At that moment, panic finally flickered across my mother-in-law’s face.

“Find a way out already! What are you doing just lying there?"

With no tools, I was left to claw through the hard gravel by hand, feeling the sting as my fingers began to bleed.

My mother-in-law remained behind me, unmoving, which made me glance at her instinctively. I caught a glimpse of something unsettling in her cold, indifferent gaze.

There was a flicker of intent that made my heart drop. It hit me then. She did not want me to make it out alive.

In my past life, I had called Owen, urging him to come back to help us, but he sounded so reluctant.

He said he was on leave and promised to spend the day with his first love, Bianca Morgan, suggesting that I just call 911 instead.

But 911 was busy and with my battery dying, Owen reluctantly agreed to come.

When he led the team to dig us out, he reached my mother-in-law first. I had extended my hand toward her, expecting her to pull me up.

My mother-in-law first held my hand, but then, she had met my gaze with an icy glare, screaming as she deliberately let go. Luckily, I had grabbed onto a steel bar nearby, barely saving myself.

Afterward, when I confronted her, she denied any intention of harm.

However, the consequences were severe. Rescuing us had kept Owen from Bianca, who ultimately turned on the gas at home, ending her life in a tragic fire.

Owen went to the cemetery to bury Bianca in person and his mother-in-law looked calm.

Owen buried her himself, his expression vacant but calm. But then, as Bianca's ashes were lowered into the grave, he suddenly pulled out a container of gasoline, approaching me with a twisted grin.

Sensing something was terribly wrong, I backed away, staring at him in horror.

“What are you trying to do?”

“What do I want to do? I want you to feel the fire for yourself! Hahaha!”

Owen's demeanor twisted into something dark and unhinged. He seized the oil barrel, pouring gasoline over me with manic intensity.

“No! No! Somebody help!”

“Go ahead and scream! I picked this hour at dawn on purpose, so no one's around to hear you now!"

Gasoline soaked through every inch of my body as I scrambled to escape desperately, only to be knocked down by my mother-in-law, who coldly stretched out her leg, blocking my way.

Her glare was chilling as she spat, "You bitch! How dare you kill my beloved future daughter-in-law, Bianca? You deserve this fate!”

At this moment, I realized that my mother-in-law, who had always disapproved of me, had secretly wanted Bianca Morgan as her daughter-in-law all along.

But it was too late to resist. Owen pulled out a lighter, its flame igniting with a loud snap and, with a dark smile, he flung it straight at me, my body soaked in gasoline.

In an instant, I was consumed by flames, the blaze erupting around me with a fierce roar.

The fire hungrily devoured my clothes and hair, reaching my skin with blistering heat.

The agony was excruciating, as though my entire being were being torn apart. I collapsed to the ground before Bianca's tombstone. My screams were filled with despair and suffering.

Owen watched from a distance, his face twisted into a sinister grin.

“Do you have any idea how much Bianca suffered? Now you'll understand what it feels like to burn alive!”

"No, Owen, please! I swear, I never knew Bianca would take her own life. Please, help me! I don’t want to die!”

The flames clawed deeper into my skin and the unbearable heat seeped into my bones and organs.

I could feel myself slipping, my body being consumed bit by bit, the horror as painful as it was unimaginable.

“You don’t want to die? Bianca didn't want to die either. It was you who killed her!"

"Bianca must be so lonely since she died alone. So now, it's only fair that you join her in death!"

He watched without a hint of mercy as the flames devoured me inch by inch and then, with a ruthless shove, kicked me directly into Bianca's grave.

While I was still clinging to consciousness, Owen and my mother-in-law began to cover me with dirt, burying me alive in the grave.

The agony of my previous life haunted me vividly. Gritting my teeth, I glared up at my mother-in-law. In this life, I vowed I would not make the same mistakes again!

***

I halted my frantic digging, letting my bleeding hands fall still as I cast an icy gaze at my mother-in-law.

"My hand's bleeding, so I can't dig anymore. If you don’t help, we're both going to die here."

As if on cue, a thunderous crash echoed above us as the building shifted and collapsed further. My mother-in-law let out a terrified scream and dropped down beside me, starting to dig desperately.

I lost track of time as we clawed through the debris, our hands raw and dripping with blood, yet we could not see any hope.

Just as despair threatened to overtake me, I felt something sharp buried in the gravel. It was a pair of high heels I had thrown away in the basement long ago.

My mother-in-law and I dug relentlessly into the hard soil with sharp, high heels, pushing through exhaustion until, finally, a glimmer of light broke through.

My mother-in-law gasped, her face lighting up with relief and she began to shout frantically through the narrow opening.

“Help! Help! There are people alive in here!"

Hearing voices shouting and footsteps rushing from outside, a wave of relief washed over me. I was finally saved!

The rescuers worked fast, digging with their tools until a gap appeared, just large enough for one person to get out. Soon, a hand reached into the narrow opening.

"Hey! Grab my hand and come out, quick! The building above is about to collapse!"

Memories of my previous life surfaced, especially when I had selflessly let my mother-in-law go first, only for her to let me fall. This time, I would not let history repeat itself.

As my mother-in-law pushed me aside, reaching her hand forward just as before, I gritted my teeth and nudged her back.

Right after that, I grasped the rescuer's hand and focused all my strength on cooperating to pull myself up and out.

Just as my upper body emerged from the hole, a sharp pull from below dragged me back. My mother-in-law was clutching my ankle with a deathly grip.

Her voice was chilling, as if from the depths of hell.

"You think you can get rid of me? Not that easily!”

The rescuers immediately felt the pressure and shouted loudly into the cave.

Feeling the strain, the rescuers called urgently into the opening. "Ma'am, let go of her! We'll pull her up and come back for you immediately. Holding on like this puts both of your lives at risk!"

No matter what the rescuers said to us, my mother-in-law kept holding on, refusing to release her grip.

In the end, they had no choice but to call for more help. With three rescuers working together, they managed to pull us both out at the same time.

As I emerged from the hole, my ankle throbbed with pain, swollen from my mother-in-law’s tight, furious grasp. This showed how resentful she was toward me.

But on what grounds, though? In my previous life, I had lifted her up first, only for her to let me fall.

My clenched teeth and glare conveyed the bitterness I felt in my heart. Yet, even in this life, I had not kicked her down just like she had done to me. That mercy was my final grace.

Just as I prepared to pull myself up, another catastrophe struck and there was another loud bang.

And then, a deep rumble echoed as the half-collapsed wall of the second floor tilted dangerously, slamming down toward us!

A wave of despair washed over me. This time, it seemed I would not burn in flames but be crushed to death instead.

The last thing I heard was the frantic shouts around us as the wall crashed down with a thunderous roar.

As the smoke and dust settled, I coughed uncontrollably, forcing myself to crawl out of the debris, my mind reeling with shock and disbelief.

I was not dead yet!

Suddenly, I remembered my mother-in-law. I turned back, only to find her lying under the collapsed outer wall with her body bruised and bloodied.

She was completely crushed, her bones shattered beneath the weight, leaving her a mere remnant of herself.

The only thing still intact was her head, covered in blood. Her eyes locked onto mine, filled with a dark, lingering malice.

"You... you killed me… even as a ghost, I won't let you go…"

In her final moments, my mother-in-law’s eyes still held a sharp glint of hatred. Even on the verge of death, she was determined to cast blame upon me.

I shouted at the top of my lungs, "This was an accident! Don't pin this on me!"

Just then, Owen rushed over from outside, breathing heavily.

"Mom! Mom, I'm here! Are you all right?"

Upon seeing the horrific sight of his mother with only her head still intact, he rushed toward her as tears streamed down his face. "I'm sorry, Mom… I didn't know the earthquake here was so bad…"

"Mrs. Miller, are you all right? Don't worry, we're here to help!"

Bianca also ran over, panting, but my mother-in-law looked at me with vicious eyes.

"Yes, Bianca... you must... take revenge for me..."

With a tilt of her head, my mother-in-law finally lost her breath. Her last vicious and cold eyes still stayed on me.

Even as she died, her sole aim was to drive a wedge between Owen and me, to push him to abandon me and marry Bianca Morgan.

But I could not understand what I had done to deserve her hatred. I had been a loyal wife and dutiful daughter-in-law for five years, always respectful and caring.

I thought Owen would confront me furiously, accusing me of killing his mother, maybe even acting on impulse to harm me. But he didn't. Instead, he just looked at me with a chilling calm and spoke quietly.

"Prepare the funeral arrangements for Mom."

His eyes were unsettlingly calm and that made me even more afraid. Meanwhile, Bianca came over, gently touching my shoulder with a voice that equally composed.

"Lily, please forgive me."

In the days that followed, Owen went about arranging his mother's funeral in silence. His face betrayed no sadness, no anger, just a surprising calm.

However, the memory of the tragedy in my past life kept me on edge, constantly vigilant as I observed him.

Bianca, too, joined in, helping Owen with every detail, seeming even more like a wife than I was.

The day soon came for her burial. As in my previous life, when Bianca died, Owen chose not to hold any formal ceremony or funeral.

Only the three of us, Owen, Bianca and I. Together, we carried my mother-in-law's ashes to the cemetery.

Everything mirrored my past life, except this time, it was my mother-in-law who had died, not Bianca.

Right after we arrived, I immediately checked every corner of the car, ensuring no gasoline cans were hidden away.

Additionally, I insisted that Owen change the burial time to the usual ten in the morning.

The cemetery was busier and had a lot of people at that time. I refused to believe he could burn me alive again in broad daylight with so many witnesses around.

This time, I was prepared. I was determined not to repeat the nightmare of my previous life.

As Owen and I placed my mother-in-law's ashes in the grave, he retrieved two shovels from the trunk, planting one beside him and handing the other to me without a word.

However, as I reached out for the shovel, I saw a glint of pure malice flash in Owen's eyes. His gaze hardened, blood-red and intent and he hissed at me through gritted teeth.

"Do you really think I'll let you live after killing my mother?

"Lily, go to hell! You're going to be buried right next to my mother!"

In one swift, brutal motion, Owen swung the shovel right at my head.