Gia Rowan was diagnosed with a terminal illness in the second year after the death of her husband.

She prepared to donate everything she had built to charity, but the will of her late husband shattered her world. Her late husband had left everything he owned to his twenty-eight-year-old illegitimate son, including half of her company.

She and her husband remained childless for thirty years. The mother mentioned in his will was not her, but it was Cecelia Warren instead.

Betrayal struck her, and in the haze of despair, she lost consciousness. She opened her eyes again to find herself back in the third year of her marriage. With the truth in hand, she had a new chance to choose differently.

Gia Rowan did three things after calming herself and sorting things out.

Firstly, she transferred the company assets, leaving nothing she had earned through her hard work.

Secondly, she filed for divorce.

Thirdly, she went to find Cecelia Warren, who was pregnant.

Cecelia still had that gentle and timid look. Her eyes instantly filled with tears when she saw Gia.

"Gia, please don't drive me away. My husband ran off with the money. My child and I have nowhere to go… Please…" sobbed Cecelia.

Gia smirked mockingly.

She had believed those lies in her past life. Back then, she felt sorry for Cecelia and agreed to let her stay. She never expected that the father of Cecilia's child would turn out to be Lucas Isles!

She knew Cecelia and Lucas had been childhood sweethearts, but she trusted Lucas wholeheartedly.

Gia and Lucas became neighbors when she was 15. Blushingly coming bearing flowers, the young Lucas had asked, "Can I be your friend?"

He shielded her from a thug's knife in a small alley when she was 18. Though covered with blood, he rasped, "Gia, I'm going to die… but I love you, and I'm willing to die for you."

He showed her his vasectomy report when they got married at 25. He gently kissed her face, and said, "Gia, you aren't healthy. I don't want you to suffer through childbirth. Let it just be the two of us for the rest of our lives."

He had given her all his love for years, until she was deeply attached.

Knowing he was passionate about research, she started a business to support the family, and became a rising star in the industry in only three years.

She never expected that all her hard work would be for his illegitimate child.

Gia looked at the pathetic woman in front of her. She laughed coldly. "I haven't seen your husband in two years. How did you have an eight-month pregnancy?"

Cecelia froze, and her gaze frantically roamed.

She stammered, "He… He came back before…"

An urgent voice could be heard before she could finish.

"Gia…" Lucas strode over, he looked upset. He suddenly yanked Gia toward him, his breath uneven. He asked, "Why are you bothering Cecelia again? I told you that Cecelia has a hard life. When will you stop getting jealous over little things?"

Gia felt a sharp pain in her chest, and her eyes began to burn.

This was the same old story in her past life. Whenever Cecelia was around, Lucas always saw Gia as the jealous bully. Cecelia? She was always the fragile victim.

Sure enough, the moment Cecelia saw Lucas, she sobbed and cried, "I'm sorry, I have nowhere to go. Please don't drive me away."

His expression instantly changed. He said, "Gia, you used to be so kind. When did you become like this? If you don't want Cecelia to stay, then I'll have to take her away."

He pushed Gia aside as he spoke, then he gently helped Cecelia to get up.

Gia stumbled into the wall because she was caught off guard. She bit her lip, refusing to make a sound, but her eyes still burned at the sight before her.

The man glanced at her, as if noticing something was wrong.

"Gia… I'm sorry, I didn't mean to push you," he apologized. His voice softened as he said, "Stop giving me a hard time over the little things. Learn to be more generous, okay?"

Gia closed her eyes in pain. 'Is welcoming the mistress and illegitimate child into my home what he called being generous?' she thought.

She had been foolish her whole life. She would never make the same mistake again.

She would not allow anything to go wrong with the asset transfer and the divorce!

"Lucas… My stomach hurts…" whimpered Cecelia. She suddenly bent over with a whimper, and her face turned pale.

Lucas's expression instantly changed. He ignored Gia and rushed back to Cecelia. He held her anxiously and asked, "What's wrong? Where does it hurt?"

His voice trembled with worry, and his hands were shaking.

The sight felt like a sharp knife stabbing into her heart. Gia once believed this heartfelt concern of his was reserved only for herself.

She had been naive. She was never the only one.

"I'll take you to the hospital," he said. Without giving Gia a second glance, Lucas swept Cecelia up into his arms and carried her out.

Gia let out a bitter laugh when the door closed. "I've been delusional all this time…" she murmured.

She wondered why she had turned a blind eye in her past life.

Three hours later, Lucas returned with Cecelia still in his arms. The moment they stepped into the living room, he spoke firmly, "She needs to rest for a few days. It's settled–she'll stay here."

Gia paused for only a moment before replying calmly, "Alright."

Her voice and expression were apathetic.

He seemed surprised she agreed so easily. His face softened after a brief look of disbelief. He said, "Cecelia's been through a lot, and she's pregnant now. She has nowhere else to go. I know you've always been kind–"

"Pick any room you want. I'm heading back to mine," interrupted Gia. She turned before he could finish and walked away without hesitation.

She did not want to listen to his guilt-tripping. It sounded like praises, but they were accusations of her being immature and unkind.

That night, Gia took the divorce papers she had prepared and knocked on the door of his study.

He sat deeply focused in front of his laptop and had a few books in front of him. One glance was all it took for Gia to see that the books were pregnancy nutrition guides.

Her fingers trembled slightly.

"What is it?" he asked without looking up.

She bit her lip and handed over the documents. She demanded, "Sign it. It's for the company's filing, and it needs the signature of a family member."

Lucas barely glanced at it before signing, then he stood up quickly. He said, "Done. I need to make dinner for Cecelia. Her diet needs special care, so from now on, I'll cook for her myself."

Gia looked at the papers and asked quietly, "When did you learn to cook?"

Lucas had never lifted a finger at home in her past life. Obsessed with his research and busy at the lab, she had always felt sorry for him and cooked every meal herself.

Lucas hesitated and replied, "I recently learned… Cecelia's in a special stage in life, and as her friend, I should take care of her."

"Is that so?" asked Gia. She did not look at him, but her voice was soft like a whisper as she said, "We've been married for three years, and you've never cooked for me."

Yes. He had never cooked for her.

She believed his career came first back then and never asked for more. However, the comparison was glaring. He simply had not wanted to make an effort for her.

Lucas froze, and he was about to say something, but Gia walked away with the papers.

A faint aroma drifted through the air. She stood by the window in her room unmovingly.

She carefully put away the divorce papers.

She only needed to wait. Once the asset transfers were complete and the mandatory waiting period passed, she could leave for good.

The silk tree they had planted together outside on their wedding day had grown thick and lush.

She remembered a long time ago when Lucas knelt beneath it and held up a ring, his eyes full of devotion.

"Gia, I want to spend a lifetime with you, and even in death, I will never betray you," he had promised.

Her phone vibrated. It was a message from her lawyer.

[Ms. Rowan, eighty percent of the assets have been transferred. The rest will be handled before the divorce process begins.]

[Gia: Okay.] She then deleted the conversation.

She slipped the wedding ring off her finger and placed it in the bottom drawer of her vanity.

She heard the sound of laughter and cheerful voices coming from outside. She closed her eyes, caught between the weight of her past life and the sting of the present, until a single tear slipped free.

Some mistakes, she thought, were only worth making once in a lifetime.

Gia had a long dream where she was back to when she was 18.

She was cornered in a narrow alley by a gang of thugs, and Lucas charged in without a second thought. He shielded her when one of the thugs thrust a knife toward her.

The thugs scattered in fear. She clung to him, his body covered in blood. Tears streamed down her face.

He gently wiped her tears with a bloodstained hand and said, "Gia, it… breaks my heart to see you cry."

He was clearly in pain, but somehow, his smile was blissful. He confessed, "Gia, I never dared to say this before, but… I like you. I like you so much that I'd die for you."

The blurry dream wavered. His face then twisted and became cruel.

He yelled angrily, "I'm in love with Cecelia now! You took what's hers, so why don't you just die?"

She jolted awake, drenched in cold sweat.

The bedroom was pitch dark. She breathed hard, forcing herself to calm down, until faint sounds coming from outside broke the silence.

It was the muffled noise of someone retching, mixed with a low, soothing voice of a man.

Gia got out of bed as if drawn by an unseen force, and she quietly opened the door to peek. A door stood half-open down the hallway, and Cecelia could be heard sobbing.

"I feel awful…" she sobbed.

"Hold on a little longer. Have some warm water. Pregnancy is supposed to be like this. You'll feel much better in a few weeks," he said, his voice full of tenderness and concern.

Gia felt heartbroken. She took a few unsteady steps forward like a puppet, and she saw everything inside the room.

Cecelia rested in his arms, his hand gently stroking her back while the other held a cup of water. They leaned into each other like a married couple.

"Lucas, will you tell me a story? Like you used to when we were kids…" she said.

His expression visibly softened. His fingers brushed through her hair, and his voice was warm.

"Once upon a time…" he began.

The room seemed to spin around Gia.

She placed a hand over her mouth to stop any sound from escaping.

She remembered a time when she too had leaned against his chest like that. His expression had been gentle then as well, but his words were different.

He had said, "Don't start this again. I still have experimental data to analyze tomorrow."

She never heard him finish a story.

"You're so good to me, Lucas," she said sweetly. Then, she suddenly tilted her head up and kissed him.

Lucas went rigid at first, but he did not push her away. He said in a raspy voice, "Don't, you need to take care of yourself right now…"

However, his hand pressed firmly against the back of her head, pulling her into a passionate kiss. The sound of it was breathless and intimate; it filled the air as their figures melted together.

Gia fled.

She stumbled back into her bedroom, leaning against the door before sinking to the floor. Tears had blurred her vision. A wave of nausea hit her hard, and she rushed to the bathroom, retching until her body shook.

It was so disgusting to her, and she was more heartbroken than before.

She did not know how much time had passed before she emerged. Her legs were numb, each step feeling like it landed on pins. She opened a drawer and pulled out a heavy photo album.

Every page was filled with pictures of her and Lucas. Each one with his gaze fixed on her affectionately made her heartbroken.

The affection in his eyes had never been fake, but it had never been hers alone.

She cut every photo to pieces with a pair of scissors before she threw them into the trash.

She carried the garbage bag downstairs at dawn, only to find Lucas busy in the kitchen.

"Up so early?" he asked. His gaze flicked to the bag in her hand, and he continued to ask, "What's that?"

"Trash," she replied.

Her voice was steady as she brushed past him.

He did not press her for answers. He plated the breakfast he had been preparing and set it on the table. He said without turning around, "Cecelia's stomach has been acting up. I made her something easy to digest. I didn't have time to make yours, so you'll have to sort breakfast out yourself."

Her steps faltered. She felt her chest tighten, making it hard to breathe.

She replied calmly after pausing for a moment, "If I go out alone…"

The sound of something crashing cut her off.

It was followed by a pained moan, "Lucas…"

His face changed instantly. He dropped everything and rushed toward her. He yelled, "Cecelia? What's wrong?"

Cecelia clutched her throat as if she could not breathe, her face pale and strained.

Lucas panicked. He swept her into his arms without a second thought and headed for the door.

Gia barely had time to react, so she was still standing there. He shouted furiously, "Move!"

He promptly shoved her out of the way.

A cabinet crashed to the floor, its contents spilling everywhere, striking her painfully. She felt a sharp sting on her forehead as something warm and sticky slid down the side of her face.

However, Lucas had left, and he never once looked back.