When I opened my eyes again, I found I'd been reborn. I was back to a week before Elaine's untimely death. School was out, and Harvey had gone home to visit his mother because she felt unwell. He would only be back tomorrow afternoon.

I was supposed to go on a business trip to Stone City in two days; I was the team leader. My boss had given the order that we had to return with the signed contract—if we closed the deal, we'd all get promotions and raises. But if we failed, the whole team would run the risk of being fired and losing our bonuses.

In my past life, I'd pulled my hair out over this project. Our negotiation with the client had almost gone awry, and we'd had to duke it over food and drinks for three days before finally closing the deal.

Though I was reluctant to leave Elaine after reuniting with her, I couldn't skip the business trip. Firstly, I had to be responsible for my team members. Besides, the bonus I got after closing this deal would make life better for Elaine and me.

Secondly, a rash retaliation against Harvey would only lead to a mutually destructive and lose-lose situation. I had to ensure I could wash my hands of the blame while getting rid of him.

After some thought, I hired a private investigator and had him look into Harvey's recent whereabouts. Then, I contacted my good friend, Lois Johnson, asking her to care for Elaine while I was gone. I didn't want Elaine to be harmed anymore.

Then, I started amending my proposal for the project. In my past life, we'd prepared a few backup proposals along with the main one. Everyone thought the main proposal was better, so I'd focused on perfecting it. However, it turned out the client had liked one of the backup proposals more.

We were unprepared for the negotiation, so the backup proposal hadn't convinced the client to take us on. That was why we'd wasted so much time on reaching a consensus.

Since I already knew the outcome, I decided to perfect the backup proposal. The sky was starting to turn bright when I was finally done.

I'd always lost track of time when engrossed with work. Harvey would bring me a glass of warm milk and remind me to watch out for my health.

He would say, "Look at you always staying up late for work like this. Other women your age pay more attention to taking care of their health and complexion. You used to be so pretty, but you already have dark spots on your face now.

"Don't push yourself too hard, honey. Look at how your bosses are all still men. You have me to dote on you at home, but things aren't that clear-cut at work. You can't beat a man, no matter how hard you work."

At the time, I'd been enchanted by the concern in his tone, so I'd overlooked the contempt and mockery in his words. I'd been a fool.

"Mom…" Elaine's bleary voice pulled me out of my reverie.

I couldn't help holding her close when I saw how adorable she was as she rubbed her eyes. She stiffened for a split second before relaxing. Then, she hugged me back.

"Have you just finished working, Mom?" She patted my shoulder. "I'll prepare breakfast for you. I've just learned how to cook chicken noodle soup!"

I immediately thought about the pasta Harvey had asked her to make, and my heart clenched. I said, "You're amazing, Elaine! When did you learn this?"

She was still young, so she couldn't help looking pleased when I complimented her. "Cooking isn't all I can do. I can sweep and mop the floor and fold the clothes. I even wiped the windows while standing on a chair!

"When it's just Dad and me at home, he'll time me. He told me everyone likes little girls who are quick on their feet and good at housework. I was in such a rush to finish on time when wiping the windows once that I almost lost my balance…"

Elaine seemed to realize something; her tone became more subdued as she spoke. The proud look on her face was replaced by helplessness and confusion.

I suppressed my rage and rubbed her head, asking gently, "What happens if you can't finish within the time he sets for you, then?"

She lowered her head, looking hesitant. "Dad said I couldn't tell you. He said you're so good at your job that you'll get mad if I can't do these small things. He said you won't like me anymore."

She started choking up, which made my heart twist painfully.

"That will never happen, Elaine. No matter what, I'll always be on your side, and I'll always support you. I'll never stop loving you!" I started crying halfway through my sentence. "That's why you have to tell me if anything happens, okay?"

She nodded while crying. Then, she slowly rolled up her pants to reveal bruises on her legs. "Dad said I had to be punished if I couldn't do something correctly. He told me it was his way of loving me—he wanted me to do better next time… But it really hurts, Mom…"

Her words stabbed me deeply. I felt like I was listening to her crying out for help before dying in my past life. She wasn't even seven years old!

I'd always thought Harvey treated her like a princess. After all, he always acted like a perfect husband, father, and son when around us. I'd never expected his true colors to be like this!

I held Elaine close and soothed her, my heart aching as I spoke. I kept promising her that no one would hurt her like that anymore. I couldn't stop my tears from flowing as I comforted her.

When she saw me cry, she tried to comfort me instead. She told me she didn't hurt anymore. Her sensibility made me cry harder.

It took a while for us both to calm down. Elaine was much perkier now that she'd opened up to me and told me many things. However, she tensed when the topic turned to school. She asked tentatively, "You said I could tell you anything, right, Mom? You'll always be on my side, right?"

I sensed something was wrong and looked at her seriously. "Yes, that's right. I'm your mother, Elaine. I'll always support you."

"We… There's a girl named Tina Chance in my class at school. She bullies the girls but is nice to the boys. Last year, I saw her forcing another girl to drink water that she'd poured chalk into. I couldn't stand it and stopped her; I also told the teacher.

"But nothing happened after the teacher told her parents about it. Later, she started bullying me, too. No one other than the girl Tina initially bullied wanted to talk to me. That girl slowly became more of a loner and stopped coming to school one day."

Elaine looked down. "I told Dad about it one day, and he went to school. But when I hid outside the office to listen in on the conversation, I heard him tell the teacher that I love lying and can't be trusted. He also said he would deal with the matter and asked the teacher not to disturb you because you were busy with work…"

Her words made me feel like I was about to have an aneurysm. I was furious, and my heart ached. I couldn't help remembering how pale Elaine had been when lying on the floor, her body cold. My heart twisted from my overwhelming self-blame and regret.

I hated myself for not discovering Harvey's true colors earlier, but I was even more regretful that I'd neglected to participate in Elaine's life because I'd been so engrossed in my work. I'd allowed her to endure such torture at such a young age.

Then, I thought of something. Elaine had mentioned that the bully's name was Tina Chance. In my past life, Harvey had been on the phone with someone when he'd mentioned wanting to talk to "Tina".

Why had he defended the bully when his own daughter was a victim?

The more I thought about it, the more uneasy I felt. A bold guess formed in my mind.

Just then, my phone chimed. My assistant and team members were already waiting for me at the company. I didn't have time to consider the matter anymore, so I left it to the private investigator.

After that, I left the house with Elaine and dropped her off at Lois' place. I headed straight to the company after that.

Thanks to my past life's experience, the negotiation went smoothly this time. It only took two short days to get everything finalized. I hurried back to the company to report to my boss, to which he happily gave my team three days off.

The private investigator was efficient. He sent me several photos. While I'd been away on my business trip, Harvey had gone out with a woman and a little girl. They looked like they knew each other well and were intimate.

Harvey's gaze was filled with doting and affection as he looked at them. Anyone who saw them would think they were a happy family of three.

The private investigator told me the little girl was Tina, and the woman was called Lindsey Lane. Lindsey had gotten divorced last year and was currently unemployed.

She had a younger brother who was about to graduate from college, and her father had a minor role in the local Board of Education. He had a little bit of clout and money, so he wasn't bothered by Lindsey and Tina living off him.

I wasn't too upset to see them looking so happy together. All I wanted was for them to pay the price.

But wait…

I frowned when I saw the name Lindsey Lane. Then, some distant memories floated to the surface.