"Oh my god, someone has jumped into the river!"

"Hurry, help! Call the police!!"

The chaotic voices around me made everything feel surreal.

I looked down to see that I was standing in the water which had reached my knees.

Wait, didn't I drown? How was I back here again?

I couldn't believe I'd been given a second chance at life!

I stared coldly at the figure drifting toward the center of the river.

Dylan Lovell, this time, I won't save you. You can also forget about getting a single cent from me!

I loosened my grip, and the wooden stick I was holding floated downstream.

Pretending to panic, I shouted, "Help! Somebody help! I can't swim! Please, someone save my husband!"

Dylan was struggling in the water, but somehow, he managed to keep his chest above the surface the whole time.

Did he look like someone who was drowning?

On the shore, my in-laws were also calling for help as they urged me to get out of the water.

However, their expressions were calm—far too calm.

That was when it all clicked—I had been so foolish in my past life!

They weren't worried about my safety. They just didn't want me to ruin Dylan's fake death plan.

They knew everything!

I had been so proud of myself for saving my husband's life, only to have that scumbag run off with his first love to start a new life abroad.

A few brave bystanders soon pulled Dylan out of the water.

At the hospital, the doctors were stunned—someone who had supposedly tried to drown himself hadn't swallowed a single drop of water.

My in-laws put on their best act, thanking the heavens for their son's miraculous survival, claiming his life wasn't meant to end so soon.

I suppressed a sneer and pretended to be concerned as I asked the doctor, "My husband is in the late stages of liver cancer. Could this incident have worsened his condition? Should we make him go through a more thorough examination?"

Upon hearing this, my in-laws grew frantic and quickly tried to stop me.

I saw right through them.

The "cancer" was just another excuse for Dylan to fake his death.

I had been so naive in my past life, happily sharing the news of my billion-dollar lottery win with Dylan. I had walked myself right into a trap.

As soon as Dylan was wheeled into a room, a female doctor, different from the one in the emergency room, arrived.

She went straight to Dylan's bedside and hurriedly flipped through his medical chart.

Her behavior was rather suspicious.

When she leaned down and took Dylan's hand, I realized I had seen her after I became a spirit in my past life.

"Mandy, the ER doctor said Dylan's going to be fine," my mother-in-law, Tiffany Lovell, blurted out, confirming my suspicions.

Mandy Spears was Dylan's first love—the one he had dated for six years before they broke up.

"Mom, do you know her?" I asked, catching Tiffany off guard.

She avoided my gaze.

That was when Mandy realized I was in the room too.

Her hand slid up as if she was checking Dylan's pulse, and I nearly laughed out loud.

Wasn't she majoring in modern medicine? Since when did modern doctors check pulses like that?

Phineas Lovell, my father-in-law, tried to maintain his composure and chimed in, "Mandy is in charge of Dylan's case. We know her well."

Mandy, huh? Shouldn't we be calling her Dr. Spears?

Tiffany seized the moment to criticize me, saying I didn't care for Dylan enough. She claimed that it was because of my negligence that Dylan had gotten cancer in the first place.

I quickly put on a guilty expression and agreed with her, "You're right, Mom. So, I've decided to transfer Dylan to the best hospital in Ebonas. We'll even do a liver transplant if necessary."

Everyone's faces changed the moment I said that.

Wasn't Dylan faking cancer?

Well, then, let's start by cutting out his liver and see how long he can keep up this charade!

Tiffany held my hand and said, "Celeste, I'm glad you realize your mistakes. However, since the doctor has said that Dylan is in the final stages, we should let him go with dignity."

Phineas scoffed and said sarcastically, "Do you know better than the doctor? Stop making a fuss!"

I forced out a couple of tears.

"Dylan is still so young. I don't want him to die an early death. I've already contacted a specialist in Ebonas. It just so happens that they have a suitable liver donor. As soon as he's transferred, they can schedule a transplant surgery."

Of course, I was making all of this up just to scare them.

Sure enough, Mandy's face went pale, and she exclaimed, "No!"

My in-laws also strongly opposed the idea.

I shot a cold glance at Mandy.

"I've never seen a doctor stop a patient from seeking treatment. Or are you suggesting your diagnosis was wrong?"

Mandy's eyes flickered, but she stubbornly insisted there was no way she could have misdiagnosed Dylan.

Tiffany scolded me, accusing me of trying to kill her son.

She argued that flying to Ebonas would be too much strain on her precious son and that she was worried something might happen to him on the way.

Phineas went to block the door, refusing to let me take Dylan away.

I pulled out my phone and threatened them, "Fine. If we're not going to Ebonas, I'll invite the experts over here for a consultation instead. Dylan will surely get better!"

As soon as Mandy heard the word "consultation", she panicked even more.

Tiffany cleared her throat and shot Mandy a glance. She then pretended to compromise.

"Since Celeste has already contacted the specialists, let's proceed with that. Celeste, why don't you go home and rest first? Phineas and I will wait here until the nurse arrives."

It was clear that they were trying to get rid of me.

I nodded, pretending to be deeply worried as I left the room.

As soon as I was out of the hospital, I disguised myself and went to claim my lottery prize. This billion-dollar jackpot was my ultimate secret. I hid the money away, didn't make any immediate purchases, and even sold my car to avoid drawing any attention.

When I got home, I checked the account Dylan and I had agreed not to touch. I was shocked to see that the balance was zero.

Every month, we each transferred part of our salaries into this joint account for our small family and future education fund for our kids.

A wave of dread washed over me as I realized that the jerk had secretly withdrawn it all.

I immediately made a few phone calls, asking some friends to look into some things for me.

I couldn't sleep at all.

Since Dylan had planned to fake his death and run off with Mandy, he must have covered all his bases by now.

Fortunately, the house and car were in my name, so he wouldn't be able to sell them behind my back.

However, I still couldn't shake off this feeling of unease.

Just as I had drifted off to sleep, my phone buzzed incessantly.

It was 3 AM, and Mandy's sorrowful voice came through the line.

"Ms. Harper, Dylan's condition suddenly worsened. Despite our best efforts, he has passed away. Please accept our condolences."

Pretending to be shocked, I croaked, "What?! No way! I'll be there right away!"

I hung up, but the smile on my face wouldn't disappear.

I wouldn't let him off that easily.

I grabbed something from the drawer and rushed to the hospital.

In the room, Dylan was already covered by a white sheet.

I removed the sheet and stared at his peaceful face. This was probably the healthiest-looking liver cancer patient I'd ever seen.

Weren't they usually pale and scrawny? What an act.

Smack!

Without warning, I slapped Dylan twice across the face, but Dylan didn't even flinch.

Hmm, looks like they had given him a heavy dose of sedation.

Just as Tiffany approached to stop me, I threw myself on top of Dylan.

"Dylan, you heartless jerk! How could you leave me like this?!" I wailed, using this opportunity to check something.

His body was warm, and I could still feel a heartbeat.

This confirmed my suspicions.

Tiffany put on a show of pulling me up, feigning sympathy. "Celeste, the dead can't come back to life. We need to move forward."

Phineas handed me a document and said, "This is Dylan's will. You're his sole beneficiary."

I wiped away a tear and straightened up.

So, not only had they staged a fake death, but they had even prepared a will?

How suspicious.

I quickly skimmed through the document.

"All debts incurred during my lifetime will be assumed by Ms. Celeste Harper."

I scoffed and pointed at that line. "What does this mean?"

Phineas looked away, muttering in disdain.

He said that since I would be inheriting everything Dylan left behind, I should be responsible for his debts too.

They were playing this game now.

The family fund was drained, and Dylan was surely hiding something from me.

Suppressing my anger for the time being, I pulled out the card I had brought with me and informed them, "Dylan had signed up as an organ donor. I've already notified the donation center, and they'll be here soon."

My in-laws and Mandy turned deathly pale.

Tiffany was so furious she tried to slap me, but I dodged her easily. Phineas started shouting at me, accusing me of being cruel and not letting his son rest in peace.

Mandy stammered for a moment and made an excuse. "Dylan's cancer had spread and metastasized, so the rest of his organs might not work well."

I sighed and responded, "I've already checked. They said it's fine. We should respect Dylan's wishes, shouldn't we? I'm his only beneficiary. Don't I have the right to make this decision?"

The expressions on their faces were priceless.

Mandy looked like she was in a dilemma.

She suddenly turned and went to pour us some water.

I noticed she had set two cups close together, which she handed to my in-laws, while a separate cup was placed further away—for me.

I was just about to take a sip when I caught sight of some powder on the rim of the cup.

At that moment, the organ donation staff arrived.

My in-laws threw a tantrum, threatening to commit suicide, and Mandy worked hard to dissuade them.

Since the immediate family strongly opposed the donation, the donation center couldn't force the issue even if the deceased had signed up to be a donor.

After they had left, Phineas glared at me.

"Hey! Hurry up and call John! Why isn't he here yet? We need to take Dylan back to our hometown!"

So, they were trying to run off, huh?

"You're going to bury Dylan?" I acted surprised. "The drive back home takes seven or eight hours. You'll need to book a proper freezer coffin and a hearse with a refrigerating system from the funeral home, right?"

My in-laws exchanged guilty glances, too scared to respond.

I pretended to go along with it. "We should also notify all the relatives back home so that they can come and mourn Dylan. Isn't it custom to hold a three-day vigil?"

Let's see how you keep Dylan sedated with all those eyes watching. It would be truly satisfying if I could witness him being buried alive.

Phineas was sweating profusely as he stammered, "We're not so old-fashioned… we don't have to follow our hometown customs. We just want Dylan to return to his roots and rest in peace."

I nearly burst out laughing. Why did they insist on a burial if they weren't old-fashioned?

Mandy squeezed Tiffany's hand and reassured her, "Mrs. Lovell, it's more common to have simple funerals these days. How about cremation? You can still take the ashes home for burial. I'll contact the funeral home right away."

Tiffany relaxed, realizing there was still a way to fix things.

Mandy must have another scheme up her sleeve.

While they weren't paying attention, I discreetly tampered with the cups of water.

"Dad, Mom, let's have some water first."

My in-laws, suspecting nothing, drank the cup that Mandy had prepared for me.

Whatever was in that cup worked fast. Within moments, they both began to feel dizzy.