He furrowed his brows tightly, clearly not believing a word I said.

"Ruth, do you even believe yourself? All these years, you've clung to me like a dog, shamelessly trying to get in bed with me. Now that my family's on the verge of bankruptcy, your snobbish parents are trying to force me into marriage with a business deal. Do you really expect me to believe you'd actually give up this child?"

His words dripped with contempt and disgust, wrapping around me like a choking fog. I blinked hard, forcing back the tears in my eyes.

All I felt was regret. Regret for the ten years I wasted on someone like Richard. He never deserved my kindness.

Noticing my silence, Richard assumed he had hit the mark. His expression turned colder still.

"Your family is nothing but a bunch of greedy scum. You make me sick!"

I knew why Richard didn't believe me. In my past life, I had indeed degraded myself to the point of disgrace.

I had even knelt before him, begging him to marry me, threatening to expose him to the media if he didn't take responsibility for my unborn child.

I told him that if he abandoned me, the Reynold family would never rise again.

Under that unbearable pressure, Richard eventually gave in and agreed to marry me.

But the price I paid was horrific.

Three years into that marriage, he drove my parents to their deaths.

And then, he drowned me and our three-year-old son with his own hands.

Now, given a second chance, I would never let history repeat itself.

Empowered by the thought, I reached for the coffee mug on the cabinet behind me and smashed it.

It was the thing he cherished the most: a mug Elise had given him.

He used it every single day to make coffee.

Seeing how it shattered to pieces by my hand, Richard exploded in fury.

"You're asking for it!"

He lunged at me, his hand closing tightly around my throat, his bloodshot eyes brimming with murderous rage.

He slammed me back into the cold, hard wall. Pain shot through my lower back, and a dull ache spread across my abdomen, deep and pulling, like something was about to fall apart inside me.

Then his furious voice roared in my ears.

"Ruth, the only one I've ever loved is Ellie. Even if you trap me in a marriage with pregnancy, I will never love you!"

Hearing those words, I suddenly laughed.

Of course. He would never love me.

I shoved Richard away with all my strength.

Then, from my pocket, I pulled out a bottle of abortion pills.

I had gotten them right after my hospital visit. In my past life, I couldn't bring myself to take them because my love for Richard ran too deep.

But now? All I felt toward him was disgust and hatred.

There was no reason for this child to come into a world like this, into a life filled with pain.

"Richard, I'll grant you the freedom to love Elise all you want. From this moment on, you and I are finished."

As I said it, I opened the bottle while he stood frozen in shock.

One by one, I swallowed the pills right in front of him.

I wasn't sure if one would be enough, so I took the whole bottle.

A sharp, twisting pain tore through my lower abdomen almost instantly.

Warm liquid gushed from between my legs.

A moment later, my entire body went limp, and darkness swallowed me whole.

In my haze of unconsciousness, painful memories from my past life surged through my mind.

After our marriage in that lifetime, Richard never once lived with me again.

He bought a villa in the suburbs and filled every corner of it with photos of Elise.

Throughout my entire pregnancy, I was always alone.

Even on the day I went into labor and complications arose, he only appeared briefly. All the while, his expression was cold as ice.

When a nurse came over, beaming, and gently held our swaddled baby out to him, he shoved her aside without hesitation.

With a voice filled with disgust, he said, "Get away from me. That's disgusting."

My parents, who had been keeping vigil at my bedside, were so enraged they started yelling at him on the spot.

Richard just stood there calmly, not saying a word.

Only when my parents had exhausted their fury did he let out a chilling, sinister laugh.

"Enjoy these peaceful days while you can. They won't last."

At the time, I was too weak from the pain to process his words.

It wasn't until a month later, while I was still in confinement recovering from childbirth, that I saw the news: my parents' mangled bodies, shattered from falling off a building.

That was when I finally realized: Richard had already driven my family's company into bankruptcy, leaving behind billions in debt.

And the price he demanded for sparing me… was the death of my parents.

He told me:

"You forced the one I loved most to her death. Now it's time for the people you love to feel that same pain."

Back then, I had thoughts of ending my own life.

But after looking at the pale, fragile baby in the cradle, my heart softened.

Yes, I still had my son. He was all I had left in the world.

So, I gritted my teeth and raised him myself, pretending not to know the truth about my parents' deaths.

I thought, 'No matter how cruel a man is, surely he wouldn't harm his own child.'

I tried everything I could to awaken even a sliver of fatherly love in Richard.

Our son was very well-behaved, and his big, round eyes were filled with innocence.

Whenever Richard appeared, the little one would toddle after him, calling out in his soft, milky voice.

"Daddy… hug…"

Sometimes, if Richard was in a good mood, he would actually pick him up for a moment.

In those fleeting seconds, I dared to dream.

Even if, someday, Richard wanted me dead… as long as he treated our son well, I'd have no regrets.

But I underestimated how much Elise meant to him.

When our son was two, he came down with a high fever.

That same night, the whole city was hit by torrential rain.

I begged Richard to drive us to the hospital.

He looked at me, then spat coldly, "He deserves to die."

That was the moment I gave up completely.

I stopped hoping for his love.

I took our son and moved out of the mansion, living quietly and humbly.

While his tech company soared and eventually went public, I spent my days walking hand in hand with my son in the park.

Our life was peaceful. Happy, even.

But what I couldn't have known was: he had never planned to let us go.

On our son's third birthday, he did something completely out of character. He actually invited us out to celebrate.

He even suggested the seaside, which was our son's favorite place.

While 300-feet underwater, he ripped off the tube of our oxygen tanks, drowning me and my son.

After my death, my consciousness remained as a spirit. I watched on as he placed my corpse in front of Elise's grave as an offering.

He said, "Ellie, I've finally avenged you. I hope this will bring you some peace in your afterlife."

It was only then I understood.

Richard had never loved us, not even for a second.

Since I was granted a second chance at life, I decided we should just free each other from this marriage that doomed us both.

The sound of sobbing grew clearer by the second.

I slowly opened my eyes, just to see my parents standing beside the bed, alive and well.

A wave of overwhelming regret surged through my chest. I yanked out the IV and threw myself into my mother's arms, breaking down in tears.

"Mom, Dad… I'm not marrying Richard!"

My parents, who already knew the whole story, didn't hesitate to echo what I said.

"You're not marrying him!"

But nearby, Richard's mother, Clara Wakefield, chimed in, trying to smooth things over.

"Ruth, don't be impulsive. Richard's just… a little immature right now. Once you're married, he'll settle down."

I shot her a cold glance.

Because of my engagement to Richard, my father had already poured a lot of resources into the Reynold family, which was teetering on the edge of bankruptcy.

Clara, who had once sold all her jewelry to cover their debts, was now lavishly adorned with luxurious jewelry again. It was all thanks to our money.

The bag on her arm alone cost half a million. It was one she had specifically picked out by a personal shopper.

And now, while I lay in a hospital bed, she showed up in full makeup, dressed to impress.

I remembered how, in my past life, after my family went bankrupt, I had begged her for help.

She refused to even take my calls, claiming she was "too busy with skincare treatments."

Looking at her now, I saw it clearly: this mother-and-son duo were classic ingrates. Selfish and disgusting.

Gone was the obedient young woman they once knew. I met her words head-on, without mercy.

"He's almost thirty years old. Don't you think he's a little too old to be immature now?"

Clara flushed with fury, her expression stiff. But with my parents present, she couldn't lash out.

Just then, the door swung open, and Richard strutted right in.

Right behind him was Elise, dressed in a pristine white gown.

The moment Clara saw her, her face went completely pale.

My father exploded, roaring at Richard, "Who told you to come in here? Is this the maid's daughter who slandered my child?"

Before my father could lunge forward, Richard stepped in front of Elise, shielding her like a knight and declaring righteously, "Ellie is my true love. Mr. Sanders, I've never had feelings for Ruth. The child… was just an accident."

Even my mother, a dignified university professor, was trembling with fury.

I quickly comforted her and gently held back my father before he exploded again.

"Perfect timing," I said coolly. "From this day forward, the ties between Sanders and Reynold families are finished. I sincerely wish you and your true love a lifetime of happiness… and lots of children."

Clara panicked, waving her hands. "Wait, wait! Let's not be so hasty…"

I interrupted with a cold smile, "Mrs. Reynold, there's no need to act all innocent. You had my dad's secretary file for reimbursement of Elise's return flight to Jiora, didn't you?"

In my past life, part of the massive debt we owed was thanks to this scheming woman.

Her face turned red, the embarrassment practically written across it.

"Ruth, you shouldn't push things too far," Richard snapped. He had always acted high and mighty in front of me. And now, even in front of my parents, he still tried to humiliate me.

"All you Sanders do is pressure us with money. What else do you have to offer? Don't make me lose all respect for you."

"Oh? Someone's full of pride, I see," my father sneered coldly.

"Well then, since Richard here is so noble and above material things, starting today, all business collaborations between our families is over. The Sanders family will no longer give the Reynold family a single cent of support."