To save his childhood sweetheart, who had a congenital heart condition, my husband tricked me into signing an organ donation agreement. Then he got into a truck and ran me over right in front of the hospital.

Barely clinging to life, Elliot Carter tore my heart from my chest.

When my body was wheeled out of the operating room, Alan Yates came crashing to my side like a man gone mad.

Seeing the gaping hole where my heart used to be, he screamed and wept:

"I'm sorry… I was too late… If there's another life, I'll never let you suffer like this again…"

Tears fell exactly where my heart had been, and somehow, I even felt a flicker of warmth.

He spun around and ran back into the operating room. When he came out again, Elliot and Jessica Foster were lying in a pool of blood.

Alan, meanwhile, had slashed his own wrist to die with me. On his deathbed, he ordered that we be buried together.

Then I opened my eyes. I had been reborn.

Before me stood Elliot, dressed in a wedding gown, holding a bouquet, and proposing. I flung the flowers in his face and turned to embrace Alan in the crowd.

However, only a year and a half into our marriage, he changed.

Alan began openly pairing up with Jessica, letting her move into our home. Worse, he claimed that our cat's mating season had disturbed Jessica's sleep, and so he allowed her to run over the cat I had raised for seven years.

I could not believe it. This was not the man who had loved me so deeply in my previous life. My eyes blazing, I demanded, "What's wrong with you?"

However, Alan's gaze was icy.

"Nothing. I just don't love you anymore."

I had just finished burying my cat, and on the way home, I swung by the print store to make two copies of the divorce papers.

No sooner had I walked through the door than the nanny was at my side, whispering, "Mrs. Yates, Mr. Yates has been slaving away in the kitchen all morning. Looks like he's gearing up to make amends. He still cares deeply for you."

All I managed was a forced, icy smile as I clutched the divorce papers and headed for the kitchen.

Alan Yates was there, tidying up the aftermath of his cooking spree. The kitchen looked like a culinary warzone.

He paused when he saw me, apron in hand, and said, "I'll go change. Could you finish packing this up? Help yourself to whatever's on the table. We'll take the meal to Jessica together in a bit."

All the fuss was for Jessica Foster's sake.

Typical Alan, never the type to whip up an apology meal for me.

I blocked his path as he tried to breeze past, divorce papers in hand. "Sign this."

He glanced at me, annoyance creasing his brow, and scribbled his signature on the last page.

He shoved the papers back at me and said without missing a step, "Make it quick. I'll be down in two."

I let out a bitter laugh. With his signature dry, my exit was overdue.

I was reaching for the door when Alan, then dressed, came thundering down the stairs.

He stopped short at the sight of me, idle by the entrance, his carefully prepared lunchbox nowhere in sight. His temper flared.

"Ruby, I'm running around like a headless chicken here, and you can't even bag a lunchbox? What are you doing, standing there like you've lost your mind?

"Jessica's out there busting her back on the site, and you can't even manage a simple task?"

He dashed into the kitchen, packed the lunchbox in record time, and thrust it into my arms as he passed by.

The heat from the lunchbox jolted me, but before I could even flinch, he had yanked me out the door and tossed me into the car. With a slam on the gas, we were off like a shot.

At the construction site, there was Alan, tenderly wiping Jessica's brow and fanning her like she was royalty. They were the picture of a devoted couple, and I, his actual wife, watched with a twinge of jealousy.

Alan had to drag me along, probably just to twist the knife a little deeper. We were on the brink of splitting up, and frankly, I was past caring.

"Watch out!"

The shout came out of nowhere. Alan, quick as lightning, shoved me to the side. I hit the ground just in time to see Jessica leap into his arms.

The rebar crashed down right where we had been standing, sending up a plume of dust.

I scrambled to my feet and ran over.

Alan gently moved Jessica aside, his face a mask of terror as he checked her stomach. "My child!"

I approached, numb, my eyes glued to Jessica's belly.

"You're... You're having a kid?"

Jessica was pregnant? Did Alan really love her enough to get her pregnant?

The car keys Alan chucked at me not only split my forehead open but also delivered a crystal-clear message.

'What, you thought the kid was yours?'

Maybe it was just my imagination, but when those keys thudded against my skull, I could have sworn I saw something flicker in Alan's eyes.

His voice, though, was as icy as ever. "What are you waiting for? Drive! Get Jessica to the hospital!"

In a fog, I followed his orders, slammed the pedal, and raced to the hospital.

It was not until I was fetching Alan's lab results that a nurse caught sight of my head and gasped, "You're bleeding!"

I touched my temple and felt the dried blood where my skin had split open.

I patched myself up quickly and headed back to Alan's room with the test results. As I reached the door, I caught the tail end of the doctor's warning.

"Mr. Yates, Ms. Foster and the baby were lucky this time. You'll have to be more careful in the future. The pregnancy is already high-risk due to IVF and unstable implantation."

IVF? Why would they need that?

Confusion washed over me.

Alan and Jessica were not exactly discreet about their affair. Why resort to IVF?

Lost in thought, I did not notice Alan until he stumbled right into me.

I locked eyes with him and asked, "What's this about IVF?"

He froze, his eyes flickering away, and his words came out jumbled. "IVF? No... There's no IVF!"

He looked like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar. My expression darkened.

Could it be that the child...

A sudden dread gripped me.

I glared at him, my voice rising as I exclaimed, "Alan! What's going on with the IVF?"

Alan's shoulders shook under my stare, his breath quickening as if he was on the verge of spilling the truth.

"Alan, is the baby okay?"

Jessica's voice cut through, full of concern. The man jerked away from me, pushing me aside as he snapped.

"Stay out of it! Ruby, you won't hurt my and Jessica's child!"

His words hit me like a splash of cold water. I had been holding on to hope, but it vanished in an instant.

After all, it was their child, their choice.

I forced a laugh and handed the car keys back to Alan. "Sorry for meddling. If there's nothing else for me here, I'll head out and let her get her rest."

Turning to leave, I was stopped by the sound of Jessica's applause.

"Ruby, your fake innocent game is chef’s kiss—I need lessons!" she teased.

"I should've known. You took forever with that lab report because you were busy putting on a show.

"Wrapping up such a tiny scratch… You're just fishing for Alan's sympathy, aren't you?"

That was when Alan finally noticed the bandage on my forehead, his eyes briefly betraying his concern.

He reached out, as if to check on my wound, but then he abruptly pulled me in close.

"Jessica can't drive, and I need to look after her. You'll have to take us home. While you're at it, whip up some dinner and bake a cake. We've got to celebrate Jessica's birthday tonight."

It finally hit me that it was Jessica's birthday. It was also mine too. Despite being five years older, we shared the same birth date.

In my previous life with Elliot Carter, my birthdays went uncelebrated. Only Alan had cared.

However, in my new life, Alan had forgotten me entirely.

I met his gaze, my voice steady and firm. "I won't do it."

For the first time, I stood up to Alan.

In my previous life, he had avenged my death and had wanted to be laid to rest beside me. Since my fresh start, I had vowed to give him all my love.

However, I was just exhausted.

Jessica gave Alan's sleeve a gentle tug. "If Ruby's not up for it, let's not fuss. We can still have a birthday, cake or no cake."

"That's enough! You don't get to say no!" Alan snapped.

Before I could protest, he ushered Jessica and I into the car.

Back at the villa, as I methodically set about making the cake, Alan finally stepped out of the kitchen looking content.

I could still recall the first time I baked Alan a cake. His eyes sparkled with delight as he watched my every move, not taking his eyes off me for a second.

However, as time went on, even the sweetest things turned stale.

With a soft sigh, I opened the oven to retrieve the perfectly baked cake base.

"Isn't it done yet? I'm so hungry," whined Jessica from behind me.

I ignored her, but suddenly, a shove from behind sent me lurching forward.

My hand, in a frantic attempt to steady myself, landed on the searing oven rack.

"Ouch!"

The searing pain raced up from my palm as I jerked my hand back, peeling away skin that hissed against the hot metal.

Jessica quickly tapped the oven, then crumpled to the floor, clutching her hand.

"Ruby! My bad!"

"What's going on?" Alan burst into the kitchen, his voice laced with concern.

I held my wrist, my hand shaking, convinced Alan would rush to Jessica's side first.

However, to my surprise, he came straight to me, grasping my injured wrist.

His eyes filled with sympathy as he took in the sight of my blistered hand.

"What did you do to yourself..."

He looked up, his eyes meeting mine, filled with a sudden unease.

"Ruby, I know you're mad about making the cake, and I appreciate you trying to get it for me, but you didn't have to go this far..."

Jessica's tearful voice floated over, and Alan quickly released me to help her up, shooting me a harsh glare, though his voice betrayed a hint of awkwardness.

"Ruby, was that really necessary? You went way overboard, hurting yourself just as much as you tried to hurt Jessica. There was no need to be so extreme just to make a point…"

I could not help but let out a bitter laugh as I locked eyes with Alan.

"The kitchen was under the watchful eye of a camera. Just take a look for yourself..."

"There's no need for that," Alan interrupted me sharply, standing his ground.

"Jessica would never lie."

His words stabbed me, each heartbeat amplifying the pain in my chest.

Clearly, Alan was no longer concerned about me.

However, in the next moment, he unexpectedly set a first aid kit before me.

"Patch yourself up. Once the cake's done, just leave. Hospital or wherever, your choice."

With that, he turned away, taking Jessica to the living room to gently tend to her wounds.

I fought through the pain in my hand, finishing the cake, which was probably the last thing I would ever do for Alan.

That was what I told myself.

I cleaned up the kitchen, set the cake just right, and walked out the door.

He did not look at me, not even once, before I shut the door behind me.

The night air was cool, but I felt an unexpected lightness.

On my way to the hospital, a figure ran toward me. It was Elliot.

Out of breath, he seized my wrist, examining my injury, his eyes brimming with tears.

"Ruby, you're hurt so badly. Did he do this to you?

"He had you in this life, why didn't he treasure you? Just wait, I'll end him!"

I shook off his hand, icy as the night. "Stay out of it."

However, he just stood there, tears falling from his bloodshot eyes, his look sincere. I was frozen.

The man who had wounded me deeply in a previous life was suddenly shedding tears for me.

The one who had loved me deeply back then had become the cause of all my pain.

Elliot, hands shaking, pulled out a share transfer agreement and laid it before me.

"In my previous life, I wronged you in countless ways. This gift... It's for your birthday, but it's also my way of saying I'm sorry.

"I owe you more than I can ever repay... Can you ever forgive me?"

I tried to keep my distance from Elliot ever since my rebirth, but he clung to me relentlessly.

He showered me with gifts, from trinkets to lavish homes and cars, driving his family's empire into ruin.

With a heavy heart, I told him, "I can't forgive you. I won't take these things. Your parents worked hard to build what they had. Don't let it crumble because of you."

Elliot's tears flowed freely as he clutched my hand, his voice breaking, "Without you, all this means nothing to me..."

His plea was lost in the wail of an ambulance siren.

A stretcher was hurriedly wheeled from the ambulance towards the hospital doors.

"Move aside! Move aside!"

"Ruby! What did I ever do to you? Why would you poison me?"

It was not until I heard her voice that I realized Jessica was the one on the stretcher.

In the next instant, I felt a slap across my face. As I turned around, I saw Alan, his eyes blazing, standing beside me.

He ripped Elliot's hand from mine and shouted, "Ruby, you've gone too far this time!"

Before I could reply, Alan was already dragging Elliot away, following Jessica into the hospital.

I touched my tingling cheek and managed a wry smile. Then, I turned and walked away, leaving Alan with that final image of me.

'Maybe leaving him with this impression in the end wasn't so bad,' I thought.

I booked a flight to Euroland for the next day on my phone.

I planned to spend the night in a hotel and, after picking up the divorce papers in the morning, head straight to the airport.

However, as I walked, my phone rang. It was Alan.

My hand shook, and before I knew it, I had picked up the call.

His voice was frantic. "Ruby! Jessica's heart condition flared up because of what you did! Get to the hospital now for a compatibility test!"