When Dylan Sullivan took a new type of hallucinogen, I was forced to give myself to him to curb the effects.

Innately fertile, I got pregnant, giving birth to fraternal twins—a boy and a girl—after marrying him.

However, Dylan refused to let them call him daddy, drinking away the nights while staring at the picture of his one true love.

Then, on our tenth anniversary, he locked us up in the basement and burnt us to death.

As it turns out, he remained hung up on that moment when I saved him all this time, stubbornly convinced I intervened when he was vulnerable to satisfy my ambitions.

That in turn drove a rift between himself and his one true love, whose heartbreak led to psychosis and the accident that killed her.

But I somehow opened my eyes to find myself alive, returning to the day Dylan took the hallucinogen by mistake.

This time, I let his one true love have him, while I headed towards the study…

"Hurry, Dr. Jones! Mr. Dylan is getting worse!"

My body shuddered uncontrollably as the butler Levi's voice boomed in my ears, as the agony of being consumed in a blaze still lingers on every inch of my skin.

Even now, I could still hear my twins' screams of despair echoing in that basement.

On top of that, I was caught by surprise. "Dr. Jones…?"

No one addressed me as that ever since I married Dylan Sullivan.

That was when Levi sighed. "It's supposed to be his birthday. Heaven knows how this happened…"

I stopped in my tracks.

So I had been reborn.

Taking a deep breath, I turned toward Levi and said, "Get Lily Bright."

That left Levi stunned. "But, doc—"

"Get Lily Bright!" I repeated bluntly. "Or Dylan might die."

I then watched as Levi hurried away, clutching my chest as my heart pounded.

In my past life, the instant I opened that door, Dylan would leap on top of me like a raging beast, pinning me down.

Levi had been right outside, but completely ignored my cries.

Later on, I got pregnant and married Dylan.

While I believed it was the beginning of a blissful life for me, it turned out to be the continuation of a nightmare instead.

Dylan hated me for 'taking advantage' of him, for taking away his one true love.

That was why he neglected and humiliated me, forbidding our children from calling him daddy.

Then, on our tenth wedding anniversary, he locked up me and the twins in the basement and set fire to the house.

"Mommy!" The twins' cries amidst the inferno broke my heart.

Hence, at the present, I fought back my swelling hatred and lowered my collar, turning in the direction of the study.

If I remembered correctly, John Sullivan—Dylan's father—had been drugged as well.

The Sullivans always had problems producing heirs, and as the only son, Dylan's place was secure even though he was conceived through IVF.

But what if he wasn't John's only child?

As I opened the door of the study, I found John sitting limply on the armchair made of genuine leather, his face flushed and his necktie dangling loosely from his collar.

His eyes lit up like he found salvation when he saw me, and he pulled me over to him…

-

The next morning, my clothes were in tatters as I left the study, and ran headlong into Lily Bright as she left Dylan's room, whose face was bright as a button.

She paused when she saw me, and soon grinned in contempt, "What's the hurry, Dr. Jones? Perhaps your conscience hurts? I guess it is a little too much, seducing a geezer for the sake of wealth and status."

I shot her a cool look. "Funny, since I could say the same about you."

Lily's face fell, but she soon snorted. "Now, now—you're wrong there, doc. I'm not the same as you.

"You see, I am going to be Dylan's official wife… while you? You're just going to be paid some money and told to leave."

I had to lower my eyes to hide my worry.

She was right—in my last life, it had been a maid who entered John's study, and she was paid off before being told to leave.

However, one thing separated me from that maid—I was very fertile, which was the reason why I was arranged to marry Dylan in one swift stroke.

Looking pointedly at Lily's maid uniform, I shrugged. "Just watch your back, Ms. Bright."

That was when Dylan stepped out of his room, putting his arm around Lily's shoulders as he asked tenderly, "Are you alright? Why don't you rest a little more?"

Lily lowered her head shyly. "I still have work to do. I can't goof off for too long."

Then, she looked up at me pointedly, "I'm not Dr. Jones, after all. She gets too much free time."

Dylan snorted coolly. "She's just the family doctor. Be a good girl now—didn't I tell you that I'd be taking responsibility?"

His eyes were cold as he turned toward me. "I guess you know your place, telling Levi to get Lily instead. Even then, quit coveting what you'd never have."

"Yeah," I replied very quietly, as his words sliced through my heart like a blade.

So he always knew that I loved him.

In my past life, I had fallen for him because he vouched for me, which led to the Sullivans sponsoring me in med school.

Years later, I offered my services to the Sullivans as their family doctor so that I could be close to Dylan.

And before we married, I asked him if he was willing.

His answer then was, "Anyone will do. Don't worry about anything and just be Mrs. Sullivan."

However, he turned against me as soon as he claimed his place as the next head of the family.

In the end, he was no more than a liar and a hypocrite.

But in this life, I didn't mind seeing what would become of Lily and Dylan without my involvement.

Just as I turned to leave, Dylan suddenly grabbed my wrist so forcefully I winced in pain.

However, his eyes were fixed on the red mark that was left glaringly obvious on my skin, near the collar.

"What's this?!" He demanded, his voice cold as ice. "Where did you get it!"

My body was already sore all over, and it felt like I would fall into pieces with the way he pulled me.

Still, I fought against the pain and glared at him coolly, "That isn't any of your business, is it—Mr. Dylan?"

Dylan's face turned ashen with an emotion I didn't quite understand.

Still, his eyes soon narrowed in disdain as he scoffed. "Who was it? One of the servants? Guess that's all you can amount to."

"Help…" Lily suddenly gasped softly from behind before I could retort.

Dylan promptly released me and hurried to her, even as she leaned meekly and helplessly against the wall. "My legs… They hurt so much…"

Dylan scooped her up in his arms, while she quickly wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her cheek against his chest.

However, her eyes were fixed on me with a provoking leer.

In the past, Lily had been obsessed with rising to the top, constantly bewitching Dylan with her delicate maiden act.

When I was about to marry Dylan, she started hooking up with other rich kids, intent on provoking Dylan.

She ended up developing a habit instead, and she was delirious with drugs when she rushed into the middle of a busy highway and got herself killed.

But ironically, Dylan thought she had been loyally obsessed with him…

I gently stroked my belly just then, feeling a burning sensation—one more violent than when I was pregnant in my last life.

My lips curled up in an icy smile—Dylan would be welcoming a few brothers soon, it seemed.

-

Meanwhile, John headed abroad on a business trip soon after he woke up, only sending me a text before he left: [Wait for my return. Don't worry—I will take responsibility.]

I didn't put much thought into it—even if taking responsibility meant giving me money, he would definitely marry me once my pregnancy test came back.

However, I just didn't expect the wait would be such torture.

Every servant seemed to have seen the moment I left John's study with my clothes unkempt.

They all presumed I would get together with Dylan, only for him to announce Lily as his fiancee the next day, even telling the servants to give her special treatment.

As such, they were left gossiping among each other.

"Then who did Dr. Jones hook up with?"

"Who else could it be? Must be some man she just met. She really messed up big time now, since the family forbids the servants hooking up without approval."

"You think? She always looked so prim and proper, but turns out to be so thirsty."

Levi had seen me enter the study, but kept quiet without John's instructions.

And as the gossip spread, Dylan was visibly in a bad mood.

Still, the servants were keen to get on Lily's good graces by harassing me endlessly.

My laundry would end up in the dirt for no reason, caked with muddy footprints.

Even my usual drinks were filled with filth that would leave anyone retching.

"Oh, Dr. Jones. Your laundry was dropped again," Lily said with feigned sympathy, twirling her thermos cup. "Those servants are really unruly."

I glared coolly as she smiled smugly at me, picking up my laundry and left silent.

Meanwhile, the rumors continued to spread, with people now claiming that I had been unruly since I was first brought into the Sullivan household.

There were also those who called me a maneater, even spicing up the color of my underwear that I put on at work with vivid details.

"I heard Dr. Jones was having a tryst with the gardener yesterday…"

"You don't say! I saw with my own eyes—she appeared from some corner of the garden, and her clothes were all wrinkled!"

I gritted my teeth as I endured the humiliation—the rumors were merely meant to make me leave.

Still, as I was going to look for Levi and ask him to defend me, I turned into a hallway and ran headlong into Dylan.

He grabbed my wrist and pulled me into the nearby study, leering at me in cool disdain as he demanded, "You really love to seduce men, don't you?"

I struggled, trying to free myself from his grip, but he was frighteningly strong.

As such, I simply smiled coolly as I shot back, "Mr. Dylan, forget believing the rumors—you're trying to force yourself on me now?"

His grip tightened. "You're a tramp! How dare you talk to me like that?!"

However, I simply held his gaze in silence.

After a while, he finally got to the point, "I know you love me. So as long as you behave, I'll let you be my mistress."

"I refuse," I replied right then.

Smack!

He slapped me across the face, bellowing at the same time, "How is he better than me?! You're really testing my patience here! Just stop seeing him already!"

I was caught off guard, and my lips bled.

Dylan's gaze lingered on my face, and he appeared pained for once.

Even his tone softened, "Quit throwing a tantrum. Other than becoming my official wife, you will get everything Lily gets."

I laughed coolly. "Like I said, I refuse."