My husband only married me for a family alliance, but his heart was always with his first love. To please her, he even threw her a grand wedding.

He forced me to play the wedding march at their ceremony.

When I hit a single wrong note, he stood by as she drove steel needles through my fingers.

“Weren’t you so proud of being a pianist? Then I’ll take that away from you.”

“This is my revenge for forcing me into this marriage!”

Later, I got pregnant.

However, Yaron Hayes, my husband, left for an extravagant trip abroad with Ellie Jensen.

When he finally returned and saw my swollen belly, he immediately assumed I had cheated.

He locked me in a closet, forcing me to endure a brutal childbirth alone—one that cost me my life.

Yet when I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day the Hayes family arranged our marriage.

This time, I let go of my foolish devotion. I booked a flight to study abroad in half a month.

“The sky is vast, and birds are meant to be free. It's time for me to follow my own path.”

"Megan, did you and Yaron have a fight?

"He's always been stubborn. One of these days, I'll have to teach him a lesson."

Mrs. Hayes's expression shifted from shock to urgency at my words.

I simply shook my head. "That won't be necessary."

"I spent my whole life chasing after Yaron, but in the end, I couldn't change the fact that he doesn't love me.

"The sky is vast, and birds are meant to be free. It's time for me to follow my own path."

Mrs. Hayes studied me for a long moment, her brows furrowed. Seeing how resolute I was, she could only sigh helplessly, though her displeasure was clear. "Yaron has been spoiled since he was a child. If it weren't for you donating your kidney to save him back then, he might not even be alive today."

"You never let me tell him the truth, and in the end, it was you who suffered."

Eight years ago, when Yaron had just turned eighteen, he got into a street race with his friends and crashed. His kidney ruptured, leaving him on the brink of death. As if fate had planned it, my kidney was a perfect match.

I didn't hesitate for a second. I gave him my kidney and saved his life.

Mrs. Hayes swore then that the Hayes family would forever see me as their benefactor—that whatever I wanted, they would grant it.

However, I had refused to let them tell Yaron the truth. I was naive back then. I didn't want him to be with me out of gratitude. I wanted him to love me, truly and wholeheartedly.

In my past life, I clung desperately to that foolish hope, only to have it crushed. In the end, my life-saving deed earned me nothing but a ridiculous marriage with Yaron.

Memories rushed back—the sharp sting of steel needles piercing my fingers, the suffocating darkness of the closet, the agony of bleeding out alone. A shiver ran down my spine.

This time, I wouldn't make the same mistake.

I forced a faint smile and met Mrs. Hayes's gaze. "I did it willingly. There's no need to bring it up again."

"And please don't tell Yaron what I said today. I don't want him thinking I'm playing hard to get."

…

As I stepped out of the Hayes family's mansion, I slid into my car and immediately opened my phone, booking a one-way flight to the United States in two weeks.

In my past life, I gave up my dream of becoming a pianist just to stay by Yaron's side.

Now, I saw how ridiculous that decision had been.

Fate had shown me mercy, granting me a second chance.

This time, I would live for myself—no matter what it took.

Just as I was about to start the engine, my phone rang sharply.

I glanced at the screen. It was Yaron.

In my past life, this was the moment he found out about our arranged marriage. Hot-tempered as always, he had flown into a rage. To humiliate me, he deliberately brought his ex-girlfriend, Ellie Jensen, back into his life even though they had broken up years before.

Back then, I had been so desperate to marry him that I turned a blind eye to it all. That choice led to every disaster that followed.

This time, I didn't hesitate. I declined the call.

The phone rang again. And again. More than ten times.

Finally, I took a deep breath and answered.

Loud music blasted through the receiver, followed by a soft, saccharine voice.

"Megan Stone, Yaron is drunk and wants to see you. You have ten minutes to get to Silver Haven.

"Don't come crying to me if he blows up."

Even though I couldn’t see Ellie, I could easily picture the smug, taunting look on her face.

If this were the past, I would have rushed over immediately, eager to bend over backward to please Yaron.

Now, I just found it all incredibly dull.

I let out a contemptuous scoff, lifted my gaze to the distance, and replied nonchalantly, “What does it have to do with me if he’s mad?”

“Megan!”

Before I could say another word, Yaron’s furious voice erupted from the other end of the call. I heard the sound of him snatching the phone away, followed by a chilling, sinister laugh.

“Do you have a death wish? I told you to get over here. So get over here. Now!

“If I don’t see you in ten minutes, you’ll face the cons—”

Before he could finish his threat, I hung up. Without hesitation, I deleted and blocked his number—along with every other way he could contact me.

Only after doing that did I toss my phone onto the passenger seat, grip the Ferrari’s steering wheel with one hand, and drive out of the Hayes family’s mansion grounds.

…

My parents fully supported my decision to go abroad for further studies. They knew I had stayed in the city all these years solely because of Yaron.

Now that I was finally willing to let go of my obsession, they couldn’t be happier.

Within a week, I handled all the necessary paperwork and arrangements. I even contacted a real estate agent overseas—after all, I had no idea when I’d be back in the city again.

Once everything was settled, I took advantage of the weekend to have dinner with my parents.

“A toast to our dearest daughter. May she have a wonderful time abroad and achieve great things!”

As my dad’s warm voice rang out, I smiled, lifted my glass alongside my mom, and clinked it with theirs.

Over the years, they had worried endlessly about my relationship with Yaron. No matter how many foolish, reckless things I had done, they had always been there to catch me when I fell.

After dinner, my mom went to pick up a custom-made dress she had ordered, and my dad went with her. As I watched them leave, I reached for my phone to call a designated driver.

That was when Bryan Lane, a mutual friend of Yaron’s and mine, came strolling over with a cheeky grin. He casually threw an arm around my shoulders.

“Megan, what are you doing here? Did you find out it’s my birthday today and decide to wait here just for me?”

“I—”

Before I could get a word out, he grabbed my wrist and started dragging me upstairs.

“What, you’re not even gonna show up for my birthday? Don’t embarrass me like that.”

Within moments, I found myself pulled into a private room.

The first thing I saw was Yaron, lounging on the couch with a lazy smile as he held Ellie in his arms.

As soon as I stepped inside, all eyes turned to me, filled with curiosity and amusement. After all, who in this room didn’t know about the tangled mess between me, Yaron, and Ellie?

I took a deep breath, suppressing the anger rising in my chest, and turned to Bryan with a cold stare.

“What’s your deal? Trying to make me a joke for everyone’s entertainment?

“You sure you want to risk your family’s business partnership with ours?”

Bryan instantly fell silent. I was known for having a good temper—he hadn’t expected me to snap like that.

Without waiting for an explanation, I shot him a glare and turned to leave.

Just then, a deep voice sounded from the private room.

“Megan, you’re not even going to say hello before leaving?”

I looked over to see Yaron lounging back against the couch, his eyes half-narrowed as he gazed at me with a casual air.

As soon as he spoke, Ellie got up with a sickly sweet smile, sauntering over like a snake. She grabbed my arm and pulled me further into the room.

“Miss Stone, Yaron lost his temper because you didn’t listen to him last time. You’d better not upset him again this time.”

I was forced into the room.

Bryan let out an awkward laugh, then walked over and pushed me down onto the couch beside Yaron.

“Megan, come on, I just wanted everyone to hang out. No need to get so worked up, right?

“You don’t have to threaten me over a business deal.”

As he said this, he turned to look at Yaron. “Yaron, you should really keep her in check.”

Yaron didn’t respond immediately. His gaze was fixed on me like a sharp, unwavering predator sizing up its prey.

After a long pause, Yaron asked, “You’ve been drinking?”

Ever since I donated a kidney to him years ago, my health had never been the same. That was why I never touched alcohol, no matter the occasion.

But tonight, I had been in a good mood. I had allowed myself a little.

Only to have him catch me.

As I heard his words, I let out a chuckle and asked calmly, "And what does that have to do with you?"

In an instant, the tension in the room became razor-sharp, like a drawn blade ready to strike. Yaron scoffed, his gaze dripping with disdain. "I don't know what's gotten into you lately, but it's obvious you're not behaving.

"Megan, one of the conditions for marrying me is absolute obedience—no exceptions."

His tone was light, but every word carried the weight of a warning.

I, however, acted as though I had not heard him. I suddenly rose to my feet, muttering under my breath, "I can't be bothered to argue with a lunatic like you." Then, I turned around to leave.

Before I could take a single step, Yaron was on his feet, grabbing my wrist and looking down at me. "What's this? Playing hard to get?

"You think that throwing a tantrum, blocking me, and cutting me off will make me give in?" He leaned in close, stopping just inches from my face, his voice laced with anger as he gritted out, "Keep dreaming."

Then, with a sharp motion, he flung my hand away and casually picked up a bottle of liquor from the table. Twisting off the cap, he held it out to me.

"Didn't you want to drink?

"If you finish this entire bottle tonight, I'll marry you tomorrow."

The people around us began whispering. After all, everyone knew I had done plenty of foolish things just for the chance to marry Yaron.

I looked at the bottle he was offering, finding it utterly laughable.

In my past life, I had obeyed his every word without question. Marrying him had been my greatest wish, my most foolish obsession. Still, even if Yaron had a shred of humanity in him, he wouldn't have done something so heartless…

Ever since my rebirth, the memory of my past suffering lingered like a ghost, creeping up on me when I least expected it.

Fortunately, I would not be so foolish again.

With a loud crash, the bottle shattered against his head.

A collective gasp filled the room as shards of glass scattered across the floor. The sharp scent of liquor mingled with the coppery tang of blood. A thin trail of red trickled down Yaron's forehead.

A sharp scream rang out, breaking the stunned silence.

No one had expected me to smash the bottle on him.

I did not even blink. I dropped the remaining half of the shattered bottle and looked at him with utter contempt. "Who the hell wants to marry you?"

Yaron's entire body trembled slightly. His fists clenched so tightly at his sides that his knuckles cracked. His bloodshot eyes darkened, a storm of barely restrained rage brewing within.

I showed no fear. I turned and walked away without hesitation.

As I passed Bryan, I paused, curling my lips into a smirk. "Bryan, the partnership between the Lane and Stone families ends here.

"If this happens again, that bottle won't just land on his head."

Ellie, looking pale as a sheet, immediately stepped aside as though terrified I might come for her next.

…

That night, news of me smashing a bottle over Yaron's head spread like wildfire in our social circle. By the next day, my father publicly announced that the Stone family would no longer do business with the Lane family.

Suddenly, all sorts of people started cozying up to me—the wealthy heiress with a temper.

Looking at those fawning messages, I could not help but find human nature utterly hypocritical. Back then, when I was gentle and hopelessly devoted to Yaron, people saw me as easy to bully and humiliated me at every turn.

Now that I had changed, those same people suddenly wanted to be on my good side.

Time flew by, and soon, it was the day of my departure.

After half a month of preparations, everything was set. However, I unexpectedly received a call from Yaron on the night before I was supposed to leave.

His voice sounded uncharacteristically sincere over the phone. He said he wanted to have a serious talk with me.

I did not say a word. I simply hung up and continued packing my luggage.

Who would have thought that he would show up at my door less than thirty minutes later?

"Megan… we need to talk."

Yaron braced himself against the doorframe, gasping for breath as though he had rushed over in a hurry.

I leaned against the doorway, arms crossed. Finally, I gave in and let him enter.

His eyes flickered toward the neatly packed suitcases in the living room. His brows furrowed as he turned back to look at me with confusion.

"Where are you going?"

I did not want to waste time arguing with him, so I replied casually, "I'm moving to the south side of the city. Just say what you need to say and make it quick."