Given a new chance at life, upon learning of my husband's supposed death, the first thing I did was to register him as dead.

In my previous life, after my husband, Jonah Lloyd, learned that his elder brother, Noah, had died in an accident, he resolved to assume his brother's identity and provide for his widowed sister-in-law.

All because the young widow from the city couldn't withstand the gossip of the village.

As for me, coming from humble origins, even without my husband, I could survive on my own.

When I heard the news, I truly believed that my husband had died in an accident. I was determined to raise our daughter with all my heart.

That year, during a blizzard, while his family huddled together and celebrated in the warmth, I was out there fighting over the money after selling my body. I bled out and died in the harsh, cold night. My daughter, Tina, left waiting for me to bring back good, starved to death in the bitter winter.

Only after death did I learn that my husband hadn't died. He had spent his entire life in his brother's name, protecting the widow, living to see his children and grandchildren grow old around him.

And now, reopening my eyes, I had returned to the very day my husband died in an accident.

"Jonah, are you sure you want to take over your older brother's identity? What will happen to Fiona and your daughter?"

I heard my husband, Jonah Lloyd, reply with total determination, "I've already said. From now on, I'm Noah Lloyd. Don't call me by the wrong name.

"Fiona's a country lady. No gossip will faze her. She loves me so much that even without me, she'll bring up our child.

"Adele is from the city. If she finds out that Noah has passed away, she won't survive, let alone the son in her. Are you two willing to see her marry another guy and let him raise your grandson?"

How did I not know that my husband was close to his sister-in-law? Or perhaps, he had coveted her all along?

He continued, "Besides, are you willing to give up the money Noah earns in the army every month? Just do as I say and bury him in my name. Treat me as if I died!"

Jonah's parents were suddenly silent. When it came to profit, they chose silence.

In the countryside, a family could toil in the fields for an entire year and still not earn that much. The whole Lloyd family survived on the allowance that Noah sent home every month.

And if that wasn't enough, there was still me, the fool that I was, emptying my wedding gifts to help support them.

My heart sank as I stood outside the door, listening to Jonah's scheme. I didn't know whether Adele could survive without her husband, but I knew I would die without my husband.

In my previous life, I was deceived by the news of his death. I was so stricken with grief that I passed out. When I woke up again, I found the house completely emptied by thieves.

Under such a huge blow, I fell sick and got admitted to the hospital. I didn't even notice that Adele, who was constantly complaining about not having enough to survive, started wearing expensive jewelry.

Jonah might have thought that I was from the countryside, and so I could survive even without my husband.

What happened instead was that I didn't dare to stay too long in the hospital, even though I was sick.

What happened instead was that I had to pawn my wedding ring for a sack of potatoes.

What happened instead was that I ended up toiling in the fields, competing with other men, just for a little money. Even with that, my daughter and I might be able to survive.

Unfortunately, we encountered a once-in-a-century snowstorm. My money were gone, so were the fields.

We survived on tree bark and leaves, but even that ran out.

Seeing my daughter, Tina, munching on her blanket, I reached out to the widower, Michael Worrey. I sold myself to him.

Yet, after the deed, he went back on his words. He refused to pay and snapped, "You're just a widow with a dead husband! This is what you're worth! You either take it or leave it!"

I ended up in a brawl with him, but due to the disparity of strengths, he killed me with a punch to my head.

The thick snow buried all the evidence of his crime. I even ended up on his plate.

Tina died in the cold due to hunger before I could return to her.

This was why, this time, given a brand new chance at life, I no longer wanted my useless husband!

As Jonah and his parents plotted in the room, I turned around and rushed back home with a suppressed rage.

I had to get all the family assets into my hands before Jonah took action.

People in the countryside were still rather simple-minded. How could they have stolen my belongings and emptied the house?

I rushed home and stuffed the money that I saved all these years into my underwear.

Then, I located the wedding gifts I brought over when I married Jonah. I hid them in a wooden chest and snapped a lock on it before I finally felt at ease.

That chest cost me a fortune back then. It was solid enough to weigh over 50 kilograms.

Then, I quickly headed to the city hall and had all of Jonah's identification records registered as dead.

Since he was planning on taking his brother's place, as his wife, how could I not help him?

I couldn't wait to see how Jonah was going to handle it when people from the army came looking for him.

After doing all these, I rushed back to the wake.

Upon seeing me, Adele Lakewood, my sister-in-law, rolled her eyes at me and said curtly, "Oh, look, the widow returns. Take your crying, burdensome daughter away. She makes my head hurt."

Then, she pretended to rub her temples. Jonah immediately went over to her and reached out to help her massage her head, completely ignoring his wailing daughter.

"Why the hell are you crying! Can't you see your aunt is feeling unwell?"

He once doted on his daughter, yet he completely changed his attitude toward her. Tina was so frightened she shut up, but could not stop hiccuping.

I pulled her into my arms, feeling sorry for her. My hatred toward Jonah grew a little more.

Adele cast me a smug gaze as she coquettishly punched Jonah in the chest. "Fiona's looking. Her husband just died. She'll feel sad seeing this."

Jonah held Adele's hands naturally, as if he had done so a thousand times. With a darkened gaze, he replied, "So what? Let her see. It's her fate that her husband has died. She only has herself to blame for a terrible life."

Adele smirked victoriously. She was always competitive, so every time she saw me, she would humiliate me. Now, with Jonah's indulgence, she got bolder.

"Fiona, did you hear him? You only have yourself to blame for a terrible life. If I were you, I would take your burdensome daughter home to your parents! The Lloyd family won't feed two useless mouths for nothing!" Adele stood up and slapped the table.

Jonah's face darkened a little. "Adele, come on."

"What? Are you planning to use your allowance to feed them? Let me tell you right now, Noah. I'm not going to pursue the fact that you used to send some of your allowance to your family. I bear your son now. Are you planning to let him stay in the countryside forever?

"My parents said that once he is born, he is to be registered in the city. He's going to study in the city. I came from the city. I married you. Fine, I don't get to choose, but I sure as hell won't let my son grow up to be a country bumpkin!"

Jonah furrowed his brows in silence, which made me want to laugh. So, what if he took over his brother's identity? His cowardice bore no resemblance to Noah.

Jonah was so sure that I loved him so much that I would do whatever it takes to stay in the Lloyd family to bring our daughter up.

I would have done that in my previous life. I was not going to do that in this life.

I cleared my throat and said to my in-laws with reddened eyes, "Dad, Mom, Adele is right. Jonah has passed away, but Tina and I still need to continue living. I've sent word to my parents. Three days after we bury Jonah, I'll move back home to live with my parents."

"No!"

Jonah and his parents yelled in unison.

"Fiona, how could you be so cruel? Jonah's body hasn't even gone cold, yet you're already bringing Tina back to your parents?" Jonah looked at me as if I had committed a terrible crime.

In his eyes, even if he was already dead, I should dedicate my entire life to the Lloyd family. How could I possibly leave them and go back home?

"Yes, Fiona. Jonah has just died, yet you're already bringing Tina back to your parents. How do you think the village will see us? We'll be utterly humiliated!"

"Jonah might have passed, but we're still a family! Let us know if you have any trouble. We'll surely help you!"

They might have kindly offered help, but when you truly needed them, they were nowhere to be found.

Adele rolled her eyes condescendingly as she touched her baby bump. "Mom, Dad, just let her go! We'll be much better off having two fewer useless mouths to feed."

"Adele!" Jonah rebuked.

Adele's eyes instantly reddened. "How dare you yell at me! Noah, I married you and bore you a child, yet you're siding with an outsider?"

Then, ignoring Jonah's reaction, she ran off.

Jonah instantly looked regretful. He snarled at me, "Look at what you've done! If anything were to happen to Adele, I'll make you pay!"

He quickly chased after her.

I chuckled self-deprecatingly, only to see my in-laws looking at me with a complicated gaze.

"Fiona, N-Noah was just concerned. Adele is pregnant, just let her have her way more."

"Jonah might have just passed away, but you're still a part of our family. Don't even bring up going back home to your parents anymore."

I know why they would say that. They couldn't bear to part with my three briefcases full of cash from my wedding gifts and my five amazing brothers.

It brought them pride to be able to boast about my brothers. Besides, my brothers doted on me completely.

They were the ones who came up with the wedding gifts for me.

Sadly, in the past seven years since I got married, only half a briefcase was left.

Just as I was thinking about that, Jonah returned with Adele around his arm. Adele was no longer aggrieved. On the contrary, she was smiling widely. She kept touching her earlobe.

I had a closer look and realized that those were the earrings Jonah gave to me as a wedding gift!

All these years, I couldn't bear to wear it, so I kept it as new in my jewelry box. Yet, it was on Adele right now. An inexplicable rage rose in me.

"Those are my gold earrings!"

Adele snickered and rolled her eyes at me. "No. It's mine! Besides, it has my name on it."

She took off the earring to see her name engraved on it. Jonah was looking rather sheepish. I was dumbstruck.

Adele whispered in Jonah's ear, "Did you hear what I just said?"

Jonah looked a little troubled. "My brother just died. It's not the right time!"

Adele frowned, and he immediately corrected himself, "Alright, alright. I'll agree. Don't get mad."

Looking at his apologetic gaze, a terrible, uneasy feeling rose in my heart. I immediately returned home to see the horrible state it was in.

I was shocked to the core.

The entire house was rummaged. Someone violently hacked off the wooden chest. The items that I carefully locked inside the chest were completely gone.

A strong sense of helpless despair washed over me, and I started bawling out, sobbing.

Could I not change my fate even in this life?