On the day of my wedding, I waited on the stage for six long hours with the wedding ring in my hand.

The bride never came. Instead, I was greeted with the sight of my older sister's bloodied corpse.

To make things worse, my wife, Winona Graham, was the one who defended the murderer in the court.

I demanded answers from Winona like a madman, only to be locked up in an oven that was toggled to 200 degrees Fahrenheit by her.

"Are you done, Arthur? It's Annabelle's own fault that she died in the first place! This has nothing to do with Hudson at all! He has just started his life as a young adult, and I won't let you ruin his life!

"Just sit here and reflect on yourself! The moment you decide to sign the Letter of Understanding is the moment I'll get someone here to free you from the oven!"

After that, I was trapped in the oven for 12 hours, resulting in my death from getting burned alive.

When I open my eyes again, I've returned to the day Winona throws the Letter of Understanding in my face.

"Arthur, sign this. Your sister was responsible for her own death for sticking her nose where it didn't belong. Nobody else is to blame.

"Hudson just graduated, and his life is only getting started. Don't ruin his future because of your selfishness. At the press conference, you'll say it was an accident. Say your sister volunteered—"

The sharp crack of a slap cut Winona Graham off mid-sentence.

"Winona! Do you even have a conscience? You only survived all these years because Annabelle kept donating blood to you! Half the blood running through your veins now came from her!" I snapped.

Winona clutched her cheek and froze where she stood.

Before she could respond, Hudson Spencer suddenly rushed forward and planted himself in front of her. "Arthur, how could you hit Winnie? This was my fault alone. If you're angry, take it out on me. Don't lash out at her!"

He straightened his back like he was trying to put on a brave front, but his eyes kept flicking toward Winona. "Since I did it, I'm willing to take full responsibility. Winnie, you shouldn't have to suffer because of me."

The moment she saw that, Winona grabbed his arm and pulled him behind her, as if she were afraid I might lose control and hurt him.

Watching the two of them put on this pathetic act made my stomach churn.

I turned to leave, but Winona suddenly smashed the vase beside her and barked, "So what if she donated blood a couple of times? It wasn't that big of a deal. Stop bringing up ancient history and move on."

I stared at her in disbelief.

Several times in the past, when Winona had been on the brink of death and needed massive transfusions, my sister, Annabelle Langley, had risked her own life to save her.

My voice shook with fury. "So this is what you mean by moving on? Covering for a murderer? Annabelle was stabbed more than 20 times, and you're telling me she went willingly?"

I would never forget the look on the undertaker's face when I went to collect Annabelle's body. She said that after all her years on the job, she had never seen a body that had been mutilated so badly.

I tore the Letter of Understanding to shreds and flung the pieces right at Winona's face. "Forget about it. I will never settle, and I will make the murderer pay with his life!

"And you claim you'll take responsibility for this? Tell me how exactly you're planning to do that."

I let out a cold laugh as I walked toward Hudson. "My sister had 20 stab wounds on her body. How are you planning to answer for that?"

Hudson took a step back, obviously shaken by the look on my face, but even then, he still didn't forget to keep up the act. "If taking me to court will make you feel better, then go ahead. I just…"

He turned and looked at Winona, his gaze filled with tenderness. "I just can't stand seeing Winnie put in such a difficult position because of me."

"That's enough! Cut the act, Hudson. I'll make sure you pay for this."

With that, I turned to leave, but I had barely taken a step when Winona's cold voice came from behind me, "Arthur, if you're going to be this stubborn, then don't blame me for not showing you any mercy. All I have to do is say the word, and not a single lawyer in Norwell will dare take your case."

I clenched my teeth because even I hadn't expected her to be this cruel.

But since God had given me a second chance at life, I was going to clear Annabelle's name, no matter what it took.

After I walked out of the house, I started contacting lawyers, but just as Winona had said, every law firm in Norwell turned me down after hearing the details of the case.

I had already decided to take every cent I had and go to Jenver to hire the best lawyer I could find when Winona and Hudson showed up before me once more.

She had one arm around his waist, and her tone was smug. "So, Arthur, do you finally get it now? I told you to sign the Letter of Understanding, but you wouldn't listen. You had to blow this out of proportion.

"If you had just signed it, wouldn't this have been easier for everyone? In fact, we could've even paid for your sister to have a proper funeral and send her off with some dignity—"

"In your dreams!" I cut her off and stared at the two of them. "As long as I'm still breathing, I'm not letting this go!"

"Arthur Langley!"

Winona's voice chilled me to the bone. "You'd best consider your mom's situation. She's only alive because of that ventilator."

I stiffened at her words. "Winona, don't you dare touch her!"

She frowned as if she were reluctantly forced into this position. "I don't want to do this either, but you're forcing me to. I promised Hudson's sister I'd look after—"

"Shut up!" I cut her off before she could finish. "We've been married for eight years. Whether you're doing all this for Hudson out of gratitude or because you have some ulterior motive, you know the truth, and so do I."

I drew in a deep breath and finally said the words out loud, "Winona Graham, I want a divorce."

The moment I said that, tears welled up in my eyes.

When Winona and I first got married, everyone envied us, and I had honestly believed we would go on like that forever.

But everything changed three years ago, when her best friend, Layla Spencer, entrusted Hudson to her before she died.

At the time, Hudson was still in high school, but as he got older, the dynamic between them started to feel increasingly unsettling. Winona bought him gifts, put him to sleep, and even bought him underwear.

I bore witness to it all. It wasn't as if I had never fought with her over it, but every single time I brought it up, she would shut me down with the same excuses.

He was just a kid, and she had promised Layla she would take care of him.

Her endless indulgence only made Hudson bolder, and more than once, he openly provoked me right in front of her.

I had put up with it again and again, but this time, I was done.

Before Winona could react, I walked straight past her.

However, she suddenly grabbed my wrist. There was a flicker of panic in her eyes as she said, "Arthur, do you really have to take it this far? Fine. Let's both take a step back. I can guarantee your mom's safety, and in return, you sign the Letter of Understanding. How does that sound?"

I shook her hand off hard.

"Winona, I'm divorcing you, and I'm moving forward with this case. This isn't a discussion. I want both my mom's safety and Annabelle's innocence!"

After I said that, I turned and headed out without looking back.

A flicker of malice flashed across Winona's eyes. "You think you can just leave? It won't be that easy!"

She immediately thundered, "Lock him in the oven in the back kitchen! He will not come out until he's willing to sign."

It was just as I had expected. It was the same move she had used in my last life, but this time, I wasn't the helpless Arthur who she had right in the palm of her hand.

Two bodyguards shoved me into an oven heated to 200°F. The moment the door slammed shut, the heat wrapped around me in a thick, airless wave that was so stifling it felt hard to breathe.

Through the door, Winona's voice came through with a hint of iciness and satisfaction, "Arthur, stay in there and think it over. Decide whether you want to sign and come out safelye or stay in there until you dry out."

I didn't answer.

Instead, I held my breath, focused my mind, and waited until the footsteps outside had gone far enough away. Then, I dropped into a crouch and reached into the corner of the oven.

There was a steel plate there that looked welded in place, but in fact, I had already tampered with it. The screws on the inside had been removed ahead of time, and the surface had only been left looking intact.

After being reborn, I used what I remembered from my previous life and spent a large amount of money to bribe a maid who had once been mistreated by the Grahams. Working together from the inside and outside, we created this escape route in advance.

I pushed hard, and the steel plate slid inward, revealing a narrow opening. Without any hesitation, I crawled through it and slipped out in silence.

After leaving the Graham residence, I went straight to the hospital. On the way there, I scrolled through my phone and saw that the trending news was full of slanderous accusations against Annabelle.

In the carefully edited videos, the attackers had been censored so their faces couldn't be seen, while Annabelle's face was left clear.

The comments section was vile.

"There's video proof, so I guess this lady is pretty promiscuous."

"I heard this wasn't even the first time. She had it coming."

"What a slut!"

Meanwhile, Hudson and his accomplices had completely vanished from the narrative.

I was shaking so hard with anger that I could barely breathe.

A year ago, Winona got into a car accident and lost a huge amount of blood. At the time, the only two people whose blood matched hers were Annabelle and Hudson.

Hudson claimed he couldn't handle the sight of blood and ran, while Annabelle stepped up without hesitation. Because she lost too much blood saving Winona, she spent a full year in the hospital and was still malnourished on the day she passed away.

Even after all of that, Winona was willing to go this far for Hudson.

I clenched my fists so tightly that my nails cut into my palms and drew blood.

When I walked into the hospital room, Mom was lying weakly in bed with tears streaming down her face as she listened to the baseless accusations against Annabelle that were being televised.

The moment she saw me, her lips trembled, and she forced the words out with all the strength she had left, "Artie, find the contact…"

Before I even had time to think about what she meant, Winona's voice echoed from behind me, "Honey, I didn't think you'd actually make it out. So, have you made up your mind?"

I spun around and saw her leading a group of people straight into the room.

"What are you doing?" I immediately went on guard.

Winona wrapped an arm around my shoulders with feigned gentleness and said, "Relax. I just want to move Mom to a better room."

But when I saw those people manhandling Mom, I couldn't hold back anymore. I tore myself out of her arms and shouted, "Stop! Don't touch her!"

In the middle of the struggle, I was knocked to the ground.

"Arthur!"

Winona was about to help me up, but Hudson stepped in and stopped her. "Winona, let me."

He crouched down as if he were going to help me, but instead, he drove his foot into my waist.

A sharp pain hit me instantly, and that was when I suddenly remembered that just one month earlier, I had donated one of my kidneys to Winona.

The wound hadn't fully healed yet, and because I had been running around dealing with Annabelle's case ever since my rebirth, I had completely forgotten about it.

Hudson hauled me back up by force, while Winona stood there watching with icy indifference.

"I'll take care of Mom," she said. "But until you sign the Letter of Understanding, don't expect to see her again."

I endured the pain. "Winona, if you dare hurt her, I won't let you off even in death!"

She reached out and brushed my forehead, her voice soft in a way that made my skin crawl. "There's a press conference scheduled for tomorrow. Sign the Letter of Understanding in front of everyone and withdraw the lawsuit, okay?"

"In your dreams!" I shouted at the top of my lungs.

All of a sudden, Hudson cried out and fell to the floor. "Arthur, why did you push me?"

Winona immediately rushed to shield him, and I was knocked down again. The pain in my waist felt like something had torn open.

Warm liquid quickly spread through my clothes, soaking the fabric red. The pain washed over me so violently that my voice was weak as I pleaded, "Winona… My wound… It split open…"

She noticed the blood at my waist and frowned. "What's going on with you?"

Hudson immediately grabbed her arm and said in a snide, mocking tone, "Arthur's a grown man, so how is he this messy? He probably rubbed against someone's wound at the hospital."

Cold sweat beaded my forehead as I forced myself to speak, "Winona, I—"

But before I could finish, Hudson suddenly held his forehead and leaned against her, cutting me off. "Winona, my head hurts so bad."

Winona immediately held him up and asked anxiously, "Is it flaring up again?"

Hudson nodded weakly. By then, I was already in too much pain to get another word out.

Winona shot me a cold glance. "Arthur, cut the act. Hudson isn't feeling well, and I need to take care of him."

I watched them leave together, and in the end, I blacked out from blood loss.

…

When I woke up again, the nurse told me I had almost died.

Back when I donated my kidney to Winona, I had done it anonymously. Afraid she would find out, I never properly rested and forced myself to handle the tedious wedding preparations. That meant the wound never really healed.

I remembered what Mom had said yesterday, and I forced myself to grab my phone.

There was a number in my contacts without a name attached to it. Mom had saved it before she was hospitalized.

My hand shook as I dialed the number. It rang for a long time before someone finally picked up.

"Hello, this is Arthur Langley."

The voice on the other end was laced with impatience. "Mr. Sutton is busy. Quit bothering him!"

The line went dead, and my heart sank.

Just then, a group of bodyguards stormed into the hospital room and yanked me straight out of the bed.

The needle in the back of my hand was ripped out, and blood immediately started pouring out. The nurse rushed over and tried to stop them.

"Stop! He's extremely weak right now!"

The bodyguards ignored her. "Ms. Graham gave the order. He has to be brought to the press conference today."

Just when I thought despair was about to swallow me whole, a low, commanding voice came from the doorway, "Don't you dare lay a hand on him."