilities never would've gotten him into Stoneridge Group.

I'd even proposed to him. Even in modern times, it was rare to see a woman propose to a man, especially when the man didn't like the woman.

I liked him, though. I told him I could provide the funds he needed to start a business. That had been enough to tempt him, and he'd agreed to marry me.

We were married for three years. Initially, he hadn't been too indifferent toward me. At the very least, we'd had civil conversations, and Henrietta rarely showed up before me.

I thought it was because he'd finally seen my love for him, but I was wrong. I was too stupid to realize he was just trying to keep me happy so he could scam me out of my money. He would then proceed to make Stoneridge Group go bankrupt before he went public with Henrietta.

On the day I died, Henrietta came to me with a broad smile. "I'm pregnant with Jonathan's child. You'd better divorce him if you know what's good for you. Oh, and here's a gift for you—if you hurry to Stoneridge Group now, you'll probably get to see your father one last time."

She showed me her phone, which played a live stream of the situation at Stoneridge Group.

"Look, guys! That's the CEO of Stoneridge Group—he's going to jump off the building now that his company has gone bankrupt. Are you going to jump or not, Mr. Stoneridge?"

I'd pushed myself too hard recently due to the company's issues, and the shock from the live stream made it hard for me to breathe.

"It's all thanks to you that Jonathan managed to take your family's company down so quickly, Thalia." Henrietta laughed cruelly.

Jonathan joined her. "This was all within my expectations!"

I'd thought the crisis was only temporary and that things would be fine once it passed. I didn't expect it to result from Jonathan's schemes. I'd gone without sleep for several days to help the company through this, and the betrayal was the last straw.

My vision went black, and a sharp pain coursed through my heart. I couldn't breathe, and I fell to the floor.

Before breathing my last breath, I vaguely heard Jonathan say gently, "Don't tire yourself out, Hattie. Hurry up and take a seat."

"What should we do about Thalia?"

"Just ignore me. It's best if she dies right here and now."

My breathing had stopped before the ambulance even arrived. I'd stood a chance at survival if Jonathan and Henrietta had called me an ambulance earlier, but they hadn't.

Now that I had a second chance at life, I would stay away from Jonathan. I wanted to keep my father, William Stoneridge, and the company safe. I also wanted to make Jonathan and Henrietta pay for what they did to me.

First, I wanted to see how Jonathan would survive without my money. I expected him to come to me but didn't expect it to happen so soon. The day after the donation incident, he stopped me from entering the classroom.

I sidestepped him to head inside, but he stretched out an arm to stop me. He frowned and asked, "Where's my breakfast, Thalia?"

"What breakfast?" I raised an eyebrow. "I'm not into running errands for others."

Jonathan stiffened. He asked in displeasure, "What's your game this time? Do you think you can catch my attention by refusing to donate and not bringing me breakfast?"

I pushed his arm away with a finger. "Why are you standing in my way, then? It seems more to me that you're trying to catch my attention."

He retracted his arm, his expression turning hideous.

I wondered whether he realized how hypocritical he was. He'd never stopped taking my money, yet he hated me for throwing it at him.

Whenever I transferred money to him, he berated and insulted me upon receiving it. He warned me not to harbor any ridiculous fantasies about him, but he didn't say anything about not taking the money. He also never talked about returning it to me. He was so matter-of-fact about it that it was as if I owed it to him.

His so-called friends were just like him. They looked down on me because they thought I was showing off my wealth, yet they only gathered around Jonathan because of the money I'd given him.

Jonathan thought they were genuine in befriending him, but they were just in it for the money. I'd never met bigger hypocrites in my life.

Jonathan returned empty-handed to his seat. His buddies circled him and asked, "What's on the menu today, Jonathan?"

He glanced at me without saying anything. In my past life, I would buy various items for his breakfast. He would pick one before distributing the rest to his buddies. It was too bad they were destined for disappointment this time.

Someone slammed a desk when they saw that there wasn't any food. He snapped, "It's one thing for you not to donate to Jonathan, Thalia. How could you not have brought him breakfast, too? How can you be so selfish?"

I wasn't happy to have these people ruin my mood so early in the morning, so I snapped impatiently, "What? Don't tell me you expect me to continue providing for you like you're my children. Call me 'Mom,' then. Do it, and I'll consider it!"

The guy's face turned red with rage, but he didn't back down. "It's just breakfast. You have plenty of money anyway. Don't tell me you can't bear to part with such a small amount!"

I scanned him thoughtfully before clicking my tongue. "You know what? You really look like a beggar when you're asking me for food."

Jonathan had been silent this whole time. He finally couldn't take it anymore and snarled, "That's enough! I'll get the scholarship, so I no longer need your charity!"

I looked at him. This was my first time hearing him say something with such backbone. I couldn't help laughing.

His expression turned ugly. "Why are you laughing? Do you think I can't do it?"

"Oh, it's nothing. I wish you all the best and look forward to you proving me wrong," I said breezily. If he could get the scholarship, why hadn't he done it in the past?

…

In my past life, I'd transferred money to Jonathan every month. He would spend it all. Whenever he received the money, his buddies would clamor for him to treat them to meals. Henrietta would also hint that life wasn't easy for her, and he would split the money with her. He would even buy her gifts.

In hindsight, I was so kind. I'd provided for so many people—I'd yet to become independent, yet I already had so many people relying on me for money.

This month, I didn't transfer anything to Jonathan. I wanted to see what he could do.

Connie was gravely ill and needed money for her treatment. The donations everyone had given were meager, and Jonathan wouldn't be able to pay the medical bill even if he were to pool all his money.

When my driver picked me up after class, he asked out of habit, "Are we heading to the hospital, Ms. Stoneridge?"

I would visit Connie at the hospital at the end of every month and pay the bill while I was there. This time, however, I shook my head. "Nope! Take me home. I'm not going to the hospital anymore, so you don't need to ask me about it."

His eyes flickered with surprise, but he immediately turned the car around after composing himself.

I received a call from the hospital just as I got home. "This month's medical bill has yet to be settled, Ms. Stoneridge."

I couldn't believe I'd allowed Jonathan to list me as Connie's emergency contact at the hospital. I said, "Please speak to the patient's son, Jonathan Pickle, about this from now on. I'm not her daughter, so I won't be paying for her treatment anymore."

As I hung up and put my phone away, I heard Dad's voice come from behind. He asked happily, "Why are you back so early, Tia?"

My eyes welled up. In my past life, Dad had been in poor health after working himself to the bone. He was strong enough to raise me alone and get Stoneridge Group through several crises, yet he'd chosen to jump off a building on the day the company went bankrupt.

I knew it was because he didn't want to drag me down with him.

Dad hurried forward anxiously when I didn't answer him. "What's wrong? Has someone bullied you? Is it the Pickle brat? I'll go get him!"

I quickly stopped him. "No one can bully me, Dad. Also, I don't have anything to do with him anymore."

He stopped and scrutinized me in surprise. Then, he burst into laughter. "That's great! You've finally woken up and seen his true colors, sweetheart!"

Dad had never had a good impression of Jonathan and had tried to talk me out of pursuing him, but I'd been adamant. All he could do was try his best to shield me from harm, but Jonathan had ultimately ruined everything.

I took a deep breath and switched subjects. "I saw from social media that everyone your age is starting to adopt healthy lifestyles, Dad. I'm taking you to the hospital for a medical checkup tomorrow."

He nodded, looking pleased. "Okay. I can't say no when my daughter is concerned about me, right?"

…

Dad and I went to the hospital the following day. I went to settle the bill as he did the tests. That was when I saw Jonathan and Henrietta begging the doctor to give them more time. They wanted him to treat Connie first and promised they would settle the bill later.

As I got in line to pay, Henrietta spotted me. She cried, "The person who will pay the bill is here, doctor! You can continue with the treatment now, right?"