The Past is Hard to Recall

Cole Lewis had chased after me for ten years before I finally agreed to marry him. But three days before the wedding, he asked to replace the bride with his childhood sweetheart.

I didn’t argue or cause a scene and simply smiled, saying, “Alright.”

Only because in my previous life, I had refused his request to change the bride. As a result, his childhood sweetheart slit her wrists and died on our wedding day.

On the surface, he smiled and said it was fine, but on the day I was about to give birth, he drugged me and took me deep into the mountains.

Not only did he smash my newborn child to death with a shovel right in front of me,

but he also tortured me to death, cutting me apart piece by piece.

I cried and questioned him, asking why he did this.

With a crazed expression, he said, "Do you think I wanted to be with you if not for your filthy money? But now, no matter how much money you have, Winona can’t come back! You and this bastard both deserve to die!"

Afterward, he pretended to be a devoted lover, deceiving countless netizens and even my parents.

Eventually, they took over my company and killed my parents in the same cruel way.

This time, I wanted to see if they could stay together without my dirty money!"

***

I didn’t know if it was because I died too unjustly in my past life, but after death, my vengeful spirit lingered, always following Cole.

I watched as he dragged my corpse and the baby’s body to Winona’s grave to beg for her forgiveness.

Then, pretending to be a devoted lover, he not only issued a public announcement online claiming to search for his beloved wife but also knelt before my parents and swore an oath.

He swore that I was the only wife he would ever have in this lifetime and that if I and the baby were never found, he would remain unmarried for the rest of his life.

He promised to treat my parents as his own and care for them with filial devotion.

In the end, he gained their trust. My grieving parents, devastated by the loss of their daughter, believed him.

Not only did they treat Cole as their own son and groom him, but a few years later, they even handed the company over to him, consoling him.

"The police have been searching for years without finding them. It's likely that Stella and the child have met an unfortunate fate. You're not young anymore, maybe you should consider remarrying."

Faced with my parents’ care and sacrifices, he spoke endlessly of how he could never forget me. Yet, once he had fully taken control of the company, he used the same brutal methods to murder my parents.

The pain of losing my loved ones and the torment of being dismembered felt as though it would tear my heart apart.

I trembled all over, my mouth slightly open, gasping for breath.

Cole, sitting across from me, noticed my pale expression.

He immediately walked around the dining table, crouched in front of me and gently held my hand, speaking softly. “Honey, why do you look so pale? Is the baby troubling you again?”

At four months pregnant, my belly was already starting to show. It was precisely for this reason that my parents, who had always opposed me marrying Cole, finally relented.

Before I could respond, Cole, in his usual manner, reached out to touch my belly, smiling as he said, "Little troublemaker, I can't bear to see your mom upset. When you’re born, just wait and see how I’ll spoil you!"

I instinctively pulled away from his touch.

Cole’s hand froze in midair, looking at me with confusion.

In the past, whenever he made such gestures, I would respond with happiness in my heart. But at that moment, my entire back was drenched in cold sweat.

Who would have thought that such a gentle and considerate man would kill his wife and child a few months later for another woman?

The exhaustion made me too tired to argue with him. "You didn’t wash your hands."

Cole froze for a moment, then remembered my obsession with cleanliness.

A flash of impatience crossed his eyes, but he quickly replaced it with a doting smile. "It’s my fault."

He obediently went to the bathroom to wash his hands.

A moment later, he returned to my side, pushing the century egg and lean pork congee he had spent the afternoon preparing toward me.

After a brief hesitation, he spoke, “Stella, there’s something I’d like to discuss with you.”