Having faced the abyss of both life and death, my heart had hardened into an unyielding fortress. The pain of betrayal, coupled with the loss of my daughter, had steeled my resolve. The memories of their treachery were vivid and raw, but now, with the opportunity of rebirth, I would exact the justice they so richly deserved.

I quietly left the villa, a sense of grim determination guiding my steps as I headed straight for the lottery shop. Each step was a calculated move towards reclaiming my destiny. The numbers that had once been a source of despair now represented my chance for redemption.

The memories of the past life churned like a storm within me. I recalled Chris’s duplicitous nature—how he had concealed every detail, including his daily lottery purchases. The night of his 100 million win was a nightmare that I had lived through once before. Chris and Jennifer, in their vile conspiracy, had arranged for a group of men to invade my bedroom while I slept, subjecting me to grotesque humiliation. Their cruelty knew no bounds.

The following day, Chris confronted me with fabricated evidence of my supposed infidelities, using it as a weapon to accuse me of tarnishing his reputation. His anger was a mask for the deeper betrayal, while Jennifer’s phony tears and pleas for forgiveness only further revealed her duplicity. The divorce was swift and merciless, leaving me homeless and stripped of my rights to my daughter.

Chris and Jennifer’s marriage was the final twist in their cruel plot. A nagging suspicion led me to confront Jennifer, demanding an explanation for her betrayal. Her pleas were laden with deceit as she begged for forgiveness and insisted on a face-to-face meeting. Consumed by anger and a desire for answers, I climbed into her car, oblivious to the trap she had set.

Jennifer drove us to a desolate seaside, where two hulking men awaited our arrival. The sheer strength of their violence was overwhelming; I was no match for them. They overpowered me with brutal efficiency, stripping away my dignity before binding me to heavy rocks. The sea, cold and merciless, awaited me as they threw me into its depths.

In my final moments, Jennifer’s face twisted into a cruel mask of triumph. Her voice echoed with malevolent glee:

"Sister, even if you could defy the heavens, you won't escape the sea."

"After being a dog for ten years, I finally turned the tables! Hahaha."

"I’ve grown tired of seeing your face every day! Bitch! Feed the fish!"

"From now on, your man and your wealth will all be mine! As for your daughter, I’ve imagined countless ways to torment her."

Her words, laced with venom, were the last things I heard before the darkness of the sea enveloped me. My death was a brutal end to a life of suffering. After my demise, Caroline, my beloved daughter, was imprisoned in the basement of the villa. She was deprived of sunlight and human contact, her mental state unraveling in the oppressive isolation.

Jennifer’s daughter, Joana, soon required a kidney transplant. Without a second thought, Chris signed the consent forms, sealing Caroline’s fate. Caroline’s death from a severe infection was met with even greater cruelty; her body was discarded in the wilderness, left to be consumed by wild animals.

The thought of these atrocities filled me with a fierce, uncontainable rage. As I clenched my fists in a futile attempt to contain my fury, the shrill ring of the phone pierced through the haze of my memories.

The villa community was ablaze with scandal. A video had surfaced, capturing a compromising scene on the rooftop of my house. The footage, taken in the dead of night, showed two figures entangled in a passionate embrace, their heated sounds piercing the tranquility of the night. The video had been shared widely and the community group chat was flooded with messages of outrage and gossip.

"Mr. Martin, you and your wife are energetic and physically strong, but you can't be so inconsiderate of your neighbors' feelings," the messages poured in, reflecting a mix of judgment and mockery.

Feeling a sharp sting of humiliation, I took a deep breath and decided to address the situation head-on. I responded in the chat, "Apologies for the disturbance. I understand this has been an unpleasant sight for everyone. I assure you, I will address these issues immediately."

The group fell into a sudden, uncomfortable silence, their chatter abruptly halted as my message lingered in the chat.

With the immediate crisis momentarily managed, I took my leave and headed to the lottery shop. The ticket I purchased was crucial to my plan. As I walked home, my mind replayed the events of the previous night and the days that had led up to this point. Chris and Jennifer’s audacious behavior was a stark contrast to the image of normalcy they projected.

Returning home, I found that Chris and Jennifer had relocated their nocturnal activities to Jennifer’s bedroom. The sounds of their indulgence were a disturbing backdrop to my thoughts. I felt a surge of nausea; their complete disregard for my daughters’ well-being was maddening. The noise was not just an intrusion but a stark reminder of their callousness.

Determined to act, I quietly made my way to Chris’s study. My hands trembled as I attempted to crack the safe’s code. I entered several incorrect passwords, each failure fueling my frustration. In a moment of desperation, I entered Jennifer’s birthday as the code. To my shock, it worked. Inside, I found the ticket that had won Chris the 100 million jackpot. I carefully swapped it with the ticket I had just purchased, ensuring that the numbers were identical but with different dates.

Their revelry continued into the early hours, relentless and unbridled. As dawn approached, I knew I had to confront Chris. The driver had taken our daughters to school, leaving me alone with Chris and Jennifer. I dialed Chris’s number, my voice steady with determination.

"Divorce," I declared, my tone brooking no argument.

"Divorce?" Chris’s voice was thick with disbelief and irritation. "Eloise, are you still half-asleep? This is absurd. How could you possibly manage as a housewife without me?"

His response was laced with condescension and mockery. Jennifer, standing nearby, watched with wide, innocent eyes, her gaze shifting nervously between Chris and me.

"I’m serious," I insisted, my resolve unshakable.

Seeing that I wasn’t joking, Chris’s demeanor shifted to one of seriousness. "Eloise, think this through."

I had no time for further discussion. I reached into my bag and placed a photograph on the table between us. "I’ve thought it through, Chris. Divorce."

The photograph captured a raw and explicit image of Chris and Jennifer engaged in intimate acts from the previous night. Chris’s face darkened instantly, his anger and guilt palpable.

Jennifer’s eyes welled with tears and she raised her hands in a futile attempt to cover her face from the damning evidence. Her innocence was a farce and the reality of her betrayal was laid bare.

Chris’s rage erupted. "Eloise, what are you doing?! You can come up with any reason to divorce me, but using such a sordid method to drag Jennifer’s name through the mud is despicable!"

His anger was a mask for his discomfort and guilt. I stood my ground, resolute and unwavering. The confrontation had begun in earnest and the balance of power was shifting. The wheels of justice were set in motion and I was prepared to see this through to the end.

A bitter, almost manic laugh escaped my lips. "Chris, you truly are the epitome of a ‘flower protector,’ aren’t you? Can you honestly claim you’re unaware of the sordid things you and Jennifer have been doing?"

Chris’s face contorted with rage, his eyes flashing with indignation. "I don’t agree to divorce!" His voice was a thunderclap and he pounded the table with such force that the room seemed to shake.

Of course, he would resist the divorce. Chris had always leveraged my connections and resources to build his own empire while treating me with disdain. As a housewife, I had devoted myself to maintaining our home and supporting his career, but in his eyes, I was merely a convenient fool.

"It’s perfectly fine if you don’t want to proceed with the divorce," I said coldly, my voice a chilling contrast to the heated argument. "However, you should be prepared for the consequences if these photos and videos get released. You’ll need to devise a strategy to handle the fallout."

Chris’s meticulously crafted image of the devoted husband and loving father was his most prized asset. For over a decade, he had cultivated this facade, using it to gain wealth and power. The collapse of this image would mean the dissolution of everything he had worked for—his reputation, his social standing and his career.

Chris’s face darkened further, his frustration giving way to a dangerous edge. "Eloise, you’re threatening me."

I met his gaze with a steely resolve, no longer swayed by his smooth words. My once blind adoration had given way to a clear-eyed view of his true nature—a manipulative, deceitful man who had taken everything for granted.

"Chris, you’ve ignored my dignity, trampled on the respect I deserve and conducted yourself in the most despicable manner right before our eyes. If you maintain your false image, who will hold you accountable for your actions?"

At that moment, with her eyes swollen from tears, Jennifer reached into her bag and retrieved a pregnancy test. She handed it to Chris with a trembling hand. "Chris, I’m pregnant," she said, her voice fraught with desperation.

"What?!" Chris’s voice was a mix of shock and disbelief, his composure shattering.

I regarded him with a sardonic smile, enjoying the spectacle of his unraveling facade. "You accused me of smearing Jennifer’s reputation, claiming there was nothing between you two. But now, with this revelation, it remains uncertain whether the child she carries is even yours."

Jennifer’s patience wore thin. She glared at me, her face contorted with frustration. "It’s his, it’s definitely his. For years, Chris has been the only man in my life. Eloise, stop making trouble."

Chris’s reaction shifted from stunned disbelief to reluctant acceptance. His face, once set in anger, now showed a mixture of surprise and indecision. Jennifer, sensing the shifting dynamics, clung to Chris’s sleeve, her tears flowing freely. "Chris, I don’t want our child to be born without a father," she sobbed, her voice filled with genuine distress. "Please, don’t leave us now."

Chris was caught in a tumultuous internal battle, torn between his anger towards me and the sudden complication of Jennifer’s pregnancy. His phone rang, cutting through the tension like a jolt. He glanced at the screen, his eyes lighting up with unexpected joy.

In a swift, decisive move, Chris made his choice. "Divorce, Eloise. Let’s do it. Immediately!" His voice was sharp, the decision made with a newfound urgency.

The abrupt change in his demeanor left me momentarily stunned. The revelation of Jennifer’s pregnancy and the looming threat of exposure had clearly shifted Chris’s priorities. The once resolute opposition to divorce had crumbled under the weight of impending scandal and the need to preserve his interests.