On my way home from the night shift, a patient who held a grudge against my husband, the hospital director, forced half a bottle of pesticide down my throat.

Terrified, I called my husband, Jasper Flint, for help.

He rushed over and saved me. I survived by sheer luck. But tragically, his first love, Ruby Gray, died in a car accident on her way home that same night.

After Ruby's funeral, Jasper carried on as if nothing had happened.

I thought he had finally let her go.

But on New Year's Eve, he poisoned our food, tied up my parents and me, and took us hostage.

Through tears, I begged him to spare my parents.

He killed them right in front of me.

Their blood splashed across my face.

"If you hadn't been so jealous of Ruby, if you hadn't pretended to drink pesticide just to lure me away, she never would've driven off like that. She'd still be alive!" he snarled.

"How does it feel to watch your parents die? When Ruby died, what I felt was a thousand times worse than this! Since you like drinking pesticides so much, go ahead. Drink up!"

Jasper forced my mouth open and poured the poison down my throat.

I died in agony beside my parents' bodies.

And then I opened my eyes—only to find myself reborn alongside Jasper.

This time, Jasper chose to save his first love.

The moment the ambulance pulled up to the hospital, I thought I was finally safe. I never imagined it would mark the beginning of a new nightmare.

Not a single staff member in the emergency department paid me any attention. They only told me to wait.

Half a bottle of pesticide had been forced down my throat. The acrid, choking taste traveled down to my stomach, igniting a fiery pain that made my head spin and my stomach churn violently. I felt as if I might collapse under the intensity.

"I… I feel really bad. Could you… Please, doctor, perform gastric lavage immediately?" I begged, clutching my stomach.

The physical agony was unbearable, but the mental terror, rising from fear and helplessness, was even worse, pushing me to the brink of collapse.

And yet the doctors ignored me entirely.

Just then, Jasper Flint's voice cut through the chaos behind me, "Stop pretending, Maisie. I told you to stay put, and you were behaving just a moment ago. Now that I'm here, you start putting on a show?"

I turned slowly, clutching my belly, and met Jasper's eyes—burning with hate. My heart sank. He had been reborn too.

In my last life, I had stayed at work until midnight, only to be blocked by a patient who held a grudge against Jasper and forced pesticide down my throat. I was terrified and in agony, and the first thing I did was call Jasper for help.

He rushed to save me, and I survived.

But Ruby Gray died in a head-on collision on her way home the same day.

After her death, her family blamed me for everything, claiming I had bullied her and driven her to a state of bipolar despair. They insisted that only because she hadn't taken medication properly did the tragedy occur.

No matter how much I explained, insisting I had never harmed Ruby, I still lost my programmer job.

Gossip spread like wildfire. People whispered that I had been jealous of Ruby, that I had caused her death.

I was pushed to the brink of suicide, and only Jasper's company kept me from falling apart.

My parents said I had married the right man—and I believed them.

But on New Year's Eve, while the family gathered, Jasper poisoned the food, tied us up, and forced us to atone with our lives for Ruby.

"I've told you countless times… we were innocent, Ruby and I! Why wouldn't you believe me? Why did you have to hurt her?" Jasper cried. "Her car's front was completely crushed! Don't you know she was terrified of pain, couldn't even handle a scratch?

"I shouldn't have fallen for your lies. You said you'd die from poison—I believed you. I was so stupid.

"Maisie, do you know what it feels like to lose the person you love most? You're about to find out."

I sobbed, insisting I didn't know the patient, swearing I hadn't lied. I begged him to spare my parents.

But Jasper didn't believe me.

He murdered my parents in front of me.

Their faces twisted in agony for three hours before they finally passed on. And during those three hours, they did nothing but comfort me.

"Maisie, don't cry… it doesn't hurt…"

How could it not hurt?

Their bones were protruding from their bodies.

I watched them take their final breaths, tears swelling until my eyes were raw and my voice hoarse.

Then Jasper forced pesticide down my throat.

He measured it carefully—not enough to kill instantly—but enough to prolong my suffering.

I curled up, wailing in despair for nearly ten hours before finally dying in unbearable agony.

Just thinking about that torment made my teeth ache with hatred.

I wanted nothing more than to kill Jasper on the spot and take my revenge.

But my body couldn't support it.

Over twenty minutes had passed since the pesticide was forced down my throat. My head spun, my stomach churned violently, my belly ached as if it were on fire, and my legs felt like rubber. I could barely stand.

Not only could I not attack Jasper, I had to suppress my fury and hatred and plead with him instead.

"I'm not pretending! I was forced to swallow half a bottle of pesticide! I feel really awful right now! Please, arrange gastric lavage!" I begged, my voice trembling with pain.

Jasper yanked me aside with a sneer.

"You're so good at acting, you shouldn't be a programmer; you should be an actress!"

"I'm not acting! Why would I lie about something like this?" I clenched my fists to hold back the rage boiling inside me.

"You know exactly why, Maisie. You were jealous because I was sending Ruby home. So you pretended that a patient with a grudge poisoned you, just to get me to come running… Honestly, at your age, you're acting more childish than an elementary schooler."

He looked at me with undisguised disgust.

My body trembled with anger, but I forced myself to speak, desperate to convince him to let the doctors help me.

From my throat to my stomach, it felt as if something was burning me alive.

I had already vomited everything on the way here. Now I gagged uncontrollably, and my legs shook violently.

I could no longer hold myself up and collapsed to the floor.

The on-duty doctor and nurse jumped, rushing over.

"Dr. Flint! The smell of pesticide on her is so strong. Perhaps she's actually been poisoned?"

The doctor helped me up, his face pale.

Jasper didn't even blink. He just mocked, "To make the acting convincing, she even poured pesticide on herself in advance. Maisie, you're something else!"

Hearing this, the staff recoiled in disgust and let go of me.

I clutched my stomach, a mixture of pain, anger, and—above all—fear surging through me.

If this kept up, I would die.

I struggled to sit up, abandoning any attempt to argue with Jasper. I had seen how ruthless he could be; I refused to let him kill me again.

I shakily reached for my phone, planning to call a taxi to another hospital.

But Jasper lunged, snatching my phone away.

"Trying to run off to another hospital to continue your performance? Haven't you embarrassed yourself enough? Maisie, stop wasting effort on acting. I won't believe you anymore. Tonight, I'll stay with Ruby—nowhere else. You, stay here and behave."

I stared at him, body trembling with hatred, and tried to reason.

"Jasper, I'm not acting! If you don't treat me, I will die!"

"Then die. If you do, I'll pay the compensation."

He was convinced I was lying and didn't take my words seriously. He only cared about Ruby, and I was irrelevant.

He told the staff to watch me and prevent me from going to another hospital, then left, taking my phone with him.

That bastard—he killed me once in my last life, and now he wanted to kill me again.

But I refused to die. I wanted to care for my parents, and I wanted Jasper to pay for what he had done.

I gritted my teeth and tried to stand, leaning on a chair, only to vomit acidic bile. Even breathing was a struggle.

The on-duty staff looked at me as if I were a clown.

"Not bad… she's really selling it."

"If she didn't act well, be cunning enough, could she have separated Dr. Flint from Dr. Gray and end up marrying him?"

"Poor Dr. Gray."

Before marrying Jasper, I hadn't even known he'd dated Ruby. How had I become the scheming third wheel in everyone's eyes?

I felt suffocated, but there was no time to dwell on that now.

I pressed on, leaning against the wall and attempting to walk.

I hadn't taken more than a few steps when a nurse caught up and gave me a harsh push.

"Homewrecker! Can you just chill with the acting? You…"

I had no strength left. One push sent me sprawling to the ground, unable to rise.

A patient and their family arrived.

"She's in this state, and your hospital won't treat her? How can you push her?"

"She's faking it!"

"Are you out of your mind? Could she fake this? Look, her lips are white, her forehead's drenched in sweat, even her pupils are dilating!"

Someone helped me up.

"Miss, what's wrong with you? You…"

I couldn't hear the rest. My insides ached as if they were twisting together, and I curled into a ball, suddenly vomiting fresh blood.

At first, people claimed I was faking. But I clutched my stomach, spewing blood in great gouts. It blocked my throat, choking me into coughing, splattering across my clothes.

Chaos erupted. I could faintly hear screams and frantic footsteps.

"Save her!"

"What are the doctors and nurses waiting for? Hurry!"

"She's bleeding so much… her pupils are dilated. She's going to die!"

A crowd gathered around and lifted me up.

I gasped for air, but it still felt like I was suffocating, just like in my past life.

My head throbbed as if it would explode, and the pain made me cry despite myself.

I had been given a second chance at life, yet I hadn't even been able to see my parents' faces. And now, it felt like I was about to die again.

Dazed and delirious, memories of the past flooded my mind.

Jasper and I had met through an arranged marriage. We found each other acceptable and got married.

I had never been in love before, but he was capable, handsome, and somehow, without me realizing, I had fallen for him.

After marriage, he was often busy with work and somewhat distant.

I didn't mind.

He had a sensitive stomach, so I researched nutrition and recipes, always squeezing in time to prepare his meals three times a day.

He said he was still young and didn't want children. I feared our families would blame him, so I shouldered the remarks myself.

He had obsessive tendencies and hated strangers entering the house. No matter how late I returned from work, I dragged my tired body to wash, iron, and tidy up the house for him.

By our fifth year of marriage, Jasper's attitude toward me had softened considerably, and he even mentioned wanting a child.

I thought I had finally melted his heart, and that our happiness would only grow from there.

But that same year, Ruby returned to work at the private hospital run by Jasper's family.

She added my contact, saying she was Jasper's ex-girlfriend. She claimed they had once been very close, but that it was all in the past. She'd urged me not to overthink it.

Yet she kept reaching out, recounting their shared history.

"Jasper's pretty good at peeling seafood, isn't he? When he first peeled for me, he'd always cut his fingers.

"I have a sensitive stomach, so I can't eat outside food. He even got a chef's certificate just for me. You have a husband who can cook—don't eat too much. Otherwise, at your age, and heavier than me, watch out he falls for me instead… Haha, just joking.

"Oh, do you get cramps during your period? I get terrible ones, and Jasper always massages me. He must have massaged you too, right?"

I had thought Jasper's coldness toward me was just his nature.

But after reading Ruby's messages, I realized he could go to such lengths for someone he truly loved.

I tried to tell myself it was all in the past.

Yet after Ruby appeared, when she was sick, he stayed by her side. When she traveled, he accompanied her. On her birthdays, he meticulously prepared gifts and celebrations.

I had never seen him show such care for anyone else.

I spent nights unable to sleep, plagued with suspicion, torn between wanting a divorce and being unable to let go.

I argued, fought, and tried to drag him back into our marriage.

But he grew increasingly resentful of me.

…

I jolted awake from a nightmare, realizing I had been rescued and admitted to the ICU.

Families of other patients came and went, but my parents were nowhere to be seen. They were out of town and didn't even know I was hospitalized.

As for Jasper, he was with Ruby. He didn't have time for me.

After surviving the critical first two days, I was moved to a regular ward. Only then did Jasper find time to see me.

I had nearly died, and yet he offered no concern—only blame.

"Out of jealousy, you actually drank pesticide. You're really reckless!"

Before, such words would have hurt me deeply. Now, I only found him infuriatingly unreasonable.

Through gritted teeth, I snapped, "I've told you more than once! It was your vengeful patient who poisoned me! Have you completely forgotten?"

Jasper glared with disgust.

"Even now, you're still lying! You've survived the danger, so get out of my hospital. People like you are bad luck!"

I wanted to hit him.

"Jasper, I suffered this much because of you. How can you treat me like this? Don't you have a conscience?"

"Keep making up stories!" He reached for me.

But before he could touch me, two police officers walked in.

"Dr. Flint, we just apprehended the criminal who tried to kill your wife. He admitted he was your patient, and due to a conflict with you, he targeted your wife, Maisie. Now, we need you and Maisie to cooperate with us in making a statement."

Jasper froze, stunned, his face a mask of shock as he looked at me.