My dad hadn’t just cheated on my mom—he had messed with her car. The brakes had failed. My mom and I had gotten into a car accident. We had barely made it to the hospital.

While we had been fighting for our lives, my dad had signed a waiver to stop our treatment—and at the same time, he had agreed to donate our organs.

Why?

Because his mistress had given him a son. And that illegitimate son had been dying of kidney failure. It had turned out that my mom and I had been a perfect match for his transplant.

But then, I was given a second chance to live. I woke up on the day of the accident—before everything had gone wrong.

I had looked at my dad’s phony smile, at my mom’s tired face, worn down from years of sacrifice and I had made a vow:

‘This time, that cheating bastard and his mistress wouldn’t get away with it.’

——

I had always known my dad had never wanted me. Just because I had been a girl.

He had been obsessed with having a son—always saying the Marshall family legacy would die without one. As if we had been some kind of royalty.

After I had been born, my mom had gotten pregnant three more times. Each time, when the doctors had said it wasn’t a boy, my dad had forced her to have an abortion.

After so many forced abortions, my mom couldn’t have children anymore. My dad mocked her mercilessly, calling her 'a useless hen that couldn’t lay eggs'.

I wanted to run away with my mom, but she clung to the naive belief that my dad still loved us.

It wasn’t until I started middle school that he finally eased up on us—at least, he stopped hitting and shouting so much.

Later, I found out why. That was when his mistress had given birth to his precious golden child—a son.

A heartless father, a mother blinded by love and a mistress waiting in the wings to take her place. Even with this second chance at life, just thinking about it gave me a headache.

"Be careful on the way. Call me when you get there, okay?"

Hearing my dad’s fake, concerned tone made my skin crawl.

What kind of man sacrifices his own wife and daughter just to save his bastard son? Even wild animals protect their own.

But my dad? He wasn’t even human. He was worse than a beast.

As we pulled out of the driveway, I kept telling my mom, “Take it slow, Mom. Be careful.”

Before we got on the highway, I insisted that my mom pull into a repair shop near the entrance.

She shot me an exasperated look. "What's gotten into you today? Your dad just took my car for maintenance a few days ago. What could possibly be wrong with the car?"

I let out a deep sigh. "Mom, I have a really bad feeling. My heart's racing like crazy. We’re about to spend hours on the highway—what’s the harm in getting it checked just to be safe?"

Before she could argue, I turned to the mechanic. "Can you check the brakes, please?"

"By the way, what made you decide to take me on this trip to Volkten?"

As the mechanic got to work, I turned back to my mom.

In my last life, I had wondered the same thing. My mom rarely went on long trips. The fact that she left my dad behind and took just me along had to mean something.

At my question, my mom’s face fell. She hesitated, her lips pressing into a thin line, like there was something she couldn't bring herself to say.

Seeing my mom’s conflicted expression, I sucked in a sharp breath.

Wait… could it be that my current father wasn't my biological father? Could it be that my real father was in Volkten? Was my mom taking me there to reunite with my true family now that I had become an adult?

Years of watching soap operas had clearly messed with my brain—I had already spun a whole dramatic reunion scene in my head.

And if it were true? That would be amazing.

Moms would always know their daughters best. The moment she saw my eyes darting around, she pretty much figured out what I was thinking.

She smacked my arm lightly, rolling her eyes. "Quit imagining things! I never cheated on your dad, alright?"

"The real reason we're going is because your grandfather is gravely ill—he doesn’t have much time left. Your uncle secretly reached out to me and asked me to come home one last time."

"Back when I married your dad, your grandfather was completely against it. I was so angry that I cut ties with my family and I haven’t been back since."

As she spoke, a hint of sadness crept into her expression. She must have regretted cutting ties with her family all those years ago.

Just as I was about to ask more about my grandfather, the mechanic walked over, looking uneasy.

"Your car needs some serious repairs. Good thing you didn’t get on the highway—this could’ve ended really badly."

"The brake pads are completely worn down. You might be fine driving slow, but if you had to brake suddenly at high speed, you’d probably lose control."

"The engine’s in bad shape too. And on top of that, there’s a slight fuel leak."

My mom stiffened. "That’s impossible!" she blurted. "My husband just took this car in for maintenance a few days ago. How could it have all these issues?"

The mechanic gave a tired sigh. "I’m just telling you what I found, ma'am. If you don’t believe me, take it to another shop. But I’m warning you—this car isn’t safe to drive."

My mom still looked like she wanted to argue, but I stopped her. Instead, I turned to the mechanic and said, "Just fix it. As soon as possible, please."

I looked at my mom, my expression complicated. "Mom, do you remember the life insurance Dad took out on us a while back?"

"I thought it was strange at the time—why would he suddenly buy something like that? But now, it all makes sense..."

Before I could finish, my mom cut me off sharply. Her face had gone pale. Without another word, she pulled out her phone and stepped outside the repair shop, dialing my dad.

That was enough for me. As long as she started to doubt him, that was all I needed. But just then, the sound of an engine roared in the distance.

I turned my head and saw a black van speeding toward the repair shop.

Something about it felt eerily familiar.

Then, in an instant, it hit me—this was the same black van that had caused our accident in my past life.

And the driver? It was none other than my dad’s mistress, Eden Watson.

"Mom, watch out!" I shouted, running full speed to reach her.

Yet, it was too late. With a sickening thud, I watched in horror as my mom’s body was flung into the air.

The van never slowed down. It sped off into the distance, vanishing as if nothing had happened.

My mom collapsed in a pool of blood, unconscious.

I sobbed as I dialed emergency services, my hands shaking so badly I could barely press the buttons. At the same time, I reported everything to the police.

The ambulance arrived quickly. Inside, I trembled uncontrollably, clutching my mom’s hand as if I could anchor her to life.

Panic consumed me, but beneath it burned something darker—a seething, unrelenting hatred.

Monsters. My dad and his mistress, Eden, were nothing but monsters.

I thought that by avoiding the highway, my mom and I could finally escape this nightmare. But I never imagined Eden had been tailing us the entire time.

She must have seen us pull into the repair shop. She must have realized we’d discovered the sabotage to our car. That had to be why she resorted to something this desperate—this insane.

I wanted nothing more than to grab a knife and slash those two shameless bastards to pieces. But right now, my priority was my mom.

As I sat there, drowning in fear and rage, my mom’s phone suddenly rang.

I glanced at the caller ID—"Brother."

I froze. Then, with trembling fingers, I answered.

Before the person on the other end could speak, I choked back my sobs and blurted out, “Uncle, my mom was in a car accident! She’s being rushed to the hospital!”

A deep, urgent voice came through. “Elle? What happened? Your mom called me this morning—she said she’d be in Volkten this afternoon. How the hell did she end up in a car accident?”

Tears still streamed down my face as I quickly explained everything.

The moment I finished, my uncle let loose a furious string of curses. “I told your mother long ago that Zane was no good, but she wouldn’t listen!”

“If she hadn’t threatened to take her own life back then, I would’ve had someone break your dad’s legs and dump him in the river!”

"If your dad knew the kind of power the Calder Family holds in Volkten, he wouldn’t have dared pull this stunt—no matter how bold he thinks he is!"

"Elle, don’t worry. I’m bringing my men and we’re getting on the next flight over! That bastard of a father of yours and his homewrecking mistress—I swear, I’ll make them pay!"

When the call ended, I sat there in stunned silence.