I had just taken out my phone when Jeremiah snatched it from my hand and smashed it against the wall. A sharp crack echoed through the air as the phone shattered into pieces.

"Is this mess not big enough already? If money can solve it, why call the police? Your family's the one that died. I'll pay for a proper funeral, and I'll cover the neighbors' compensation, too. Think of it as cleaning up after you."

I stared at him.

When his dog died, he had mourned for days. Now, he was talking about three human lives as if they were nothing.

"Jeremiah, three people lost their lives today. Do you think money can make that go away?"

Faced with my interrogation, he looked uneasy for a moment.

"N-No, that's not what I meant."

Kylie tugged at him. "He's already offering to cover the compensation for you. What else do you expect him to do?"

When I didn't answer, her eyes instantly reddened. "Do you really want me to go to prison?"

The moment those words left her mouth, the guilt on Jeremiah's face vanished, his expression hardening.

"Olivia, how can you be so vicious? Even if Kylie goes to jail, your family won't come back. The yard's security cameras were broken anyway. Just say you forgot to turn off the gas before leaving. Even if you're sentenced, I'll pay to get you out early. We can still get married afterward."

It was always like this.

No matter what happened, one word from Kylie and he was ready to throw me under the bus.

Last year, we had planned a camping trip. She sent him a message saying her coworkers were isolating her, and he left me stranded in the wilderness so he could take her shopping to cheer her up.

And one time, he promised to pick me up at the airport, but Kylie sprained her ankle, so he stayed overnight at the hospital with her while I walked three hours into the city because I couldn't get a ride.

The only reason I kept forgiving him was that during our senior year field trip, he had saved my life.

A falling tree trunk would've crushed me if he hadn't pushed me out of the way, breaking his leg in the process. That injury still hadn't fully healed.

Everything I had endured in these two lifetimes, I would consider repayment for that debt. From now on, we were even.

"Since you're not getting engaged tomorrow, I'll head home with Jeremiah," Kylie said sweetly, clinging to him and acting as if the charred bodies nearby had nothing to do with her.

Overwhelmed with grief and fury, I rushed forward and grabbed her arm, dragging her to the bodies.

"When gas levels spike, alarms go off. How could they not have heard it? Did you tamper with something so they'd die in there?"

I forced her down in front of the bodies and pressed her head toward the ground.

Someone had lost their life because of her actions. How could she walk away unscathed?

Kylie struggled and burst into tears.

"If you hadn't insisted on marrying Jeremiah, none of this would've happened! Why are you blaming me? They're dead, and they'd probably resent having a daughter like you!"

Seeing her in this state, Jeremiah finally lost his patience. He shoved me away and pulled her into his arms.

"Olivia, are you done? I actually felt sorry for you losing your family, but now I think you brought this on yourself. They're already dead. What's the point of making a scene? Do you have to see Kylie in pain before you're satisfied?"

That shove sent me crashing onto the concrete. My wrist twisted painfully, and the pain rendered me speechless.

Jeremiah stood there, panting, as he continued to berate me, "Your parents never wanted you to marry me. Now that they're gone, no one's making things difficult for me anymore. You keep saying you love me. Do you really want to see me kept under your dad's thumb for the rest of my life?

"And your sister spent money as it grew on trees. Now that she's gone, that's one less financial burden for you."

I sat there clutching my injured wrist, while my heart felt as though it were splintering.

This was the man I once loved, the one who promised to protect me for the rest of my life, yet he had secretly wished for my family to die.

I forced myself to stand.

"So that was your plan all along."

Seeing the resolve on my face, Jeremiah turned away and avoided my gaze.

"Jeremiah, I was wrong about you. I accept all the suffering I endured, but I won't marry you. It was a serious accident. Even if you try to stop me from investigating, do you think no one else will look into it?"

He panicked and opened his mouth to speak, but a voice cut him off, "Arland Police Department. Where are the bodies?"

Kylie's face drained of color, and she instinctively hid behind Jeremiah, not daring to say a word.

The scene had finally settled down, and the neighbors had gone back to their homes.

I quickly strode toward the officers and explained everything.

"Officer, I'm the homeowner. Kylie was cooking in my house and didn't turn off the gas, which led to the explosion. I also suspect the victims were drugged before going to bed. Otherwise, there's no way they wouldn't have heard the gas alarm."

In my previous life, sleeping pills had been found in Mom's stomach. If history were repeating itself, then it should be the same this time.

The problem was that I still didn't know who the victims were, so no family member could formally request an autopsy.

"Olivia, enough with the slander," Jeremiah snapped. "Your house exploded. If someone drugged them, it must've been you!"

I had already expected him to pin the blame on me, but hearing it still made me tremble with anger.

"Jeremiah, you're a disgrace. I can't believe I ever liked you."

He tried to speak again, but I didn't give him the chance. Instead, I lowered my voice and said to the officer, "I don't even know who these people are or why they were in my house. Please investigate as soon as possible."

The officer's expression grew serious. He clearly understood this was no ordinary accident.

"Don't worry. We'll get to the bottom of this and seek justice for the victims."

Everyone who had witnessed anything was taken to the police station to give their statements.

By the time it was over, it was already dawn.

While no one was paying attention, I secretly sent my best friend, Luciana Hawthorne, a message.

"Luciana, check the security cameras at my house. Even if the explosion damaged the hardware, the footage should've been uploaded to the cloud. No matter how much it costs, recover everything."

After that, the police asked us to identify the bodies.

I forced myself to step forward despite the smell. One by one, I looked at the unrecognizable faces, and a wave of sorrow washed over me.

In my previous life, my family had lain the same way, on cold metal slabs.

Just as I noticed that one of the thinner bodies still had a watch on its wrist, Jeremiah walked in with Kylie wrapped in his arms.

The two of them looked at me as though I were a stranger.

Kylie spoke first.

"I never realized you were this heartless. Your whole family's dead, and you're still as cool as a cucumber. But with Jeremiah here, you're definitely going down this time."

A bad feeling rose in my chest.

After all, in my previous life, they had destroyed every piece of evidence and even had me locked away in a psychiatric hospital.

I stepped forward and slapped her across the face. "You killed someone. Aren't you afraid you'll pay for it someday?"

I tried to strike her again, but Jeremiah pulled her behind him and, without hesitation, slapped me back.

"You vicious bitch! Will you only be satisfied if you drag Kylie down with you? If anyone's paying for this, it's you!"

I cupped my cheek, my heart clenching.

In his mind, even if Kylie had killed my entire family, I had no right to seek revenge because she was his precious childhood sweetheart.

So, that was it.

All of Kylie's provocations had never been random. They had been part of his way of keeping me in line.

My chest felt heavy and stuffed, making it hard to breathe.

"You're awfully protective of Kylie. Do you even realize that these victims might be—"

"Enough!" Jeremiah cut me off, his gaze icy as he glanced at me. "Go say goodbye to your family. Don't say I didn't give you the chance."

With that, he wrapped his arm around Kylie and left.

It wasn't until I left the morgue that I finally understood why Kylie had looked so smug earlier.

Before the investigation had even progressed, the incident had already spiraled out of control online.

An account claiming to be Luciana had posted anonymously.

"Olivia Shaw has been cheating on her fiance with multiple men behind his back. Since they weren't married yet, she held a wild, improper party in the new house last night while having a barbecue. When she left, she forgot to turn off the gas, and that's what caused the explosion."

Jeremiah came forward to verify the claim.

"I'm her fiance who's been repeatedly cheated on. I'll take responsibility for all the losses incurred. Please stop attacking my fiancée, Olivia Shaw."

My chest tightened in anger. For Kylie's sake, Jeremiah was willing to admit to anything.

They even generated AI footage of me drinking with a group of men, the floor scattered with adult toys, the scene designed to be just scandalous enough to ignite outrage.

"What the hell? Is this what they do these days? Women with money really do whatever they want."

"She had such a reliable fiance and still fooled around with other men. Then she blows up the house and kills her own family. Nothing she does will be able to make up for that."

"I feel bad for the fiance. What a piece of trash she is. She doesn't deserve a man like him!"

Jeremiah called me, and I could hear the satisfaction in his tone.

"Olivia, the Internet thinks you're a piece of trash. The fact that I'm still willing to marry you is a favor. If you know what's good for you, stop making a scene. As long as you get along with Kylie, I can pretend none of this happened."

I shouted into the phone, "Go to hell!"

Then, I hung up and blocked him.

Soon after, the funeral home called to inform me that my fiance had signed off on cremating the bodies. I rushed there and stopped them before they could proceed.

"What do you think you're doing? The investigation is still ongoing. Who gave you the authority to cremate them?"

Jeremiah casually tossed a document at my feet.

"Authority? I'm your husband. You caused the explosion while fooling around with other men, and now, you're mentally unstable. As your legal spouse, I’m responsible for making decisions on your behalf."

Crap.

Just like in my previous life, he was trying to have me declared mentally ill and sent to a psychiatric hospital.

We had registered our marriage before the engagement. If he could prove I was unstable, he would have complete legal control over everything in my name.

"You're willing to fabricate a psychiatric diagnosis and label me as a cheater just to protect Kylie. If you love her so much, why marry me in the first place?"

He stiffened for a split second before anger overtook him.

"Kylie's like a sister to me. You're the one with a filthy mind, twisting everything. I'm giving you one last chance. Stop making a scene. Once this blows over, I'll marry you."

I tore the letter of understanding in half.

"You frame me and then pretend you're being generous. Do you ever hear yourself?"

Kylie immediately put on a tearful expression.

"Olivia, I know you're overwhelmed with guilt and mentally unstable, but Jeremiah's doing this for your own good."

When Jeremiah saw that I wouldn't budge, he waved his hand. A group of men in white coats came over and started dragging me toward the exit.

Panic surged through me.

Memories of the psychiatric hospital from my previous life flooded back, and my skin prickled as I struggled against them with everything I had.

"Jeremiah, those bodies belong to—"

A large hand clamped over my mouth before I could finish.

"Keep your voice down. This is a public space."

I clawed at the doorframe, watching helplessly as the bodies were wheeled toward the cremation chamber. Alas, my strength was no match for several grown men, and despair nearly swallowed me whole.

Just then, several voices rang out, stunning everyone.

"Let go of her! Don't you dare touch my sister!"

"Let go of my daughter. Which one of you fools spread the rumors about our deaths?"

"Sweetheart, are you okay? I'm sorry I was late."

Dad punched the man covering my mouth so hard that he stumbled backward. My sister, Aurelia Shaw, stepped in front of me protectively, while Mom checked my arms and face for injuries.

The men retreated immediately, afraid of making the situation worse.

Kylie collapsed onto the floor in shock, and Jeremiah stared at my family as though he had seen ghosts.

"How are you—"

At that exact moment, my phone buzzed. Luciana had restored the surveillance footage.

"I know who the victims are."