On my wedding day, I received an anonymous note claiming my fiancé, Julian Vance, was already married with a child back in his hometown. When I showed it to him, he just laughed it off. "Ancient history, Viv. A stupid high school promise. Someone's clearly bored and trying to stir up trouble. Probably just jealous I'm marrying the daughter of a billionaire." But on the day I gave birth, the sweet, limping caregiver I’d hired out of pity made sure both my baby and I never left that room alive. It was only after I died that I learned the truth. That caregiver was his small-town sweetheart, the mother of his son. After my death, they burned my memorial, orchestrated the downfall of my family, and seized every last cent of my inheritance. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on my wedding day. 01 As consciousness returned, my first instinct was to shut my eyes tight. The phantom agony in my abdomen, the feeling of cold, metal forceps violating my body—it was all still there, a ghost haunting my senses. The sighs of the young intern echoed in my ears. "If they'd just gotten here five minutes sooner… It's like they wanted to let her bleed out." "Not just her. The baby suffocated." "God, what a monster…" The voices faded, and the impossible truth settled in. I was alive. I had been reborn. "Vivian, there's a letter for you!" The same envelope, the same handwriting. My head snapped toward the window. In a discreet corner of the garden, a woman with a noticeable limp was staring in, a lost look on her face. I snatched the envelope, grabbed my phone, and ran outside. With her limp, she couldn't outrun me. She must have known it, because she simply stopped and waited, her expression a mixture of defiance and vulnerability. "You're Vivian Lancaster, right?" Her face was delicate, a palm-sized portrait of fragility and strength. I held up the letter. "You wrote this, didn't you?" She paused, then her voice became soft, pleading. "I just wanted to warn you. Julian has a wife and a son. You shouldn't be the kind of person who destroys a family." A cold laugh escaped my lips. "Oh, please. Save the performance for someone who'll buy it, Hannah." The name made her flinch. "You dared to come here and deliver this note, so why are you still playing the innocent victim?" In my past life, I fell for her act completely. She told me she was a single mother, forced to drop out of school, working as a caregiver to survive. She said her limp made it hard to find work. My heart broke for her, and I hired her on the spot, at double the standard rate. "Miss Lancaster, thank you, thank you so much for this chance," she'd gushed, her gratitude seemingly endless. But when my labor began, Hannah showed me a video on her phone. It was her and Julian, my husband, tangled together. They had been carrying on an affair while I was suffering from morning sickness, sometimes in my own bedroom. The shock sent me into premature labor. Hannah kicked my phone out of my reach, her smile twisting into something demonic. "I told you, didn't I? Julian has a wife and a son. You're the one who ruined our happiness. You deserve to die!" she'd sneered. "What's so great about being rich, Vivian? Once you're dead, Julian inherits everything. We'll finally have the money to be a real family." 02 Staring at the Hannah in front of me now, I didn't hide my disgust. I ripped the letter to shreds. "The wife you're talking about is you. And the son? He's the reason you dropped out of college three years ago, right?" Three years ago, Julian and I had already announced our engagement to the world. My voice was ice. "You stand there acting so self-righteous, but you're the other woman." She froze, then her voice rose, sharp and defensive. "No! I'm not! Julian and I have known each other since we were kids. First come, first served. Don't you get it?" She glanced behind her at the sparkling, man-made lake, a sly smile spreading across her face. "Vivian, want to make a bet? If I were to jump into that lake right now, do you think Julian would still go through with marrying you?" I knew exactly what she was planning. She wanted to frame me. In my past life, when I was still blindly in love with Julian, I might have hesitated. But now? I couldn't wait to be rid of him. I smiled, pocketing my phone. "Sure." My voice was sweet. "I'd be happy to help." Before Hannah could react, I grabbed her arm and dragged her toward the water's edge. I knew this estate better than she did. Realization dawned on her face, and she began to struggle wildly. "No, wait! Stop!" But I'd been taking self-defense and boxing classes since I was a teenager. Hannah was no match for me. I shoved her toward the lake. As she scrambled to get her footing, I gave her one final, hard push. "Vivian, you'll pay for this! Mmph… gurgle… gurgle…" Her delicate face was now smeared with mud, some of which had splattered onto my white wedding gown. I didn't care. I wanted to hold her head under the water until the bubbles stopped, to repay her for everything. But I couldn't. I had my parents to think about. I had this precious second chance. In the distance, a procession of cars approached. The lead car, a vintage Rolls-Royce decorated with my favorite lilies of the valley, screeched to a halt. Julian jumped out, his face a mask of panic. "Stop!" 03 I released my grip on Hannah. "Julian!" she cried out, triumphant. But before she could finish, her foot slipped on the muddy bank, and she tumbled back into the shallow water. Julian didn't even glance at her. He rushed to my side, his hands gently wiping the specks of mud from my cheek. "Viv, your skin is so sensitive. This will make you break out." His touch was soft, his eyes filled with a deep, unreadable emotion that I now knew was a lie. In my last life, I believed that look meant he loved me. I was a fool. The memory of my death surged back. As I lay on the floor, contractions wracking my body, a primal survival instinct took over. I had lunged, my fingers closing around Hannah's throat. She wanted me dead, but I wouldn't go down without a fight. She had clawed at my pregnant belly, her face turning purple. Then Julian had returned. Without a moment's hesitation, he had pried my hands off her and thrown me aside. "I'm sorry, Viv. She's the mother of my child." He had locked me in the small bathroom while he took Hannah into my bedroom. The sounds that followed were the final nails in my coffin. The greatest sorrow is a dead heart. I looked at the man now fussing over my dress. "This is ruined, we can't use it," he murmured. "Good thing we bought backups. Why don't you wear the mermaid gown? It'll look stunning with the necklace you're wearing." I lifted my hand and slapped him across the face. Hard. The force of it made my own palm sting. "You bastard!" Hannah shrieked, trying to lunge at me, but Julian shoved her away without a second glance. He bent his head and gently kissed my stinging palm, then began to massage it with a technique he'd learned specifically for me. "Hit me all you want, honey, it's okay," he soothed. "But we still have a wedding to get to. Don't make your husband look like a mess for the photos." I pulled my hand back, switched to the other, and slapped his other cheek just as hard. Then I smoothed my dress and stood tall. "Julian, I want a divorce." 04 The gentle, pleading smile vanished from Julian's face. He glanced at Hannah, who was shivering from the cold, and took off his tuxedo jacket, draping it over her shoulders. Then he turned back to me. "Is this because of Hannah?" I clutched my phone, my voice steady. "You have a child with her, don't you?" A small crowd of wedding guests had gathered, keeping a respectful distance. Julian nodded, completely unfazed. "I do." "But he's my son, Viv. Don't worry, I'll make sure you never have to see him. I'll send Hannah and the boy back home. They'll be out of your hair." He took a step closer. "I promise you, we can have our own children. We can move past this. Okay?" I let out a bitter laugh. "You think this is about you doing me a favor?" My scorn finally cracked his composure. "Vivian, I'm trying to be reasonable here. The Lancaster Group isn't what it used to be. Since your father's illness, your family's hold on the top spot has been shaky. Meanwhile, my company, Vance Innovations, is booming. Our marriage is more than just us." He lowered his voice. "Besides, what man in our circle doesn't have someone on the side? I'm even promising you she'll be the only one. Think carefully, Vivian. Do you want to be Mrs. Vance, or do you want to have nothing?" Hannah, emboldened by his words, added her own pathetic plea. "Vivian, I'm just a woman with a limp. I'm not trying to compete with you. I just want a better life for my son. You don't have children yet, so you probably can't understand a mother's heart." Julian pulled her into a protective embrace, whispering reassurances. After a moment, he looked at me again. "It's not just the child. Hannah's leg… she was injured trying to help me years ago. I owe her." He laid out his disgusting proposal. "Vivian, you can be Mrs. Vance in public, the face of our dynasty. Hannah can be in the background, taking care of the child. I know you two can get along." Unbelievable. One minute he's promising to get rid of them, the next he's asking me to play happy families. I laughed, looking straight into his deceptively sincere eyes. "If she's so precious to you, Julian, you should marry her. Make an honest woman of her. That way your son won't be a bastard, and the whole world can applaud your tragic love story." My voice dripped with sarcasm. "Or what is it? You want her to have your children, but you're ashamed she's a cripple? You really want to have your cake and eat it too, don't you?" "And you," I said, turning to Hannah. "Did you not get the memo that we're in the 21st century? Or are you just banking on your illegitimate son having a claim to the Lancaster fortune?" 05 My words hit their mark. Hannah's face flushed with shame. Julian shielded her. "Vivian, we are legally married. If you continue to make a scene and disrespect our family like this, then divorce is the only option." I nodded. "Good. I can't wait." Julian smiled, a cold, predatory gleam in his eyes. "According to the prenup we signed, if you file for divorce, I get fifteen percent of Lancaster Holdings." I smiled back. "In your dreams." "That clause only applies if you're not the party at fault." "You cheated on me and fathered a child. What grounds do you possibly have to take a single share of my family's company?" Julian glanced at the distant crowd, then at the shredded letter in my hand. "But do you have any proof? As far as anyone can see, you were bullying a disabled woman, and I stepped in to defend her. You're the one throwing a tantrum and demanding a divorce on our wedding day. Who do you think they'll believe?" He looked down at me, smug and confident, as if that fifteen percent was already in his bank account. Hannah, full of self-satisfaction, chimed in. "Julian, once we get the shares, can we bring Andy back from overseas? He hates it there. He misses his daddy so much." "Of course, baby," Julian cooed. In my past life, Hannah had fed me a sob story about her son. "I was a single mom, I raised him all by myself," she'd said. "I had to leave him with family back home so I could come here and work." She'd even shown me photos of a sweet little boy whose face held a faint, familiar resemblance I couldn't place. My heart, already soft with my own pregnancy, had ached for her. I gave her bonuses, extra time off to "visit her son," never knowing she was flying to a private villa in Europe to meet Julian for their perfect family getaways. Now, here they were, already planning their bright future on the ashes of mine. But I was about to burn their little dream to the ground. I raised the phone I'd been holding, a smile playing on my lips. "Julian, did you forget?" "I told you I wanted the entire wedding live-streamed." 06 His face went white. He lunged for my phone, but it was too late. The live chat was already a waterfall of outrage. OMG, the AUDACITY. The mistress showed up at the wedding! I feel so bad for Vivian. I really thought they were the real deal, a true power couple. Correction: SHE'S the power. He's just a lucky gold-digger. He'd be nothing without Lancaster Holdings backing him. Julian's face was a thundercloud. The comments were all true. If he hadn't been my boyfriend, my father would never have given him the time of day, let alone the seed money for his startup. His peers from business school were still grinding away in middle management. Only Julian had become a self-made success story in three short years, all by leveraging our "fairytale romance" for capital and PR. He knew better than anyone how crucial his public image was. Just as furious was my mother. When the wedding was officially called off, she tore into Julian with a ferocity I'd rarely seen. My father was still recovering from a major surgery, and she didn't dare tell him the news. "Your father was planning to retire this year," she lamented, holding my hand. "We thought we could trust Julian to take over the company. How could he have been so deceitful!" She sighed, her face etched with worry. "With your father still weak, and me having never run the business… we need someone at the helm. Actually," she brightened slightly, "I got a call from Mrs. Davenport yesterday. How about you meet her son? He's a very capable young man." I shook my head. "No." "Mom, don't worry," I said, my voice firm. "I'll take care of the company. I won't let it fail." She looked at me, her expression doubtful. "Absolutely not. The boardroom is full of sharks, Vivian. It's a man's world. You're a young woman; they'll eat you alive." I didn't get angry. I knew she loved me; her love was just shaped by a different generation's fears. I squeezed her hand. "Mom, I can do this. Julian's reputation is in ruins. This is the perfect time to crush Vance Innovations. And besides," I added, a grim smile touching my lips, "no one on this earth knows his weaknesses better than I do."
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