The first thing I did after rebirth was follow my husband, Franklin Wallace, to the island for his military deployment.

In my previous life, as a spoiled rich heiress from a wealthy family, I looked down on Franklin, the commander my family had arranged for me to marry. We fought constantly, huge arguments every few days, small quarrels in between.

After having children, I grew to resent our two kids simply because they carried Franklin's blood.

Later, when Franklin was ordered to be stationed on the island, I was the first to stand up and object to going with him. Since I opposed it, Franklin did not force me. He took our two kids and his widowed sister-in-law, Elsie Faulkner, to the island instead.

Meanwhile, my spoiled and rebellious self could not wait to throw myself into the arms of my first love, Reuben Sandoval, once Franklin left.

However, it did not take long before I discovered Reuben was nothing but a gold-digging scumbag who only wanted my money and body. He gave me an STI and drained my family fortune completely.

When Franklin returned from the island with our children, they no longer recognized me as their mother and affectionately called Elsie "Mommy" instead. He even told me he had fallen in love with Elsie during their time together on the island.

Eventually, I ended up homeless on the streets and starved to death.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back to the day Franklin was about to leave for his island deployment.

"Mikayla, you can't be throwing a tantrum at a time like this! Military deployment is serious business. Once Franklin takes the children to the island, your family will be separated for months! Life on the island might be tough, but as a commander's wife, you need to set an example."

The familiar nagging voice reached my ears and made me realize I had truly been reborn. Looking up, I saw Franklin Wallace's sister-in-law, Elsie Faulkner. She looked concerned, acting like she genuinely worried about Franklin and me being apart.

In my last life, I was forced to break up with my first love, Reuben Sandoval. Obeying my family's arrangements, I married the rough, unpolished Franklin.

I resented this arranged marriage from the start and naturally showed Franklin nothing but coldness.

Every day, I caused drama at home. I picked fights with Franklin constantly and opposed him at every turn. I even grew to hate our twin children simply because they nearly killed me during childbirth.

When I learned Franklin was being stationed on the island, I was thrilled.

I thought I was finally going to be free!

However, I never expected Franklin's departure would mark the beginning of my life's greatest suffering.

The moment he left with the kids and Elsie, I could not wait to rekindle things with Reuben and indulge in all sorts of romantic escapades. For the first few months, life was indeed comfortable.

Franklin sent his military allowance on time, and I could freely spend the generous sum my parents had given me as my wedding gift.

Gradually, the money from Franklin stopped coming. Then, Reuben showed his true colors, forcing me to give him cash for gambling and beating me senseless when I refused.

The enormous amount of money my parents left me was completely gambled away by Reuben. To make matters worse, I discovered red sores covering my body that gave off a foul smell. It was not until I went to the hospital that I learned Reuben had infected me with an STI that could not be cured.

After Reuben stole the last of my remaining money, I called Franklin desperately, hoping he might help me for old times' sake.

Franklin did come back, but only to divorce me. He told me he had fallen in love with Elsie, and even our children considered her their actual mother.

I could not believe my last hope had turned to ash and refused to sign the divorce papers. Even so, I still could not escape being thrown out of the house and ending up homeless on the streets.

Eventually, I starved to death in despair and resentment.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back to the day Franklin announced he was going to be stationed at the island.

I would never repeat the same mistakes.

Franklin and the children sat nearby, not daring to even breathe loudly.

I made my decision instantly and gripped Elsie's hand tightly. "Elsie, you're absolutely right. As a military spouse, I shouldn't be so selfish. I'm going with him to the island!"

Elsie could barely maintain her composure. "W-What did you say? Didn't you tell Franklin you'd rather die than go with him on deployment? Why..."

I shrugged casually and replied, "I changed my mind at the last minute. Is that not allowed?"

Elsie opened and closed her mouth, wanting to say something but unable to find the words.

I looked over at Franklin, whose expression remained neutral. Wordlessly, he quietly added my name to the deployment roster. Seeing my name written on the list, I silently breathed a sigh of relief. Then, I turned to go back to my room to pack.

Elsie could not contain herself and followed me. Puzzled, I asked, "Elsie? What's the matter?"

Elsie gripped my hands tightly and whispered, "Mikayla, tell me honestly... You said before that you didn't want to go to the island, so why did you change your mind?"

Through the small gap in the half-open door, it seemed that I saw Franklin. I replied, "Weren't you the one who convinced me to go?"

Elsie's face turned ashen, but she forced a smile and said, "I'm just curious, considering what you said before..."

Reflecting on my past behavior, I nodded and admitted, "You're right, I really didn't want to go."

A spark of hope lit up in Elsie's eyes, but I quickly added, "But staying here alone without my parents or friends around would be worse than going to the island. At least Franklin will take good care of me there."

Elsie's words caught in her throat, and she could not manage to persuade me any further. I knew exactly what she was plotting: she did not want me to go.

In my previous life, though I was spoiled and difficult, Elsie had been the one stirring up trouble behind the scenes.

Right after I married Franklin, she would whisper in my ear every single day, telling me that as a wealthy heiress, marrying a rough military man like Franklin was beneath me. She would say he did not understand women like Reuben did.

Day after day, her constant nagging made me feel sorry for myself every time I looked at Franklin. It made me miss Reuben even more and want to get back together with him.

When I thought about it carefully, though, I remembered how Franklin had always tried to make things better.

I hated living in a cramped, dull little house, so he traded in his military commendations to buy us a bigger home. I complained about not having a driver, so he got me a car and a driver despite being low-profile.

The typical mother-in-law problems did not even exist since Franklin had solved that issue from the start by keeping his mother comfortably settled in the countryside.

One could say that after marrying Franklin, my life was even better than before.

I had been given a second chance, and I would never again fall for Elsie's poisonous words.

After a long pause, I finally heard Elsie whisper, "What about Reuben?"

My expression instantly changed.

Elsie seemed to realize what she had just said and frantically tried to explain. "I just noticed you often keep your lights on at night, holding a photo and staring at it..."

I let out a cold laugh and shot back sarcastically, "Elsie, if your eyesight's that bad, go to the hospital to treat it. I was obviously admiring myself, okay?"

Elsie's mouth twitched, but she failed to muster a response.

I could hear faint, low chuckling somewhere nearby, but it quickly faded.

Elsie slunk away, looking defeated. She did not even come down for dinner, but I could not care less. After all, missing one meal would not kill her.

When I arrived at the dining room, I saw both children already seated obediently at the table. Just as I reached out to pat their heads, they both instinctively ducked and covered themselves.

"Mikayla, please don't hit us..." Their voices were as timid as scared rabbits, sending chills down my spine.

In my previous life, Franklin had gotten drunk one night, and we had that reckless encounter that resulted in these twins. After they were born, I felt nothing but disgust toward them. I never looked at them properly and would not even let them call me mother. Instead, they could only address me as Mikayla.

Remembering how in my past life these two children called Elsie "Mommy" and wished I would just die, my heart filled with bitter regret.

Suppressing the overwhelming emotions, I hoarsely said, "From now on, call me 'Mommy', not Mikayla. Okay?"

After saying this, I gently ruffled their fluffy little heads before letting go.

Ashton and Ashley Wallace stared at me with wide eyes, unable to believe what they had heard. After a long moment, they timidly responded and called out, "Mommy."

Hearing that, tears immediately streamed down my face.

Just then, Franklin appeared. Thinking the kids had upset me, he was about to scold them.

I quickly stopped him, saying, "It's fine. Why are you being harsh with them?"

Franklin froze at my words and stared at me intently.

I shot him a playful glare. "What? Haven't you seen your wife enough already? Keep staring like that and your eyes are going to fall out."

Franklin snapped back to himself. For a second, it looked like he wanted to smile. However, just as quickly, he returned to his usual cold demeanor and said flatly, "Got it, honey."

We rushed through dinner, and not long after, Franklin's aide came running in.

"Commander, the convoy is ready. We can head to the island base right away."

Franklin gave a short grunt of acknowledgment and waved. With that, the whole family set out on the journey.