My husband always lamented that he and his first love obsession were never meant to be. His solution? Arrange a childhood betrothal between their children to fulfill the dream.

In my previous life, the idea had left a sour taste in my mouth, but I'd brushed it off as a joke. Nothing to worry about.

It wasn't until the marriage was brought up again that I learned the truth: his first love's son had severe autism. And Lambert still insisted our daughter marry him.

"What do you know? The Weiss family is the richest in Pinecrest! If her son weren't sick, you think your daughter would even get a shot at this? Count your blessings."

"Kids with that condition are docile. He won't run around cheating. I'm perfectly happy with this match."

I was so furious I coughed up blood. I made up my mind to take my daughter and run, but my heartless husband broke both my legs and locked me away.

To stop the wedding, I set a fire.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back at the dinner where my husband and his first love were arranging the childhood betrothal.

...

"No! I don't agree!"

My voice ripped out of me, raw and fierce, cutting through the laughter at the table like a blade.

Lambert Perry's brow furrowed as he turned to glare at me, his good mood ruined.

"What the hell is wrong with you? I must've lost my damn mind bringing you out tonight. You're nothing but bad luck!"

"Shut your mouth. Since when do you get a say in Perry family business?"

Grace Cobb, ever perceptive about what went on inside my head, spoke up with a smile that wasn't quite a smile.

"Lambert, don't be upset. Minnie's just taking it out on me. You know how women are, petty and jealous."

"You can't force a deal on someone who doesn't want it. The betrothal was supposed to be a happy occasion, but if someone objects, then forget it. It's not like the Weiss family's firstborn grandson can't find a wife."

The others at the table looked at me with undisguised contempt.

"Grace is Lambert's first love. If she had any ulterior motives, you think you'd even be sitting here running your mouth?"

"I've never seen a mother stand in the way of her own daughter's good fortune. We're talking about the Weiss family, the wealthiest family in Pinecrest! Grace was kind enough to think of an old friend when something good came along. Without her, Minnie Fox could crack her skull open kowtowing and still never land an opportunity like this."

"What a shame. If Grace hadn't gotten married first, Lambert would never have given up hope and settled for whoever was available. That's the only reason a certain someone got her chance."

"Besides, it's just a verbal agreement for a childhood betrothal. Is all this drama really necessary?"

They made it sound so simple, as if I were the unreasonable one.

If I hadn't lived through it all before, I would have treated the whole thing as a joke too. Would have let it go without a second thought.

But the memory of my daughter being forced to marry a man who couldn't care for himself, and my own helpless breakdown when I couldn't stop it, was seared into my mind.

My voice dropped to a glacial calm.

"The Weiss family is far above our station. My daughter Mia isn't worthy of such an honor, so we'll bow out."

"We can talk about engagements another time. Go pay the bill and wait for us outside."

Lambert's face went ashen. He shoved me out of the private dining room without a shred of gentleness.

The door slammed shut behind me. Laughter erupted on the other side.

No one ever cares when the weak fight back.

I drew a long breath and walked away.

By the time I returned from settling the check, the private room was empty.

I spent the entire night awake, turning over every possible plan.

The next day, Lambert came home with a signed and stamped betrothal agreement in his hand, grinning from ear to ear.

That document hadn't existed in my previous life. My outburst must have put them on alert.

White-hot fury surged through me. I lunged and tore the paper to shreds, the paper that held my daughter's fate in its ink.

"Mia is your daughter, not a pawn you can move around a board! What gives you the right to decide her future on a whim?"

"I want a divorce. I'm taking my daughter and leaving you!"

Lambert watched my meltdown with perfect composure, a smirk curling his lip.

"That was a copy. Tear away. I've got plenty more."

"You've been a housewife so long, Minnie, your brain's gone to rust."

"Leave me? You can't even find a job. What are you going to do, take your daughter and beg on the streets?"

"Unless you've got the power to bring down both the Weiss family and the Perrys, what right do you have to stop us?"

I stood there, speechless. My body went cold.

If only I'd known. If only I'd known... I hated my younger self for being so blinded by love, for believing every honeyed lie that came out of that worthless man's mouth.

I hadn't just ruined my own life. I'd dragged my daughter down with me.

The thought squeezed the air from my lungs.

No.

There was still time.

Mia Perry was young. I could find a way to take her and leave the Perry family behind, far from all of this.

But my plans fell apart almost immediately.

Mia came home from school that afternoon. I tested the waters, asking casually: if Mommy and Daddy got a divorce, who would she rather stay with?

She didn't hesitate. She threw herself into Lambert's arms, beaming.

"Daddy, obviously! I see how hard he works to give me a better life. What have you ever done?"

"When I grow up, I'm marrying into the Weiss family and living the good life. If you want to go suffer, go ahead. I'm not going with you."

"And Aunt Grace is going to be my mother-in-law! Just thinking about it makes me so happy."

The ground dropped out from under me. I stared at the daughter I'd raised with my own two hands. She'd always been so sweet, so obedient. Always clinging to me, saying Mommy works the hardest, I love Mommy the most. My little angel. How had she turned into this?

Could a child this young really fake it so perfectly? Fool a grown woman without a single crack?

"If you're going to leave, then leave already. Nobody's stopping you. But don't go back on your word!"

"Aunt Grace gets upset every time she sees you. Once you're gone, she can come over and spend time with me and Daddy."

Every word from my daughter's mouth was a blade, slicing my heart into ribbons.

"That's my girl. Good taste and good judgment!" Lambert crowed, puffing up with pride. The words landed like a slap across my face.

So Mia was willing? She actually wanted this? Then what had all my sacrifice in my past life been for?

No. She was just a child. She didn't know any better. I couldn't hold it against her.

I stumbled forward, desperate to hold her, but she darted behind Lambert like a startled animal.

"Don't touch me! Get out of this house!"

"If you really cared about me, you wouldn't be standing in my way, acting like you know what's best for me."

"Daddy, make her leave! I don't want her anymore!"

After all that, the divorce was inevitable.

Lambert used Mia's rejection as his excuse and threw me out the door.

"Minnie, we were married. I wasn't planning to be this cruel. But you've got no one to blame but yourself. Your own daughter can't stand the sight of you. If I were you, I'd walk into traffic and save everyone the trouble."

Mia grabbed a fistful of her allowance and tossed it on the ground at my feet, looking down at me like I was nothing.

"Consider that my contribution to your retirement fund. Don't come back looking for me. I'm sick of seeing your face."

"Daddy, call Aunt Grace! I can't wait to tell her the good news. Hee hee!"

I stood in front of the closed door for a long time, unable to move.

I drifted through the streets like a ghost, deaf to the noise and bustle around me.

I found myself standing by the river, watching the churning water, my mind completely blank.

After being reborn, I'd been holding on by sheer willpower, determined to get my daughter out before things spiraled to their worst.

But she didn't want to come.

Rod Weiss. Pinecrest General Hospital. ICU.

A text from an unknown number. Cryptic, out of nowhere. It shattered my trance before I could even think about who sent it. The words on the screen hit me like cold water, and suddenly I was wide awake.

Rod Weiss was the only son of the wealthiest family in Pinecrest, and Grace Cobb's husband.

At that moment, news of his coma hadn't reached the outside world. But I'd been reborn, and I knew the truth: he didn't have long to live.

In the future, everything the Weiss family owned would pass to Grace and her son. No wonder she had the audacity to act the way she did.

That's right.

A memory surfaced, sharp and sudden. Something I'd overheard Lambert say in my previous life. I broke into a run toward the hospital without a second thought.

No matter what it took, the debts of my past life would be repaid.

And Grace Cobb would be first.

But things didn't go as smoothly as I'd hoped. The Weiss family had locked down the entire floor where the hospital room was located, terrified of a leak. Ordinary people couldn't get anywhere near it.

I didn't give up. I crouched in the corridor and waited for an opening.

Before I could come up with a plan, a group of bodyguards in black surrounded me.

"Name your price. Finding this place means you've got some skill."

"But if a single word of this gets out, the Weiss family will make sure you regret it."

Phyllis Weiss fixed me with an icy stare, her gaze cutting like a blade.

They'd mistaken me for a reporter sniffing around for a story. The frustration surging through my chest nearly boiled over, but it dissolved the instant I noticed the silver streaking through the old woman's temples.

She was a mother. Just like me, sick with worry over a child whose future hung in the balance.

I clenched my jaw. No more hesitation. The words I'd been turning over in my mind for so long finally spilled out.

"Rory Abbott is Grace Cobb's illegitimate child. He has no blood relation to the Weiss family whatsoever. And he has severe autism."

"I understand that news of having no heir would be devastating for the family right now. But are you truly willing to hand over everything the Weiss family has built to an outsider whose origins you can't even verify?"

"The Weiss family didn't hold on to the top of Pinecrest by making foolish choices. I trust you'll know what to do."

The color drained from Phyllis's face. Storm clouds gathered behind her eyes, and the jade bangle on her wrist caught the light, its hairline fracture suddenly visible.

But she hadn't survived decades in the business world for nothing. Within moments, she reined in her composure.

"I'll investigate whether this is true. But until the Weiss family reaches a final decision, I expect not a whisper of this to reach anyone outside these walls."

If I hadn't been desperate to bring Grace down, I never would have exposed another family's secrets. Phyllis's condition was more than reasonable.

I agreed without hesitation.

If the Weiss family cut Grace loose, the childhood betrothal would collapse on its own.

After all these years with Lambert Perry, I'd finally learned one bitter truth: feelings meant nothing when real money was on the table.

Confirming the truth would take time. In the meantime, I needed to survive.

At Phyllis's suggestion, I stayed on at the hospital as a caregiver to make ends meet. In my spare hours, I picked up my old craft again, sketching fashion designs.

After all, this was a fresh start. I'd need to earn my own living from here on out.

But Lambert had always sneered at my work. Confidence wasn't exactly something I had in abundance.

On top of that, after Mia was born, I'd rarely had the chance to throw myself fully into anything of my own. I'd barely kept up with trends in the industry.

Forget it. Overthinking won't help.

I'd raised my daughter with my own two hands. We'd never been apart, not once.

Phyllis was desperate for answers. Within days, she had the paternity test results in hand.

The moment I heard, I couldn't hold back any longer. I slipped away to the school gates, just to catch a glimpse of my girl.

What I saw made my blood run cold.

"Mia Perry! I've told you eight hundred times to look after Rory at school. What have you been doing?!"

"Useless little brat. Just like your mother."

Grace had Mia's ear twisted between her fingers, spitting venom, all because her precious son had wet his pants and no one had changed him fast enough.

My daughter's face was flushed scarlet. She flinched and cowered, unable to get away, stammering apology after apology through trembling lips.