I was thrown onto the bed, my neck viciously gripped by Alan Green. I've lost count of how many times this has been domestic violence. Reflecting on it, I've been married to him for ten years now. The suffocating sensation was unbearable, and I realized that I might have reached the end of my life. Looking at the face I had loved deeply for ten years, I ceased struggling. Tears trickled from the corners of my eyes.

Alan continued to spew insults. He called me a haggard old witch, useless, and said I might as well be dead. But he had forgotten how the belle of the college, who outshone all others, came to be in this state today, how the unattainable beauty he had pursued for two whole years ended up like this and how I, once happy and academically successful, came to this point.

I suddenly laughed, both tragic and ridiculous. Alan held me with one hand and slapped me hard with the other. "Laughing? You look like a damn ghost who is bad luck." I stared straight at him. " Alan, I'm pregnant." His expression faltered for a moment, his grip loosening. A smirk touched my lips, a flicker of satisfaction within. "It's not yours." I watched his expression shift from fear to fury, as he tightened his grip on my neck once again. "Bitch, are you cheating on me? Then I'll make sure you and your bastard die together."

I calmly watched him, devoid of any lingering affection, as he choked the life out of me. I was tired of living this life. Blinded by the light, I pulled the blanket over my face. It was quiet outside. I sighed. So, I wasn't dead after all. Like always, I lazed in bed a bit longer, then slowly sat up. Where was this?

Rubbing my eyes, I saw the soft pink sheets, the white curtains, and a tidy desk. I rushed to the bathroom and stared at my reflection in the mirror. It was a face full of youthful vigor, irreplaceable at any time. I had been reborn back to the day after the college entrance examination.

I opened the bedroom door and walked slowly down the stairs. Everything was as I remembered. My younger brother, Calvin Miller, was whimpering at the dining table. "Mom, when is sister getting up? I'm really going to starve."

A woman in her forties, still graceful, appeared in my line of sight. That was my mother, Sophia Smith, who had died of a sudden heart attack in my previous life after hearing I was imprisoned. But I, her most beloved daughter, hadn't been able to attend her funeral. Sophia was pointing a spatula at Calvin's head. "Keep it down. Your sister is exhausted from just finishing her exams."

Calvin replied in disbelief, "My dear mother, do you remember that your adorable son also just finished his exams?" I couldn't hold back anymore. I ran down and hugged Sophia tightly. "Mom, I've missed you so much." Sophia was startled and quickly put down the spatula. "What's wrong with you? Why are you crying so early in the morning?"

Calvin brought over some slippers and placed them by my feet. "Put on your shoes, or you'll get sick, and mom will make me take care of you." I turned and hugged Calvin, "My dear brother, let me have a good look at you." Calvin looked up in alarm.

Gary Miller, just back from work, was shocked by the scene.

Calvin pushed me onto a chair with disdain, then ran to hide behind Gary.

"Dad, I think my sister is too nervous about the exams. A lot of people do. Don't worry," said Calvin.

After my mother died in my previous life, Calvin made a scene at Alan's door, demanding he let me go. Alan, heartless as ever, had his men break Calvin's legs and threw him out on the street. After that, I never heard from Calvin again. Thinking about it, I clenched my teeth with unresolved hatred. Alan, in this new life, I will make you pay.

Alan and I were high school classmates. He pursued me endlessly from our senior year until the end of my freshman year of college, when I finally agreed. My father was the president of a renowned publishing house, and he loved his job. During my freshman year, the publishing house ran into financial difficulties, and Alan invested a lot of money in the name of the Green family. I was studying literature and loved writing novels. Many of my novels were hits back then. However, since they only became popular after we got married, all royalties went to Alan.

After we got married, initially, we interacted like any normal married couple. That was until I caught him cheating with Emma White. I made a scene demanding a divorce, but before I could even leave, he dragged me back by my hair. He grabbed a nearby whip and beat me with it. Then, not satisfied, he pulled me up and slammed my head in the refrigerator door. Pampered all my life, I couldn't endure this. I begged him for mercy. He forced me to kneel, threatening to kill me if I moved.

I knelt all night, and the next morning, he and Emma brazenly entered our home. What I once thought was a warm place now felt like hell. I listened to their amorous sounds in the bedroom, my body trembling uncontrollably.

On New Year's Eve, I couldn't go home, and my mother couldn't reach my phone. She took a taxi to our house, but no matter how much she rang the doorbell, no one opened. She went back home and called Alan, who told her I had caught an infectious disease and didn't want to infect them. Until the Lantern Festival, there was no news from me. She went to our house again, just in time to see a drunk Alan punching me in the face.

I crawled on the ground, gasping for air, as Alan ran out and threw away the phone my mother was using to call the police. He threatened her, saying if she dared call the police, I would be dead immediately. Shocked, my mother had a heart attack on her way home and never woke up.

On the day of my mother's funeral, my father's publishing house was oppressed by the Green family and eventually taken over by them. Gary was arrested for copyright infringement, a crime he would never commit. It was all Alan's doing. I took a knife and sneaked into the bedroom. In the pitch-black room, I shakily approached the bed. Just as I was about to strike, a hand suddenly landed on my shoulder. A ghastly voice whispered in my ear. "Olivia Miller, are you trying to kill me?"

That night, I was disfigured. He dragged the knife across my face, down to my chest. "If you please me tonight, I won't hit you," he said. I stared at him fiercely, teeth gritted, "You make me sick." He dragged me by my hair to the kitchen, took out a rolling pin, and broke my fingers one by one.

He laughed wickedly as the stick continued to fall on me. "Aren't you going to kill me? Stand up and do it." he taunted. Sophia pushed a bowl of rice toward me, "Why the daze? Eat, it's all your favorite dishes."

Indeed, I was reborn, and there was no need to dwell on the past anymore. "Dad, I want to work at your publishing house as an editor." Gary and Sophia exchanged glances. Calvin, with his mouth full, quipped, "Wow, the sun rises from the west today. My sister wants to work." I ignored him and smiled at my father, "I'll start from the very bottom as a junior editor and promise not to cause any trouble."

After thinking it over, my father nodded, "Alright, you can start whenever you're rested."

"I'm rested now."

If I rested any longer, I'd only be beaten again.

"I'm done eating!" Calvin shouted.

Sophia responded, "Now go cut a watermelon for your sister."

Calvin grumbled reluctantly, "What? Does she not have arms or legs?"

Sophia smacked his head, "Your sister even knows how to work. All you know is play."

I watched them bicker with a warm feeling in my heart. My phone vibrated, displaying a name prominently---Alan!